The Spiritual Ecology of Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee

Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee grew up in London with a Russian Sufi mystic living downstairs, seekers showing up at all hours and meditation happening constantly.  Then his family moved to a  coastal redwood forest in Northern California, where he learned to surf and fell in love with wilderness.  

Today, Emmanuel is the founder, executive editor and podcast host of Emergence Magazine – for nearly a decade, one of the most important venues for spiritually-infused ecological writing.  His new book, Remembering Earth, is both a meditation on the sacred nature of the living world and a practical guide to re-entering it.  

In this conversation,  we explore Sufism's radical vision of the divine as intimate and immanent, rather than distant and transcendent. We also talk about jazz — Emmanuel dropped out of school at age 16 to play acoustic bass — and the liminal space of creative improvisation.  Other stops along the way:  the epigenetic memory of birdsong, how breath and walking can become a form of prayer; what dreams are and where they come from; and the boundlessness of Earth’s love. 

Note:  Wonder Cabinet is taking a summer break.  We’ll be back in August with new episodes.

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• Emergence Magazine
• Emmanuel’s new book, “Remembering Earth”
• "The Nightingale’s Song," a film by Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee and Adam Loften
• Anne’s conversation with Sam Lee

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00:00:00 The Magic We've Forgotten
00:02:15 Growing Up With a Guru
00:06:55 One River, Many Names
00:15:55 Spiritual Ecology and Practice
00:29:05 Nightingales, Jazz, and Dreams

Wonder Cabinet is hosted by Anne Strainchamps and Steve Paulson. Find out more about the show at https://wondercabinetproductions.com, where you can subscribe to the podcast and our newsletter.