Protecting Sacred Groves in India (with Radhika Bhagat)

"Somehow, we were only touching the symptoms, whether it's poaching, whether it's the destruction of forests, or unsustainable development." So said Radhika Bhagat about her 12+ years of conservation work with leading organizations in India, as she explained to me why she founded the Sacred Earth Trust. Radhika now focuses on reviving spiritual connection to the Earth, as well as scientific research and education, in her work to protect India's thousands of Sacred Groves.

This conversation was wide-reaching, and once again I am so heartened and inspired to connect with someone who's reflecting deeply on how to relate to both the Great Unraveling and the Great Turning – and who is enacting her Active Hope every day. 

I feel an especially strong resonance with Radhika and what she's doing for Life on Earth, and I'm looking forward to hearing what comes up for you as you listen.

Click Play now to hear us explore:

• sitting with our pain as a teacher, and letting it move us to change the things we cannot accept
• Radhika's experience working for a leading conservation NGO in India, and why she changed focus to reviving spiritual connection with the Earth
• what Sacred Groves are
• how Sacred Earth Trust has approached learning about Sacred Groves
• and why it's so important to protect both these groves, AND the belief systems that have kept them alive until now
• how Radhika has seen culture change in India since her teenage years, and what might revive a perspective that all life is sacred, in a modern context
• why a two-pronged approach, speaking to both science and spirituality, is essential
• and stories: change on the "mythic" level of human society's sense of itself; stories from indigenous protectors of sacred groves in India; and Radhika's reflections on the Three Stories of Our Time (Business as Usual, The Great Unraveling, and The Great Turning)

plus redefining "development" to include a more comprehensive experience of life, and more.

Enjoy, please share what you think about all this, and if you know anyone else who would appreciate this conversation with Radhika, please send them the link.

Show notes: turningseason.com/episode32

Music by East Forest