When we look beyond an ego-centered view, we discover that we are not separate from nature. Our survival, sanity, and sense of meaning depend on recognizing the living web of life that sustains us. By attuning to the more-than-human world, we begin to heal the division that fuels ecological destruction and remember a more reciprocal way of being. Artist and iconographer Angela Manno, creator of the Sacred Biodiversity Oracle, offers a profound invitation into this awareness through a deck of 36 cards portraying animals and plants from around the world. Her luminous paintings shimmer with quiet, radical devotion to the living Earth, encouraging us to encounter other beings and ecosystems as sacred presences rather than distant “resources.” Environmental leader Bill McKibben has described her work as “Powerful reminders of the beauty and holiness of the world we are destroying, and of our duty to protect what remains.” In this conversation, Angela shares why contemplative attention to the life we share is central to an authentic ecological response—and to the bold task of reinventing the human at the species level. She discusses the spiritual and artistic foundations of her icons, including influences from Thomas Berry and Indigenous spiritual practices, as well as the natural materials and traditional techniques she employs. Angela also explores the importance of empathy, attention, and action in addressing biodiversity loss, revealing how the oracle can serve as both a contemplative and activist tool. Each card offers guidance for reflection and engagement, enhanced by QR codes that link directly to environmental organizations.
