Written by Lumi (Changyi Li), Visionary Artist & Healer
Lumi (Changyi Li) is an art healer and intuitive known by her visionary art and embodied spiritual practices on the journey of self-healing and personal growth. She created Illumina Free Soul Art, an online platform to heal and empower the world through authentic and heartfelt expression.
All lives are beautiful. All lives are related. Nature has her rights and intrinsic value of presence. The land is to be revered and cared for with love because of our deep connection with nature. The study of ecology is fundamental to resolving our global environmental problems to maintain our ecosystem and help save Planet Earth. But the ecology we know alone is not enough to reconcile from the roots. Something deeper is much needed: a different valuing system for nature, and a different worldview. This reaches the core of many modern issues we now have today. Deep Ecology, probably unfamiliar to many, offers us an alternative path as a way out for humanity at this pivotal time of change. It is more than just ecology. It is a new way of thinking. It is the way that we have long since forgotten but in urgent need of remembering and reviving.
Our current issue at the core
The mainstream valuing system is more material and monetary – whether something is “useful” to us for our benefit. Ration, logic, and intelligence are valued, whereas feelings, intuition, and heart are seen as less “useful” and so are valued much less. This imbalance leads us away from harmony. There is no problem with rational thinking, but if this thinking is only linear-dimensional, it can be problematic. It stops us from seeing the bigger picture and narrows down our possibilities. When feelings and intuition are not allowed or valued, it cuts our connection with our hearts, each other, nature, and the world beyond. Disconnection from the heart, or love, is the root of all these modern issues we suffer from.
This linear way of thinking segregates the mind and makes it a lonely island. Fear then easily takes over, making it no way back to harmony. Because the way to love – to the heart and soul, as well as the ability to deeply feel, are cut off. When we act out of fear, the outcome is neither beneficial to all nor harmonious. A segregated and fear-based mind cannot resolve the segregated reality it caused. And so, this linear mind cannot truly resolve global issues such as poverty, racism, climate change, and war.
In mainstream culture we tend to believe that this “linear way of thinking” is the only way. But this way leads to crisis. If we turn to the other way, the way of multi-dimensional thinking, the way of love, that will lead to an entirely different story. Love is the way. And it is what Deep Ecology is centered on.
What is deep ecology?
Ecology as we know it as a science, is the study of the relationship and interaction of organisms and their natural environment. Deep Ecology, on top of scientific studies and facts, adds on some deep questioning and thinking – how should we truly see and treat nature? What values should we hold to create a holistic and harmonious living environment on this planet? Here is where science and philosophy merge. Here is where rational thinking embraces feelings, intuition, and the heart. Deep Ecology is a holistic science. It compensates science with value and meaning.
Deep Ecology was first brought up by the Norwegian philosopher Arne Naess. It is based on a holistic worldview that all beings are interrelated and interconnected, and nature has her intrinsic value independent from human existence and human needs. Deep Ecology is more than a concept and a science. It is a philosophy, a way of life, an embodied practice. It prompts individuals to question the prevalent value system, to reconnect to feelings and the heart, to change from the core, and to take actions for protecting our Earth from a place of love.
Deep ecology vs. shallow ecology
Naess pointed out the difference between Shallow Ecology and Deep Ecology. Shallow Ecology stems from the linear rational way of thinking and views nature as a “resource” to the economy which we reserve and protect for our needs. It is based on an anthropocentric worldview, seeing humans as superior and more important to other species. Sustainable development also takes place to benefit future generations, that nature is protected for she is “useful” to humans in the long term. Shallow Ecology comes from human imperialism – the outcome of disconnection to the heart and segregated mind.
Deep Ecology is the opposite. This different way of thinking is multidimensional, based on scientific facts and deep experiences. Nature herself is the source of life instead of being seen as a resource for humans, and she has her rights just as we have human rights. Humans form one ring on the loop of biodiversity, and are no superior to other life forms. By connecting with nature, practitioners of Deep Ecology experience her as a living soul just like us and that all lives are deeply connected and related with no hierarchy in their nature. This inner knowledge naturally motivate us to love nature from the heart and to deep commitment and actions. If we deeply experience that nature has feelings, if we feel the Earth weeps and trembles as land is over-exploited, rivers are polluted, and animals are relentlessly killed, we will not choose to live a life that harms other life forms and the Earth, nor we will choose to live in a heartless and soulless place.
Deep experience in nature
The practice of Deep Ecology starts from the individual, that we change our thinking and reconstruct our valuing system instead of expecting the world to change in the first place. To truly love one another, one needs to feel others. To truly love nature, one needs to feel nature. There is no deep commitment to change unless we connect our hearts with the heart of Mother Nature.
There are endless ways to experience deep connection with nature. This can be done on an individual or group basis. The key is to have our hearts open and put our rational minds in silence for a while during the course. Go to nature, feel, and experience. This can be in your back garden or somewhere remote in the wilderness. Many earth-based rituals and ceremonies, such as Vision Quests, are profound opportunities for deep experiences. Working with others in nature can be joyous and healing, such as participating in community gardening activities. The sense of community makes the connection with nature and each other more profound and loving.
Many have experienced nature as a wise and benevolent mother full of life and healing energy. This deep experience of reconnection reminds us of the intrinsic love that nature has for all. It leads us back to the love we inherently possess – this is no different from the love Mother Nature has. Deep experience in nature reconnects us to our feelings and our psyche. This cannot be justified or replaced by rational thinking. From deep experience, our view of nature naturally shifts from nature being the “outer” and “the other” to the “inner” and “us.”
From deep experience to deep commitment
One chooses what values and life path to follow after deep experience. Am I living from a place of fear or love? Do we choose to heal ourselves or to keep fighting each other using our wounds? What shall I do to follow the path of love? What actions shall we take to fulfill our mission and life purpose? True commitment to do good to each other and Mother Earth is the outcome of deep questioning and comes from a sovereign and integral inner place. The life of Deep Ecology practitioners is a commitment to finding answers to these self-generated questions and living those answers.
A practitioner of Deep Ecology is no doubt a change maker, an advocate of human rights and “nature rights”, and an ambassador of love. Deep Ecology is the ecology of love, connecting us and bringing people together. Unity, diversity, and togetherness are the outcomes of the practice of Deep Ecology. The Indian English environmental activist Satish Kumar summarises his view on the love we should practice into three words “Soil, Soul, Society”, referring to the love of nature, the love of oneself, and the love of each other. It is from love that we save water and turn to Fairtrade and sustainably-produced food. It is from genuine care and respect that we preserve wild landscapes and support Indigenous communities. It is from heartfelt connections that we join campaigns on climate actions and social justice for the collective peace and harmony on this planet.
The practitioners of Deep Ecology can show up in any field of work, as the nature of Deep Ecology is multidisciplinary and interconnective. This is one way that the diversity of our multidimensional world manifests, just like the diversity that nature inherently has.
What is needed and where to turn to?
Deep Ecology is the synonym for love, connection, and wholeness. What is needed is the awareness and learning environment of this alternative pathway. Holistic educational institutes such as Schumacher College in Britain are at the forefront of Deep Ecology and are for those who seek deeper knowledge and experiences.
Love is never forgotten by us. It just needs to be evoked. Mass consciousness shifts little by little as humanity remembers the way to love. In truth, a limited mind based on linear-dimensional rational thinking longs for loving connections and feelings. If we remember love is our inherent power and the strongest force we ever have and then act from it, there is no personal or collective problem in the end that cannot be resolved.
Lumi (Changyi Li), Visionary Artist & Healer
Lumi is a visionary and intuitive with the mission to serve as a healer through art. Her expression springs from her growth and self-healing journey and centers around themes on personal development, self-empowerment, re-connection to ancient wisdom and nature. Lumi shares her heartfelt expression on social media and website. Her art has been showcased in various UK-based exhibitions and magazines. Being passionate about inspiring and connecting to those who walk on similar journeys, Lumi is open to commission and collaboration which aligns to her mission. Her core value: to heal others one needs to commit to ones own growth journey; in the end it is love that heals it all.
