Awe: An underrated climate strategy ~ From the Medium Blog

[Julie]

Climate dread is everywhere: the panic, the guilt, the looming sense that nothing we do is enough. But what if that mindset is part of the problem? What if urgency alone can’t carry us forward?

Eco-spirituality suggests that caring for the environment isn’t just political or practical — it’s sacred. Wildlife filmmaker and naturalist Gonzalo Kern describes this practice as living in rhythm with the natural world. He writes about watching birds, composting scraps, sitting with decay. “A mysticism of the obvious,” he calls it. Attention becomes devotion. When you stay close to what’s alive, the impulse to control or extract begins to fade.

Holistic lifestyle educator Shelly Stern likewise explores how connection to nature can catalyze a spiritual awakening. What began as a casual interest in crystals and moon phases became a deeper orientation toward nature: barefoot walks, backyard altars, tracking natural cycles. “It wasn’t a discipline,” she says. “It was relief.” Disconnection stopped feeling tolerable. Alignment became instinct.

Research from UC Berkeley and UC Irvine found that experiencing awe can cause people to act more benevolently toward each other. In one study, just one minute of gazing at a grove of eucalyptus trees made participants more likely to help a stranger. “When people experience awe,” said psychologist Paul Piff, “they really want to share that experience with other people.”

Eco-spirituality might not save the planet directly, but it might rewire us to want to. Awe expands our field of care. It reminds us that we’re not separate from the systems we’re trying to fix — we’re inside them. And when people feel part of something bigger, they act differently. Not out of guilt or panic, but reverence.

— Anna Dorn