(ANALYSIS) Live seasonally. Inhabit the rhythms and cycles of nature. Find the Sacred in the shifts of the year. These themes have become prominent across sacred traditions and spiritual paths in the last few years.

Not only that. Themes of reintegration with nature have emerged as trends across young people on social media and in consumer practices, with a renewed interest in farmhouse living, spiritual wellness travel, homesteading, embracing Indigenous agricultural wisdom and gardening.

Books based on spiritual seasonality, like “Wintering, Winters of the World,” and “Winter’s Gifts (An Indigenous Celebration of Nature),” have gained further traction. The embrace of spiritual winter has been particularly relevant since the pandemic, with experts likening  the past five years to a season of spiritual, political and social freeze.

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For example, Neil Howe, author of “The Fourth Turning Is Here,” writes: “History is seasonal, and winter is here…Yet none of us takes cyclical time as seriously as the ancients. And for a very simple reason: The sacred cycle would strip those of us who live in the modern world from most of our treasured privilege.”

A Pew Research Center study published in December 2023 revealed about half of all Americans hold the belief that there is a spiritual dimension to reality in the natural world. 57 percent believe that non-human creatures can be inhabited by spirits or have a spiritual element. And 48 percent believe that features of natural landscapes — rivers, mountains, the sea — and plants can have spirits or spiritual energies.

This trend is particularly prevalent among religiously unaffiliated American adults who say connection with nature is an essential part of their spirituality. Michelle Boorstein of The Washington Post also recently covered the steep rise in “nature-focused spirituality and religion that’s changing both traditional religious denominations in the United States as well as the vast realm of religiously unaffiliated seekerdon.”

Spiritual connection to nature within religious traditions

There is also growing trend among adherents of historical religious traditions and those beyond, seeking spiritual rejuvenation both individually and societally by connecting with the Sacred through embracing the cycles of the year and the natural world. For example, National Geographic reported that the number of modern-day pagans — who by definition engage in Earth-based spiritual practices - in the U.S has risen from 134,000 in 2001 to at least 1.5 million in 2023. Social media, and TikTok (#witchtok) in particular, has spurred this trend. Dixie Deerman, founder and Covenoldenwilde in Asheville, N.C., said of engaging in Earth-based practices that mark the seasons of the year: “Immersion in ritual is akin to floating in soul-soothing water.”

This inclination toward spiritual practices aligning with Earth's rhythms appears to be expanding even within theologically conservative Jewish and Christian religious communities. They are introspectively addressing the influence of modernity on their habits. In the recent article Keeping Sacred Time, former director of Theos Thinktank and host of The Sacred podcast Elizabeth Oldfield, wrote: “Sacred time has evaporated because the church stopped living in it. Our age is secular because time itself has been emptied of the sacred. We have given up our custodianship and joined the headlong sprint of secular time. And in so doing we have made ourselves unnecessary.”

Along the same lines, Jay Michaelson, writing for the Forward, elaborated on the primacy of following the natural rhythms of the year in Judaism:

“What there is, is joy, earth-based rituals, and a focus on the cycles of nature. This, in some circles, gets labeled as ‘paganism,’ but it’s a central part of Judaism in general and the three pilgrimage festivals (Sukkot, Passover and Shavuot) in particular. Historically, these were agricultural festivals before they gained the mythic and theological meanings that were layered atop them. Sukkot is Chag Ha-Asif, the holiday of the end of the harvest; Pesach is Chag Ha-Aviv, the holiday of the spring (as well as an ancient lambing festival and celebration of grain); Shavuot is Chag Ha-Katzir and Chag Ha-Bikkurim, the holiday of the first harvest and first fruits.”

This reintegration of nature and spiritual practices has measurable positive impacts on personal and relational flourishing. A recent study conducted by researchers from the University of British Columbia and Oxford Brookes University, led by Matthew Billet, a doctoral candidate in social psychology at UBC, revealed a groundbreaking connection between nature and spirituality.

The study introduces the world's first questionnaire to measure ecospirituality, which encompasses beliefs that bridge spirituality with the natural world. With over 6,000 participants from Canada, the United States, and Singapore, the research indicates a significant finding: Ecospirituality not only transcends political and religious boundaries but also extends to individuals typically distant from traditional spiritual measures, such as atheists.

“If you have family or friends with different political views about environmental issues, try finding common ground by talking about the ways in which nature is sacred, awe-inspiring, and a place for spiritual refuge,” said Billet.

This insight emphasizes that the relationship between nature and spirituality acts as a unifying force, fostering shared visions of flourishing that persist beyond conventional ideological affiliations.

Hope for addressing an egregious history

In a time where spiritual wisdom is reintegrating with seasonal timekeeping, there is a growing desire to live seasonally and reconnect with the sacred through nature's cyclical rhythms. This call resonates not only across diverse spiritual traditions but also with a growing demographic, as evidenced by the rise of nature-focused spirituality on social media.

This collective awakening, bridging historical religious practices and contemporary eco-spirituality, signifies a significant shift toward a more harmonious relationship between humanity, the Divine, and the natural world. It fosters a shared journey of flourishing that transcends conventional boundaries.

The protection of Native American sacred sites through appeals to religious freedom is a critical aspect of the broader sacred-centered environmental ethic gaining traction today. The Native American Rights Fund (NARF) and the National Indian Law Library (NILL) have created resources addressing the religious and cultural oppression of Native peoples, such as the Code of Indian Offenses, which criminalized Native religious practices from 1883 to 1978. Despite its repeal, the legacy of such regulations still impacts Native communities, necessitating ongoing efforts to protect and preserve Native spirituality and cultural practices.

Following last year's promising results showing that nearly 90% of Americans support the protection of Native American sacred sites on federal land, Becket's annual Religious Freedom Index included a follow-up question centered on the specifics of their ongoing case, Apache Stronghold v. United States.

With many advocates for the mining site claiming it is vital for the U.S. transition to clean electric vehicles, this year's Index aimed to determine how Americans prioritize the protection of sacred sites when balanced against the benefits of electric vehicle production and job creation. The findings revealed that around three-quarters of Americans support protecting Native American sacred sites even when considering the competing interest.

Interestingly, Democrats and liberals, despite scoring lower on the Religion and Policy Dimension, demonstrated stronger support for protecting Native American sacred sites, with 80 percent of Democrats and 79 percent of liberals in favor. This compares to 67 percent of Republicans and 69 percent of conservatives.

The strong bipartisan support for this issue highlights a shared commitment to spiritual freedom to steward sacred sites, even among groups that might benefit most from expanded copper mining.

The intersection of spiritual reverence and environmental protection offers a powerful framework for addressing the pressing need to safeguard Native American sacred sites. As more people embrace the rhythms of nature and seek spiritual connection through seasonal practices, the collective effort to protect these sites and the broader environment will continue to grow.

Chelsea Langston Bombino is a believer in sacred communities, a wife and a mother. She serves as a program officer with the Fetzer Institute and a fellow with the Center for Public Justice.