Everywhere I look, things are changing. The world is unraveling along cultural, spiritual, and ideological lines. The old narratives no longer hold the power they once had, leaving many of us with an unsettling feeling of being between eras, watching the world we knew disappear even as we anxiously await the birth of a new one.
This feeling has led me to go to the places where I believed culture and tradition hadn't yet been flattened by our modern monoculture, places where I could tap into the wellspring of our collective heritage… To seek, to witness, to ask, to learn.
But the more I've traveled, the more I've come to see that this feeling is everywhere and inescapable. The same tide that drew me to searching is now washing over every culture and community on earth, including the places I went looking for answers.
What are we to do?
One of the things I learned from my journey is that this feeling is not new. How many times has humankind withered and bloomed? Many ancient cultures were also perched on the threshold between worlds, and they left evidence of their thoughts, feelings, and actions in their stories. Stories that remind our heavy hearts that we are not alone, and grant us the courage to face our times with clear eyes… Stories that show us how to move through change instead of being destroyed by it.
