It is teaching us lessons in practical morality. Thus for most people, rediscovering the connections between earth and spirit provides a common ground in which mystery and meaning meet, and meet in mutual support rather than conflict. For it is through our sense of connection that we become open to experiencing the presence of the spirit in and through nature, and it is through experiencing that presence that the profundity of our connections become real to us. We have the opportunity to learn much about this kind of relationship to the earth from indigenous peoples whose cultures are still connected to the earth and whose spirituality honors the integration of mystery and meaning. But we're not out of the minefield yet.
Old conflicts die hard.
The western religious tradition fought for centuries to suppress the nature-based religions of tribal Europe. Because of this, any attempt to experience the spiritual side of nature is quickly condemned by Christian traditionalists as pagan and evil. The tradition of St. Francis, who could sing to Brother Sun and Sister Moon, is forgotten or denied. In reaction, some who are now most actively pursuing the experiential spirituality of the earth have sought to cut themselves off as much as possible from the western religious tradition, exacerbating the division into hostile spiritual camps, fulfilling the stereotypes of the traditional moralists, and making it that much more difficult to develop a common honoring of the earth. Its misuse is a symptom of warped priorities.