A Biocentric View of Our Common Home with Angela Manno

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. (hosted by Justine Willis Toms)

Bio

Angela Manno is an award-winning visual artist based in New York City whose work weaves together spirituality, ecology, and contemporary iconography. A Bard College graduate, she also studied at the San Francisco Art Institute and Parsons School of Design. She has also trained in Byzantine-Russian iconography with master Vladislav Andrejev. Her work has been exhibited at major institutions, including the Smithsonian, the National Museum of Women in the Arts, and NASA’s collections. She is especially known for her series Contemporary Icons of Threatened and Endangered Species.

Angela Manno is the creator of The Sacred Biodiversity Oracle (Bear & Company 2026)

To learn more about the work of Angela Manno go to www.angelamanno.com

Topics explored in this dialogue include:

• How her artwork is inspired by her study of traditional Byzantine-Russian iconography
• Who is Thomas Berry and how did he encourage her artistic process
• How art has the power to not only inspire us, but also to transform our perceptions
• What is the active meditation of Viso Divina
• What is the structure of the cards and how to use them to overcome species-centered narcissism
• How Manno was impacted by her attending an indigenous Sundance and sweat lodge
• What is meant by engaged environmental activism
• Why we must build empathy with non-human species

 Host: Justine Willis Toms    Interview Date: 1/9/2026   Program Number: 3856

Music Playlist

Album: The Mystic Harp
Artist: Derek Bell

Track 13 Deirdre’s Sorrows