This special issue of Ecotheology on Pierre Teilhard de Chardin provides a
suitable setting for discussing the contemporary search for an ecologically
balanced spirituality. From early on in his scientific career, Teilhard was
conscious of the emergence of human evolution within the larger setting of
cosmic and planetary evolution, and the closely interwoven relationships
of the entire web of life were an integral part of his scientific, religious and
mystical insights. The emerging spirituality of an unfolding noosphere is
intimately connected with the co-evolution and convergence of our biological,
mental and social environments. I will examine the important
theme of a newly evolving ecological spirituality from four different
perspectives: (1) our new consciousness of one planet; (2) the connections
between ecology, spirituality, and the world as a whole; (3) the ecological
re-visioning of spirituality through recognizing the mutual embeddedness
of the biosphere and noosphere; (4) the resources of our global spiritual
heritage for an ecologically balanced spirituality.