Practices of Enchantment
by Christopher Fici, PhD
This semester, along with my students in the “Religion and the Natural World” and “The Story of the Universe” courses at Iona College in New Rochelle, NY, we have been exploring the enchantment and the disenchantment of our relation to the natural world.
It is perhaps easier to explain what disenchantment is first (if you are not familiar with the term). As always, the wisdom of teachers provides us with understanding. The English writer and “recovering environmentalist” Paul Kingsnorth remarks that “The very fact that we have a word for ‘nature’ is evidence that we do not regard ourselves as part of it.” As the Potawatomi elder and plant scientist Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer teaches us from her most evocative text Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants:
“The animacy of the world is something we already know, but the language of animacy teeters on extinction-not just for Native people, but for everyone. Our toddlers speak of plants and animals as if they were people, extending to them self and intention and compassion-until we teach them not to. We quickly retrain them and make them forget. When we tell them that the tree is not a who, but an it, we make that maple an object; we put a barrier between us, absolving ourselves of moral responsibility and opening the door to exploitation. Saying it makes a living land into ‘natural resources.’ If a maple is an it, we can take up the chain saw. If the maple is a her, we think twice.“
What is enchantment then? The practices we offer below are ways for you to feel part of Mother Earth again. The practices of enchantment help us not just to think Earth is alive, but to feel it. Enchantment is the art of feeling achingly alive within the embrace of Mother Earth. It is a child-like (in the best way!) experience of the sacredness of creation. Enchantment is also justice and the struggle for ecological justice in all of its capacities. Enchantment is the entanglement of our very bodies and souls in the creaturely flesh of Earth, alive, awake, and in radically caring embrace.
“Enchantment” by James Jordan.
Courtesy of the Creative Commons license. No changes made.
Never call another living being, human and especially non-human, as it. Use personal pronouns when acknowledging another non-human being. If you’re not sure of the gender of your fellow non-human, you can use, as Dr. Kimmerer suggests, ki or kin. As Dr. Kimmerer teaches: “And use “ki” as a pronoun, a respectful pronoun inspired by this language as an alternative to “he,” “she,” or “it,” so that when I’m tapping my maples in the springtime, I can say, “We’re going to go hang the bucket on ki. Ki is giving us maple syrup this springtime.” This, then, of course, acknowledges the being-ness of that tree, and we don’t reduce it to an object“. The world around us thus becomes, as Thomas Berry taught, a communion of subjects rather than a collection of objects.
Encounter all living beings as ensouled (not just embodied). Treat every living being as a sacred spirit soul. The eyes are the window to the soul-with your pets or even non-domesticated beings you may encounter, look them in the eyes and encounter their ensoulment. Treat every living being with sacred dignity, for as Krishna teaches in the Bhagavad-Gita: “The humble sages, by virtue of true knowledge, see with equal vision a learned and gentle brāhmaṇa, a cow, an elephant, a dog and one who is outcast.“
A little experiment with YALF (You Always Live Forever) in contrast with YOLO (You Only Live Once). Consider the concept of reincarnation. As scholars and practitioners from Dharmic traditions (Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, and the various Indigenous spiritualities of India) teach, believe, and understand, as ensouled beings, we exist in different states of embodiment throughout our journey on the wheel of samsara (birth and rebirth). As O.P Dwivedi taught us “the Hindu belief in the cycle of birth and rebirth…means that Hindus are called to give other species not only respect, but reverence.“ (1)
When you see another living being (like a bird, a squirrel, or a tree) meditate on the possible reality that you were once a bird, you were once a squirrel, or once a tree. How does this make you feel? What interconnections do you experience with this living being? What do you see when you see through their eyes? Does the genetic memory of once being non-human emerge into your human awareness?
Offer a prayer or poem of thanksgiving to your most beloved place on Mother Earth. Write the prayer or poem down in the style of the Thanksgiving Address of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. Keep a regular journal of gratitude for the beauty, care, intimacy, and raw awe one feels in your everyday relationship with Mother Earth.
Offer a ritual of devotion to a place, to a particular creature, to a particular species, or to Earth and the Universe in general. This can take the form of something specifically religious (like a Hindu-style puja) or something which is more broadly spiritually and/or naturally focused.
This can also be a mindful meditation: think of a place on Earth or a fellow non-human Earthling which brings about a deep feelingness. In your meditation focus on what is beautiful, sacred, meaningful, and/or awe-inspiring. Meditate upon your inherent, intimate connection with the subject of your meditation.
Take some time to research and discover, as much as you possibly can, where a particular household item or food item truly comes from. Who created it? Who grew it? How did it get to you? How long did it take to get to you? What is the supply chain like? What is its carbon footprint? As importantly, where does the remnants of this item land once you dispose of it? If the item you have chosen has a high carbon footprint, are there ways to purchase this item so that it is more locally sourced and/or ecologically friendly?
Eat a more plant-based diet. This does not mean you must become a full-on vegetarian or vegan (but kudos if you do!) But go beyond even just a Meatless Monday. Explore online the vast universe of great plant-based recipes. Enjoy a Beyond Burger rather than a hamburger. If you do eat meat, strive to get your meat from local farmers who treat their animals with living dignity.
Engage in Metta meditation (boundless-loving-kindness) for all living beings, human and non-human. Especially experience this meditation with the guidance of trained Buddhist practitioners, who can guide you into the proper mindset and intention. How does this practice help you to understand and experience pratitya-samutpada (the interconnectedness and interdependence of all living beings)? Keep an ongoing journal or vlog in which you share how expressing boundless-loving-kindness makes you more ecologically aware.
Grow something! Put your hands in Mother Earth! From something as seemingly simple as a seed comes the sacred expression of life in all its differentiation, subjectivity, and capacity for communion. Turn your lawn/green spaces into gardens. Have plants everywhere. Sing to them! Remember that ecotheology is truly “dirty” theology.
Participate in your local climate justice/environmental justice group. Join a local chapter of 350, the Sunrise Movement, Extinction Rebellion, or any local community group led by the people who live, dream, and love in their own community spaces. Find the best way you can contribute to the movement of environmental/climate justice.