The Gaia Thesis

[icymist]

First formulated in the early 1970s, the Gaia Hypothesis or Gaia Thesis encapsulates the idea that the Earth and the space very near to it is a living being, with all life on the surface being part of a single larger living whole. This theory has been growing in popularity since its conception and is often connected to many Neo-Pagan faiths.

Two different men both began thinking of this theory around the same time. One was NASA research scientist James Lovelock, who came at the idea from the vantage point of envisioning a geo-biosphere which is self-regulating and self-sustaining. The other was Oberon Zell-Ravenheart, a sculptor/theologian and self-identified Wizard, who was one of the founding members of the Church of All Worlds. What both men have postulated is that every form of life and all of the systems that can be found on the planet Earth are in fact the subsystems of a larger single living organism, which includes not only the planet and all life on it, but all of the matter and material that is located in close proximity to the planet, a singular being they call "Gaia." From this vantage point, all the barriers of race and culture become inventions of man, fragmenting ourselves from each other instead of looking at human life as a singular form of existence.
Read the article