Definition: Rooted

Being ‘Rooted’ is terminology used within this Inquiry for how humans can ground ourselves through ancient wisdom and deep reverence for the Earth, regardless of their national, cultural or ancestral background.

Our current dominant culture promotes a worldview that separates humans from nature and elevates our species to a position of control and superiority.

The majority of the global population is educated in societies where Abrahamic and industrial-era values have a substantial influence on cultural, legal, and educational frameworks. (By Abrahamic, this includes secular values influenced by Abrahamic religions dominant in societies.) This perspective, while co-existing with and perhaps driving technological advancements, has also led to ecological imbalances and a disconnection from the natural world. By contrast, many ancient and Indigenous belief systems emphasise humanity’s interconnectedness with all life and a sustainable relationship with our environment.

We can reclaim a birthright of spiritual traditions that were practised for millennia before our current dominant culture, from the nature-based spirituality of Celtic Britons, animistic beliefs of pre-Christian Europe to the rich spiritual traditions of Indigenous cultures across continents and the contemplative practices of Eastern philosophies like Buddhism.

We do not need to do this in a way that is appropriative of living Indigenous cultures in other parts of the world. Similar traditions are present, but buried, within our own history. We must take care when using the word Indigenous, to avoid cultural appropriation that mimics the extractive nature of colonialism. While some people say ‘everyone is Indigenous’ – meaning that we all have the right and ability to reconnect with the land around us and live according to a different set of values, this term has the potential to be misleading and even offensive.

This rich tapestry of pre-agricultural and pre-industrial traditions form the majority of human history. Over 99% of pre-agricultural human history (or 96% of homo sapiens’ history) is hunter-gatherer societies who were often animist, viewing themselves as interconnected with the natural world, which they revered. Shamanic practices date back at least 30,000 years (e.g., Upper Paleolithic cave art). The shift from foraging to farming (around 12,000 years ago) marked a gradual departure from animist worldviews and reciprocal relationships with nature, but many early farming societies retained animistic beliefs and shamanic practices for millennia, gradually being displaced by urbanisation, hierarchical states, doctrinal religions, and industrialisation. Abrahamic religions, which traditionally view humans as separate and superior to nature, date back just over 4,000 years – approximately 1.3% of homo sapiens’ history. In Europe, both Roman imperialism and Christianity actively suppressed druidic, animist and indigenous practices (including by invading the druidic centre of Anglesey). Contemporaneous writers then labelled ethnic groups as either civilised or uncivilised, which has taken hold in dominant worldview conditioning. The practice of extractivism, commonly associated with the European colonialist era, is around 600 years old (0.2% of homo sapiens’ history). Therefore the culture on which current society is based is fleeting in comparison to our ancient Rooted culture.

Re-rooting in this way is a ‘western’ form of decolonising our minds. Decolonisation is usually referred to in relation to the colonial history of the Americas, Africa and Asia. However European cultures were already colonised by the Romans before they perpetuated this pattern.

Recognising and reviving this profound heritage that has been largely obscured or suppressed offers us a more comprehensive understanding of our place within the intricate web of life.