GaeaGenesis: Conception and Birth of the Living Earth

by Oberon Zell, with Foreword by Alex Vikoulov

Science and Spirit

“Oberon Zell was the first person to conceive and publish the biological and metaphysical foundations of what has become known as the ‘Gaia Theory’— the unified body and emergent soul of the living Earth. Oberon’s profound reconciliation of science, mythology and spirituality inspired and infused worldwide neo-Pagan, panentheistic movement. His visionary sculpture of the ‘Millennial Gaia’ is a three-dimensional revelation, an artistic masterpiece that fuses evolutionary biology with sculptural elegance. For over 50 years Oberon has been writing and lecturing on Gaian consciousness, and it is high time that he put it all together into a book!”

~ Ralph Metzner, Ph.D. (Professor Emeritus, California Institute of Integral Studies & Founder-President, The Green Earth Foundation)

In the early 1970s, noted philosopher and mystic Oberon Zell was the first to propose and
publish the radical idea that the biosphere of Earth is a single vast living organism. His initial
article on the subject electrified the emerging modern movement of Earth-based spirituality.
The excitement was the result of a simple yet profound idea. Imagine for a moment that Earth is
alive. Not just teeming with living things, but a living, vital organism. This is more than
imagination or mere metaphor. GaeaGenesis is the first work to fully integrate the mythological,
spiritual, biological, and social history of what has become known as the Gaea Thesis. It expands
upon this history by exploring the profound implications of this pardigm, which isas significant
to our understanding of the world and our place in it as Galileo’s heliocentric theory of the solar
system and Darwin’s theory of evolution.
GaeaGenesis culminates five decades of work developing Zell’s thesis, building on his own
original ideas as well as those of renowned scientists, philosophers and spiritualists who
preceded and followed him. Foundationally, GaeaGenesis builds upon the author’s original
paper: “TheaGenesis: The Birth of the Goddess,” which appeared in Green Egg magazine in
June of 1971.
The present book takes the idea beyond the metaphorical realm postulated by James Lovelock in
his “Gaia Hypothesis” and posits that the entire evolution of life on Earth is the literal
embryology of a single vast living being — one replicating continuum of DNA and protoplasm.
This distinction has significant implications for the subject of this book: the proposition that
Mother Earth is a living, sentient being with a “soul” that humans can perceive if they are aware
enough to sense it. In essence, the living beings that populate the Earth are cells within a greater
macro-organism.

Reviews

A Wizard’s life’s work!
GaeaGenesis is a book for the historian, the seeker, the theologian, and the beginner. It is
a complete work of science, biology, mythos, magic, theology, and research. Wizard and author,
Oberon Zell left nothing out as I would expect of the Dumbledore of our time.
The foreword by Alex Vikoulov is fascinating. Alex meticulously tracks the
correspondences between Oberon Zell and James Lovelock to demonstrate how the two literary
titans lay out their theories about Gaea vs Gaia and when it all occurred. It may seem tedious to
go over who was doing what and when, but it is important to know this background as you
proceed through this expansive volume of work.
At the outset, Oberon states he is a wizard, not a scientist, yet throughout the book, Zell
connects the Gaea thesis to spirituality and magic using a mix of science, and history equal to
any scientist. The illustrations are a treat to the senses and even include some comics, which
further explain Oberon’s creation story of Gaea.
GaeaGenesis took Oberon Zell 50 years to complete and is his first hardbacked book. In
this work, Zell includes an article by his beloved Morning Glory, where she speaks about
emergent evolution. A concept she describes as “The Process of continuing unfolding and
diversification of potential…the ongoing process not only of living beings but of spiritual entities
as well.” MG closes this article by speaking about climate change. And you get all this before
you even get to the first chapter!
Oberon Zell is a meticulous researcher and it shows. There are many discussions, articles
and, citing’s, in GaeaGenesis. The Reader will discover that many cultures and philosophers
have considered or written about the concept of Earth as a sentient being that begins with Plato.
Oberon Zell takes us on a journey as he reveals “The Great Mother Earth” as seen throughout
history and time.
The science and biology included in GaeaGenesis is thorough and comprehensive. This
work includes the tardigrade, the tree of life, the microcosm, the Green Man, the Mother-
Maiden-Crone mythos. You will discover how the rise of patriarchy and Christianity affected
Paganism and other cultures, and even quantum physics and theology.
When I say this is a complete work, I really mean it. GaeaGenesis reveals not just what
or whom Gaea is, but all that emanates from and on Gaea. GaeaGenesis is simultaneously a
valuable resource and a fascinating tale with appendices and bibliographies that would make
Hermione Granger swoon!

~ Cat Gina Cole
author of Psychic Skills for Magic and Witchcraft

An indepth and spiritual look at the living world
As with my review of any book, I tend to take my time. I find a comfortable spot in the
parlor, have a go on my favorite pipe and take part in the occasional sip of Chateau Margaux
Bordeaux Blend (1994). All of this, I believe, truly enhances the reading experience. What I have
found in this most recent tome by Oberon Zell is the perfect accompaniment to such an
environment. It’s Smart, Funny, Insightful and most importantly, profound. Much like my
favored wine, such works are not something which can simply come to be in the blink of an eye;
rather they are a product of a long, and often eventful life.

It is then, in good form that the course of Oberon’s long life (eighty years and counting!)
has been one of legend. He has tamed unicorns, swam with mermaids, brought wizardry to the
modern world and, in tandem with his Soulmate Morning Glory, showed us what a real-life love
story can look like (The Wizard and the Witch). This is to say, that he has led an inspiring and
wonder-filled life. It is no surprise then that such a man would have an insight or two to share
with his peers and fellows via the written word. As it happens, he has written a good many books
which do well to delight the reader’s desire to not only explore the world around them, but to
learn and love as we travel along.
In this work, Oberon has organized and succinctly woven the fabric of a fifty year
revelation into the pages of GaeaGenesis: Conception and Birth of the Living Earth. With-in
the Reader embarks on a scholastic, and frankly spiritual, journey into the workings of our
wondrous home, and the mother of all known life in the cosmos, Earth. I found myself delighted
and intrigued as I sauntered my way through the pages, nearly each offering some interesting
insight. One thing I found to be particularly intellectually satisfying was the way in which
Oberon has managed to so gracefully craft the evolution of the subject matter. From the
beginning pages and chapters covering more open concepts, to the later chapters covering truly
in-depth and often quantum level concepts. This allows the reader, regardless of their
foreknowledge, to follow the concepts expressed in the book succinctly and effectively, never
causing the reader to become lost or otherwise confused in the reading.
If you’ve read some of Oberon’s other works then you’ll be familiar with his more
whimsical and fun style of writing. While much of this same beloved style is on display in
GaeaGenesis, it has also been refined and honed into a writing tone which seems as though it is
speaking directly to the reader through his work, rather than lecturing past them. Think Clemens
meets Pratchett with the underlining knowledgeable tone of Sagan and you’ve got a good mental
image of what you can expect here. This tone helps the reader to engage with and better
understand the growing impact of climate change as well as how that affects our shared systems
as a whole.
In his writings, Zell references and builds off the work of several notable figures (Joseph
Campbell, Carl Jung, Al Gore) and helps the reader to not only understand the concepts
expressed by them, but also does well to present their understandings, as well as his own, as a
meaningful expansion in the conversation of a Living Earth. I found the connections to the
Syntellect Hypothesis by the Philosopher Alex M. Vikoulov to be particularly insightful and I
enjoyed the sections of the book where Zell and Vikoulov’s work played off each other.
In recent years conversations have begun to grow louder in the scientific fields relating to
the nature of our world, and the very concept of Life continues to be explored in profound ways.
As a modern Shaman, and Spiritual Elder for the Communities which he serves, Oberon Zell is
one of the few people alive today who have the perspective, insight and Wisdom necessary to
contribute this point of view to the convention of ideas that point more and more towards the
Earth being “more than just a dead thing you can claim” in the words of a certain Disney
princess.
While this book is most certainly open and accessible to anyone, I would say that those
who take part in the many earth-based spiritual practices should take special note. One of such
stock will upon reading not but the first few pages find that this is a must have, and close at hand
at that.
Much in the way I feel when finishing off a glass of that aforementioned 94′ I was sated,
refreshed, and perhaps even a bit bubbly after reading the last page. Setting GaeaGenesis on the

small table beside my chair after I had finished savoring it appropriately, I was left with the
sensation of having learned and, perhaps most impressively, that I had grown. Such is the mark
of a great work, and I am happy to say that this book is truly a Magnum Opus.
I could not recommend it more highly.

~ Nicholas Kingsley, Headmaster
Grey School of Wizardry

“The Earth is our Mother, we must take care of her.”
Within the pages of this groundbreaking compendium of Gaian lore, Oberon has
masterfully woven together his 50+ years experience into a single, cohesive tapestry of science,
spirit, and mythos. While the worlds of biology and magick are often cast into vastly different
orbits, this book reconciles them- demonstrating their interconnectedness in easy-to-understand
ways.
Consisting of richly illustrated “Cantos” that echo the wisdom found in such subjects as
the “Anima Mundi” and “Nature of the Gods,” this terrestrial love story presents the seeker with
a pure, unadulterated understanding of Gaia as a single, vast living organism- of whom we
humans are living cells. You’ve no doubt heard of “evolution,” but have you ever seen a link
drawn between evolution and embryology? I don’t want to give too much away, but I guarantee
that the way in which you see the Earth will be entirely transformed after reading this tome. But
don’t just take my word for it, read it and see!
In this age of re-awakening and awareness, this is a book that needs to be read. Indulging
in its magick not only increases one’s ability to perceive the “soul” of Mother Earth, it helps one
navigate their individual life-path within the macrocosm. This book also preserves the teachings
and art of numerous Pagan elders- both living and deceased, providing yet another reason as to
why it belongs on every bookshelf. “What is remembered lives.”
I can’t recommend “GaeaGenesis” highly enough, it truly is Oberon’s magnum opus!
Drink Deeply and Never Thirst,

~ Jim “Raven” Stefanowicz