Mythic Ecology

Abstract

This spoken address to storytellers began in St. Catharines, Ontario in 1999. It argues the equivalency of primeval nature and mythic consciousness and that concentrating on nature's material qualities fuels Cartesian sensibilities destructive to nature's mythic powers. Ecological restoration vitalizes mythic consciousness so reappearance of ancestral, atavistic and prescient expressions should be the immaterial measure of successfully restored ecosystems. Myths complete ecosystems. For that reason, the premodern should be granted pre-eminent standing against postmodernism because the premodern remains experiential, hence possessing authority, validity, and legitimacy among aboriginal peoples. (Re)entering the premodern is volitional. Accomplishing it bestows progress in settlers realizing nature's spiritual dimensions unrecognized after centuries of neglect. Working with these powers settlers shoulder responsibility for walking sacred paths first trod by aboriginal peoples.