Blurb:

Many religious and spiritual experiences (RSEs), particularly those which take place in nature, lead to an enhanced appreciation of the natural world and to an understanding of our interconnectedness with every living thing. Sir Alister Hardy’s youthful experiences of nature mysticism led him to value the spiritual side of human nature, and to establish a centre for the study of RSEs in Oxford in 1969. Today the renamed Alister Hardy Religious Experience Research Centre (RERC) maintains an archive of over 6000 accounts of RSEs, and continues to receive new additions as people seek to have their experiences valued and validated.

In this chapter I will select accounts of experiences of oneness from the RERC Archive to illustrate the positive effect of this altered perspective. I will show how the change from a focus on the individual self with problems of isolation and alienation to an understanding of our essential interconnectedness can lead to a sense of wellbeing, as well as compassion for other people and care for the environment.