Ecological Awakening: A Path Toward Holistic Adulthood with Bill Plotkin
The Great Simplification with Nate Hagens
Nate Hagens
4.8 • 552 Ratings
🗓️ 16 October 2024
⏱️ 97 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
(Conversation recorded on September 16th, 2024)
Where have all the elders gone? As the world grapples with its unfolding economic and energy crises, it can often feel like we lack capable guides to help our societies navigate these transitions. How can we cultivate ourselves as individuals to become balanced, true adults who are fully equipped to contribute to our communities, the planet, and the massive changes ahead?
In this episode, Nate is joined by eco-depth psychologist Bill Plotkin to explore the profound themes of human development, the urgent need for ecological awakening, and the importance of art and nature in navigating the crises of modern society. Plotkin also outlines his eight stages of eco-centric human development to foster a healthier future for humanity and the planet.
What circumstances have led to generations of individuals stuck in psychological adolescence? What role does the concept of the soul play in shaping our life purpose? How do we implement a cultural regeneration that aligns with the natural world and the stages of human development, ultimately helping us prioritize the health of the planet, people, and all species?
About Bill Plotkin:
Bill Plotkin, PhD, is an eco-depth psychologist, wilderness guide, and agent of cultural regeneration. As founder of southwest Colorado's Animas Valley Institute, he has, since 1980, guided thousands of people on the journey of soul initiation and is the training director of the Soulcraft Apprenticeship and Initiation Program. He's also been a research psychologist (studying non-ordinary states of consciousness), rock musician, and white-water river guide.
In 1979, on a solo winter ascent of an Adirondack peak, Bill experienced a "call to spiritual adventure," leading him to abandon academia in search of his true calling. He is the author of Soulcraft: Crossing into the Mysteries of Nature and Psyche (an experiential guidebook), Nature and the Human Soul: Cultivating Wholeness and Community in a Fragmented World (a nature-based stage model of human development), Wild Mind: A Field Guide to the Human Psyche (a nature-based map of the psyche), and The Journey of Soul Initiation: A Field Guide for Visionaries, Evolutionaries, and Revolutionaries (a guidebook for the descent to soul). His doctorate in psychology is from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Visit him online at www.animas.org.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | the most important thing for true societal change is that we have educational systems |
| 0:06.6 | not only for children and teenagers but for adults to help people ecologically awaken |
| 0:12.1 | because once we have a large enough percentage everything will shift we'll start |
| 0:16.5 | embracing the world as all relatives and all intelligent. |
| 0:29.4 | You're listening to the Great Simplification. I'm Nate Hagen's. On this show, we describe how energy, the economy, the environment and human behavior all fit together and what it might mean for our |
| 0:35.9 | future. By sharing insights from global thinkers, we hope to inform and inspire more humans to play |
| 0:42.7 | emergent roles in the coming great simplification. |
| 0:50.7 | Today I'm joined by Bill Plotkin for introduction to his work in eco-depth psychology, human development, and the soul. |
| 1:00.9 | Bill holds a PhD in psychology and researched non-ordinary states of consciousness. |
| 1:06.6 | In 1979, on a solo winter ascent of an Andorandak peak, Bill experienced a call to spiritual adventure, |
| 1:16.1 | leading him to abandon academia in search of his true calling. |
| 1:20.6 | He has since founded the Animus Valley Institute and has guided thousands of people |
| 1:24.7 | on the journey of soul initiation and is the training director of the |
| 1:30.3 | Soulcraft apprenticeship and initiation program. This interview is a bit different from others on this |
| 1:36.6 | channel that cover oil depletion, economic systems, ecological risks. Instead, I interview |
| 1:43.4 | Bill in an attempt to get at the root of what underlies |
| 1:46.9 | all of these issues, which is a shift in human development, consciousness, and values from our |
| 1:53.7 | ancestral past. Bill begins our conversation by reading a poem that he and I believe will be |
| 1:59.2 | helpful as you listen along. |
| 2:01.6 | For me, it set the tone for the rest of this unique episode. |
| 2:06.8 | And before we begin, if you enjoy this podcast, one of the biggest ways you can support us |
| 2:11.9 | is by subscribing on your favorite platform or sharing this episode with someone who might enjoy it. |
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