This is a conversation between Christine Kristoff-Larder, eco-spirituality expert & retreat leader and Paola (WCCM Marketing).
We often find ourselves oscillating between a superficial 'wonder' at nature and a deep sense of 'desolation' when we look at the state of the world and our environment. How can contemplation help us hold both of these realities—the beauty and the brokenness—without becoming overwhelmed or turning away?
This connection between wonder and desolation, between beauty and suffering, is very important. For me, they are two sides of the same reality. Awe, admiration is by no means superficial. It draws on our natural childhood ability to see the beauty of the world. And this is what can also sustain us in the current state of the world, it helps us to keep our heads above water and to hold on to hope.
Furthermore, I would say that contemplation is a state of being within us, an inner disposition linked to the reality visible outside us.
It is a bridge between our inner world and the outer world, and it also allows the beauty of the world to be reflected within us, like a mirror, like clear waters. It is also the state of contemplation that allows us to enter a state of calm, of listening, of silence, which enables us to receive this reflection within us in the best possible way; and at the same time, on the other side, our openness to the beauty of the world allows us to see it more clearly and to enter into compassion with this suffering, because we suffer when what is beautiful and what we love is destroyed.
This suffering is a sign of our empathy, of our compassion. And this compassion can lead to a desire to protect creation, to protect the beauty of what has been given to us. So the two elements go hand in hand.
For someone living in a fast-paced, urban, or digital-heavy environment, how can we practically begin to listen to a form of 'silent wisdom' when we feel so disconnected from the natural world?
Christian meditators know well that sitting for a moment in silence, on a chair or a cushion, allows you to enter a state of calm and inner peace. That is the first step. Then, even in the midst of the most difficult circumstances, even in the very heart of hell, flowers continue to grow. They don’t ask questions. They seek out the sun. And it is the quality of our attention, the attention we can give to these little wonders of creation, that will make them truly wonderful.
It is truly the quality of our listening and our gaze that will make these things beautiful. It could be as simple as a little fly on a windowpane. A spider spinning its web, or the sky above the city’s rooftops.
It could be the trees, the leaves, the light – stepping out of this world of screens, phones, computers, so that we can open our eyes, ears, hearts, and that’s all there is to it. Every encounter could be an opportunity for wonder.
You talk of the link between our relationship with the Earth and our relationship with our own inner lives. Why is it that we cannot truly heal our external environmental crisis without first addressing the 'separation' we feel within ourselves?"
For me, the inner or spiritual dimension does not take precedence over the dimension of action. Often, in spiritual centres, people say first of all you must meditate, you must transform yourself, you must heal yourself. Yes, and at the same time be attentive to the world. Because the world also teaches us to become more grounded, more responsible, more attentive.
I believe we must understand that separation on the outside is a reflection of separation on the inside, and vice versa.
Inner separation also stems from what we experience in the world—things that hurt us, that are finite, that affect us. So we must work on both at the same time.
Christine will be leading a retreat entitled “Living Reconciliation: From Separation to Contemplation”, from 4 to 7 June, 2026 in Bonnevaux, France – for more information, visit www.bonnevauxwccm.org
Image by Spencer Wing from Pixabay
