Incendence as Internal Awareness

Eco-theologian Thomas Berry coined the word inscendence to describe an earnest impulse not to rise above hardship, but to climb deeper into it and seek its core, to get out of our heads and back into our bodies, to become a creature of creativity instead of reactivity. Another way of describing this is through interoception, a term introduced by Peter Levine and Bessel van der Kolk that describes the development of conscious internal awareness and the ability to listen to the body.

Incendence as Meditation & Active Imagination

Eastern disciplines including tai chi, yoga, qigong and seated meditations also focus on this underpinning theory. Interoception allows us to delve deeper into understanding the body’s internal state, which is related to our sense of self and our decision making processes. By the same vein, Carl Jung’s process of active imagination also empowers one to bridge the connection with our subconscious minds and be present in our use of imagination.

Incendence as Deep Interconnectedness & Purpose

Incendence is also an act of perceiving the earth’s deep ecology and interconnectedness, where we can continuously expand our sense of self outwards, like an ever-widening circle rippling outwards the entire universe. According to Thomas Berry, “In ourselves, the universe is revealed to itself as we are revealed in the universe.” And when we learn to inscend, we can have a felt experience of “our small part in the larger cosmic orchestra,” and do what we were meant to do.

Where will the journey inward take us when we tune into our bodies and our soul’s core?