New Book – The Green Troubadour

Responding to the question of whether shamanic practice can be coupled with the performing arts, David Sparenberg promotes the concept of ecosophy as the integrative link between these seemingly distanced forms of embodiment.  In The Green Troubadour, he looks at ways in which ecosophy can be the common understanding — the value system — weaved into both the process and the outcome of performance.  In the actor, therefore, we find the eco-shaman performing, healing, and being healed. Continue Reading →

Some Good News (for a Change!)

By Amy Lenzo
(first published in the ICE blog)

Two media communications coming out of the first part of 2016 are making my heart sing!

The most recent was Leonardo DiCaprio’s Oscars “Best Actor” acceptance speech for his role in The Revenant. In it he spoke out forcefully about the critical threat of Climate Change, giving specifics about the collective response he sees needed to address it and a special shout out for First Nations peoples whose “voices have been drown out by the politics of greed”. It brought a smile to this man’s face as well:

Leonardo-Acceptance

The other was Al Gore’s latest TED Talk on the Case for Optimism on Climate Change, where he talks first about the continuing seriousness and ongoing effects of climate change, and then moves on to share some of the changes we ARE making and how those changes are impacting what is now possible, and what our future can hold. A hugely inspiring talk from this courageous and visionary Nobel Laureate:

Short Film by Mark Brennan

A short film by Mark Brennan from Nova Scotia about the Acadian Forest from a Deep Ecology Perspective.

Let’s Go Outside

Cool video from the Let’s Go Outside Revolution, sent in by our keen web-watcher Chitola Utsanami.

Sacred Earth

Submitted by Martin T Brown, of Third Planet Pictures:

A new film by Emmy Award winning director Jan Nickman, titled “Sacred Earth“, moves beyond the discussion “about” nature and instead takes the viewer into a deeply personal experience “with” nature.

Here’s a trailer:

“Brother Sun Sister Moon”

by John Scull

A while back we were contributing favorite films related to ecopsychology. I forgot to mention my favorite, “Brother Sun Sister Moon,” featuring Donovan’s musical settings of some of St. Francis’ prayers and a very lovely St. Clare.  Francis is portrayed as a gentle nature-loving hippie and nicely ignores the side of him that was a Christian fanatic and skilled organizer.

For an amazing new cinema resource, the National Film Board of Canada, famous for their shorts and documentaries, has now compiled all their ecology-related footage and made it available online for free.  Some full length films, some excerpts.  Browse