Intimacy with the Earth

Abstract

Crucial insights about our need to gain intimacy with the natural world are found in the writings of C. G. Jung and Marie Louise von Franz. These insights are informed by the tradition of ancient Sufi alchemists who emphasize intimacy with one's own nature as the key to relatedness to the natural world. This paper explores correspondences between the processes by which intimacy and relatedness are cultivated within Sufi schools and Jungian practice, as well as considerations about how Sufi alchemical perspectives might have an impact on our world.

Keywords::

• alchemy
• archetypes
• deep ecology
• Eros
• Ibn Umail
• intimacy with nature
• Jung
• Khidr
• multiplicatio,
• relatedness
• sublimatio,
• Sufism
• Marie Louise von Franz

Notes

^1. “Vajra lightning” represents a powerful and usually unexpected force that brings an awakening of consciousness. In a related way, Jung observes that “lightning signifies a sudden, unexpected and overpowering change in psychic condition” (1950/1990, CW 9i, ¶533).

^2. Geneva Bible, 1560 edition.

^3. This tradition, recognizing the Beloved/Self as a primal Intelligence imbued with splendor and wishing to unfold creatively, is based on a hadith (sacred tradition) in which the divine declares “I was a hidden treasure, and loved to be known, and therefore I created the world that I might be known” (Khan, P. V. 2003, 13).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Felicia A. Norton

Felicia A. Norton, BA, is a senior teacher and contemplative retreat guide within the Sufi tradition. She is the director of the Ziraat of the Sufi Order International, which offers teachings on the connection between the natural world and the spiritual cultivation of the mind and soul. She is on the faculty of the Suluk Academy of Sufi Studies, is a professional dancer, and teaches at the United Nations International School in New York City. Correspondence: 235 E. 22^nd St., #2V, New York, NY 10010. E-mail: [email protected].

Charles H. Smith

Charles H. Smith, PhD, is a senior teacher and contemplative retreat guide within the Sufi tradition. He is a professor at Hofstra University, teaching sustainability studies, leadership, and group dynamics. He has served as the Chair of the Spirituality and Systems Group of the International Society of Systems Sciences (ISSS) and has published many papers on Jungian and Sufi perspectives as these apply to organizations. His articles have appeared in Human Relations, TheInternational Journal of Learning and Change, The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, Systems Research, and World Futures. With Felicia Norton, Charles is a co-author of An Emerald Earth—Cultivating a Natural Spirituality and Serving Creative Beauty in Our World (TwoSeasjoin Press, 2014), and together they lead meditation retreats and workshops internationally. Correspondence: Professor Charles Smith, 134 Weller Hall, Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY 11550. E-mail: [email protected].