Seeking a spirituality for the environmental crisis
The environmental crisis is often in our news and the statistics and predictions for our world do not look good. It can be overwhelming, and I have been grateful for those activists and scientists working to find ways forward.
Being by nature a rather busy person myself, ministering as a priest in Oxford diocese, I wanted to explore more contemplative approaches. Rather than simply feeling busier, guilty and powerless in the face of the crisis, I wondered how we might live better in and with creation, more in tune with the divine life that can sustain and motivate us.
One essential message from this crisis seems to be that we need to slow down, stop rushing and using up all our resources, take time to value the huge gift we are given in the landscapes around us.
It was a real privilege to be awarded the Canon Denys Ruddy Memorial Scholarship for my study in Theology and Spirituality at Gladstone’s Library. I took this after two months of sabbatical leave in which there was time to travel, read and gather notes together.
As well as time to enjoy and reflect on the British landscapes and the challenges we face here I was also able to travel to South West USA and experience other landscapes and histories that forced me to think differently.
Visiting ancient canyons and deserts challenged me to think deeper into time and put our current rush in the context of thousands and even millions of years of slow but steady environmental change.
I have sought to bring these very human experiences alongside my experience of the triune God in reflecting on creation, humanities mixed involvement in its history, and patterns of spiritual life that will better lead us into the future.
From within the Christian tradition, I built on my previous research into Thomas Merton, the 20th century monk whose environmental consciousness was stirred by Rachel Carson’s famous Silent Spring. I’ve been asking how his contemplative approach might inspire our spirituality today, as well as recognising its limits.
I have also been keen to engage with the practice of nature writing which has been flourishing in recent decades. Re-reading the books of Robert Macfarlane, one of the leading British writers, I realised that his series are suggestive of spiritual practices that might better enable us to engage with the landscapes around us. It is important that we gain insights together from our different backgrounds and religious outlooks and see what we can learn and practice.
Andy Lord sitting in at a desk in the Reading Rooms
It was a special gift after all this stimulation to have a week at the Gladstone’s Library to be quiet, pray and write. To put into the practice the slowing down that I have been increasingly convinced is needed. Not that I didn’t also manage to produce a booklet and academic article at the same time!
I much appreciated the atmosphere that encourages study, the well-equipped Reading Rooms with their silence, the 8am Communion services and the church next door on Sunday. Given my focus on creation it has been good to enjoy the grounds, the nearby walks that gave space to breathe and the local RSPB reserve that encouraged attentiveness to creation.
I must also mention and give thanks for the quality of accommodation and food. The restaurant is amazing in its provision and it was a challenge not to eat too much! The leather chairs in the Gladstone Room and the Reading Rooms allow for more relaxed reading.
I’m grateful for the friendly staff, always ready to help and listen. It was lovely to catch up with the Warden, Andrea, again as well as meeting new people. There are a diverse mix of people who come to study here, for small conferences, or simply to have a few nights away.
I can highly recommend Gladstone’s Library to any in need of reflective space and time.
Andy Lord, July 2024