This article is an extract from The Rosicrucian #87 (Feb 2022).

THROUGHOUT HISTORY, humankind has had only one planet to call home…, the Earth. Setting sail on an uncharted sea of limitless mystery and unlimited potential, we are the sentinels who are guarding the Earth. From space, astronauts look down upon the Earth; they see a planet without borders, they see that we’re all part of the same team: Team Earth. If we’re going to move forward, the only way is to do it together.

2014 saw the publication of the Rosicrucian manifesto Appellatio Fraternitatis Rosae Crucis. The Appellatio is a call to humanity. It is an appeal to bring to worldwide attention three of the most urgent areas of consideration for the betterment and wellbeing of humanity and all life on Earth in the 21st century. This trinity is Spirituality, Humanism and Ecology.

We Rosicrucians tend to be very familiar with and good at navigating the language of spirituality and humanism, but what about the language of ecology, something so very relevant in these times? Some people have asked, ‘What even is ecology?’ Technically, it is a form of natural science about the relations of organisms to one another and to their physical surroundings. However, ecology is more broadly thought of as the relationship between all living things. It has become synonymous with the preservation and wellbeing of all natural systems that support life on Earth.

These systems, which unite the mineral, plant, animal and human kingdoms of life, are intelligent, complex and collaborative. If we liken each species to musical notes of the natural world, the ecologies are the melodies and the harmonies. In their natural state, there is a profound wisdom and beauty that plays out in their relationships, and we see this celebrated in the complex collaborations between different expressions of life.

The relationships are so refined, so exquisitely balanced, that they form both the foundations and the details of that great symphony named ‘the circle of life.’ In the outer, measurable 21st century world, these complex systems have been studied and analysed across many scientific fields, generating scientifically sound answers but also coming up with new questions. However, there are many areas in the immaterial and invisible realms that mystics can become more aware of as a counterpart to this enquiry, and that is an important area of research and a new language to develop.

We can draw upon our mystical consciousness and, using our soul qualities, experience a sacred affiliation with all other life forms. We can tend that precious flame, our reverent thoughts, and develop a deeper bond with the mesocosm, the sanctuary of all life on Earth, the biosphere of life which lies between the macrocosm and the microcosm.

Biophilia

This is a calling to awaken to a language of spiritual ecology. Some mystics have even spoken of it as a ‘transcendental ecology.’ Academics in the lecture halls of universities have even begun using the word ‘biophilia’ as a philosophy, meaning the ‘love of living things’, or the inborn affinity that humans have for nature. It is likely that discovering a relevant inner language of mystical consciousness of the natural world, and how to speak of it outwardly, will be a significant part of the mystic’s quest in the 21st century.

However, this is not a new endeavour. Mystics throughout the centuries have contributed their good thoughts, their reverent feelings and a helping hand behind the scenes towards the enhancement and preservation of nature. And Rosicrucians are never far away from a deep reverence for the natural world. Nature’s pristine beauty, truth and goodness is an inspiration to them in their quest for perceiving the universal intelligence that pervades all. From the most exquisite tiny flower held in the palm of your hand to the hauntingly beautiful calls of a blue whale, there is Universal Soul at work trying to be expressed upon each and every inch of our Earth wherever it can.

When an ecology is well, it has the potential to express itself fully, to reach its full reflection of the divinity at work. Nature in its pristine state or in a beautifully cared-for garden reflects this full potential. Affiliating with nature helps us to connect with this wellness, with this love at work in all relationships. Therefore, the spiritual ecology we learn from nature teaches us how to fulfil collaborative, harmonious relationships between one another.

The natural world on Earth, as mesocosm, reflects a middle ground of a unity between humanity, nature and cosmos. The affinity and connectedness that we can develop with the natural world and all living beings, each and every day, is an intrinsic part of understanding nature’s true purpose and the mysteries of life.

The renowned naturalist Sir David Attenborough suggests that the essential principle that nature teaches us is that a high level of refinement grows out of collaborative diversity and inclusive hierarchy.

In his recent statement, he says that the living Earth is a unique and spectacular marvel. Billions of life forms work together to form a unique, dazzling variety and richness of expression. They collaborate to benefit mutually from the energies of the sun, and the minerals of the Earth. Lives interlock in such a way that they sustain and benefit from each other. We, as humans, rely on this finely-tuned instrument of life, and it relies on its precious collaborative balance, diversity, complexity and inclusive hierarchy of all life forms.

Sir David Attenborough goes on to say that in the evolutionary history of the Earth, over billions of years, nature has carved miraculous forms, each more intricate and complex than the last. The magnificence that is our planet’s biodiversity has developed over the last 65 million years, and the Holocene, the period of the last 10,000 years, is considered one of the most stable in constancy ever in the Earth’s natural history. A rich, thriving world is a key to this stability.

More than ever, there is a rapidly growing planetary awareness, an ecological consciousness that highlights humanity’s adverse impact upon Earth’s wellness. Humans are naturally creative, and they have continually transformed nature’s gifts to satisfy their needs. Whether from coal to warmth, or from trees to buildings, they have rearranged the natural world to suit their creative desires and uphold their paradigms. But how much of this creativity is really fulfilling its true purpose of reflecting the creativity of the cosmic mind if it is damaging complex, collaborative ecosystems and thus reducing the complexity of the expression of being?

The Rosicrucian View

Anxious to raise awareness on the subject of ecology, the Rosicrucian Order published in 2012 A Plea for Spiritual Ecology, which was read out at the Brazilian Senate during the Earth Summit in Rio. As the then Imperator and President of the Rosicrucian Order, Christian Bernard, so beautifully expressed it:

The Earth is a jewel in the cosmos, a masterpiece of the divine, universal consciousness. It is a treasure of great inspiration to humanity and is respected by Rosicrucians as a special sanctuary upon which all life can evolve, physically, emotionally and spiritually.

Ecology plays an integral part in mystical consciousness because we cannot become interested in the mysteries of life without also being concerned with what is to become of the Earth. From the moment we set out on a spiritual path, we cannot fail to be concerned with the future of our planet.

Furthermore, our present Imperator and board President, Claudio Mazzucco, reflects upon this in his article Rosicrucian Utopia:

Today nature is being exploited and denied its purpose. By considering it just a relaxing backdrop for our holidays, we neglect the only channel that has the power to bring us face to face with the fundamental questions of who we are and why we are here. As Rosicrucians, we need to reclaim this path to restore nature’s true purpose, not as a means to an end but as an end in itself. We need to appreciate it not just as a resting place but rather as a language that points to the eternity within the smallest structure, inside and outside of ourselves.

The Rosicrucian manifesto Appellatio Fraternitas Rosae Crucis, issued in January 2014, declares:

The Earth is the backdrop to our spiritual evolution and what allows us to become fulfilled as ‘living souls.’ It has, therefore, both a terrestrial and a celestial vocation. We use the term ‘health’ when speaking about our planet, for it is obvious that our world is a living and even conscious ‘thing.’

Sacred Relationship

If we agree that the Earth is a living, conscious ‘something’, or even an ‘evolving conscious being’ of some sort, can we also say that the Earth and all life forms on it might highly value a sacred relationship with us for the purpose of a mutual opportunity to evolve? We know that many traditional peoples, living close to the land, honour a sacred relationship with nature through their rituals and feel an obligation to preserve it through their way of life.

Unfortunately, this relationship is being severely eroded as globalisation has imposed its presence upon them. Can Rosicrucians use a higher form of spiritual or mystical consciousness to help with the preservation of this sacred relationship, from a metaphysical point of view? To answer this question, it is helpful to get to know the Earth a little more deeply, to touch into its very origins and maybe even a meaningful purpose. The creation mythologies of ancient Egyptian and Hermetic traditions are, perhaps, a good place to begin, for in the creation teachings we know of, there is a common thread that can be synthesised as follows:

The divine mind, or the heart of the supreme divine being, activates creation out of an eternal, unchangeable realm and begins emanating harmonious laws and principles of cosmic order. Out of the darkness of the primordial cosmic waters, density and warmth arise first, then light, then life, gradually becoming more complex until consciousness arises in life forms. In the Egyptian Heliopolitan Ennead (group of nine gods), this is described as a series of divine pairs, polarities of dual emanations: light and air, sky and Earth, and ending with the most refined energies of love, represented in the relationship of Isis and Osiris, who create Horus, who symbolises the Supreme Good. Here we have light, life, love and the supreme good as progressive emanations out of the unity of an unchangeable, eternal realm.

A very special and symbolic event is mentioned in some of the most sacred of these teachings. This is the moment a sacred Bennu bird, the phoenix, thought to symbolise a ‘divine fire’, surveys the primordial cosmic waters. Where the phoenix lands, a mound arises as the sacred Benben stone. This was represented in the garden of Iunu, the enormous temple of Heliopolis, the city of the sun, or otherwise atop pyramids and obelisks.

Is it only one small step of imagination to think that the ancients could be referring to the beginnings of the appearance of our planet Earth, the point in creation of the appearance of matter? Is it just coincidence that the Great Pyramid of Giza is alleged to contain all the mathematical proportions representing the Earth’s dimensions?

Whatever one’s viewpoint on this, it is surely a heart-warming imagination to feel that our Earth, our jewel in the cosmos, is entirely woven out of the qualities of light, life and love, which have, for unknown aeons, emanated out of the eternal realm…, and that each and every part of our wonderful planet contains this eternity. Its very fabric is intrinsically infused with the highest good, if only our hearts could see it. Furthermore, think about what is at work here in the grand scheme of things that we, as humans, are granted the senses to witness all of this magnificence. And not just our five basic senses, but those refined spiritually perceptive senses that we learn so much about in Rosicrucian studies. By striving to use our more refined senses, we can attune with nature more deeply and open the doorways to nature’s secrets to develop our mystical consciousness. Does this not also remind us of the biblical phrase from Genesis on the 6th day of creation…

And God saw everything that was created, and behold, it was very good.

Or, in the words of the mystic-poet Coleridge…

There is one Mind, one omnipresent mind, Omnific, whose most Holy name is Love.

Respect

One way to begin developing spiritual, mystical consciousness towards the Earth is by simply developing a heartfelt and sincere reverence for the natural world. Just being aware and connected with the seasons; walking in natural landscapes; attuning with the trees, the flowers, the birds; the mood of the landscape, and inwardly greeting them all with a heartfelt smile, as if reuniting with old friends. Simply slowing down and breathing in the atmosphere, the scent of a flower, the light of the day. Just putting aside time amid the demands of life for contemplating nature’s exquisite expressions of divinity.

Nature’s moods and atmospheres reflect our own, and when we are trying to understand our emotions we can reflect upon the natural world to help picture our moods. Correspondingly, whatever occurs in nature is also being reflected in the inner life of humanity.

As I write this, we are just few days away from a hallmark in the sun cycle of the year, the solstice. The winter and summer solstices, being the longest and shortest nights respectively, or the shortest and longest day in each hemisphere, is an event of special significance for ancient peoples, as exemplified in the very large number of ancient sanctuaries, temples and henges orientated to either the winter or summer solstice. This was a moment for beholding, protecting and giving reverence to the triumph of light out of darkness, in outer nature and also in the inner life of people. They knew the importance of renewing, through rituals, a sacred affiliation between humanity, nature and cosmos.

Scientists are becoming aware that the Earth's atmosphere possess something akin to intelligence.

To draw this article to a close, I would like to bring your attention to two more areas concerning spiritual ecology. Firstly, the so-called ‘earth mysteries.’ This ancient wisdom is about the Earth’s subtle energy system; in other words, the Earth’s unseen electro- and biomagnetic vibrational fields. It is created between the Earth’s magnetic geology interacting with cosmic radiation from space. It is a part of a large legacy of knowledge handed down mainly through the intuitive sciences of esoteric geography, geomancy and vibroturgy.

The Earth’s aura is produced through this interaction, but more than this, scientists are becoming aware that the Earth’s atmosphere possess something akin to ‘intelligence.’ It shifts and changes to protect life on Earth from solar flares. This recalls the words of the mystic Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, who is reputed to have celebrated a cosmic mass on the battlefields of World War I, dedicating uplifting ritual thoughts to the sphere of light around the Earth. He named this sphere of light the ‘noosphere’ and proposed that it is affected by human thoughts, particularly reverent ritual thoughts.

All in all, what a joy it is to be journeying upon this most precious sanctuary of life, our planet Earth!

All in all, what a joy it is to be journeying upon this most precious sanctuary of life, our planet Earth! What a joy it is to be a living expression of the divinity we share with all life forms and to be a small part of the great symphony of life. When you’re feeling down, when you’re feeling lonely, this is the one and only planet we know for certain contains life in all its multitudinous glory. When everything is dark, we will be the light, the Pathfinders. We don’t give up. We plan, we love, we share our concern for this planet and its continued existence. Its salvation is in our hands and we will always be there because we care.

As members of the worldwide Rosicrucian community, we are urged to have good thoughts, good words and good deeds. In our efforts to improve the world for all its people…, remember: Think good thoughts! Say nice words! Do good for others!