Preparing my presentation for Friday, June 5, in Claremont, CA at the "Seizing an Alternative: Toward an Ecological Civilization" conference with keynotes Bill McKibbin and Vandana Shiva....
I have 90 minutes and would like to make it interactive with a meaningful activity.
Any suggestions?
See my synopsis below:
Session #2 Friday June 5th 4-5:30 pm
Ecostalgia: Storienting the Displaced Psyche
The ecological and environmental destruction of homeplaces is increasingly resulting in a tremendous displacement of both individuals and communities, echoing the profound displacement that has occurred in the modern western psyche as it perceives itself ever more separate from nature. Our modern transient mindset, lacking rootedness and connection to place, has left us disoriented and struggling to make meaning, thus engendering ecostalgia, the profound longing for a spiritual homeplace that can sustain us. This loss of soul can be mitigated through the power of myth and story which allows us to ritually enter into a realm of engagement and understanding of both the planetary and personal crises we all face, orienting us toward home.
Anyone else going to the conference? Would love to meet you.
Replies
So, was it successful?
Here is that article by Robert Rosen mentioned in my previous comment: http://rosen-enterprises.com/images/RRPlanning,_Management,_Policie... It (he) uses a very technical language, but I think it isn't totally inaccessible to someone who isn't into engineering, mathematics, or management. That is, an "expert" would be just as confused as anyone else.
For instance, Rosen mentions "neurosis" and that's exactly what it is: a society and infrastructure having a neurosis. "Infinite regress" means in (psycho)therapy dealing with symptoms, one pill after another. An attempt to overcome that infinite regress and side effects is in a way an attempt to find a transcendent function (http://frithluton.com/articles/transcendent-function) regardless whether the subject is an individual, an institution, or infrastructure. Still, all that is just an assumption, it doesn't increase any chances for success. Or in Rosen's words: "I hope that the above few remarks on the planning process will provide food for thought for those more competent to investigate such problems than I am."
Bonnie, this sounds like a fabulous conference and I am sorry I won't be there to hear our presentation. It's an intriquing subtitle: "Storienting the Displaced Psyche."
An immediate question came to mind: is it Psyche that is displaced - or is it us? If we truly tended & honored our dreams and images, would this connect us more fully with Gaia? You could do an active imagination exercise that invited your listeners to go within and connect with what home is to them, to honor the image(s) that arise out of this exercise (followed by a brief art/writing time so they could create a visual representation of their experience, to share with the others present), they would have the ability to integrate mind, body, and spirit with the concepts you are talking about. I am imagining that this could open a portal to the collective unconscious that could create a felt understanding for both the individual and the group.
Donna: I love your ideas and agree wholeheartedly that they could bring both individual insights, but also access to a collective vision that might be healing for the group as well. Thank you so much for the suggestion.
It's "McKibben". His book Eaarth is interesting, especially the part about economic growth and "too big to fail" (and his claim that anything too big to fail is also too big to exist).
Tools for Conviviality by Ivan Illich (http://www.mom.arq.ufmg.br/mom/arq_interface/3a_aula/illich_tools_f...) is one of better works on the topic. He does use dirty words such as "socialism" and "Mao" that can be deal-breakers to many people. But, he also says: "The crisis I have described confronts people with a choice between convivial tools and being crushed by machines. The only response to this crisis is a full recognition of its depth and an acceptance of inevitable self-limitations." There is a difference in understanding of the words "full recognition" between someone who is a potential reader of this discussion and someone who isn't a potential reader of this discussion.
A selection of less obvious books on the topic: "I and Thou" by Martin Buber, "Dark Matter and Trojan Horses" by Dan Hill, "Nudge" by Richard Thaler, "The Upside of Down" by Thomas Homer-Dixon, "The Black Swan" by Nassim Nicholas Taleb, "The Collapse of Complex Societies" by Joseph Tainter, . Which one of them is about violence (Free Teleseminar: Understanding Archetypal Patterns in Times of Con...)? All of them.
Anticipation and Dynamics by Mihai Nadin (http://www.nadin.ws/archives/966):"This article is written in a context that can be characterised as one of missed anticipations. In this vein, Rosen should be quoted: ‘I think it is fair to say that the mood of those concerned with the problems of contemporary society is apocalyptic’."
Aleksandar: You never cease to amaze me. You do seem to have a "foot in both worlds"—you obviously have firsthand experience with the political and cultural pulse of Eastern Europe and the issues at hand. (I have visited Serbia, Poland, Croatia twice in the past two or three years and have been profoundly impacted by people I met while there). You also clearly have a foundation in depth psychology that appears from my perspective to be both learned and intuitive. I do appreciate your contributions to this community.
This concept of "a choice between convivial tools and being crushed by machines" is no small thing. How do we blithely go about our respective lives while buying into the status quo that now involves such speed and capacity for distracting and numbing ourselves via technology? I remember Jung's story of being in Africa in one of the first cars available at the time. He was driving along about 25 miles per hour (as I remember the story) and was surprised when a native man traveling with him begged the car to stop; then promptly jumped out to lie on the ground the moment it did. When Jung asked what he was doing, the man replied he was traveling too fast for his soul to keep up and was waiting for it.
I know the books you mention by Buber, Homer-Dixon, and Tainter--all significant and relevant in my humble opinion to our current global crisis. I think that delving more into violence and our capacity for it is very meaningful, as none of us are immune and owning that shadow is important as we each take up arms in the form of our own perspective on our views of the world as it is today—especially in light of Syria, ISIS, Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel, Pakistan, North/South Korea, Vietmanm, China (not to mention the U.S. and U.K. involvement in various parts of Central and South America). The point is, I guess, is that we could (all) give presentations until the cows come home...and yet, what difference will it really make in the end? I am willing to believe depth psychology and it's tenets can make a difference for those of us who are willing to engage—but there is much work to be done.
I look forward to delving into some of the references you list that I am not familiar with, and very much appreciate your contribution. I agree—sometimes my mood IS apocalyptic, and yet I am concurrently aware that "apocalypse" is related to the idea of "lifting the veil." If depth psychology is good for nothing else, does it have the potential to lift the veil of unconsciousness for all of us....?