Integral Ecology Hike in Oakland

Author: Carissa Wieler

It’s a Saturday morning in early October in Oakland, California. A damp fog has swept over the Bay, cooling my skin enough for a sweater. I navigate the car along the narrow inclining road to Sibley Volcanic Reserve. Kristi, Matthew and I have long since moved off the map and we are following Kristi’s bike route to the parking lot. The mood is chatty in an early morning sort of way.  

Gathered in the parking lot, 8 of us, mostly familiar and some new faces, stand in a circle, welcoming in the day and each other. Each person is taking their turn to carefully answer the questions I have posed: name one thing you love about nature and one thing you are curious about. Qualities of warmth and familiarity sweep through my perception of our circle. We switch gears and discuss a core Integral Ecology practice for the day: ROPE – resonating, observing, pattering and experiencing, applying this to body, mind, and spirit. I sense a settling into to familiar territory for some, new for others.  

After about 10 minutes of hiking along a soft, windy incline through pine trees, we begin the practice. Each one chooses a “view” to resonate with, breath with, notice cultural significance of, and commune. I suggest imagining the feature is looking back at you, as you are looking the feature. What did this bring up, I ask.  

One talks about watching the fog lift, revealing a previously unseen view and relating this to their own relationship with the unknown. Another talks about being ‘met’ by a bush after feeling a quality of loneliness. And another speaks about edges in the landscape as metaphoric for edges in her own life. Qualities of calmness, aliveness, openness, freedom, joy, beauty and possibility are shared. I am struck by the generosity of each one in voicing transparently their perspective and experience. The remainder of the practice (observing, pattering and experiencing) is completed and we collectively decide to spend less time talking and more time walking.  

One first comes upon the “hidden” labyrinth at Sibley Reserve from a lookout point. Nestled in a narrow valley, the 50-year old labyrinth is clearly articulated by large rocks and grasses. A labyrinth is like an old friend to me, and I feel into awe and respect as I clamber along the steep little trail to its base. Nearby construction is a new sight, with what seems like volcanic ash layering some of the territory.  

Gathering at the mouth of the labyrinth, we undertake our second Integral Ecology practice: shifting from perceptions to perspectives. Looking at the windy path of the Crete-designed labyrinth, I offer, “imagining you have never seen a labyrinth before, what might this look like to a bird, an ant, a deer, a person?” The labyrinth transforms into a place for food, shade, play, a speedway along the labyrinth’s bends, some nature art. I notice the potential for creativity of this practice.  

By the time we leave Sibley reserve, the fog has lifted and the sky is flooded with warm noon daylight. In just 3 hours, we have covered much territory together, yet we have just begun. We make plans for the next hike, this time a creek bed.