Koyaanisqatsi

Abstract

Marie Louise Von Franz reminds us that we must relate to the outer and inner world simultaneously—the world of human relationships and kinships and the inner world of the archetypes. We cannot have one without the other or else we risk becoming one-sided and out of balance. Translated, the Hopi word koyaanisqatsi means “life out of balance.” Immoderate consumption has precipitated the earth’s crisis of species extinction and global warming. On the other side of the oscillating psyche, animal rights and sensitivity emerges toward consideration for the well-being of all sentient creatures. The animal rights movement signifies the stirring of soul. The neglected animal body that resides within the psyche is alive in the instinctually deprived creature whose fur we touch and whose warm breath we feel. A casino was being constructed in western New Mexico, home to indigenous tribes. When it was discovered that the soil brought in to help build the foundation was from a burial site, construction was halted, until the soil was removed and a reparative ceremony held. Eros extends to ancestral bonds, and this illustrates what is missing in Western culture. Psychological research shows us the frequency with which we dream of the dead, and the deep meaning and fulfillment found in these dreams. Lacking cultural context, these experiences are interior and private, and the creation of meaning is a private experience. The feeling function is experienced on an internal level where it is differentiated and relationships with ancestors deepen and evolve over time. This experience nurtures the individual but does not tap into collective healing powers to balance the lopsidedness of the civilization. Mastery of nature was the spiritual impetus behind the historical and cultural developments that have become the technological age in which we live. What von Franz points us toward is moral courage to master ourselves by becoming fully ourselves and to heal the internal and external rifts that we so precariously endure.