Ecocultural Matrescence

Ecocultural Matrescence©

Ecocultural identity is a framework that reminds us that human beings are not separate from the natural world; our lives are interwoven with the ecosystems that sustain us. This perspective expands our understanding of self beyond the individual, social, or cultural, to include our embeddedness in nature.

Ecocultural Matrescence©, a term developed by Dr. Jessica Spring Weappa, highlights the inseparability of mothering and ecological being. Just as regeneration is a defining feature of nature, it is also intrinsic to matrescence—the ongoing process of becoming and re-becoming a mother across the lifespan. As we move through the bio-psycho-social-spiritual rites of passage that define motherhood, we are also navigating our place within an ecologically interconnected world.

This awareness becomes especially vital as we face compounding ecological and climate crises. Lifecourse matrescence© unfolds not in isolation, but in dialogue with our changing environments. As we care for children and guide them through their own developmental transitions, we also encounter new dimensions of ourselves—tending old wounds, mothering ourselves anew, and deepening our relational awareness.

Ecocultural Matrescence© affirms that maternal growth and development is inherently linked to environmental and collective renewal. It invites us to see that healing and thriving are not only individual or familial events, but also cultural and ecological ones. Rooted in this whole-systems view, Mothering Futures® fosters community-based support for mothers while honoring the sacred interdependence between maternal wellbeing and the wellbeing of the Earth.