“Everything is connected, and humans are part of nature.” That is what the Black Earth Institute says about the word Environment. If more people realize that we are part of nature, not separate from it, things might look very different in our world. We are animals, after all, mammals.
Further, the Black Earth Institute on Social Justice states, “We can’t set history aside or transcend it. We must deal with the facts of history and their consequences.” Does this speak to you? Want to know more? Keep reading.
And then there’s Spirituality. “Something beyond the human… that exists and inspires the best in humanity.” Yes, you probably need to keep reading. Places, people, thoughts, and beliefs like this do exist.
The Black Earth Institute
The Black Earth Institute, or BEI, lives to promote the planet’s health and those who live upon it. All of those who live upon it. They want people, humans, to know how to become more connected to the world, to the earth, and all that this means. They work to help solve social justice (or injustice), environmental issues and struggles with the spiritual dimensions of the human condition through their art and their work.
The Art that comes out of the work of the Fellows and Scholars with the BEI demonstrates that the Arts are a powerful way to create respect for human worth and equality. This includes restoring or working towards reparations for the destruction or taking of the Native Lands of the indigenous people of North America.
What is the BEI’s Current Scope of Issues?
The Black Earth Institute works in many areas to bring humans closer to the earth and to each other. Their goal is for humans to respect all nature, including each other. Their scope includes environmental issues as well as problems with the human condition: discrimination of any kind, race, sexual orientation, gender, ethnicity, and economic status. They would love to see peace and equality for everyone.
The issues that the BEI is working on at any given time are discussed and presented through their online periodical, the About Place Journal. The current topic is titled The More-Than-Human World.
With this theme, the Fellows of the Black Earth Institute wanted to reiterate their beliefs that we are not above and outside of nature but part of it. I was particularly drawn to one line in the “A Note from the Editors” for this particular issue.
“But we also wanted to use this platform to try to rectify something that has bothered (both – all) of us for some time, and that is the way the vast majority write about this topic, holding humans as separate and above.”
This made me giddy, as I have been trying to get people to understand this for a very long time. Now I realize that during this time in 2024, a rather large movement supports this idea. That is part of what drew me to writing an article about the Black Earth Institute.
Patricia Monaghan
Several years ago, I came across this group when I purchased a book written by one of their founders, the now late Patricia Monaghan, Magical Gardens: Cultivating Soil & Spirit.
First, I love this book and the ideas behind it. So, I looked up Mrs. Monaghan and found the Black Earth Institute. Patricia Monaghan was a poet, writer, and spiritual and social activist, especially in the contemporary women’s spirituality movement. She is a leader in this area with a vast bookshelf of over 31 published books, which doesn’t include her magazine articles.
Topics covered by her books, in addition to spiritual gardening, include books on the Goddess Path, Celtic Mythology, the landscape of Ireland, and a few on Meditation.
What Can You Do?
If you would like to learn more or learn how you can contribute to the Black Earth Institute as an author, artist, or donor, you can find more information here at BlackEarthInstitute.org. Check them out, maybe make a visit, help them help all of the natural things on our planet, our earth. You can even intern or volunteer. Activism in so many creative ways.
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