The Green Man archetype represents the deep relationship we have with nature and is found in varying forms in many world traditions. The image of the Green Man whose face is swathed in foliage with shoots springing forth from his open mouth is a potent symbol of the Earth’s, and therefore our, fecundity.
Matthew Fox in his latest book The Hidden Spirituality of Men writes, “The Green Man is about relating to nature, about finding the essence of nature within our nature… in the Green Man we have an archetype for our relationship to both the cosmos and the Earth — to Father Sky and Mother Earth.”
The Green Man is a powerful image, therefore, of our interconnectedness with nature not just as a resource but as the holy matrix from which everything flows. To honor and protect this source of our provision, inspiration and beauty is crucial to our physical survival and our spiritual health as individuals and societies.
Nature is not just a resource to be exploited or a commodity to be bought and sold. It is not just a picturesque backdrop to our homes and for our entertainment. It is a gift from God and therefore must be wisely cared for and nurtured.
Setting aside tracts and reserves for particular protection is, of course, essential to preserving the diversity and beauty of nature. But it does not end there. We cannot blindly develop and despoil our local areas and backyards in the name of progress, or more commonly, in the name of profit.
The urban sprawl, highway building, gas and oil well development I have witnessed in my home town Fort Worth and neighboring counties has brought into clear focus the need for a long term comprehensive plan that looks not just to economic development but to sustainability, quality of life issues and the protection and enhancement of nature. Too often the short term gains outweigh the future consequences to our planet’s detriment.
The voices of concern sounded, eloquently, long ago. The impassioned voices of Emerson, Thoreau, Whitman and others tell us that this problem of despoliation is not new.
The stakes are higher now. Continuing to live at our current levels of consumption, exploiting the earth’s finite resources with no thought of the future is intolerable.
* Photography by Wendy Vann Roach