S9-E1 – Gaia Alchemy-Stephan Harding

Thoth-Hermes Podcast

Welcome back to the Thoth Hermes Podcast and the beginning of a new season, Season 9 it is already. It is a huge pleasure – I’m sure not only to me – to start a new season with scientific ecologist, teacher at Schumacher College and author of ‘Gaia Alchemy: The Reuniting of Science, Psyche and Soul’, Stephan Harding. In this episode of our show, we will first introduce Lovelock’s Gaia theory and reflect upon Earth’s four major components – rocks, water, beings and atmosphere – and how their interactions can be studied through means of cybernetics and system science. We will shed some light upon the self-regulating system that emerges due to the interactions and how the inherent ability of our planet can and does regulate its surface conditions, partly through classical Gaian feedbacks such as climate change. we will also talk about ‘Deep Ecology’ as a science of recognising and dealing with the relationships between different parts of nature, Ecosophia as ecological wisdom and how Gaia Alchemy ties in with these concepts. In the end Stephan will take some time to explain quite a few fascinating ideas such as ‘Deep Time’ and what exactly living a ‘Gaian alchemical life’ means and highlight his hopes for the future of our civilisation.