The mission:

 

" The Avalonia Project contributes to local and global efforts in rekindling the relationship between humans and Nature, for both ecological and wellbeing purposes. "

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With that mission in mind, the Avalonia Project draws inspiration from the paradigms of ecopsychology and sacred ecology (more on these below) to create opportunities for exploring ways of achieving these purposes at individual and collective levels. The project is centred around helping humans develop a loving relationship with Nature and an understanding that they are an inherent part of Nature.

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At a collective level

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The project proposes gatherings for our French-Swiss community and visitors in Nature. Gatherings are notably held at the key dates of the Celtic Wheel of the Year, based on a solar and lunar calendar created by our European ancestors who fostered an intimate relationship with Nature.

We’ve had close to 30 gatherings in and around Geneva since Autumn 2021, gathering hundreds of people, from half a dozen to over a hundred participants per gathering. Have a look at the page of our Celtic celebrations, Activities or tune in to our Telegram group or Instagram account to find out about the next opportunities to meet and gather!

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At an individual level

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I (Sarah, hi!) share some thoughts and feelings through writings inspired by my experiences of Nature and being human, at times torn between my dreams of wilderness and the demands of a dissociated society. I share the deep stuff, diving into the mud of emotional chaos and planting seeds of hope, so you can hopefully take home inspiration and practical solutions. 

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The full disclosure bit

Whilst this is aimed to be a community project, I currently carry the Project alone, with collaborations with and contributions from Partners & Friends, local artists and wonderful volunteers at our gatherings. Having a (nearly) full-time job and managing regular events makes it hard for me to find time for building a collective, create collaborative programmes for our gatherings (as per our past celebrations), nourish the long-term vision and tend to all the website’s hiccups and social media. I appreciate your patience and open-heartedly welcome extra help or offers of collaboration to maximise the project’s chances of evolving in the direction of the long-term vision.

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Ecopsychology & Sacred Ecology

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Let's take a closer look at these paradigms.

First, as we love roots, here's a bit of etymology:

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Ecology: comes from ancient Greek oîkos ("home") + logos

(contraction of "knowledge" and "study", often associated with "science")

i.e. "the science of our home environment"

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Ecopsychology: as above, "home" + psyche ("soul") + "science"

i.e. "the science of our home and soul together"

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Ecopsychology is an increasingly well recognised term first defined by Theodore Roszak in his book The Voice of the Earth published in 1992. The paradigm is seen more as a constellation, an open field of research rather than a standalone discipline [Michel Maxime Egger, Soigner l'Esprit, Guérir la Terre]. It embodies many other disciplines, concepts and paradigms such as Deep Ecology (see Arnae Ness), psychotherapy (Jungian, transpersonal, Gestalt), animal ethology, spirituality (druidism, Buddhism, shamanism, wisdom from indigenous people), ecofeminism, contemporary sciences (quantum physics, systems theory, morphic fields) and naturalist literature [Egger, ibid]. As such, ecopsychology is transdisciplinary and holistic in its approach. 

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Ecopsychology was born from the realisation that psychologists and ecologists lacked a bridge, a means to connect the dots in the mirror effects that could be observed both in individuals and communities experiencing psychological issues, and in their natural environments deteriorating. Lester R. Brown, pioneer in sustainable development, described ecopsychology's aim as uniting the sensitivity of therapists, the expertise of ecologists and the ethical energy of environmental activists. For the sake of Nature and humanity's wellbeing, ecopsychologists recognise two main routes: experiences of communion with Nature, opening us humans to emotions of gratitude, awe and love, and acknowledgment of the planet's suffering and the painful emotions we humans feel in the face of such destruction [Egger, ibid].

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Either way, ecopsychology is about touching the heart and soul of human beings, to let them remember their natural roots and wisdom, their inherent right to be a part of Nature and to build together an ecology of love, away from the guilt-driven environmentalist discourse and towards a compassionate, solution-oriented paradigm where doing ecology becomes a joyful natural part of life and being ecophiles makes us feel well.

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What of sacred ecology, you say? 

Whilst this is not a defined term nor paradigm as is ecopsychology, here's the definition I came up with:​​

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Sacred Ecology: understanding our world from the perspective that all is sacred,

in that each Being has a reason for existing and possesses a form of intelligence,

consciousness, anima, or soul worthy of praise.

Sacred ecology is a reverence to the Beauty of the world.

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In essence, sacred ecology carries the spiritual dimension of ecopsychology, a sense of reverence and of noble responsibility of worship and care, as well as beauty all too often forgotten from ecological discourse. In some ways, I could have called it "animist ecology" (animist coming from latin anima, "soul"): animism sees a soul in every thing or being. It sees the world as fully alive and therefore brings consciousness into how we relate to everything, our natural environment being in the spotlight in the context of the Avalonia Project. 

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Why bring this sacred ecology dimension into the pot, at the risk of making the project sound like a sect or dangerous spiritualism? Because the reasons that made me birth this project carry a numinous energy, from the impalpable yet very real epiphanies I had in Nature at the lowest points in my life. Open to anybody's way of relating to Nature, the touch I bring to the project necessarily carries this sacred dimension, as I hope to transmit my love of Nature through my personal storytelling to hopefully inspire you to come up with your own personal way of relating to Nature, no matter what terms you choose to use.​​​​

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Together, let's inspire each other and be contagious in our ecophilia, honouring our own diverse ways of relating to Nature whilst caring about each other to address underlying psychology, for the sake of our wellbeing as a creature of Nature.

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