Since 1993 the Sacred Universe Award has recognized leaders in the field whose work and life foster mutually enhancing Human-Earth relationships.
“SpiritEarth” is a word coined by John Surette, SJ and Mary Southard, CSJ to convey the inherent sacredness of all of creation, and to remind us that we evolve out of Earth and our very existence depends upon her and her health.
The Award was first presented to Thomas Berry in 1993 by John Surette, SJ and Mary Southard, CSJ, and continues to be given through The Well Spirituality Center to this day. Mary and John initiated the Sacred Universe Award to honor the recipient, and to renew them and all those who gather to celebrate with them, in their commitment to this difficult and great work.
2024 Recipient
Merlin Sheldrake
Merlin Sheldrake is a biologist, speaker, and author of Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds, and Shape Our Futures. Entangled Life, a New York Times and Sunday Times best-seller, has been translated into twenty-six languages, and was named a TIME Must-Read Book.
Merlin’s research ranges from fungal biology to the history of Amazonian ethnobotany, to the relationship between sound and form in resonant systems. He received a Ph.D. in tropical ecology from Cambridge University, is a research associate of the Vrije University Amsterdam, works with the Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN), and sits on the advisory board of the Fungi Foundation. A keen brewer and fermenter, Merlin is fascinated by the relationships that arise between humans and more-than-human organisms.
Prior Recipients
Hover over recipients’ names to learn more about them.