“I so want to share with you, my fellow humans, the beauty of the animals and the Earth. To enjoy it together, marvel at it, be healed by it; be moved to treat the wonder of creation with great respect. We would be healed then, humans, animals and the Earth…But what we do not attend to cannot reach us.”
~ Susan B. Eirich, PhD
The wild animals are lonely for us. We are lonely for them. We have become disconnected from each other. What would happen if we expanded our sense of community to truly include all living beings in our thinking and planning? Imagine what the state of our environment would then be.
Many of us have a deep longing for more in life, a sense of yearning; a loneliness. What if we are longing for something we innately have: a deep, visceral connection to the wild, animals, nature and true community. Then we would naturally be moved to mindfully save habitat so that all beings can thrive.
To solve our ecological and spiritual crises, human consciousness must expand to connect with all life, with its multitudes of intelligences, and expressions of spirit. Academic work, consciousness, and mindfulness movements tend to be abstract, and human or universe focused. It is important to add a vivid, vibrant connection with other-than-human beings to balance these approaches. We are embodied creatures of the Earth. It is the source of our sustenance, our strength, our wisdom.
Many of us share a connection with dogs and cats or horses but wild animals can take us even deeper, serving as a portal into connecting with all Life.
Connecting with animals can help with this. Many of us share a connection with dogs and cats or horses but wild animals can take us even deeper, serving as a portal into connecting with all Life. They can take us out of our human-centered way of thinking and into a larger frame of reference as we move forward on our human journey.
Having lived with rescued wild animals over their lifetimes Susan Eirich has witnessed paradigm-shifting events of great beauty and power. In an upcoming talk, she will open doors into another way of seeing and understanding nature; her experiences can offer us a sense of the companionship that is available to us, and move us to make different conservation and life decisions where considering all Life is a priority.
On April 24, 2021, Dr. Eirich will offer a talk hosted by the annual Cortona Pearls conference called Reawakening Our Bond with Our Wild Earth. This year, the talks which generally take place in Todi, Italy, can be tuned into from around the world. We encourage you to avail of this special opportunity.
Please visit Reawakening Our Bond with Our Wild Earth/Cortona Pearls for details and to register for the talk. Registration is free and donations are warmly welcomed.
Dr. Eirich will be introduced by Mirjam Luthe, Teacher and International Affairs Manager at Center for Mindful Self-Compassion and co-founder of Dankbar Leben, an international partner of A Network for Grateful Living.
A licensed psychologist, biologist and educator, Dr. Susan Eirich has taught at universities around the world, worked in maximum security prisons, developed a university counseling center, directed a Nature Conservancy Preserve, and lived in remote corners of Nepal, the Mid and Far East, the Northwest Territories and the Amazon rainforest. Her goal is always to see through other’s eyes as a way to enhance understanding between cultures, peoples and species. She received a B.S. in Biology from Cornell University, Ithaca, New York; M.A. degree in Psychology from New School for Social Research, New York, and her Ph.D. in Psychology from University of Kentucky. Earthfire Institute is a wildlife sanctuary and retreat center that currently provides lifetime care for wild animals native to the US Rocky Mountains including wolves, bears, wild cats, bison, and more. She founded Earthfire in 2000 in order to give a voice to wildlife and help people find their own natural voice. Earthfire’s work is to help us reawaken our bond with our Earth through a pioneering approach called Reconnection Ecology, motivating us to protect wildlife and nature.