Corinne’s presentation is called “The Enchanted Storyteller: Weaving Heart and Myth into Films”
Storytelling is the language of the heart. Powerful environmental storytelling anchors the heart’s connection to nature and the environmental world. For centuries, storytellers from J.R.R. Tolkien to Beatrix Potter have woven the natural world into their storytelling. Today, modern day filmmakers such as James Cameron and Louis Schwartzberg are crafting cinematic masterpieces that celebrate the heart’s connection to the eco world.
In this presentation, Corinne Bourdeau will show the power of storytelling to touch the heart and embrace environmental hope. Focusing on modern day filmmakers and storytellers who are bringing these stories to the big screen, she will showcase current real-life examples of storytelling that touch and engage the heart.
Examples will include:
*An Academy award nominated filmmaker that uses mythical elements and metaphor to craft a compelling story of climate change.
*A leading blockbuster filmmaker taps into indigenous myth to tell a powerful story for the environment that is one of the most successful films of all time.
*A world-renowned filmmaker uses imagery and symbols to celebrate the natural world and the mycelial network and, in the process, encourages us to protect what we love.
This presentation will conclude with suggested films and reading to enhance the environmental heart.
About Corinne
Corinne Bourdeau is the founder and president of 360 Degree Communications, a leading boutique entertainment marketing company that has worked on films with strong environmental and social justice themes, including Free Solo, Biggest Little Farm, The Cove, and Fantastic Fungi.
Art’s talk is called “The Social and Psychological Origins of Myths Denying Climate Change”
Myths have always had social and psychological origins and functions. These narratives help a community interpret the world, achieve identity and unity, and give it and its members meaning and purpose. Myths inevitably stray from the objective verifiable facts needed to make public policy and enact laws. An example is myths denying climate change, e.g., that climate change is not real or not caused by humans; that temperature increases are due to a natural climactic cycle; and that climate scientists cannot be believed, being in league with liberals. My presentation will analyze the rise, function, and circulation of climate change myths in certain communities from the standpoint of depth psychology and sociological dynamics.
About Art
Arthur George is a mythologist, cultural historian, blogger, and winemaker; formerly he was an international lawyer. He has written three mythology books: The Mythology of Eden, The Mythology of America’s Seasonal Holidays, and The Mythology of Wine. His more recent work has focused on myth in contemporary society and politics. He has a mythology blog, frequently speaks at scholarly conferences, institutes, JCF Roundtables, and other audiences on mythological topics, and authors articles on the same. You can find his blog and connect with him at www.mythologymatters.wordpress.com.
Maria’s talk is called “Eco-Psychologically Transform The Climate Crisis by Accessing the Force”
Story making, storytelling, and story listening are human superpowers. Seemingly, humankind’s ability to imagine the impossible and make it a reality changed evolutionary history. Yet today, humanity has crossed over the bridge of mystery and into a glacial river of truth–meaning we need to be honest about our rapidly warming Earth.
Yet, the same mythologies from our early beginnings that knitted us into nature’s awe and abundance are what we could be turning into modern narratives.
A new mythology for living into the future will come forward through the tales we imagine today. And needed are the heroes or heroines who are the story makers and story carriers—those who can gallop full speed into the mouth of danger and change where humanity is heading.
A hidden path has appeared that negates living as we always have, and today’s younger generations are creating actionable plans for slowing climate change and re-arranging their futures. From another perspective, we don’t have much time to act, so I suggest preparing for adventures.
All our collective stories are needed to conjure the one perfect solution. A Force so powerful a thousand other ideas get birthed.
As humanity stands at the mythical Crossroads of Fate, our tribal collective seeks kind, generous, and courageously compassionate eco-psychological responses that could bind us into collective action.
About Maria
Maria Felice Cunningham is a story writer, storyteller, and re-seeder of curiosity. She believes hope lives in our ears and courage in our hearts, while wisdom requires listening to the natural world. She is a connector who passes on whispers heard in seashells and she uses stories as her currency.
Maria Felice spent decades in corporate America creating stories and advertising campaigns for capital growth while partnering with targeted non-profits. She is an eco-psychologist, board-certified culture and leadership coach, author, journalist, and doctoral candidate at Viridis Graduate School. Her primary focus is promoting stories, myths and fairy tales to face the challenges of a warming Earth.
This panel is sponsored by iRewild. Thank you, iRewild!
In this panel, Dr. Renda Dionne Madrigal, Dr. Catherine Svehla, and Dr. Annalisa Derr address the question, how do myths and mythic images depict empathy as a critical ingredient for restoring a deeper relationship with the soul of the world?
Dr. Renda Dionne Madrigal will present on “Heart Story Medicine: Indigenous Wisdom for the Modern World”
Are you connected to the stories of the lands you live upon? Young and Saver note that once we lose our ability to construct narrative, we lose ourselves. According to the World Health Organization, loneliness and depression are epidemics today. People do not feel connected to themselves, others, or the natural world. We have to care about something to feel empathy, and to care we have to connect. Our ancestors were deeply connected to place and people. The foundation for this connection is in the old stories, the land-connected stories of the places we live. Stories enchant the world, and an enchanted world is a world in which we are connected to everything around us. Indigenous people have long known that stories carry medicine. Stories contain wisdom, resources, and archetypal energies. This workshop will focus on the Chippewa story of Skywoman, the manitou who created the North American continent. This is the story I worked with as part of my Capstone project at the Applied Compassion Training program at Stanford. This journey began with asking, Who are the ancient female peace keepers? My capstone was aimed at highlighting and revitalizing indigenous female heart medicine contained in traditional stories from around the world. My premise was that when indigenous women’s voices are seen as fiercely and gently compassionate, strength is reclaimed and useful archetypes are made visible once more. Come learn what an ancient manitou from this continent has to teach us about how to live well.
About Renda
Renda Dionne Madrigal, Ph.D., Registered Drama Therapist, Narradrama Trainer, Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, was featured on the cover of the February 2018 edition of Mindful Magazine and will be featured as a 2022 Powerful Woman of Mindfulness (August edition). She is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist, TA/Advisor for the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, Mindfulness Awareness Research Center Teacher Training Program, UCLA Certified Mindfulness Facilitator, certified with the International Mindfulness Teachers Association and Stanford Certified Applied Compassion Educator/Consultant. She is also faculty at the Drama Therapy Institute of Los Angeles and California Indian Nations College, President of Mindful Practice Inc. and works with story medicine (embodied mindfulness, narrative and drama/creative arts).
Dr. Dionne Madrigal specializes in embodied mindfulness-based practices and has been a Licensed Clinical Psychologist for over twenty years. She combines mindfulness, somatic (body-based) therapies, and story in much of the work she does. She is Turtle Mountain Chippewa. Her heritage informs her work. She is involved in healing theater and has appeared in Indigenous plays written by her daughters. In her spare time, she enjoys writing fiction featuring Indigenous female protagonists who save the world. Her book The Mindful Family Guidebook is available through Parallax Press and Penguin Random House and was listed as a Best Book of Mindfulness 2021 by Mindful Magazine. She is currently working on her next book, Story Medicine.
Dr. Catherine Svehla will present on “More Than a Metaphor: ‘The Queen Bee'”
The importance of empathy for members of the more-than-human world is a common theme in fairy tales. In the fairy tale of "The Queen Bee," for example, the youngest brother is ridiculed for a sensitivity that is later rewarded. Stories like this one affirm the value of kindness and reciprocity that extend beyond human society. This is a valuable message and yet there is more to be found in such stories. Curiosity about the lives of our fellow beings in the material world can lead to insights that challenge cultural constructs and deepen awareness of the link between self and Other. This type of investigation makes a broader understanding of relationship and empathy possible.
About Catherine
Catherine Svehla is an independent scholar, storyteller, and teacher with a PhD in Mythological Studies and Depth Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute. She creates thought-provoking story circles, workshops, and other tools to help people use a mythic and archetypal lens to transform their lives. Catherine is the host of the Myth Matters podcast, an exploration of myth in contemporary life and a member of Joseph Campbell Foundation’s MythMaker℠ Podcast Network. A recognized innovator in the field of mythological studies, Catherine received a New Mythos grant from OPUS Archives and is a member of the Joseph Campbell Foundation Editorial Advisory Group. Learn more at http://www.mythicmojo.com.
Dr. Annalisa Derr will present on “Ecological Empathy: Grief in the Age of the Anthropocene”
Grief is a universal human experience. In many myths, even the gods and goddesses grieve. Not only do they teach us how to grieve, but some of these myths teach that celestial grief can itself cause catastrophic consequences in response to both human and divine folly and ignorance. In the age of the Anthropocene where human impact on climate change is ever more apparent, what can these myths teach us about grief that extends beyond our human-to-human bonds?
In this presentation, I will describe my personal experience with inter-species grief after a tragic encounter with a deceased bald eagle. Examining myths from the Ancient Greek, Hindu, and Mesopotamian traditions, I will also include how I believe mythic expressions of grief can model an ecological empathy for non-human animal life and death.
About Annalisa
Annalisa Derr, PhD completed her doctorate in Mythological Studies with an Emphasis in Depth Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute. The title of her dissertation is Resacralizing Female Blood: Overcoming 'the Myth of Menstrual Danger.' Seeking an embodied approach to her research inquiry, Annalisa developed a site-specific, menstrual art performance series, “She Bleeds the World into Existence.” She also founded Journey to the Goddess TV—an online platform featuring interviews with scholars, artists, activists, and religious practitioners that explores the significance of goddess archetypes for modern women. Annalisa has been a professional actress for over 30 years with a BA in Theater Arts and specialized training in masked and physical theater from internationally renowned teachers in Italy, India, and New York. She is also a Mary Magdalene devotee, an Italophile, and an aspiring Flamenco dancer. You can visit her website at www.journeytothegoddess.voyage.
