Rachel Carson: A pioneering protector of the natural world

Rachel Carson: A pioneering protector of the natural world

Rachel Carson grew up on a farm in Pennsylvania. She and her dog, Candy, spent a lot of time exploring the woods and land that surrounded her home. Rachel was fascinated by the life that lived here – the plants, animals and insects. Her brother and sister were much...
Mind and culture

Mind and culture

Culture can be understood as the social environment in which a person lives. Culture is the context in which energy and information is shared through patterns of interaction, rituals of behaviour, symbols and structures of the environment. Culture itself is a...
The heroic myth: Death, rebirth and transformation

The heroic myth: Death, rebirth and transformation

Karen Armstrong, in her book, A short history of myth, writes that in old times the hunter and shaman of the tribe had to turn their backs on the familiar world, enter the unknown and face fearsome trials. Their journey took them out into uncertainty where they would...
Animal wisdom: Hunters, kinship and the sacred

Animal wisdom: Hunters, kinship and the sacred

In hunting societies, animals were not seen as inferior beings but as possessing superior wisdom. Anthropologists observe that modern-day indigenous groups often refer to animals or birds as ‘peoples’, the same as themselves. They tell stories about humans becoming...