Our More-than-Human Relationships

Thomas Steininger in dialogue with Louise Marra

Can we re-root in nature? Louise Marra, author of ReRoot: The nature of change for a system of trees, starts this conversation in a very particular way. Introducing herself, she speaks of the mountain that is behind her, the river next to her, and the trees close to her. Louise Marra is from New Zealand. Some of her ancestors are Mauri. Some of her ancestors are European colonizers. Responding to her introduction, Thomas Steininger speaks of his own place: the Taunus Mountains that are next to his office in Frankfurt, the Main River, and the little stream that is flowing through his village. All of a sudden, this conversation became not just a conversation between two people. It became a conversation between two places on the opposite sides of our Earth: New Zealand and Europe, Auckland and Frankfurt, mountains, cities, rivers and landscapes.

In this dialogue. Louise Marra leads us into a deepening of our understanding how our experience on Earth is usually one of separation and aloneness. Opening up to this abundance of our relationships reveals a powerful and culture-changing possibility for experiencing ourselves as humans. We can become again a part of all the living relationships of this planet. How we can do this is the subject of her book, ReRoot, and the online courses around her work.

This week in Radio evolve, Dr. Thomas Steininger speaks with Louise Marra about our more-than-human relationships.