THE SOUL OF CLIMATE CHANGE

“The soul can become a reality again only when each of us has the courage to take it as the first reality in our own lives, to stand for it and not just believe in it.” James Hillman

According to many ancient texts, sages and masters, the world around us is simply a reflection of our inner selves. That what see outside of ourselves is a mirror or guidance to what lays within. Aristotle is reported to have believed this as were Rumi, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Einstein. If this is true though then how do we explain current challenges like global warming and climate change? And what would environmentalists like Al Gore say?

“Our earth speaks,” confirms Paul Perfrement, founder of Earth Institute in Australia, a centre for transformation, education and consciousness. “Those who feel gracious to be alive will experience more joy and be able to pass this to others.” He says that when one feels whole or healed then they are more effective in helping others heal and indeed the environment. “It’s our perception of the events around us that need balancing, not the actual events.”
 
A somewhat radical if not controversial viewpoint perhaps? Certainly, it begs the question how this theory relates to current environmental challenges such as global warming and climate change that, according to many, is the result of both human action and inaction.
 
"Leading therapists and theorists have long recognised that at the core of our global distress is an acute sense of personal loss,” Paul explains. ‘They understand that it’s possible to teach people how to be present in themselves in such a way that they not only experience  healing, meaning, self-discovery and awakening but are also able to nurture and heal the earth.”
 
“The current state of our world, including loss of natural habitats, ecological distress and climate change is a direct reflection of the current status of our soul life. We have lost contact with the natural, whole and wild within us and this is reflected back to us in how we treat the earth and the consequences related to this.”  He says the state of the planet is a direct mirror of our current collective state of consciousness, that climate is merely another aspect of nature itself and that climatic conditions are a direct reflection of our inner nature. “When we watch a storm brewing it reminds us that this happens within us too. “Through the practice of Shamanism we can intentionally shift this relationship and its consequences as we are working with our personal and collective soul loss in practical and real ways.”
 
The two-year Diploma in ‘Shamanic and Energetic Healing’’ offered at Earth Institute, for example, is a professional training in shamanic, energetic and other soul centred orientations through working with nature and spirit. Comprising of time-honoured and cutting edge theory and practices, the course is designed for students who want to increase their awareness and training in this exciting field. It explores the phenomena that we are not separate from nature and is a unique and progressive training at the forefront of the changes happening with the earth, its habitats and inhabitants.

“Through empowering our inner world we can effectively change our outer world,” adds Paul. He cites the emerging field of ecopsychology that embraces ecology, psychology, sociology and spirituality as essential to the education pioneered by Earth Institute. When students of the institute a personal Earth Retreat or Vision Quest for example, they directly experience the reality of their own unique relationship to nature, their soul life and the transformation in consciousness that occurs.

The Diploma provides a sound basis for enabling prospective practitioners and facilitators to promote healing and the care of the soul with individuals, groups, organizations and communities. It is the only program of its kind to provide an effective synthesis of time honoured and modern healing practices. “In this way we can all learn how to bring together the integration of psychological theory, perennial wisdom and contemporary therapeutic understandings and knowledge relevant to our current times and emerging future. The diploma enables graduates to live and to work with others in a conscious and transformational way within the context of the ever-changing world we live in,” says Paul.
 
Graduates of this training are eligible to apply for professional membership of the Energetic Healing Association.
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Paul Perfrement is Director of the Earth Institute - a college, consultancy and centre for life and work fulfilment and care of the future. Located in Sydney, we provide education and development opportunities to address the current challenges facing individuals, organisations and the global community. We offer a series of professional studies, individual consultations, life programs and corporate and coaching services in these and other exciting areas:  Shamanic and Energetic Healing;  Contemporary Astrology;  Corporate Services;  Psychodrama;  Shamanic Journey;  Eco Meditation and  lots more.