Ecological Crisis as Imaginal Crisis: David Abram's Vision

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I’ve been an admirer of David Abram’s work for a long time, so I was delighted to be invited by the Edinburgh International Centre for Spirituality and Peace to take part in an online forum about his vision. The invitation came when I was beginning to delve into the extraordinary world of the imaginal, and I saw a fundamental link with Abram’s work. I gave the talk in February last year and you can access the full discussion online for a £10 donation to the Centre.

For this episode, I’ve recorded a longer and slightly updated version of my original talk. I begin by locating the imaginal: where the concept came from and how I’m using it here. I then tell you a true story of how an animist experience can emerge spontaneously under certain circumstances. I draw on this to frame Abram as an imaginal thinker and argue that the ecological crisis is an imaginal crisis. Before closing, I consider what we can do about our current situation, and tell a story about David Abram and magic. I close by pointing toward what I now know as Imaginal Ecology.

I don’t use the term “Imaginal Ecology” in this talk, but I later realised that that’s what it’s about. This marks the start of what has become a much longer journey, and I hope you’ll join me on the adventure.