27. Being Small Enough to Hear the Plants, Wise Enough to Act our Age: John Seed on Deep Ecology and Sacred Herbalism

Stephanie Hazel interviews environmental activist and cofounder of the Deep Ecology movement John Seed on how Deep Ecology is a powerful philosophy for herbalists, plant folk and all humans living with grief and confusion around the devastation of the natural world. By getting humans out of the driver's seat of existence, and remembering that we are one strand in the web of life not the spider in the middle, we can restore right relationship with the Earth. John shares unique stories for the first time on this show: how powerful experiences with magic mushrooms prepared the ground for his initial groundbreaking revelations in the Australian rainforests that led to what we now know as Deep Ecology; how "Aussie-huasca" just might have saved his life recently; and how he discovered indigenous rituals performed in a group context to dissolve the hubris of human superiority that were exactly like the 'Council of All Beings' process he had created with Joanna Macy a few years prior. Show Notes: John Seed's book 'Thinking Like A Mountain' is available for free download here: https://rainforestinfo.org.au/deep-eco/TLAM%20text.htm Excellent talk by John Seed at Rebel Herbal conference https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPdxrrg_Frw 'The Spirit of Herbs', an article written by John Seed in response to Stephen Harrod Buhner's work:  http://www.rainforestinfo.org.au/deep-eco/herbs.htm Upcoming Deep Ecology workshops with John Seed: https://events.humanitix.com/host/6020d0d134494c000a3c23bd