The Spell of the Sensuous: Perception and Language in a More-Than-Human World

Abram reflects on the journey of rekindling a lost connection with the natural world and sensory experiences. He emphasizes the need to remember and reestablish rootedness in the larger ecology, highlighting how various “interior” mental phenomena deeply rely on the surrounding sensuous world. He suggests that the human mind is not an isolated entity but is intertwined with the sensorial field, shaped by the tensions and interaction between the body and the animate earth.

Abram advocates a return to a more embodied and participatory mode of awareness, suggesting that intelligence is a property of the earth itself, shared among all its inhabitants. He encourages recognition of the unique intelligence and psyche of each place, shaped by its specific ecology and inhabitants. This perspective is preserved in the oral stories and songs of Indigenous peoples, who understand language as a gift from the land, a communal voice that sustains a reciprocal relationship with the animate landscape.

The text identifies formal writing systems, particularly phonetic writing, as a key factor in humans’ disconnection from the animate earth, leading to an isolated, abstract intellect. However, Abram does not suggest abandoning literacy; instead, he calls for writing language back into the land, crafting stories that echo the local soundscape and reestablish bonds with the world beyond the human.