A Trippy Ride to Ecological Consciousness: via demons, astrology, and psychobabble

What if your spiritual practice is actually in the way of Earth connection?

Ecological consciousness.

This just sounds cool, right? 

At least to this nature-loving, animist who wrote her masters thesis on ecofeminism over two decades ago. (Been at this awhile, y’all.)

But what is ecological consciousness, really?

I ask, because the truth is that so much of what we think is eco-conscious — so much of the way we talk about Earth and nature and care for the green and sustainable — is still so very human-centric. 

This isn’t because we don’t care or aren’t trying to be more conscious of the animate Earth — but because the human mind is at the center of all Western thought.

(Born and raised in the West, influenced by my own Western inheritance, this is the perspective I’m exploring today.)

Buried within our subconscious and imbued throughout Western intellectual and even New Thought/New Age culture is the idea that all is mind.

We’re not just obsessed with our minds — we literally believe, on some level, that mind is all that exists. 

Of course, this isn’t the only philosophical narrative out there — the materialists provide a solid counterpoint that all is matter: Matter is what matters.

Both extremes are dangerous.

Actually, they are demonic if you engage with Rosicruscian perspectives. 

Temple of the Rose Cross

Rosicrucianism & The Nature of Human Consciousness

First, a note: I wouldn’t call myself “Rosicrucian” and don’t have any attachments to what I’m about to share as some mystical truth. But I love exploring the world’s mystical traditions, discovering different poems and metaphors for the vastness of consciousness and cosmos. I find what follows to be a fascinating framework.

Popularized by Max Heindel and the Rosicrucian Fellowship (which is based heavily on Christian esoteric and Theosophical ideas), evil and temptation aren’t seen as absolute forces opposing God — rather, they are understood as necessary polarities that help human beings evolve spiritually.

Specifically, there are two "false paths" or temptations — each associated with a force that leads humans away from balance: Ahriman and Lucifer.

The Ahrimanic Beings

The Ahrimanic beings whisper in our ears: "Only the material world is real — spirit is a lie." 

These forces try to trap humans in materialism, skepticism, atheism, and a belief that there is nothing beyond the physical senses. Outside of spiritual circles, this force seems to have taken root in the very foundations of our modern lives.

The dangers of this path are probably obvious to those reading this article: cynicism, greed, fear of death, obsession with survival and control, and abuse of others (including our Earth) are the symptoms of a society that has fallen out of touch with the spiritual dimensions of life.

Capitalism. Patriarchy. Colonialism. These are pretty Ahrimanic forces. And ones we unravel in community. I’m sharing a free class on May 8th (with a replay) if you want to join me in rewilding our collective consciousness.

The Luciferian Beings

Lucifer (yep, that Lucifer) is the light-bringer, whispering: “Only spirit is real. Nothing else matters.”

For many who have engaged with spiritual philosophy and study outside of mainstream religions, this sounds pretty legit. And historically, Lucifer was lovely.

Though most commonly used as the name of the devil in pop culture, this term originally referred to that which brought light to Earth. It was Venus in her morning star phase, and as such, the term lucifer was strongly associated with the goddess. (The Roman Goddess Diana was at times referred to as Diana Lucifera.)

So thanks, patriarchy, for demonizing the feminine. By turning “lucifer” into a fallen angel, the goddesses, and especially Mary Magdalene, fell as well. But I digress…

Because, given the patriarchal consciousness and history of the time, it actually makes sense to call the spirits that distract us from matter Luciferian. 

Lucifer spirits are real entities who try to push humans into a premature spirituality. They encourage fantasy, separation from the physical world, and ignoring the material duties of life.

If we follow them too much, we become overly "spiritual" in an unhealthy, ungrounded way — losing touch with reality, responsibilities, embodiment, and compassion.

Spiritual bypassing, anyone?

We Kind of Need Both

Even though both forces are seen as expressions of evil, designed to force humans off the middle path of integration — the Rosicrucian tradition also sees them both as necessary.

The push and pull of Lucifer and Ahriman are what drives us to engage in the alchemical journey of life. We grow and learn by meeting these temptations, transmuting the lead that obscures wisdom into the light of golden truth.

This is embodiment. It is being part of the Earth and one with spirit at the same time. It’s knowing that nothing and everything matters all at once, and sitting in paradox with peace.

This is what ecological consciousness actually is. It is the recognition of the divinity of Earth and your role in this cosmic web of life. 

The barriers to realizing this, not just intellectually but at the core of your being, are legit. So let’s dive deeper…

The Spiritual Obstruction to Ecological Consciousness

No doubt materialism, the Ahrimanic approach, is behind just about all of the human-caused environmental destruction we face today. It’s behind corporate greed, the prioritization of money over life, and the nihilistic lifestyles humans are forced into.

But within the waters of the spiritual, ecoconscious communities I swim in, the Luciferian path is so thoroughly ingrained into common belief systems that we often don’t see how much of an obstacle to Earth connection it has become.

As someone raised in the 80s and 90s, I experienced peak new age culture as a young girl. Think Doreen Virtue, A Course in Miracles, and Oprah’s SuperSoul Sundays. 

And then, of course, came The Secret — repopularizing the prosperity gospel for a literal “new age”. 

What do all of these have in common? 

Only your mind is real. And the mind is equivalent to spirit. 

Everything that you perceive, create, and experience is from your interactions with the great One Mind — the field of human consciousness that is actually the truth of our spiritual nature. 

Fun read: The Harper’s article The New Age Bible by Sheila Heti explores how The Course in Miracles might actually be a CIA mind control experiment…I mean, is anything more Luciferian than The Course?

This philosophy has trickled into nearly all alternative spiritual practices — disguising itself as a more grounded and intelligent approach to the “magical thinking” those poor new age suckers succumb to.  

I remember clearly being taught, and at the time believing, that all “tools” we use for spiritual practice — Tarot for divination, crystals for healing — were only effective because they helped us focus our minds. And our minds, obviously, were what actually initiated any real change or insight. Like life is one giant placebo effect.

The strength of this Luciferian movement, our faith in the mind as the only thing we can know to be real, makes sense as a reaction to living in a completely materialist culture. Internally, as rejection of Ahriman roots in the psyche, and the inner pendulum swings towards the opposite. 

Combine this with our current level of psychological sophistication, and bam! 
Everything is a symbol. Archetype. Mind. 

I guess it’s no surprise that the Davinci Code phenomenon came out of this era. I mean — the idea that you could be a professional symbolist? Unlocking ancient wisdom through pattern, thought, and analysis of imagery? As a young college student, I was ready to change my major and become the next Tom Hanks, lol.

Anyway, our obsession with mind continues.

The ancients were astrologers (This is related — I promise).

Perhaps our obsession with turning everything into symbolic archetypes, with making everything about our own minds, can be seen most clearly in the evolution of astrology.

Astrology has made an astounding comeback into modern culture. Reclaimed from the fringes of daily horoscopes (which were likely pulled out of someone’s you know where and recycled indefinitely), astrology is seen more and more as a legitimate art. 

But even the most reputable sites and sources tend to focus on a psychologized interpretation of the Zodiac. 

Scorpios are secretive. Libras are indecisive. Virgos are perfectionists. Leos want to be the center of attention. 

There is definitely real value to this. I have learned soooo much about myself and others through careful, psychological analysis of the birth chart. 

But the Zodiac arose from an ecological consciousness — not a psychological one — that has largely been lost in modern interpretations.

Astrology wasn’t about the psyche — it was about survival. It helped us navigate the seasons and energetic shifts of the Earth herself. 

Leo didn’t just want to be the center of attention: Leo knew that summer was coming to an end. It was time to enjoy the dwindling warmth and light, soaking up as much pleasure as possible before the long winter came. 

Virgos weren’t just perfectionists for the sake of it. They knew the harvest must be carefully organized and stored and preserved, or critical supplies could be lost when we needed them most. 

Libras held the difficult task of ensuring a fair and equitable transition from summer to winter. This was the season for allocating the goods Virgo had so perfectly prepared fairly, to ensure the best chance of survival for all community members. 

Scorpios aren’t fixated on pain and shadow for no reason. Someone needs to be brave enough to plan for the worst case scenarios that might occur during the long, dark winter just around the corner.

This is seasonal. Ecological. These aren’t just psychological archetypes — they are inspirited forces of nature guiding the cycles of change our ancestors experienced. 

This shift from ecology to mind didn’t just happen within astrology, but also within our broader mythic landscape. 

Deities, too, have morphed into psychological archetypes. 

I love Jungian thought and the work of modern psychologists like Jean Shinoda Bolen. Her Goddesses in Every Woman is an important contribution to understanding the vast impact archetypal deities have on our modern psyches.

And.

Deities are not just archetypes. 

The original gods of old were literal forces of nature. They represented natural law and helped humans make sense of a world that might have otherwise seemed completely chaotic.

The return to these ancient, ancestral ways of placing the Earth within all the archetypal maps of our cosmos is core to reawakening an authentic ecological consciousness within our modern psyches. 

We don’t need to dismiss the mind. I love thinking. I’m a triple Libra Air sign, for goodness sake. I live in my head and very much enjoy the symbolic thinking that pervades the modern West. 

But this tendency to symbolify everything is a very real obstacle to ecological consciousness. 

And we need to reclaim an authentic ecological consciousness. 

Because our ecological crises require cosmological solutions.

Until we reclaim a truly animist, embodied, ecocentric consciousness, I don’t see the magnitude of the societal change we need happening in our lifetimes. Or, happening in a less catastrophic way, at least. (That’s my Scorpio planets talking — see, I do still enjoy the psychological aspects of astrology.)

What happens when we cultivate an authentic ecological consciousness?

So we’ve become a psychologically sophisticated species. A healthy evolution in so many ways. 

What is the point of reclaiming the ecological elements of consciousness? What are the benefits, personally and collectively, to rewilding our minds?

The most obvious answer is that doing so contributes to the well-being of the Earth. 

When we bring an ecological consciousness into materialism, no longer is the Earth an inanimate vessel filled with lifeless resources for us to endlessly consume.

When we bring an ecological consciousness into spiritual centralism, no longer is the Earth a prison/school we long to be liberated from. 

The Earth once again becomes an inspirited being. Her resources seen as the enlivened gifts they are. 

With this cosmological shift embedded in the collective consciousness, there is no way humans could treat the Earth as they do now.

Yet there is a more personal outcome of true ecological consciousness that might be even more impactful: You realize that you are not alone. You are loved. You are cared for. And you belong here. 

If everything is Mind — your mind — then you are responsible for everything.

If your focus is always on interpreting universal symbols and archetypes in ways that explain your own psyche, you become isolated from the interconnected nature of existence. 

This is a lonely, anxiety-inducing way to live. 

It is a delight to remember that you are a beautiful part of a greater whole. That the problems and challenges you face arise not from mental failings, but from a vast ecosystem of forces beyond egoic control. An ecosystem that also contains all the support and solutions needed to meet those challenges. 

Rewilding Consciousness

Have you ever spent time literally rewilding the land? Or witnessed this in process? 
The heavy lift needed to maintain artificial landscapes dissolves. Fertilizers, invasive species, wasted water…

This becomes replaced with mini ecosystems of wildflowers, pollinators, healthy soil, and shared resources. 

I’ve always tended my own gardens with this end result in mind. Even though I’m not technically rewilding the land, I’m endeavoring to restore vibrant, living energy that feeds itself into greater wholeness. Medicinal and edible groundcover revitalize soil and prevent water from evaporating too quickly. This allows patches of herbs for teas and wildflowers for bouquets to pop up. Which call over pollinators that ensure my veggies, just a garden bed over, get what they need, too.

Evidently there’s a new name for how I’ve always tended the land: Chaos Gardening.

Real conversation with my partner, about our large lettuce and herb bed:

Mike: Where will we walk? You can’t just have plants and nowhere to walk.
Me: But I already threw seeds everywhere. We have to use every inch for growing greens!Mike: Dude. Normal people grow things in rows. What are you doing?
Me: Chaos gardening. It’s a thing. 

(To be fair, our veggie garden probably could use a bit more of Mike’s grounded, Cap rising instincts…but I stand by my wildflower groves.)

Once enough rewilding takes place, our ecosystems are able to maintain a pretty harmonious flow without too much human intervention and effort. 

The same thing happens with our consciousness. 

Rather than the heavy lift needed to stay mentally afloat in a world our wild spirits are not designed for, we relax into the feeling that we are okay. We don’t need to bear the weight of this world on our own.

And just like on the land, the inner rewilding process starts one step at a time, each step making the next a bit easier.

The Biggest Obstacle & An Invitation

Most of those in my circles want to cultivate a more authentic ecological consciousness. No matter how much we love the Earth, forage for wild foods, offer prayers and blessings for the land…we still want more.

Not in a greedy way, but in the way that comes from a deep inner knowing that more intimacy with the Earth is possible. And needed. It’s what our animal bodies and wild spirits thirst for.

This is rewilding the mind. This is spiritual rewilding.

And this brings us to what is perhaps the biggest obstacle we face when it comes to cultivating authentic Earth consciousness: Community.

A sacred circle to return to when modern life pulls you too far off track, when you wonder if you’re too much of a weirdo for most folks, when you know there’s more but can’t find the next step…

Some form of community is essential as we rewild our hearts, minds, and spirits.

Which is why I hope you’ll consider joining Rewilding the Spirit: A 12-Week Course in Working with the Spirits of Nature.

The Earth is full of wild medicine. And so are you.

Rewilding the Spirit is a 12-week container guiding you into an unshakable connection with the natural world and the spirits that live there — and to your own authentic self as a result.

Join us to open your intuitive gifts, root into the land, communicate with the spirits of the natural world, and receive soul-level nourishment.

You can learn more about this program here, or join the live call on May 8th for a free taste of what’s to come.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on all of this wild ride ;)

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