The Relationship Between Spirituality and Sustainability

For me (and I’m assuming most people), my relationship with spirituality has been a journey. There’s been high points, low points, confusion, and mixed messages galore.

However, there’s always been one key thing that it all can be related to: at its most basic level, spirituality is about being connected to something bigger than ourselves. It’s about forming a relationship with a higher, universal energy that makes up everything in existence. This energy is the very life force that flows through you, me, and the world around us.

Whether we like it or not, we and everything that exists today is made up of the same essence.

Everything is intimately connected through this energetic relationship.

A huge part of spirituality is the idea that we are “made of love” and that we should extend this love to not only ourselves but everyone around us. We should be living our lives intentionally and with love. This makes sense when you consider the above notion of us being interconnected beings. If myself and my coworker or the person running the cash register at the grocery store are made from the same energy, why wouldn’t I treat them with loving kindness?

In a world filled with negativity and hatred, we need all the love we can get. In the spiritual community I see this loving energy being shared and it brings me joy every single day. I truly believe that the world is a better place for it.

There is one place that I feel is lacking in the love department: the Earth.

Our planet is our home and houses every living soul. However, the Earth is dying and humanity seems to be doing nothing about it.

Like I said before, every single thing in this universe is made from the same universal energy. This includes the Earth. Our planet is made from the same energy as you and me.

If we are making a point to show love to one another as a part of our spirituality, why are we not making the same effort to show love to our own planet?

I believe it is our responsibility as spiritual individuals to extend the love and care we feel for our fellow human beings to the Earth. Without her, the human experience as we know it would cease to exist.

The further along my spiritual journey I travel, and the more self aware I become, the more I realize just how intimately spirituality and sustainability are intertwined. So many of our spiritual principles are rooted in nature:

All of these things, and more, are integral parts of today’s understanding of spirituality. Why?

Because the natural world reminds us of what’s important. It forces us to slow down and appreciate the magnificent things the universe is capable of creating. It makes us feel connected to the vastness we are all a part of that modern living often takes away from us.

You can even ask most non-spiritual people and they will agree that nature is pretty dang amazing.

But despite the importance mother Earth plays in spirituality, we are slowly destroying her. Often without even realizing what we are doing.

As much as we might try to be one with nature, we are so disconnected from what is happening and how our actions are directly impacting the environment.

Don’t beat yourself up for not knowing, our society is created in a way that pulls the wool over our eyes. Corporations don’t want us to know about their unsustainable manufacturing practices. The reality about emissions and landfills and bo ttled water isn’t pretty or glamorous.

In fact, we’re often happier not knowing these things.

As they say, ignorance is bliss. And being ignorant of these issues is far easier than it should be.

However, if you’ve gotten this far you’ve at least had your attention brought to the issue at hand. You’ve cared enough to keep reading this far and I am very thankful to you for that.

From one spiritually inclined person to another, I implore you to extend some of the love you practice in your spirituality to the Earth.

You don’t have to make drastic lifestyle changes to make a difference. Simply living intentionally and extending the same thoughtfulness to Mother Earth that you would your fellow human beings will help.

Three easy, actionable steps that you can do to make a difference are:

Refuse single-use plastics such as disposable cutlery, cups, plates, and straws in your daily life
Commit to participating in Meatless Monday and reduce your meat intake
Be mindful about your purchases and vote with your dollar

These three actions take little-to-no effort on your part but help to divert waste and emissions that have a negative impact on the environment.

I also encourage you to consider your place in the world and how you on an individual level can help to make a difference. Read up on environmental issues, learn about the climate crisis, and evaluate how your life impacts the health of the Earth. There are so many amazing resources out there.

Moving forward this blog will not only cover spiritual topics, but also holistic wellness and sustainability.

Once again, I thank you for reading this far and I hope that you can fully appreciate just how intimately spirituality and sustainability are related. Every time you extend love to the Earth, you’re helping to improve the health of not only the planet but every single living being on it.