There is a newly identified healing practice called “Ecotheraphy,” based on a principle many of us have known for years: that spending time in nature makes people healthier. That is, dirt has healing powers. This recent therapy is being applied intentionally to populations such as veterans of combat with PTSD, victims of sexual assault, and at-risk youth. Mother Nature even helps combat depression. As we celebrate Earth Day in April, let’s consider Unitarian Universalists’ rich heritage of life-giving connections with Mother Earth through writers such as Henry David Thoreau and philosophies such as Process Theology.

Topics: Interdependence