Almost 30 years ago I studied black bear ecology in North Carolina to obtain my Master’s degree. During this time, I took many classes, including community ecology, preserving biodiversity and population biology. One of the fundamentals of ecology is the concept of the niche. A niche is the set of specific environmental conditions and interactions that a species needs to survive, reproduce, and meet its needs.

It can be thought of as a multidimensional space where each dimension represents a resource or condition the species requires. Through meeting these needs, it plays a role in maintaining the community. For example, a black bear might be described as an omnivore that plays an important role in maintaining forest health by regulating plant populations as a disperser of seeds. In the spring, bears greatly affect squaw root dispersal by eating their flowering spikes, while in the summer myriad berries are consumed and spread. And in the fall countless acorns are ingested, affecting oak populations.

Fast forward thirty years and I found myself taking a course of a very different kind. I took a class from Marilyn Hardy, a student of Jonathan Gustin, with the topic of “Finding Your Purpose.” In this course the idea of a niche came up again, although with a different application. Jonathan described the concept that each one of us has a distinct purpose to fulfill…a purpose that is unique to our being. And that purpose is important to the health and functioning of this world. If we fail to recognize or carry out our important role…the world ecosystem will be incomplete and will suffer without our contribution.

I loved this idea, and it recently occurred to me that this concept of a niche can also be applied on a larger conceptual scale that changes with time. Imagine human ecosystems as being composed of a variety of forces or dimensions, including religion, politics, science, philosophy, ethics, nature, and spirituality. Each one plays an important role in the health of the entire system, and at any given time its importance may vary. I recently came across a dramatic example of time affecting a niche on a species level. After the nuclear disaster in the Ukraine in 1986, a 30 kilometer exclusion zone was created where the levels of radiation were high. Scientists discovered a black mold that not just survived the immense radiation but thrived on it. It appeared to feed on the radiation and use it as a source of energy. The fungus had adapted to a level of radiation that would be lethal for most life forms. 1 The conditions for this fungus to thrive had probably never been present on earth until 1986. What was a disaster to humans was an opportunity for the black fungus. And by moving into this niche, the fungus offered a potential way to reduce radiation and heal this wound.

What does this have to do with spirituality? I am proposing that the current conditions we face on our planet are a fertile time for spirituality to offer its unique contribution to the world ecosystem. Just like the black fungus filled a niche after a nuclear disaster, it is now time for humans to fully step into their spiritual dimension. If a niche is an “n-dimensional hypervolume” (a term coined by ecologist Hutchinson2), I believe spirituality has the potential to expand our realms beyond our wildest imaginations. Spiritual teachings and practices offer a radical way of being in this world in difficult times. And I believe there is no more important time than now to apply what has been learned. I have found in my own life spirituality has helped me in a variety of ways:

• To realize we are all interconnected and even the smallest of actions can affect the world
• To stay in the present moment and not be carried away by worry about the future or past grievances
• To relax, even in trying circumstances
• To accept things as they are, while at the same time being an open vessel for right action (or inaction) to flow through
• To examine everything in my life as grist for the mill
• To know there is more to this world than meets the eye
• To explore other dimensions of my being to access knowledge
• To be a source of presence and love in this world

The list may be different for each person, but my point is that the current conditions of our ecosystem both necessitate and are ripe for spirituality to flourish. The vast dimensional “niche” of spirituality offers us a source to find solutions and healing necessary for our very survival.

Imagine if each one of us waters the seeds that have been planted in us. As we walk the walk, we step into our magnificence and disperse those seeds…eventually the entire ecosystem changes. May we follow in the footsteps of our bear brothers and sisters. May we be in our element like the fungi, to both thrive and heal the planet. May we each find our niche. And may spirituality offer the world its unique gifts to restore balance to our “swiftly tilting planet” (L’Engle3).

Footnotes

1. https://makerfairerome.eu/en/a-black-fungus-might-be-healing-chernobyl-by-drinking-radiation/
2. Hutchinson, G. (1957) Cold Spring Harbor Symposia on Quantitative Biology, 22, 415–427.
3. L’Engle, Madeleine. A Swiftly Tilting Planet. New York, Dell, 1978