Psychologist and author James Hillman, in a Resurgence magazine article entitled "A Psyche the Size of the Earth," states that "psychology, so dedicated to awakening human consciousness, needs to wake itself up to one of the most ancient human truths: we cannot be studied or cured apart from the planet." Hillman's article examines such ideas as, "Where is the 'me?’ " "Where does the 'me' begin and the 'me' stop?" "Where does the 'other' begin?" Such distinctions are currently of great meaning since science, in the quest for truth, was greatly responsible for separating the observer from the observed, mind from body, and spirit from nature.

Having a sense of self prior to the scientific revolution, when an animistic view of the world was not deemed primitive or uncivilized, would certainly have included one's relationship with nature; "who I am" would have had a lot more to with "where I am." "Who I am" in this era, however, has come to mean less about "where" and more about "what." What I have, what I have done, or what I have said are often considered the hallmarks of what we have come to know as self-esteem, ego, or achievement. It's therefore not surprising that few people have a sense of place when mobility throughout the globe has become so easy. To gain a sense of self through accumulating things, all one need do is move to where the things can be most easily attained. The "where" has, therefore, become far less significant than the "what."

Because ecopsychology liberates the boundaries of the ego, having a sense of one's place in nature is, perhaps, the pinnacle of knowing. Intelligence, no longer confined to mere brain activity, can mean developing the self beyond the limits that modern Western science dictates. While such phenomena as psychic healing and insight, prophetic dreams, and telepathic capabilities are often denounced by science as pseudo, they are, in fact, perfect examples of connected intelligence.

Rene Descartes, the French philosopher of the 17th century, came upon the notion that the only thing he could be certain of was his thinking mind: "I think, therefore I am." Ever since, Cartesian philosophy has permeated Western science and philosophy, and to this day, people take it for granted that the human mind is what separates us from the rest of the animal kingdom. The folly of such thinking has created hierarchical thinking and dualistic paradigms that have, over the centuries, enslaved so many and served so few.

The voice of ecopsychology is the voice of the earth. It is an ancient message with a new call for healing on a truly holistic level. What Chief Seattle said many years ago in a letter to President Franklin Pierce is still appropriate today: "Whatever befalls the earth befalls the sons and daughters of the earth. Man did not weave the web of life; he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the earth he does to himself."

The voice of ecopsychology urges humans to cease dominating nature, to recognize that relationship with the whole is the most important aspect of living, and to relax into being a part of the great web of life. It is, therefore, possible to understand the cosmos through association rather than observation, through connection rather than dissection, and with compassion rather than the detached manner that science has prescribed. Ecopsychology is a plea to become reacquainted with the ancestral knowledge that lies within each person, within each cell in our body, that we are, indeed, a part of nature.

Lorraine Fish has a master's degree in psychology from Antioch University, Seattle, where she focused her degree on ecopsychology. Today, Lorraine teaches, presents workshops, and maintains a private practice as an ecotherapist in Seattle.