| Humanity's profound disconnect from nature is played out in its most visible form in the unfolding environmental catastrophe people are facing today. At the root of this alienation from the natural world is a spiritual crisis. The current dominant paradigm of rationalism and scientific inquiry withdrew the gods out of the natural world and rendered it lifeless and soulless; nature became a commodity, rife for exploitation. This thesis serves as an exploration of the necessity of a new, collective mythology that can inspire a sustainable relationship with the natural world. Humanity's very survival hinges on its ability to create a cohesive narrative that allows for an experience of nature as alive, interconnected, and sacred. In choosing a creative, artistic methodology of inquiry, this thesis gives nature, animals, and creative fantasy a voice and, hopefully, provides an experiential understanding of the subjectivity of an ensouled world. |
