Craig’s presentation is called “Storied Nature: When Myths Heal the Split Between Us and Everything Else”
Stories tell us who and where we are. Myths are, among other things, stories that tell us how to relate wisely to the natural world. When we ignore the myths, we tend to relive them darkly, as when oil spills igniting rivers inadvertently but powerfully recall Phlegethon, the fiery river from Greek mythology. Myths from many lands contain warnings and wisdoms for how to live as one species among many.
My presentation will address the following questions:
– How do fossil fuels bring with them the mythology of the Underworld gone crazy?
– What myths do psychologies detached from nature tend to reenact?
– What do the old tales tell us about the consequences of losing alignment with the rules of nature?
– What do they tell us about healing the split in consciousness that opens when we consider ourselves masters of the natural world?
– What does the research methodology Terrapsychological Inquiry offer for healing our relations with Earth as a living animate presence?
This presentation is part of a special panel on Myth and Restoring Ecological Consciousness, sponsored by iRewild. Thank you, iRewild!
About Craig
Craig Chalquist, Ph.D. is core faculty at the California Institute of Integral Studies and former Associate Provost of Pacifica Graduate Institute. His books include Myths Among Us (World Soul Books, 2018) and Terrapsychological Inquiry: Restorying Our Relationships with Nature, Place, and Planet (Routledge, 2020). Visit his website Worldrede.com.