Reading the landscape with Rens Spanjaard

The first step to integrating ecological thinking into land healing practices, involves grasping the fundamentals of ecology and living systems. Ecology demonstrates how eco-systems are not just a collection of species, but are also relational systems that connect humans, as organic systems, with animals and plants - It stimulates an increased understanding that the world is fundamentally interconnected and interdependent.
Ecological thinking requires a broadening of identity in how we see ourselves in relationship to the world around us. Researchers explain that “as one’s identity expands, so does one’s view of the world. With these changed perceptions also come a change in values, behaviours and possible leverage points” (Hess and Du).
Widening of identity can be understood as a transition from 'me' (egocentric) to ‘my group ‘(ethnocentric) to ‘my country’ (sociocentric) to ‘all of us’ (worldcentric) to ‘all beings’ (planetcentric) to finally ‘all of reality’ (Kosmoscentric).
We invite you to connect and observe your local ecology. You can use an app to identify plants like PlantNet to get familiarized with the local ecology.