Sacred Gaia

Gaia, the scientific theory founded by James Lovelock in 1979, embraces the earth as a whole, dynamic entity whose sum is always larger than its parts. While science and theology are often seen as contraries, which negate or dilute one another, Gaia theory harmonizes both systems of thought. Sacred Gaia cogently describes Gaia theory's analysis of human and earthly evolution. Anne Primavesi's remarkable, effortlessly coherent book helps us to recognize the sacredness of our origins and our responsibility for the future.

This accessible and timely book uses a Christian perspective to explore ethical debates about nature. A detailed exploration of humanity’s treatment of the natural world from a Christian perspective. Covers a range of ethical debates, including current controversies about the environment, animal rights, biotechnology, consciousness, and cloning. Sets the immediate issues in the context of underlying theological and philosophical assumptions. Complex scientific issues are explained in clear student-friendly language. The author develops her own distinctive ethical approach centred on the practice of wisdom. Discusses key figures in the field, including Peter Singer, Aldo Leopold, Tom Regan, Andrew Linzey, James Lovelock, Anne Primavesi, Rosemary Radford Ruether, and Michael Northcott. The author has held academic posts in both theology and plant science.

Manu of us believe that Earth to be sentient or feeling, but we are disconnected from her because we can't understand her vibrations and impressions. Gaia, the sentience of Earth, speaks to us through Pepper Lewis, teaching us how to be attuned to the Earth and to learn from her.

This work is a personal exploration of seven ancient sites as sacred heritage and the relation of each one to one of the seven major chakras. In travelling to a sacred place, one discovers the site's spiritual power within its actual setting. Each site is related to a specific chakra on the basis of the author's experience there and the symbolism and concept associated with the chakra. Each chapter begins with an original poem and ends with a guided meditation.

Gaia's Gift, the second of Anne Primavesi's explorations of human relationships with the earth, asks that we complete the ideological revolution set in motion by Copernicus and Darwin concerning human importancene. They challenged the notion of our God-given centrality within the universe and within earth's evolutionary history. Yet as our continuing exploitation of earth's resources and species demonstrates, we remain wedded to the theological assumption that these are there for our sole use and benefit. Now James Lovelock's scientific understanding of the existential reality of Gaia's gift of life again raises the question of our proper place within the universe. It turns us decisively towards an understanding of ourselves as dependent on, rather than in control of, the whole earth community.

Essays link Gaian science to such global environmental quandaries as climate change and biodiversity destruction, providing perspectives from science, philosophy, politics, and technology.

Nature, Space and the Sacred offers the first investigative mapping of a new and highly significant agenda: the spatial interactions between religion, nature and culture. In this ground-breaking work, different concepts of religion, theology, space and place and their internal relations are discussed in an impressive range of approaches. Weaving together a diversity of perspectives, this book presents an innovative and truly transdisciplinary environmental science. Its broad range offers a rich exchange of insights, methods and theoretical engagements.

James Lovelock’s Gaia theory revolutionized the understanding of our place and role in the global environment. It is now accepted that our activities over the past two hundred years have contributed to and accelerated the extreme weather events associated with climate change. The fact that those activities materialized, for the most part, from within Western Christian communities makes it imperative to assess and to change their theological climate: one characterized by routine use of violent, imperialist images of God. The basis for change explored here is that of gift events, particularly as evidenced in Jesus’s life and sayings. Its legacy of love of enemies and forgiveness offers a basis for nonviolent theological and practical approaches to our situatedness within the community of life. These are also Gaian responses, as they include foregoing a perception of ourselves as belonging to an elect group given power by God over earth’s life-support systems and over all those dependent on them, whether human or more-than-human. The degree to which we change this self-perception will determine how we affect, for good or ill, not only the givenness of the climate in future but the givenness of all future life on earth.