Climate Crisis | Harvard Divinity Bulletin

Iconographies of Catastrophe and Lament

Hurricane María and the discussions that followed it prompted reflections on images and meanings of “apocalypse” in times of ecological crisis. By Mayra Rivera

Contemporary Art as a Spiritual Tool for Facing Eco-Crisis

The Harvard Natural History Museum exhibition Next of Kin: Seeing Extinction through the Artist’s Lens used a series of design elements to create a space for mourning and discovery. By Christina Seely

Ecotheology

A selected reading list from Dan McKanan’s course.

Climate Grief and the Secular Spirituality of Earth-Mourning

We need to approach earth-mourning as a necessary spiritual practice that reckons with the disorienting power of grief and the potential for meaningful change. By Dorothy Dean

The Trouble with Oneness

Three recent books offer helpful frameworks for considering temperament and conversion in experiences of “oneness with nature.” By Shane Baker

Is Neo-Paganism a Nature Religion?

Pagans need to find ways to speak with harmonious voices on the crucial issues of the day, especially climate change. By John Halstead

Childfree for the Planet?

Can one be childfree for the planet and simultaneously be a good Catholic or a good Vaishnava? By Trish Tillman

An Earth-Centered Indigenous Spiritual Revival in Guinea

The relationship with nature is always deeply spiritual and woven into every aspect of life in Nalu religion, culture, and society. By Bintou Camara

The Ecological Value of Igbo Spirituality

The Igbo understanding of their land and water bodies helps the human person tread with caution. By Ikechukwu Anthony Kanu

Caring for the Warming Valley of Abundance in West Sikkim, India

Seeing cardamom as a fellow member of the sacred landscape points to a future built on multispecies justice. By Kalzang Dorjee Bhutia

Rethinking Weeds

Greater awareness of these ubiquitous healers can have implications for ecological restoration, reverence for nature, regenerative living, and environmental justice. By Vanessa Chakour

Wisdom of Webs

An interview with Sarah J. Karikó on studying spiders and exploring our interconnectedness. By Natalia Schwien

A Year of Being With

Paintings, poetry, and reflections on entering a state of being “fully aware of the presence of another being and our shared environment” while making art. By Maisie Luo

The Climate of the Future

Imagining a path forward in a post-capitalist world. Terry Tempest Williams with Kim Stanley Robinson

The Climate of Grief

How might grieving, as a form of love and remembering, shape our responses to a changing planet? Terry Tempest Williams with Victoria Chang

A Burning Testament to Climate Collapse

Wildfires burn in the American Southwest. Terry Tempest Williams with Lucy Walker

The Climate of Sacred Land Protection

Threats to the sacred land and caribou herds of the Arctic Refuge. Terry Tempest Williams with Bernadette Demientieff

The Planet: An Emergent Matter of Spiritual Concern?

In this exploration of planetary thinking and deep time, the author argues for humans to cultivate an earth ethic that includes a spirit of reverence. By Dipesh Chakrabarty