Awe, Reverence, and Responsibility
Transforming Eco Despair into Resilience and Action
“Human flourishing begins with Mother Earth flourishing,
Wherefrom contemplation is the art of truth,
And flourishing the path of connection.”
Awe, Reverence, and Responsibility is an online + solo on land experiential exploration of reconnection with inner/outer nature via the arc from awe to reverence to responsibility.
Learning to navigate this arc is a supportive way of transforming feelings of eco despair, fear, anger, and grief into resilience and meaningful action.
“If the world is to be healed through human efforts, I am convinced it will be by ordinary people, people whose love for this life is even greater than their fear. People who can open to the web of life that called us into being, and who can rest in the vitality of that larger body.”
— Joanna Macy
We explore how awe can open us to the vastness and beauty of life, how reverence invites us to listen and honor the inner and outer nature connection, and how responsibility calls us to act with care, integrity, and courage on behalf of the living world.
One might say that awe melts the heart, reverence roots the heart, and responsibility courageously guides the heart to hold steady in making a positive difference in the world.
“Awe is the feeling of being in the presence of something vast that transcends your current understanding of the world.”
– Dacher Keltner
What to Expect
A co-creative, supportive, and nurturing space to process the emotions stirred by today’s ecological and social challenges
Learning ways to transform them into compassion, courage, resilience, and meaningful action
Discussion of the importance of awareness, care, and truthfulness in taking responsibility for our actions and ecological relations
Specially curated solo mindfulness practices outdoors, along with personal reflection to deepen awareness of our interdependence with the land and all living beings
We will learn ways to slow down, attune to the present moment, and listen to the subtle wisdom of the body and land.
This offering supports you in accessing your fullest potential while honoring your unique gifts and life circumstances.
Welcoming of anyone seeking to deepen their connection with the Earth and live with greater awareness, purpose, and care. No prior experience is necessary – simply a willingness to be curious, reflective, and open-hearted!
Date
Sunday, July 13, 2025
10:00 am – 3:00 pm CST
Program fee: $65
For information on financial support, please email info@mbei.org.
All proceeds go to support the work we do at the Mind Body Ecology Institute.
Program Arc
1. Gratitude and Community Connection
2. Land Practice
3. Honoring Our Eco Despair, Fear, Anger, and Grief
4. Sharing a Meal
5. Awe of Nature: The Seeds of Transformation
Awe is often the entry point: a powerful emotional response to the vastness, beauty, or complexity of the natural world.
6. Reverence for Nature: Rooting a Practice
Reverence is a deep respect that can emerge from feelings of awe and periods of wonder. Where awe is often spontaneous and temporary, reverence is sustained and relational.
Reverence invites us to listen, honor, and care – even when it's inconvenient.
7. Land Practice
8. Responsibility for Inner and Outer Nature – The Commitment
Responsibility is a step into truthfulness and authentic action. It is the response to what awe has awakened and reverence has affirmed. We move from “wow, this is beautiful” to “this is to be respected” to “this must be protected.”
Responsibility means:
Making choices that reflect care for ecosystems and future generations
Acting with integrity in how we relate to all living beings and the Earth
Accepting our role not as sovereigns of the Earth, but as stewards, kin, or participants in a vast lifeworld.
Responsibility becomes an ingredient in the path of personal and planetary health and resilience.
9. Opening to New Beginnings
Program Objectives
Cultivate ecological awareness through somatic practices that align with the natural rhythms and cycles of nature.
Foster a sense of belonging and community through shared experiences of movement, meditation, and reflection.
Explore the deeper patterns, worldviews, and mindsets that shape our understanding of ourselves and our inner/outer nature.
Build emotional resilience by exploring despair, grief, fear, and anxiety related to ecological challenges and responsibly transforming them into meaningful action and resilience.
Empower you with tools for integrating mindfulness, movement, and environmental stewardship into your life.
Teachers
Supplementary Material
These materials are not mandatory, but you may enjoy a deeper dive into the ideas and practices.
Guy Armstrong, “You Don’t Exist. But You Actually Do. Wait, What?” 10% Happier Podcast, 270.
Rochelle Calvert, Healing with Nature: Mindfulness and Somatic Practices to Heal from Trauma.
Yuria Celidwen, “Indigenous Wisdom,” Mind and Life Institute Podcast, Oct. 21, 2022.
Yuria Celidwen, Why We Need Indigenous Wisdom, Mind and Life Institute, Insights.
Yuria Celidwen, Flourishing Kin: Indigenous Foundations for Collective Well-being.
Yuria Celidwen and Dacher Keltner, “Kin Relationality and Ecological Belonging: A cultural psychology of Indigenous transcendence,” Frontiers in Psychology 14 (2023).
Dekila Chungyalpa, “Mother Wisdom: Learning to Embody Interdependence,” Mind and Life Institute, Insights.
Shaun Gallagher, “Dislocating the Self.”
Thich Nhat Hanh, Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet.
Dacher Keltner, Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life.
Robin Wall Kimmerer, The Serviceberrry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World.
Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants.
Patty Krawec, Becoming Kin: An Indigenous Call to Unforgetting the Past and Reimagining Our Future.
David Loy, Ecodharma: Buddhist Teachings for the Ecological Crisis (Wisdom Publications, 2019).
Joanna Macy and Molly Young Brown, Coming Back to Life.
Shelbi Nahwilet Meissner, “Climate Crisis as Relational Crisis: Centering Indigenous Feminist Conceptions of Responsibility in Environmental Discourse,” Feminist Philosophy Quarterly, 10.1/2 (2024).
Jyoti Mishra, “Mindfulness and the Climate Crisis,” Mind and Life Institute, Insights (2023).
Naima Penniman, “Mama Nature told me,” naimainfinity video.
T. N. Ray, Scott A. Franz, Nicole L. Jarrett, Scott M. Pickett, “Nature Enhanced Meditation: Effects on Mindfulness, Connectedness to Nature, and Pro-Environmental Behavior,” Environment and Behavior 53 (2021), 864–890.
Gabrielle Roth, Sweat Your Prayers: The Five Rhythms of the Soul - Movement as Spiritual Practice.
Gabrielle Roth, Maps to Ecstacy: The Healing Power of Movement.
Anita L. Sanchez, The Four-Sacred Gifts: Indigenous Wisdom for Modern Times (2017).
Jeff Sebo, Saving Animals, Saving the Planet.
Daniel Wildcat, Indigenuity: Learning the Lessons of Mother Earth (2023).
Daniel Wildcat, Red Alert: Saving the Planet with Indigenous Knowledge (2009)
C. Wolwode, N. Schäpke, O. Bine, S. Vecianaz, I. Kunze, O. Parodi, P. Schweizer-Ries, C. Wamsler, “Inner Transformation to Sustainability as a Deep Leverage Point: Fostering New Avenues for Change through Dialogue and Reflection,” Sustainability Science 16 (2021), 841–858.
