Page 9 - ECOlogic Book

If we see ourselves as immersed in the psyche of Gaia, we well as breathing
her very breath, then our thoughts are her thoughts; our sensitivities are
her sensitivities. We cannot exploit her or harm her without harming
ourselves. Not only do we ask questions of the environment, but the
environment also asks questions of us.

Abram points out that in Native American cosmology the air or the wind is
the most sacred of powers. The early Hebrews too, must have understood
this sacred connection, for their word for breath, “Rhuah”, was the same
word they used for “spirit”.

Following the work of philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Abram further
posits that the mind is the body and not separate from it. “A body that is
itself awake and aware, from its toes to its ears”, he says, “is one in which
there is no division between –‘out there’ and ‘in here.’ The physical
environment becomes magically vibrant when experienced through such a
body.”

“Gaia, understood as a reality that encompasses us . . . is far vaster, more
mysterious, and eternal than anything we may ever hope to fathom,”
concludes Abram.

All this from air. From atmosphere and breath. Your breath. My breath.
Gaia’s breath.

What a different experience it is, to go out on a windy day and know that
Gaia is breathing, and on a still evening, to pay attention to your own breath
as it goes in and out, knowing that this too, is the breath of Gaia.

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