“The fundamental insight of deep ecology is that underlying all of the symptoms of environmental problems, there is the illusion of separation between human beings and the natural world”
John Seed
From John Seed’s Bio:
John Seed is founder and director of the Rainforest Information Centre in Australia.
Since 1979 he has been involved in the direct actions which have resulted in the protection of the Australian rainforests.
In 1984 he helped initiate the US Rainforest Action Network which grew out of the first of his many US roadshows.
In 1987 he co-produced a television documentary, “EARTH FIRST!” for Australian national television about the struggle for the rainforests. This has since been shown in many countries. A front page story about John’s work in the Christian Science Monitor at this time referred to him as “the town crier for the global village”.
He has created numerous projects protecting rainforests in Sth America, Asia and the Pacific through providing benign and sustainable development projects for their indigenous inhabitants tied to the protection of their forests. These projects have been funded by the Australian Government aid agency AusAID, The Australian Council of Churches and various foundations. Donations to Rainforest Information Centre projects are tax-deductible in Australia and the US.
He has written and lectured extensively on deep ecology and has been conducting Councils of All Beings and other re-Earthing workshops around the world for 25 years. In the US, his workshops have been hosted by Esalen, Omega, Naropa and the California Institute of Integral Studies.
With Joanna Macy, Pat Fleming and Professor Arne Naess, he wrote “Thinking Like a Mountain – Towards a Council of All Beings” (New Society Publishers) which has now been translated into 12 languages.
The section below displays content from the archive of works by John Seed
- 25th-27th Nov: Deep Ecology Workshop – With John Seed: Yarra Junction
Fri 25th Nov 2022, – Sun 27th Nov 2022, AEDT The Rainforest Information Centre presents an in-person, immersive DEEP ECOLOGY workshop with John Seed The Rainforest Information Centre presents DEEP […] - 21st-23rd Oct: Deep Ecology Workshop – With John Seed: NimbinFri 21st Oct 2022 – Sun 23rd Oct 2022 AEDT The Rainforest Information Centre presents an in-person, immersive DEEP ECOLOGY workshop with John Seed Tickets are sliding scale from $150-$450 […]
- 7th-9th Oct: Deep Ecology Workshop – With John Seed: Lower MangroveFri 7th Oct – Sun 9th Oct 2022 The Rainforest Information Centre presents an in-person, immersive DEEP ECOLOGY workshop with John Seed Tickets are sliding scale from $150-$450 If the […]
- Essay: The Ecological Self by John SeedThe Trumpeter ISSN: 0832-6193 Volume 22, Number 2 (2006) The Ecological Self John Seed In this article John explores some of the key issues in deep Ecology, his own experience […]
- Book: “Thinking Like A Mountain”, By John Seed, Joanna Macy, Arnes Naess and Pat Fleming
Published in 1988, this seminal text by John Seed, Joanna Macy, Arne Naess and Pat Fleming outlines their collective vision for Deep Ecology process. Originally referred to as a “Council […] - Vimala Thakar
https://vimalathakar.com/ Vimala Thakar (1921-2009) a philosopher, social activist and mystic, and woman before her time who overturned the norms of Indian Spiritual and Political life in the mid-20th century, treading […] - Philosophy in the Mountains: ABC radio show about Arne Naess and interview John Seed.https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/philosopherszone/philosophy-in-the-mountains—arne-naess/3176186 “Arne Næss, who died in January just a couple of weeks short of his ninety-seventh birthday, was a great mountaineer and part of the history of twentieth-century philosophy. He […]
- Transcript 3: Johns Seed’s Intro to the Council (finding an ally)One of the things that people more grounded in the Earth than ourselves have always known, and continue to know, is that it is not difficult for us to be […]
- Transcript 1: John Seed’s Introduction to THE COUNCIL OF ALL BEINGSTranscripts by Chris Lehman from the Council of All Beings workshop at Northern Pines Lodge (Maine, USA) on 24/25 October 1992. There are as many ways to conduct Councils of […]
- Essay: RAINFOREST and PSYCHE
by John Seed In the fourth World Rainforest Report, Queensland zoologist Peter Dwyer noted that the New Guinea highlanders find the rainforest wildlife not only good to eat, but also […] - Spirit of The Earth
If we enter the rainforest and allow our energies to merge with the energies we find there, I found, a most profound change in consciousness takes place. We realize that […] - Thinking Like a Mountain: PDF
We ask for the presence of the spirit of Gaia and pray that the breath of life continues to caress this planet home. May we grow into true understanding — a deep understanding that inspires us to protect the tree on which we bloom, and the water, soil and atmosphere without which we have no existence. May we turn inwards and stumble upon our true roots in the intertwining biology of this exquisite planet. May nourishment and power pulse through these roots, and fierce determination to continue the billion-year dance. - An Interview with John Seed from “Deep Times, A Journal of the Work That Reconnects”John Seed is the father of the Australian Deep Ecology movement. Since 1979, he has been deeply involved in direct actions which have resulted in the protection of Australian rainforests, while at the same time traveling nationally and internationally to run Deep Ecology workshops, facilitate Councils of All Beings, inspire political activism with “Climate Change, Despair and Empowerment” roadshows, and act as a consultant to a huge number of groups and campaigns. In 1995, John was awarded the Order of Australia Medal by the Australian government for his services to conservation and the environment.
- Council of All Beings – process description
‘Only if one loves this earth with unbending passion can one release one’s sadness’ Don Juan in Carlos Castaneda’s “Tales of Power” The Council of All Beings is a series […] - Buddha touched the earthAn Exploration of Engaged BuddhismBy John Seed (See below for an embedded pdf version with illustrations) Buddha Touched the Earth is the title of a new workshop facilitated by William […]
- Beyond Anthropocentrism
by John Seed from THINKING LIKE A MOUNTAIN – TOWARDS A COUNCIL OF ALL BEINGS by John Seed, Joanna Macy, Arne Naess & Pat Fleming, New Society Publishers, Philadelphia, 1988 […]