Miles Carroll Pacifica Thesis

Advancing an Ecocentric Perspective Through
Phenomenological Engagement with the Imaginal Realm
by
Mary Miles Carroll
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of
Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology

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Pacifica Graduate Institute
6 March 2014

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© 2014 Mary Miles Carroll
All rights reserved

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I certify that I have read this paper and that in my opinion it conforms to acceptable
standards of scholarly presentation and is fully adequate, in scope and quality, as a
product for the degree of Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology.
____________________________________
Adriana Attento, M.A.
Faculty Advisor
On behalf of the thesis committee, I accept this paper as partial fulfillment of the
requirements for Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology.
____________________________________
Sukey Fontelieu, M.A., L.M.F.T.
Research Associate
On behalf of the Counseling Psychology program, I accept this paper as partial
fulfillment of the requirements for Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology.
____________________________________
Avrom Altman, M.A., L.M.F.T., L.P.C.
Director of Research

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Abstract
Advancing an Ecocentric Perspective Through
Phenomenological Engagement with the Imaginal Realm
by Mary Miles Carroll
This production thesis explores the contribution imaginal psychology can make
toward raising individual and collective evolutionary consciousness regarding humanity’s
relationship to the biosphere. Many traditional developmental psychology theories stress
the relationship of caregiver and child, ignoring the most fundamental relationship
between a human being and its primary provider, the earth. Imaginal psychology
emphasizes not only that individuals have souls but also that the world has a soul, which
communicates through the imaginal realm, making unconscious material more readily
available to the individual and collective psyche. Working with the imaginal realm as an
adjunct to traditional therapy is proposed as an effective tool in understanding one’s
connection to the biosphere, thereby facilitating healing as one’s awareness evolves from
an anthropocentricism toward ecocentrism. The author's alchemical hermeneutic
investigation includes her own experiences of engagement with the imaginal realm, and
she provides the example of an imaginal visual tool to advance ecocentric awareness.

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Acknowledgments
To my mother, a passionate, intelligent creator. Thank you for your unwavering
support and for leading, by example, with fortitude and grace.
To my friend, Lucas Dolphin, illustrator and co-author of Kadu, The Journey
Within. Thank you for embarking upon and completing this journey with me. Your
creativity and inspiration were invaluable.
To my soulsister, founder of WiseTribe, Jacqueline Botting. Thank you for your
faith and support. You set the bar for friendship.
To my editor, Jan Freya, thank you, thank you, thank you.

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Dedication
I dedicate this work to my niece, Ryan Kinkead.
I love you to the moon and back, Ryan.
—Aunt Spider
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Figure 1. “Aunt Spider.” Drawing by the author’s niece, Ryan Kinkead.

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Table of Contents
Chapter I Introduction 1.................................................................................................
Interest in the Topic 2.................................................................................................
Guiding Purpose 3......................................................................................................
Rationale 3..................................................................................................................
Methodology 5............................................................................................................
Research Problem 5........................................................................................
Research Question 5.......................................................................................
Methodological Approach 6...........................................................................
Overview of the Thesis 6............................................................................................
Chapter II Literature Review 8........................................................................................
Individuation and the Hero’s Journey: Transforming One’s Relationship to the
World 10.....................................................................................................................
Individuation in Relation to Ecopsychology 13.........................................................
Ecopsychology as Related to Developmental Theory 18...........................................
Summary 19................................................................................................................
Chapter III A Personal Awakening to a Universal Struggle 20.........................................
The Inherited Shadow 20............................................................................................
A Personal Account of the Evolution of Ecological Awareness 24............................
Awakening: A Synchronistic Dream 25..........................................................
Aunt Spider 27................................................................................................
The Elephant in the Room 31.........................................................................
Evolving Consciousness: From Ego to Eco 35..............................................
Chapter IV Summary and Conclusions 36........................................................................
Summary 36................................................................................................................
Conclusions 37...........................................................................................................
Suggestions for Further Research 38..........................................................................
References 39.........................................................................................................................

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List of Figures
Figure 1 “Aunt Spider” vi.............................................................................................
Drawing by author’s niece, Ryan Kinkead.

Chapter I
Introduction
A fella ain't got a soul of his own, but on'y a piece of a big soul—the one big soul
that belongs to ever'body.
Johnson, 1940
This production thesis explores the possible contribution imaginal psychology
can make toward raising evolutionary consciousness regarding humanity’s relationship to
the biosphere. According to Jungian analyst Michael Vannoy Adams (1997), “imaginal
psychology is a ‘soul’ psychology, or depth psychology, other than an ego
psychology” (p. 113). Based in part on the ideas of depth psychologist James Hillman,
imaginal psychologist Thomas Moore (1991) explicated this psychology in his book Care
of the Soul. Adams (1997) explained that “imaginal psychology emphasizes that not only
individuals have souls, but that the world has a soul. . . . According to Hillman, the world
is not dead, but neither is it well: it is alive but sick” (pp. 113-114). The production aspect
of this thesis is an illustrated children’s book, Kadu, the Journey Within (see attached
CD), based on the hero’s journey, which mythologist Joseph Campbell (2008) identified
as the monomyth found in cultures around the world. Kadu is a baby elephant who
simultaneously feels isolated from and dependent upon his tribe and his land. Due to an
unforeseen environmental crisis, Kadu is called to help his tribe and land and an
adventure ensues.

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Interest in the Topic
Several aspects of this topic interest me. I believe the preservation of our planet
and the health of humankind’s psyche are intertwined, and that humankind, particularly in
the West, is moving from an anthropocentric culture toward ecocentrism. Whereas an
anthropocentric culture regards humankind as the central or most important element of
existence, ecologist and writer Stan Rowe (1994) argued that ecocentrism
is grounded in the belief that, compared to the undoubted importance of the
human part, the whole ecosphere is even more significant and consequential:
more inclusive, more complex, more integrated, more creative, more beautiful,
more mysterious, and older than time. The “environment” that anthropocentrism
misperceives as materials designed to be used exclusively by humans, to serve the
needs of humanity, is in the profoundest sense humanity's source and support: its
ingenious, inventive life-giving matrix. Ecocentrism goes beyond biocentrism
with its fixation on organisms, for in the ecocentric view people are inseparable
from the inorganic/organic nature that encapsulates them. They are particles and
waves, body and spirit, in the context of Earth's ambient energy. (para. 3)
For the next generation to thrive, it seems imperative that the collective
sociopolitical aspects that drive humanity’s shadow of violence toward nature and its
psychological origins are explored and addressed. Teacher, scholar, and activist Joanna
Macy (1995) acknowledged,
The pivotal psychological reality of our time is the question of long-term survival
of the human species . . . [and that] all the major global threats to human survival
and wellbeing are now primarily human caused. That is, they stem directly from
our own behavior and can therefore largely be traced to psychological origins.  
(p. 241)
Intuitive, synchronistic events and scientific evidence of the relationship between human
beings and the natural world contributed to the evolution of my personal awareness and

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conscious evolution. Exploring ecological and psychological principles heightened my
desire to write Kadu.
Guiding Purpose
My wish is that Kadu will inspire children to embrace their own and the collective
shadow of earth’s destruction, the result of previous generation’s choices, and be moved
to improve humanity’s relationship to the biosphere. To reverse the planet’s continuing
ecological deterioration, I believe a fundamental shift must take place. My hope is that
Kadu will awaken children’s curiosity about their connection to the collective, which I
view as including humankind and all of nature, and encourage them to embrace the
inherited shadow of our sickly planet. The goal of this work is to educate children in a
serious yet nonthreatening way about ecopsychology along with depth psychological
concepts including individuation, imagery, symbolism, collective unconscious, and
archetypes using sophisticated concepts introduced by Campbell as well as depth
psychologists Carl G. Jung and James Hillman, Jungian psychologist Marie-Louise von
Franz, theologist and pastoral psychologist Howard J. Clinebell, and others.
Rationale
I believe the topic of humanity’s relationship to the biosphere is worthy of
exploration as it directly correlates to the concept of a world soul, or, in Latin, anima
mundi. The Greek philosopher Plato (1965) was the first to describe the concept in his
Timaeus dialogue: “Therefore, we may consequently state that: this world is indeed a
living being endowed with a soul and intelligence, . . . a single visible living entity

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containing all other living entities, which by their nature are all related” (§ 29-30).
Hillman (1995) noted “Psychology, so dedicated to awakening human consciousness,
needs to wake itself up to one of the most ancient human truths: we cannot be studied or
cured apart from the planet.” (p. xxii). The book Kadu could create a dialogue between
children and parents about the relationship between humankind and the natural world and
how one’s personal choices impact the whole. Children lack fundamental knowledge
about their connectedness to the world and Kadu’s journey, although individual, is a
universal hero’s journey as well.
In The Hero with a Thousand Faces, Joseph Campbell (2008) noted that
numerous myths from diverse times and places share fundamental events and stages: A
hero ventures forth from his common world on a mysterious adventure into an unknown
region. Supernatural forces are encountered and overcome: the hero returns victorious
with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man.
Along this journey, the hero encounters various characters embodying different
archetypes. Jung (1954/1959) believed archetypes signified ancient patterns of
personality and relationships that appear across the world's myths, legends, and folk tales.
Many of these stories include archetypes of the mentor, the threshold guardian, the
shapeshifter, the shadow, and the trickster.
I believe the hero’s journey can be both an individual and collective experience.
As an individual awakens to his own shadow, he is contributing to the collective’s
awakening to its shadow. Perhaps Mother Earth is going through her own hero’s journey,
trying to communicate through the imaginal realm. This thesis and the production

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contribute to the field of counseling and depth psychology a new perspective about
imaginal psychology’s ability to help humankind embrace the opportunity to work with
their individual and ultimately, the collective shadow.
Methodology
Research problem. The traditional model of developmental psychology as
described by theorists including Sigmund Freud, Jung, and developmental psychologist
and psychoanalyst Erik Erikson assume that a fundamental organizing principle of human
growth is attachment and separation. Many theories stressed the importance of
individuation and the relationship between the caregiver and child. This approach is
lacking as it ignores the most fundamental relationship of all, that of a human being to its
primary provider, the earth. If this relationship is unhealthy or invalidated, today’s
children do not have an opportunity to individuate, let alone develop a relationship with a
caregiver.
Clinical psychologist Ralph Metzner (1991) noted,
The one discipline that, sad to say, has hitherto remained virtually untouched by
any concern for the environment or the human-to-nature relationship is
psychology—clinical, behaviorist, cognitive, physiological, humanistic or
transpersonal—for any theory or research concerning the most basic fact of
human existence: the fact of our relationship to the natural world of which we are
a part. (p. 147)
Research question. The inquiry motivating this thesis is the following: Can
imaginal psychology help raise evolutionary consciousness regarding humanity’s
relationship to the biosphere? I was also challenged by the question of whether or not a

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production such as the one accompanying this thesis could embody the principles of
imaginal psychology in a way that could raise children’s awareness and positively
motivate them regarding their connection and importance to the ecosphere.
Methodological approach. Using an alchemical hermeneutic approach, this
production thesis asserts that I have been chosen by the material, as proposed by Robert
Romanyshyn (2007), who conceptualized alchemical hermeneutics in his book, The
Wounded Researcher: Research With Soul in Mind. Using this methodology, I explore
philosophical questions about the nature of the relationship between myself, the
researcher, and anima mundi. If, as Plato (1965) postulated, the world is indeed a living
being endowed with a soul and intelligence, is it communicating to me through the
imaginal realm?
What I perceive to be communication from the imaginal realm called me to an
interest in biocentrism and ecopsychology and awakened my desire to communicate with
the collective via an illustrated children’s book. This methodology asks that my ego’s
intentions be differentiated from the soul’s voice. As Romanyshyn (2007) described it,
the psychoid layer of reality is
the deepest layer of the unconscious, . . . not just the union of psyche and nature.
Rather, it is the realm that is neither psyche nor matter, a realm where psyche is nature
—psyche matters, we might say—and nature is psyche, as evidenced, for example, by
synchronicity. (p. 38)
Following the alchemical hermeneutic methodology, while I researched and wrote on the
topic and created the production piece for the thesis, I attempted to relate my personal
experience of the dialogue between my ego, psyche, and various data sources as
manifested in visions, revelations, and synchronistic events.

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Overview of the Thesis
Using an alchemical hermeneutic approach, this thesis addresses the most
fundamental relationship, that of a human being to the biosphere, and stresses the
importance of listening metaphorically and symbolically to the archetypal language of the
imaginal realm. Chapter II presents a review of literature regarding the themes of
biocentrism, ecocentrism, anthropocentrism, anima mundi, individuation, the hero’s
journey, ecopsychology, and ecotherapy. Chapter III proposes imaginal psychology’s
ability to shed light on an individual and perhaps collective shadow, which might
instigate an evolution from anthropocentricism to ecocentrism. Chapter IV summarizes
my account of the role of the imaginal realm in awakening my shadow. The process of
integrating shadow content into my consciousness propelled me to write the Kadu story,
which I hope contributes to collective awareness of the physical and psychological
importance of a healthy relationship between humankind and the biosphere. The stated
conclusions regarding the research include its clinical implications. Suggestions are
offered for future research in the area of imaginal psychology that will further
psychological growth.

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Chapter II
Literature Review
The movement toward ecocentrism, “the belief that environmental concerns
should take precedence over the needs and rights of human beings considered in
isolation” (“Ecocentrism,” n.d.), attempts to redress the imbalance created by
anthropocentrism. This movement represents a dramatic, expansive, shift in society.
Rowe (1989) argued,
It seems to me that the only promising universal belief-system is ecocentrism,
defined as a value-shift from Homo sapiens to planet earth. A scientific rationale
backs the value-shift. All organisms are evolved from Earth, sustained by Earth.
Thus Earth, not organism, is the metaphor for Life. Earth not humanity is the
Life-center, the creativity-center. Earth is the whole of which we are subservient
parts. Such a fundamental philosophy gives ecological awareness and sensitivity
an enfolding, material focus. Ecocentrism is not an argument that all organisms
have equivalent value. It is not an anti-human argument nor a put-down of those
seeking social justice. It does not deny that myriad important homocentric
problems exist. But it stands aside from these smaller, short-term issues in order
to consider Ecological Reality. Reflecting on the ecological status of all
organisms, it comprehends the Ecosphere as a Being that transcends in
importance any one single species, even the self-named sapient one. (p. 88)
With its collective experience, knowledge, and technology, society in the age of
globalization is still fundamentally anthropocentric.
Ancient Hindu philosophy, however, held a concept of the ecosystem that
includes animals, birds, plants, trees, and any other organisms having what is called
atman, a Sanskrit word that literally translates as “breath” or “soul” and is defined as both
the “innermost essence of each individual” and “the supreme universal self” (“Atman,”

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2014, defs. 1 & 2). A verse in the ancient Vedic text, the Mahopanishad, contains the
phrase vasudhaiva kutumbakam, which loosely translates to “The entire world is one
family” (as cited in Sankaracarya, 1960, p. 7). Although these concepts have been in
existence for ages, the majority of society’s behavior contradicts this belief. Buddhists
have a word for a habit so seductive that it seems to trump rational thought: Saṅkhāra.
The term stands for the psychological conditioning and resulting habitual patterns of the
unconscious mind persisting over time (Sankaracarya, 1960, p. 7). It seems the more
convenient human beings lives are, the less society considers the greed and selfishness it
perpetuates to sustain its habitual, anthropocentric, lifestyle. The concept of vasudhaiva
kutumbakam, or the entire world as one family, is similar to the concept of anima mundi
in that humankind and its collective soul are, in essence, one, and therefore, one cannot
exist without the other.
Anima mundi, or world soul is, according to several systems of thought, an
intrinsic connection between all living things on the planet. Jung (1911-1912/1962)
incorporated the concept of anima mundi, as understood in alchemy, into his concept of
individuation, which he believed to be “the transformational process of integrating the
conscious with the personal and collective unconscious” (p. 301). He claimed that “the
individuation process brings up the true personality of a person, it makes him an
individual. Individuation generally has a profound healing effect on the person” (p. 433).
The effects of individuation have been posited to include the following:
People become harmonious, calm, mature and responsible. They feel and act like
parents to the rest of humanity. They protect and promote the ideals of life,
freedom and justice. They have amassed knowledge and have a deep

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understanding about human nature and the universe. (Petridis, 2008, “Effect of
Individuation on People,” para. 2)
Individuation and the Hero’s Journey: Transforming One’s Relationship to the
World
Joseph Campbell applied Jung’s ideas about individuation to his study of world
mythology. Campbell (2008) asserted that that the journey of the mythological hero
follows the same pattern across cultures: “A separation from the world, a penetration to
some source of power, and a life-enhancing return” (p. 28). The descent of the hero
parallels the journey of the individuation process. Campbell identified this deep place
with the “World Womb” and “World Navel” (p. 77). After confronting the challenges of
this descent, like the hero returning from his journey, the individual who undergoes the
process of individuation has a responsibility to return to the community to share the
knowledge he has earned through the process.
Although Campbell and other scholars, such as Jungian theorist Erich Neumann
(1970), described narratives of Gautama Buddha, Moses, and Christ in terms of the
monomyth, the hero's journey was not named until Campbell coined the term. Campbell
built upon Jung’s work by studying world mythology. In The Hero With a Thousand
Faces, Campbell (2008) demonstrated how these archetypes reveal themselves in myth
after myth in the universal theme of the hero’s journey. All heroes follow a path that takes
them from their known world, initiates them into a new world order, and returns them,
forever changed, into the old world with new talents and gifts to share with the
community.

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When the hero-quest has been accomplished, through penetration to the source, or
through the grace of some male or female, human or animal, personification, the
adventurer still must return with his life-transmuting trophy. The full round, the
norm of the monomyth, requires that the hero shall now begin the labor of
bringing the runes of wisdom, the Golden Fleece, or his sleeping princess, back
into the kingdom of humanity, where the boon may redound to the renewing of
the community, the nation, the planet or the ten thousand worlds. (p. 167)
The monomyth has influenced a number of artists, musicians, poets, and
filmmakers, including singer-songwriter Bob Dylan and film director George Lucas.
Christopher Vogler (1992), a movie script and story analyst, wrote a manual for
screenwriters, The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Storytellers and Screenwriters,
applying Campbell’s ideas to writing scripts for movies, plays, and television
productions. Poet Robert Bly (1990) and others involved in the men’s movement have
applied and expanded the concepts of the hero’s journey and the monomyth as a
metaphor for personal, spiritual, and psychological growth. Even more recently,
psychologist Joe Guse (2007) explored the hero’s journey in the lives of Barack Obama,
Oprah Winfrey, Lance Armstrong, and Rudy Giuliani. Writing about her difficult path of
individuation in her book The Spiral Staircase: My Climb Out of Darkness, religious
scholar Karen Armstrong (2004) stated,
The great myths show that when you follow somebody else’s path, you go astray.
The hero has to set off by himself, leaving the old world and the old ways behind.
He must venture into the darkness of the unknown, where there is no map and no
clear route. He must fight his own monsters, not somebody else’s; explore his
own labyrinth, and endure his own ordeal before he can find what is missing in
his life. Thus transfigured, he can bring something of value to the world that has
been left behind. . . . In the words of the Old French text of The Quest of the Holy
Grail, if he wants to succeed, he must enter the forest “at a point that he, himself,
had chosen, where it was darkest and there was no path.” (p. 268)
Regarding individuation, Jung (1931/1970) believed that

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Every step towards fuller consciousness removes . . . [a man] further from his
original, purely animal participation mystique with the herd, from submersion in a
common unconsciousness. Every step forward means tearing oneself loose from
the maternal womb of unconsciousness in which the mass of men dwells. . . . [He]
has estranged himself from the mass of men who live entirely within the bounds
of tradition. Indeed, he is completely modern only when he has come to the very
edge of the world, leaving behind him all that has been discarded and outgrown.
(p. 75)
Jung (1961/1989) claimed that individuation “is the goal of our psychological
development and in metaphysical terms amounts to God's incarnation” (p. 157). Although
individuation is the central concept and purpose of Jung’s analytical psychology (p. 209),
he considered individuation as occurring in the second half of life, not in youth. He called
it “a philosophical, spiritual and mystical experience” (p. 294) and identified the first step
in individuation as differentiation, by which he meant distinguishing and separating each
part or psychological function of the psyche in order to access them consciously and
understand them. This kind of differentiation is not actualized by children.
According to Jung (1921/1971), the psyche is divided into three major parts: the
ego, or conscious mind; the personal unconscious, including forgotten or suppressed
memories from one’s personal life; and the collective unconscious, which is shared
among all people as the collective memory of human thought and experience from
ancient to modern times and includes basic human instincts and the archetypes.
Jung stated, “As the individual is not just a single, separate being, but by his very
existence presupposes a collective relationship, it follows that the process of
individuation must lead to more intense and broader collective relationships and not to
isolation” (pp. 448-449). Jung’s statement was echoed by Campbell (2008), writing about
one’s personal hero path:

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We have not even to risk the adventure alone. . . . And where we had thought to
find an abomination, we shall find a god; where we had thought to slay another,
we shall slay ourselves; where we had thought to travel outward, we shall come to
the center of our own existence. And where we had thought to be alone, we shall
be with all the world. (p. 18)
Individuation in Relation to Ecopsychology
Ecopsychology studies the relationship between human beings and the natural
world through ecological and psychological principles. The field seeks to develop and
understand ways of expanding the emotional connection between individuals and the
natural world, thereby assisting individuals with developing sustainable lifestyles and
remedying alienation from nature. Historian and social critic Theodore Roszak is credited
with coining the term ecopsychology in his 1992 book, The Voice of the Earth. Along
with coeditors Mary Gomes and Allen Kanner, he later expanded the concept in the 1995
anthology Ecopsychology.
Ecopsychologists view the relationship between humans and nature as more
expansive than normally held by either ecologists or psychologists. They hold that a
deeply bonded and reciprocal communion exists between humans and nature. The denial
of this bond, they say, is a source of suffering both for the physical environment and for
the human psyche and believe that the realization of the connection between humans and
nature is healing for both (Davis, 1998).
Making a personality, the task that Jung called individuation, may be the
adventure of a person’s lifetime, but the person becomes anchored within a greater,

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universal identity. Just as it has been the goal of previous therapies to recover the
repressed contents of the unconscious, so the goal of ecopsychology is to awaken the
inherent sense of environmental reciprocity that lies within the ecological unconscious.
Whereas other therapies seek to heal the alienation between person and person, person
and family, person and society, ecopsychology seeks to heal the more fundamental
alienation between the person and the natural environment (Roszak, 1996 p. 320).
According to Roszak (1996), for ecopsychology, as for other therapies, the crucial
stage of development is childhood. The ecological unconscious is regenerated, as if it
were a gift, in the newborn’s enchanted sense of the world. Ecopsychology seeks to
recover the child’s innately animistic quality of experience in functionally sane adults. To
do this, said Roszak, “it turns to many sources, among them the traditional healing
techniques of primary people, nature mysticism as expressed in religion and art, the
experience of wilderness” (para. 10) and the insights of the ecological and environmental
philosophy called Deep Ecology. Ecopsychology “adapts these to the goal of creating the
ecological ego. The ecological ego matures toward a sense of ethical responsibility with
the planet that is as vividly experienced as our ethical responsibility to other
people” (para. 10).
In his book, Ecotherapy: Healing Ourselves, Healing the Earth, Clinebell (1996)
wrote about how individuals benefit from a relationship with the earth:
Our relationship with the earth, mother-father of all living things, is an often-
ignored but foundational factor influencing our overall wellness and the
wholeness of our identity. . . . This view affirms the wisdom of philosopher
Simone Weil’s observation that “to be rooted is perhaps the most important and
lease recognized need of the human soul.” (p. 27)

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Clinebell identified six perspectives for how people are interrelated with the earth. An
understanding of these perspectives can help people transform their view of the earth,
reconnect with it, and thereby help humanity participate in a “sustainable future” (p. 85).
The perspectives include the view-from-the-moon perspective, the transgenerational
well-being perspective, the whole-biosphere well-being perspective, the whole-human-
family well-being perspective, the wise woman/wise man perspective, and the interfaith
inclusive ecological spirituality perspective (pp. 77-83).
As described by Clinebell (1996), the whole-biosphere well-being perspective
acknowledges that “one species can have optimal health only to the degree that the whole
biosphere is made healthier” (p. 79). The whole-human-family well-being perspective
requires “an inclusive understanding of the world that sees the economic and ecological
well-being of one’s own group in the context of a healthy community, nation and world  
. . . [and] that humankind is all in the same boat—spaceship earth” (p. 81). The wise
woman/wise man perspective asserts the importance of integrating the best insights of
both genders more fully in the ecological struggle (p. 82). Regarding spirituality,
Clinebell noted that “divisive religions with exclusivistic beliefs that only their
understanding of faith has spiritual validity tend to block the cooperative global earth-
saving and peacemaking efforts that will be required to reverse the ecological crisis”  
(p. 83). He described the ecological spirituality perspective as one that is “inherently
interfaith and unifying, bridging the many beliefs and value chasms that exist in the
world’s religions” (p. 83).

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The above perspectives described by Clinebell (1996) are relevant to the Kadu
story, but two particularly resonate. Describing the “view-from-the-moon perspective,”
Clinebell referred to a now-famous photograph titled “Earthrise” (p. 77), an image of
planet Earth rising into view above the lunar horizon, taken by the crew of Apollo 8 in
1968. He stated,
The perspective from the moon can have a dramatic effect on how we humans see
our troubled world. All the borders, boundaries, and barriers created by our
species are invisible. . . . In the long run, the only way to protect the well-being of
individuals, families, groups, or nations on our tiny, living planet is to protect the
well-being of this whole life-sustaining biosphere. (p. 78)
Journalist Bill Moyers interviewed Joseph Campbell (1988), who confirmed the
“Earthrise” image as indicative of the new myth of this era and asserted,
The only myth that is going to be worth thinking about in the immediate future is
one that is talking about the planet, not the city, not these people, but the planet,
and everybody on it. . . . When you see the earth from the moon, you don't see any
divisions there of nations or states. This might be the symbol, really, for the new
mythology to come. That is the country that we are going to be celebrating.  
(p. 41)
The second relevant perspective is the transgenerational well-being perspective. Arguing
for this perspective, Clinebell (1996) said, “Our species today is squandering our
children’s precious birthright” (p. 78), and he demanded, “We must ask what the impact
of today’s decisions will be on the kind of world we are leaving for all future generations’
(p. 78). He claimed, “We cannot love our children fully unless we also learn how to love
nature in ways that will leave them a healthy planet” (p. 79).
The Kadu story illustrates how children are not alone in their journey on this
earth; everyone is experiencing his or her own journey separately, but it is a universal
experience. The premise for creating the story was that children need and deserve to grow

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up with a better sense of knowing they are individuals who contribute to the collective
soul of the world. Transpersonal psychologist Christopher Bache articulated this need:
The intensity of suffering that many people engaged in inner work are
experiencing now derives from the fact that we are not just doing our own
personal work. At a certain level, we are all engaging the transpersonal, the
collective consciousness. And not just at the species level—perhaps the whole
planet is in some sense going through a very powerful transformative crisis, much
as in Paul’s letter to the Romans where he said that "the whole creation groaneth
and travaileth in pain together.” (as cited in Tarnas, 2002, “The Story of the Fall,”
para. 11)
A majority of members of Western society are raised in an environment surrounded by
concrete and asphalt, artificial light, and controlled temperature. This industrial,
technologically advanced existence has improved lives in many ways but an important
connection to nature has been compromised. Led by John Cook at the University of
Queensland, a comprehensive analysis of over 4,000 peer-reviewed articles on the topic
of global warming and climate change revealed an overwhelming consensus among
scientists that recent warming is human-caused (Institute of Physics, 2013). In a speech to
the U.S. Congress in 1990, the now-deceased president of Czechoslovakia, Václav Havel,
stated that
without a global revolution in the sphere of human consciousness, nothing will
change for the better in the sphere of our being as humans, and the catastrophe
toward which this world is headed—be it ecological, social, demographic or a
general breakdown of civilization—will be unavoidable. (as cited in Swain &
Sayeed, 2006, p. 6)
The global environmental crisis is obviously a critical problem. Without a mass-
consciousness, global awakening, and major interventions, the planet as we know it will
not exist for future generations. Thousands of species have become extinct as a result of
humans’ degradation of our biosphere. Earth’s most precious resources—land, water, and

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air—have been negatively impacted by prior generations. Zakri Abdul Hamid, founding
chair of the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services
(IPBES), stated, “We are hurtling towards irreversible environmental tipping points that,
once passed, would reduce the ability of ecosystems to provide essential goods and
services to humankind” (as cited in Germanos, 2013, para. 3).
Citing the industrial, technologically-advanced environment in which many
humans live, especially in the Western world, Clinebell (1996) said that the concomitant
condition of individuals’ and society’s alienation from nature can cause many physical,
mental, emotional, and spiritual health problems for humanity. He explained that
“discovering, befriending, and intentionally developing one’s profound rootedness in the
life-giving biosphere is the process that produces what is called healthy biophelia and
ecobonding. Ignoring, denying or rejecting this inherent earth-rootedness is called
ecophobia and ecoalienation” (p. 26)
Ecopsychology as Related to Developmental Theory
As documented by Catherine Burke (2008), a historian who focuses on childhood
and education, the dominant paradigm in Western cultures since the 18th century has held
childhood to be a stage of life characterized by dependency, learning, growth, and
development. The association of childhood with notions of a spiritual world or, in modern
times, a fantasy world, has shaped both the experience and expectation of childhood. In
medieval times in Europe and into modern times through much of the rest of the world,
childhood has been considered a condition with a special closeness to nature and to things
spiritual. Burke cited the research of historian and mythographer Marina Warner, who

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showed how across cultures, adult society has universally recognized this attribute by
means of its songs, stories and fairy tales, rituals, and iconography. In preliterate or
predominantly oral cultures, ideas about childhood were and still are transmitted through
stories, song, and ritual. Such traditional media carried meanings, communicated moral
codes, instructed on the care and protection of the young, and marked the important
transition from childhood to adulthood.
Burke (2008) noted that the end of childhood is a universally recognized stage of
transition characterized by physiological changes which indicate sexual maturity. All
societies and cultures have variously recognized this important mark of entry into the
adult community. According to Burke, in the premodern world, the relative position of
the young within the community and the wider cosmos was articulated clearly to
contemporaries through the collective recognition of rites of passage as is the case in the
modern world.
Erikson’s (1968) model encompassed human growth throughout the entire
lifespan. Erikson believed that each stage of development was focused on overcoming a
conflict. Cognitive development theorist Jean Piaget suggested that children think
differently than adults and was the first to note that children play an active role in gaining
knowledge of the world. According to his theory, children can be thought of as “little
scientists” (p. 21) who actively construct their knowledge and understanding of the
world.
Society's anthropocentric culture, the sociopolitical aspects of which drive
humanity’s shadow of violence toward nature, and the archetypal themes that drive

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today's global movement toward ecocentrism all have a fundamental impact on the
development of a child’s consciousness. Ecopsychological research contributes to the
evolution of children’s awareness of these shadow aspects of the culture in which they are
raised.
Summary
This chapter addressed individuation, the hero’s journey, developmental
psychology, and ecopsychology as related to humans’ awareness of their participation in
the ecosystem of their planet. The literature reviewed provided a foundation for the
following chapter’s discussion of my personal engagement with the imaginal realm and
its role in my psychological awakening and evolution from anthropocentrism to
ecocentrism.

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Chapter III
A Personal Awakening to a Universal Struggle
Imaginal psychology emphasizes that not only do individuals have soul, but so
does the world. In my dawning awareness of my relationship to the ecosystem in which I
live, it seemed something outside me was communicating through the imaginal realm,
making unconscious material more conscious. As I engaged with the archetypal images
and allowed the emotion they provoked to guide my research for this thesis, I discovered
my own and a collective shadow. I experienced an awakening, a personal evolution from
an anthropocentric mindset toward an ecocentric one. This experience informed the
decision to create the Kadu story as a wordless picture book, allowing the images and
child’s psyche to work in tandem to create a story, instead of directing the narrative.
The Inherited Shadow
James Lovelock and Lynne Margalis proposed the Gaia Hypothesis over 30 years
ago, attempting to bridge modern Western science with the ancient, archetypal Greek
goddess of the Earth (Lovelock, 2009, p. 179). They hypothesized that the entire planet
functioned as a single living organism.
If the Greek Goddess Gaia had a mythical counterpart, he would likely be The
Green Man. This legendary figure has appeared “across many different cultures for at
least the last few thousand years” (Rothery, 2005, “Who is the Green Man,” para. 2).
Andrew Rothery (2005), essayist and land-based artist with an interest in community

!22
building and men’s wellbeing, found that he often appears as a green, foliated, face of a
man with leaves protruding from his mouth. Known by various names—Osiris in ancient
Egypt, Dionysus in ancient Greece, Bacchus in Roman times, the Forest King and Green
George in the British Isles—his likeness can be found in numerous churches across
northern Europe. According to Rothery, many believe the “Green Movement” itself
represents a contemporary resurgence of the Green Man.
Rothery (2005) suggested, “Like the Chinese principles of Yin and Yang or the
Hindu concept of Shakti and Shiva, Gaia and the Green Man represent the Female and
Male energy of which the Universe is formed and together they form a
whole” (“Conclusion,” para. 2). He said the Green Man is thought primarily to represent
the irrepressible nature of life, with its cyclical pattern of birth, death, and rebirth. His
composite image of a human face with leaf foliage, said Rothery, signifies the inherent
unity between plant and human life indicated by the fact that photosynthesizing plants
and respiring humans and animals have a globally symbiotic relationship (“What is the
Green Man’s ‘Message’?” para. 3). Perhaps the myth of Gaia and the legend of the Green
Man illustrate that human beings are an important part of the ecosystem, not the most
important part. Rothery indicated that, unfortunately, the human race has been slow to
embrace and act upon this ancient wisdom.
The Buddha named three primary causes of suffering in his Second Noble Truth:
attachment (desire, greed), aversion (hatred, fear), and delusion (confusion, ignorance).
(Lovelock, 2009, p. 114). Personal and corporate greed and its destructive effects on our
social and economic institutions and our environment are globally rampant. The scale of

!23
this greed is reflected in the megagrowth of companies like Nestle and Monsanto which
feed a large portion of humanity while showing little regard for the planet (O’Neall,
2012). Greed also drives the oil and coal companies to mislead the public about global
climate change and the need to reduce immediately our use of fossil fuels. Whether
greed, fear, or ignorance is to blame, the planet and the people, animals, and plants that
depend on it are suffering.
Mother earth, or Gaia, is telling us in many obvious ways, she is not pleased—for
example, the massive bee die-offs that have been documented in recent years.
Beekeepers first sounded the alarm about disappearing bees in 2006. Seemingly
healthy bees were simply abandoning their hives en masse, never to return.
Researchers call the mass disappearance Colony Collapse Disorder, and they
estimate that nearly one-third of all honey bee colonies in the country have
vanished. (Natural Resources Defense Council, 2008, para. 3)
One theory is that bee death means lack of pollination, leading to the death of crops,
which has significant ramifications for our planet and ultimately humanity. The link
between pesticides and bee die-offs is still subject to some dispute, but whereas the
European Commission is erring on the side of the environment by voting to ban
neonicotinoid pesticides to study if they are indeed to blame, the United States is erring
on the side of short-sited economics; pesticides are a billion-dollar industry, so regulators
are moving slowly in setting restrictions (Walsh, 2013b). Whether global warming, the
advent and increase of cell phone use and other technology-driven enterprise, or
pesticides are the cause, the bee colony collapse is a canary in a coal mine indicator,
signifying real and present danger (Jolly, 2013).

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Taxonomy is the science of classifying all living things into groups based on their
commonalities. A mnemonic used to help children remember taxonomic groupings of
individual organisms in biology is “Keep Pond Clean Or Froggy Gets Sick,” whose initial
letters stand for kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species (“Taxonomy,”
n.d.). The mnemonic seems particularly significant if we consider the pond, the earth, and
froggy all as living creatures. Rank is the relative position in a taxonomic hierarchy
(“Taxonomy,” n.d.). As a species, we humans seem slow to recognize that our self-
proposed rank at the top of the totem pole actually makes us more susceptible to any
impact on species below us, including plants, insects, and animals.
For continued expansion and growth, it seems imperative that humanity
acknowledge and respect the plant, insect, and animal psyche—in the same way that we
do the human psyche. Still, we are mostly primal and barbaric in our treatment of
animals, and if my lifestyle choices reflect my intention, I am among the majority.
Although knowledge has allowed me to make more educated choices like buying eggs
from small, cage-free farms, I still enjoy bacon and wear leather, even with the
knowledge of how many animals are abused to accommodate our often greedy demand
for them.
Classical utilitarianism, a form of philosophical reasoning and ethics that came to
the fore in Western Europe and England in the 18th and 19th centuries, held that pleasure
alone was intrinsically valuable and pain alone was intrinsically not valuable.
Contemporary bioethitician Peter Singer (1993), whose views have had a profound
impact on the animal rights movement, explained, “The classical utilitarian regards an

!25
action as right if it produces as much or more of an increase in the happiness of all
affected by it than any alternative action, and wrong if it does not” (p. 3). The question is:
whose pleasure and whose pain? This question arose in my exploration of my personal
shadow and its relationship to the collective shadow, which furthered the evolution of my
ecological awareness and resulted in the creation of Kadu.
A Personal Account of the Evolution of Ecological Awareness
I once experienced a violent earthquake, and my first, immediate feeling was that
I no longer stood on solid familiar earth, but on the skin of a gigantic animal that
was heaving under my feet. It was this image that impressed itself on me, not the
physical fact.
Jung, 1931/1969, p. 155
When I began the thesis process, I yearned to understand, through a scientific
lens, my own personal experiences including psychic intuition, predictive dreams, and
synchronicities that seemingly defied time and space. Ideas and theories that might
rationally explain the impossible led to more questions. Frustration led to stagnation until
I finally begged my advisor for help narrowing down a topic. She asked what area of my
inquiry was most compelling. Without hesitation, I replied, “My own psychic
experiences.” My research began with the definition of psychic:
of or relating to the psyche, 2: lying outside the sphere of physical science or
knowledge: immaterial, moral, or spiritual in origin or force [and] 3: sensitive to
nonphysical or supernatural forces and influence: marked by extraordinary or
mysterious sensitivity, perception, or understanding. (“Psychic,” 2014)
Two such experiences particularly resonated and seemed to call me during the
thesis process. Both involved potent imaginal experiences, had an intergenerational

!26
connection, occurred in a dream state, and then were reinforced with synchronicity in a
state of awake conscious awareness.
Hillman (1989) spoke of meeting images on a soul level as befriending them and
stated, “There is an invisible connection within any image that is its soul” (p. 25) He
proposed,
Psychological faith begins in the love of images, and it flows mainly through the
shapes of persons in reveries, fantasies, reflections, and imaginations. Their
increasing vivification gives one an increasing conviction of having, and then of being,
an interior reality of deep significance transcending one’s personal life. Psychological
faith is reflected in an ego that gives credit to images and turns to them in its darkness.
Its trust is in the imagination as the only uncontrovertible reality, directly presented,
immediately felt. (p. 50)
Awakening: A synchronistic dream. The film Another Earth (Cahill & Marling,
2011) propelled my understanding of what Hillman meant by psychological faith.
Although I had experienced psychic events in the past, as I watched the film in a class at
Pacifica Graduate Institute, the synchronistic, imaginal, impact was so immediate,
accurate and powerful I came close to hyperventilating. If I could have mustered the
energy I would have removed myself from class. Instead, I concentrated on my breathing
as my heart raced feverishly while I tried to make sense of what was happening. The
scene that shook me was an extraordinary and surreal image of the lead character, Rhoda
Williams, looking from the edge of Earth to another large planet close on the horizon.
I had witnessed an almost identical image in my dream the night before. Although
I convinced myself I was experiencing some form of déjà vu, I searched through my bag
almost on autopilot, found my dream journal, and began reading my shaky handwriting,
written while half asleep.

!27
I was flying in a large plane with many strangers and several family members
including my brothers, sisters and their children. We heard a booming voice on
the overhead speaker, presumably the pilot, and before I could understand what he
was saying everyone turned to look outside. The earth below shook violently. We
were witnessing an earthquake from the plane above. The pilot demanded we put
on our seatbelts and brace for an emergency landing. The plane suddenly jerked
upward and chaos ensued. Mothers tended to their screaming babies, women and
men pulled down oxygen masks, overhead compartments opened, and luggage
flew about.
Feeling peaceful and remarkably calm, I carefully made my way down the
aisle and tried to soothe everyone. I asked them to check their seatbelts and
reassured them everything would be alright. The plane began its descent and I
chose a seat and buckled myself in.
We finally landed. When I took a headcount I realized I had not seen one of
my sisters or her children. Feeling panicked, I deplaned and as I walked out I
noticed the light was odd. I knew we had landed on a different planet. The view
was magnificent; at the edge of the vista I saw two large planets so close I felt I
could reach out and touch them. One of the planets I believed to be Saturn, as it
was circled by thin, majestic rings. Trying to make sense of what happened, I
stood there in awe. As I looked back at the plane, I saw my sister and her daughter
running to me. We embraced while crying and laughing until I finally awoke.
(Author’s dream journal, December 28, 2011)
The images in the dream were beautiful and the emotion they provoked so strong,
I am certain they would have remained in my consciousness whether or not I wrote them
down. Either way, the moment I saw the scene in Another Earth (Cahill & Marling, 2011)
—the identical image I had witnessed in my dream—I knew something in and outside of
me was at work. Although I tried to interpret and analyze the dream for months, a class
on imaginal psychology finally encouraged me to approach it from a psyche-centered,
rather than person-centered, perspective. I wanted to explore the symbolic and
metaphoric language of a multidimensional psyche. This four-part process involved my
awake consciousness, the personal unconscious, the collective unconscious, and
ultimately the world unconscious.

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When looking at the dream through the first dimension, I was aware of my
conscious fear of earthquakes and flying. When I made the decision to move to California
from the east coast, the potential of experiencing an earthquake was etched in my waking
consciousness. I had even taken basic precautions in my daily life such as discussing an
emergency plan with local friends to ensure I had batteries, flashlights, and candles on
hand. My love of travel, new experiences, and exploration overrides my fear of flying,
although I have acknowledged this fear my entire life.
When viewed from the second level, the personal unconscious, I noted that
images of my sisters and their children represented stored memories. I have spent the
majority of my life surrounded by family. Although I had been busy with work, school,
seeing clients, and supervision, it was obvious that I missed them since I moved cross
country and our visits became less frequent.
The third level fascinated and intrigued me: the collective unconscious. What
intelligence did the dream want to offer in relation to wider cultural implications? The
dream included several archetypal images. Hillman (1989) wrote that archetypes “tend to
be metaphors rather than things. We find ourselves less able to say what an archetype is
literally and more inclined to describe them in images” (p. 23). Regardless of culture,
ethnicity, or historical age, the transcultural images in my dream all had core universal
meanings: for example, flying could be viewed metaphorically as taking a journey;
family could represent personal relationships or even all of humanity; the earth and solar
system could relate to our place in the universe; and perhaps earthquake could be seen as
a metaphor for the planet’s state of being.

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Aunt Spider.
The world hangs on a thin thread and that thread is the psyche of Man.
Jung, 1977, p. 303
The next psychic experience, the one that compelled me to write Kadu, awakened
a different perception of reality and my part in the web of life. Many months ago, I took a
trip to a remote village in Colombia to meet and work with a renowned shaman, Taita
Juan Agreda Chindoy. An indigenous Cametsa healer from the Sibundoy Valley in the
Alto Putumayo of Colombia, Taita Juan is recognized by the Colombian Ministry of
Health as a lineage holder of the traditional Amazonian medicine ayahuasca (Labate &
Cavnar, 2014, p. xix).
Ayahuasca is a brew composed primarily of a tropical vine native to the Amazon
region that is noted for its hallucinogenic properties. People I have known who have
consumed ayahuasca report experiencing massive spiritual revelations and miraculous
physical, emotional, and spiritual healing. Many individuals report gaining access to
higher spiritual dimensions, including making contact with ancestors who act as guides or
healers, and gaining deep insight into their psyches as well as a greater understanding of
the true nature of the universe and their purpose on earth.
Although some people report profound changes in their life after consuming
ayahuasca, the experience is not solely a positive one. During an ayahuasca ceremony
which can last several hours, people often experience significant, but temporary
emotional and psychological distress. Nausea, diarrhea, and hot and cold flashes are
common. Ayahuasca ingestion usually causes the person to throw up; this purging is

!30
considered by shamans and experienced users of ayahuasca to be an essential part of the
experience, as it represents the release of negative energy and emotions.
My decision to travel to a remote village to experience this phenomenon was not
lighthearted. On a practical level, it took considerable will to face the fear of traveling in
a foreign country rife with civil conflict that many consider too dangerous for tourism.
My intention to invoke the appearance of an ancestral spirit or supernatural agent in the
hope of a taste of enlightenment was, however, more than a gentle calling.
Long before any conscious inclination to experience shamanism or try ingesting
ayahuasca, several events stirred a deep desire in me to awaken to and understand a
message conveyed from somewhere outside myself. The universe seemed to be speaking
through emotion, images, and symbols. Since I was a child, I have had an irrational fear
of spiders. This phobia caused me to go to great lengths to avoid them and I have suffered
marked distress many times over the years. Although my fear was disproportional to the
actual danger posed, and I knew intellectually that the fear was irrational, I would
become paralyzed with a fight-or-flight sensation when in a spider’s presence.
Within a short period of time, I experienced several spider-related incidents. After
an intense deep tissue massage, the masseuse calmly covered my closed eyes with his
hands and said, “Miles, how do you feel about spiders?” My body went from completely
relaxed into immediate panic as I jumped from the table, tossing the sheet that was
covering me to the ground. The masseuse could not contain his laughter and apologized
for scaring me as he pointed to the ceiling. Directly above where my head had been was a
large, black intimidating spider.

!31
Several days later, I lay in my loft bed unable to fall asleep. I tried everything
from mindful meditation to cognitive behavioral techniques to try to combat insomnia but
could not shake a feeling that I was too close to the ceiling where spiders reside. Legends
of people eating spiders in their sleep haunted me. Frustrated, I finally decided to move to
the couch. My irrational, self-soothing dialogue was that I would be further from the
ceiling where the dreaded spider was likely to stalk me. A few hours later, I had the
following dream, which shook me awake:
I was sitting on a beautiful field overlooking a lush valley. I leaned back to put my
hands on the fresh, green grass. Right before my hand was about to touch the
earth, a magnificent arachnid specimen slowly crawled out, seemingly out of
nowhere. It was black, with a sleek coat of dense hair adorned with several bright
red, translucent, shimmering balls. Alarmed, I jerked my arm to my side but was
mesmerized by the spider’s beauty. It seemed straight out of a National
Geographic rainforest episode. I awoke with a start to find my dogs looking at me
strangely. I laughed out loud, shaking my head at my overactive imagination and
went back to sleep. (Author’s dream journal, November 18, 2012)
Later that day, as I was sitting in a lecture, I received a text message from my
sister on the East Coast. The message read, “Ryry’s homework assignment today.
Hilarious.” “Ryry” is short for Ryan, my youngest niece and kindred spirit. I am often
astounded by her wisdom that seems too wise for a 5 year old. The attached picture
rendered me speechless (see Figure 1, on “Dedication” page). There, alongside a crayon
drawing of a black spider in a web with red balls protruding out of its head, in Ryan’s tiny
penmanship, were the words “Aunt Spider. It is an ant and a spider. It looks like my Aunt
Mizey.” My family has long called me by the nickname Mizey, but as far as I knew Ryan
was unaware of my arachnophobia. Either way, I experienced a tacit knowing and a huge
sense of relief. Instead of my usual knee-jerk fear response when confronted with a

!32
spider, I felt amused, as if I had been tickled by the universe. My precious niece spoke to
me through an image that seemed to say “Relax. Chill out. It is all good.”
Moved by the experience and determined to get to the bottom of this complex that
seemed to have a grip on me, I researched spiders and their symbolism. According to
author and clairvoyant teacher of shamanic practices, Ted Andrews (1993), in myths and
legends the spider and its web are dually represented by both the dark archetypes of the
trickster and death as well as the light archetype of the maternal creator and skilled
weaver. In Native American lore,
spider awakens creative sensibilities. It weaves a web of intricate and subtle
fabric, as if to remind us that the past always subtly influences the present and
future…the spider found within the web reminds us that we are the center of our
own world. We are the keepers and the writers of our own destiny, weaving it like
a web by our thoughts, feelings and actions. (p. 345)
Andrews asserted,
As delicate as they are, spiders are also very agile. They can maintain balance and
walk the tiny threads with ease. To walk the threads of life and maintain balance
has been one of the mysteries throughout the ages. Myth and lore often speak of
individuals who have learned to walk the threads between life and death—waking
and sleeping—between the physical and the spiritual. This is part of what spider
medicine can teach, for spiders are the experts at walking threads. (p. 347)
Listening metaphorically and symbolically to the archetypal language of the
imagination, my dream and the Aunt Spider image provided somewhat of a funhouse
mirror of my conscious fearful reality. Until these experiences, I had been trying to tackle
arachnophobia in a factual, logical, linear manner. I had even considered immersion
therapy. It seemed traveling to Colombia for an experience of ayahuasca would be the
perfect opportunity to tackle the fear. Aside from the insects I would likely encounter in

!33
the Amazon Rainforest, the possibility of a frightening spider-driven hallucinogenic trip
hung heavy on my psyche, but I was determined.
The actual ayahuasca ceremony was fairly uneventful, except that within the first
few minutes of taking the medicine, a gentleman sitting across from me pointed to my
foot. Taita Juan walked to my mat, bent down, and crushed a large spider with his big
thumb. I recognize now that I had spent an inordinate amount of time obsessing and
worrying about something I could not possibly control. I had traveled across the world to
face my fears, and although I did not miraculously fall in love with spiders, I revere their
intrinsic, rich, symbolism so much that Kadu’s mentor on his journey is Mizey the Spider.
The elephant in the room. While writing the story, my friend and illustrator,
Lucas Dolphin and I were inundated with synchronicities involving elephants. After
deciding Kadu would be the main character, I researched elephants’ history and their
interaction with humankind. I found myself incensed, perplexed, and disgusted by
humankind’s greed and irreverence to these beautiful, magnificent creatures and, in the
process, was confronted with my own shadow.
Since young adulthood, I have been conflicted about several things I inherited
from people I loved and admired. Passed on from generation to generation, I have come
to own two fur coats, pearl necklaces, tortoise shell hair clips, and a collection of
intricately sculptured ivory jewelry. With mixed emotion, I remember the days my
mother presented these treasures. When my grandmother passed away, she left our family
sentimental valuables she hand-picked from her world travels. I was given a mink stole in
the very same box she kept it in since she was a young woman. I remember her wrapped

!34
in it on special occasions and even have a few pictures of her wearing it proudly, next to
my grandfather. They looked far more glamorous than their everyday lives would
suggest. For these events, her hair was coiffed, her make-up pristine, and her demeanor
prideful. The stole was present at anniversary dinners, birthdays, and baptisms. Although
I knew I would never wear it, it smelled like my grandmother’s perfume, and I was
honored that she wanted me to have it, so I cherished it and kept it in the same special
box, tucked away high in the back of my closet.
Years later, my mother sat me down and told me she had an important family
piece to give me. I was giddy with excitement when I saw a massive box on my bed,
adorned with a huge gold ribbon. When I opened the box, I gasped. It was my mother's
long, sheared mink. She laughed and said, “I know you don’t appreciate it now, but you
will in time. I had your initials monogrammed in the lining where mine used to be.” I
remembered evenings where my mother would go out with my father, dressed to the
nines. The long, beautiful, exceptionally soft and warm fur would be the last thing my
father would help her put on as she walked out the door. When I was younger, I thought
they were a sophisticated, handsome couple. For years, I could not manage to wear it,
even out of respect for my mother, who tried to encourage me occasion after occasion.
Although I would touch it on occasion and admire its beauty and the eloquent
craftsmanship, I could not shake the knowledge that animals were killed to make it.
Eventually, I asked my older sister who lived in Michigan and faced brutal winters if she
could make use of it. She was delighted.

!35
After this incident, I began to pay even closer attention to humanity’s lack of
consciousness about the injustices and cruelty perpetrated on other species of life on this
planet. I was somewhat encouraged when, in July 2013, President Obama issued a
statement that said the United States would destroy 6 million tons of seized ivory—
potentially millions in contraband—stepping up efforts to crush an illegal trade that has
brought wild elephants to the brink of extinction (Walsh, 2013a). State Department
officials now openly refer to wildlife trafficking as a national security crisis, stating that
as many as 35,000 African elephants were killed for their tusks last year—96 elephants
killed every day. At the current rate, African forest elephants will be extinct within 10
years (Goldenberg, 2013).
It is especially disturbing to realize that I have inadvertently perpetuated this
horrific culture. As I write, a beautifully artistic, intricately carved, sculptured, antique
ivory necklace passed down from generation to generation sits in front of me. The
craftsmanship is exquisite. The necklace, composed of miniature sculptures, was
produced within the last century prior to the first international ivory ban in 1989. No
matter how hard I have tried over the years to justify owning it, my psyche is shaken to
the core, and I feel physically ill when I look at it. I cannot appreciate the sentimentality
or family history with the knowledge that most likely elephants were monstrously
brutalized for it.
The bitter reality is that African and Asian elephants, the largest living land
mammals and the only two surviving species of what was in prehistoric times a diverse
and populous group of large mammals, are being brutally poached for their “white gold.”

!36
The slaughter is horrifying. According to the research overview of a project conducted by
The Center for Conservation Biology at the University of Washington (2014), poachers
shoot elephants with automatic weapons and hack off their tusks with axes and
sometimes even chainsaws, many while the elephants are still living. Tragically, the ivory
trade has a long and bloody history. Uncontrolled ivory poaching from 1979 to 1989
halved Africa’s elephant population from 1.3 million to 600,000. As elephants have no
canine teeth, the tusks of these massive animals are greatly elongated incisors. Almost
one-third of the tusks length lies hidden inside their skull. The largest tusk ever recorded
weighed 214 pounds and was 138 inches long. Because tusk size is an inherited
characteristic, sadly, tusks of this size are not found on elephants today, as over the years,
hunters and poachers have killed animals with the largest (Janssen & Janssen, n.d.).
I will never know whether the antique ivory handed down by my grandmother
was brutally carved from a living elephant or taken after its death. The culture of power,
poverty and politics undergirds the psychology of such atrocities, and in the end, it does
not matter. It pains me to know that my family contributed to the likely extinction of
earth’s most magnificent creatures, and it seems the only step in a positive direction is to
become aware, stay conscious, and educate those who will listen.
Whether society’s collective fear of shortage, its unconscious tendency toward
thanatos, or its overwhelming greed is to blame, individuation of the ecopsyche mandates
that we reflect on how we respect and interact with all living beings. In the words of
Rowe (1989),
While we cannot adopt holus-bolus any indigenous “beliefs & way-of-living”
system, we can hone our ecological awareness, look outward instead of inward,

!37
learn to see ourselves as dependent Earthlings and not the center, recognize our
interesting partners—30 million other kinds of creatures—joined with us in a
yearly whirl ’round the sun, climb down from our self-erected pedestal and show
a little humility. Get “spiritual” in [Fritjof] Capra’s sense. Such a new Ecological
Knowledge would do wonders for our way-of-living. (p. 112)
Evolving consciousness: From ego to eco. Ecotheologian Thomas Berry
asserted,
The main human task of the immediate future is to assist in activating the inter-
communion of all the living and non-living components of the earth community in
what can be considered the emerging ecological period (Ecozoic Era) of Earth
development. (1988, pp. 107-108)
My ecological awakening, stirred by respect for, and engagement of the imaginal
realm activated a nature-centered, as opposed to human-centered, value system. As I
recognized that I am inseparable from nature, I was inspired to write the Kadu story. Prior
to this awakening, I unconsciously believed that human beings should take precedence
over environmental concerns, without comprehending that the health of one is directly
impacted by the other. This chapter illustrated the evolution of my awakening to
ecocentrism prompted by phenomenological experiences with the imaginal realm. The
following chapter will address clinical implications, suggest further research, and
summarize and the main themes addressed in this thesis.

!38
Chapter IV
Summary and Conclusions
Summary
This thesis has been an attempt to address the most fundamental relationship, that
of a human being to the biosphere. A review of the literature found the traditional model
of developmental psychology lacking as most theories assume that a fundamental
organizing principle of human growth is attachment and separation between the caregiver
and child. With the Kadu story, I hope to engage the collective using the imaginal realm
to raise awareness about the psychological impact of a healthy or unhealthy relationship
to the natural world. This relationship is of vital importance in the growth process for
both individuals and humankind.
In a filmed conversation with Jungian analyst Fraser Boa, von Franz stated,
I have the impression that our culture and civilization is in a final stage, that it has
entered a stage of decay. I believe that either we shall find a renewal, or else it is
the end. And I can only see this renewal coming out of what Jung discovered, namely
in our making positive contact with the creative source of the unconscious and with
dreams. These are our roots. A tree can only renew itself through its roots. For this
reason my message is to urge everyone to turn back to these inner psychic roots because
that’s where the only constructive suggestions are to be found—how to come to grips
with our enormous dilemmas: the atom bomb, overpopulation. (As cited in Boa &
Feheley, 2008)
This thesis expressed my belief that humankind’s future hinges on humankind’s
awareness and conviction that environmental concerns should take precedence over the
needs and rights of human beings considered in isolation. This thesis and the Kadu story

!39
illuminated the importance of imaginal psychology in helping to raise evolutionary
consciousness regarding humanity’s relationship to the biosphere and encourage
movement from an anthropocentric to ecocentric viewpoint.
As documented, recognizing, respecting, and allowing imaginal experiences to
speak to me impacted my psyche and contributed to the evolution of my personal
awareness and conscious evolution. These experiences propelled me to take action that
synched with my heightened state of consciousness about my relationship with the
biosphere and my contribution to the collective consciousness. My experience and the
resulting imaginal production led me to believe that if individuals can respect the
imaginal and the light it is shining on their own shadows, perhaps they can influence
humanity’s collective shadow of violence toward nature.
Conclusions
The ramifications and implications of respecting and working with the imaginal
realm, particularly regarding shadow work, are vast and important. If one can embrace
the archetypal language of the imaginal realm, allowing one’s own psyche’s individuation
process, humankind’s potential for evolutionary consciousness is increased, which could
lead to an integrated, healthy biosphere. This thesis and the production contributes a new
perspective to the field of counseling and depth psychology regarding imaginal
psychology’s ability to help humankind identify, work with, and embrace its
anthropocentric shadow regarding the biosphere.
The clinical implication of the research for psychotherapists is this perspective’s
ability to assist them in helping clients identify, dialogue, and relate to the imaginal realm

!40
via a multitude of modalities including working with dreams and synchronicities,
multimedia art therapy, and sandtray and by incorporating active imagination. Although
each client has the potential to experience his own journey, it might be comforting to
offer the possibility of anima mundi’s process of individuating through each individual’s
soul as well as the collective, thus recognizing and honoring humankind’s interdependent
relationship with the biosphere.
Suggestions for Further Research
Coming into contact with the imaginal realm was a powerful, emotional
experience for me. Further research could explore how engagement with the imaginal
realm impacts an individual’s psychological growth. I suggest more research that values
the imaginal realm for what it is and how it makes one feel not simply for what it means
or signifies. My personal experience with the imaginal realm is that various elements
configured of their own accord with very little, if any, conscious control on my part. The
experiences were, at once, exhilarating and disconcerting. Each experience constellated
visceral emotional reactions—both positive and negative. Engaging with the imaginal
realm phenomenologically, while letting go of the desire to direct the process, cultivated
an internal awakening and healing process. Further research might also include how the
personal experience of an image connects to a larger, universal, and archetypal meaning:
for example, research of individuals’ experience with the imaginal might show a common
thread in a universal experience of the interrelationship of the preservation of the planet
and the health of humankind’s psyche.

!42
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