Indra’s Pearl Net: A Depth Psychological Exploration of the Climate Crisis

Abstract

This study is a depth psychological exploration of the climate crisis using hermeneutics. The climate crisis is defined here as the catastrophic changes of anthropogenic origin to the ecosystems of the Earth. The study draws on a fractal epistemology recently proposed by Terry Marks-Tarlow, Yakov Shapiro, Katthe P. Wolf, and Harris Friedman to interpret the climate crisis as the shadow of patriarchy amplified to the point of crossing the boundary between psyche and the natural world, an interpenetration which has resulted in the Anthropocene Era. Patriarchy is defined throughout this study as the structure of power which privileges rationality severed from feeling, the body, community, and the Earth. The study explores the possibility that a new consciousness may be emerging from the ashes of patriarchy based on the integration of split archetypes. The climate crisis presents an opportunity for a collective rite of passage as humans are forced by the proximity of their own extinction as a species to face their collective shadow. Inspired by the ouroboros, this study investigates the unconscious roots of the climate crisis using mythology and looks at the possibility of a new consciousness emerging based on evidence in contemporary culture.