Mythic Places of Greece Speak of our Ecological Ills

Jennifer Degnan Smith, PhD

July 2022: Myth and Ecological Consciousness

he ancient Greeks understood the profound connection between myth and place. Sacred sites were not only settings for divine narratives but also the physical locations where rituals honored the gods and goddesses. Even today, these mythic landscapes may continue to carry the archetypal energies of the deities once revered there.

Engaging with such places through a terrapsychological lens (Chalquist, 2007) can offer insight into contemporary ecological and psychological crises. Terrapsychology posits that the outer landscape reflects the inner landscape—and vice versa. By approaching place as alive with meaning, we open ourselves to its symbolic language and emotional resonance. Through listening—empathetically and imaginatively—we can access the wisdom embedded in place.

These mythic sites may reveal the current condition of the archetypal energies they once embodied. For example, Eleusis, once the sanctuary of Demeter and the site of the Eleusinian Mysteries celebrating the cycles of life and fertility, is now an industrial zone plagued by pollution. The River Ilissos in Athens, once sacred to the gods, has been buried beneath concrete. The degradation of these once-sacred sites may reflect a collective estrangement from ecological consciousness—but they may also point the way toward renewal, if we choose to listen.

Chalquist, C. (2007). Terrapsychology: Reengaging the soul of place. New Orleans, LA: Spring Journal Books.