The three stages of a conscious ritual mirror a hero’s journey.
Separating from our familiar landscapes can reconnect us with ecosystems, where the magic comes in. The magic is in the qualia that ecosystems reveal to us – but these gifts many a would-be hero fails to receive. All too often the seeker’s routine ways of seeing prevent them from noticing when the qualia they need – the magical item – is offered. For example, an old crone is ignored because she appears ugly – but she is the one with the gift.
Likewise, our routine ways of seeing prevent us from appreciating ecosystems. To us, raised in the human landscape, ecosystem often seem dangerous or off-putting, like an old crone, but ecosystems are where the magic comes from. We have to trust them, and give them the chance to offer their gifts.
This fear of ecosystems comes from the fact that we have lost our place in them, lost our niche. Fear goes hand in hand with hubris, and our exploitation of the planet has given us good reason to fear. Ecosystems are reacting; yet they will never stop revealing their gifts.
The qualia we receive when we consciously ritual into ecosystems will make us into heroes. We only have to notice, and then we can conquer the foe, kill the dragon, which happens to be the addictive human economy.
But what are ecosystems, really, and what are the qualiadelic gifts they have for us? We can only know ecosystems by venturing into them. Our descriptions of them are insufficient, perhaps because we have lost the mythos of our ancestors who maintained their niche within them.
The heroes will show us the way to reintegrate with ecosystems, to restore our faith in them, to show gratitude and not greed.