WELCOME

What This Web Site Is About
Hints on How to Read the Dissertation
How to Navigate this Web Site
Layout of the Dissertation and Web Site
Shoulders of Giants
Preview of the Pattern

What This Web Site is About

Cosmicplay.net is my artistic dissertation for a Ph.D. in Depth Psychology at Pacifica Graduate Institute, in Carpinteria, California [www.pacifica.edu ]. My dissertation is about cosmic play, the way the universe plays, and what the Hindus called lila— the universe as a play of the gods. This is play at its most universal or archetypal level, which seems to be bricolage—forming, reforming, and transforming in an endless cycle of death and rebirth.

Bricolage is Lévi-Strauss’s term to describe the mythical thinking of primitive people, who used a fixed set of ideas that they combined and recombined in different ways. Lévi-Strauss got this idea from surrealist collage artist, Max Ernst. This dissertation fittingly uses a bricolage method, which combines three other methods and has an artistic method as well that combines depth psychological essays with hypertext and pictures, while it analyzes various cultural creations.

We will be exploring cosmic play in two ways in this dissertation: through the "Cosmic Game" and the "Kaleidoscope of Culture." The "Cosmic Game" shows us how the gods play, in particular the myth of Shiva’s game of dice. We find that from cosmology to Grof’s cartography of the psyche, this ancient eternally recurring pattern of death-rebirth is everpresent. The "Kaleidoscope of Culture," explores three different cultural pieces: Chicago (Marshall, 2002), Disneyland, and Mary Poppins (Stevenson, 1964), viewing this eternally returning cosmic play pattern through archetypal eyes, as explicated by Grof’s cartography of the psyche. We will use astrology and van den Bergian phenomenology to look at these patterns in relation to the pieces themselves and in the context of the times that they were created and portray. Each cultural piece shows different archetypal aspects of play and many tangents are taken along the way. In Chicago, the shadowy side of play, its perils, and pitfalls are reflected; in Disneyland, we see the promise of play revealed; while in Mary Poppins, play’s transformative power takes center stage.

Hints on How to Read the Dissertation

This lengthy dissertation, which is much longer than a typical Pacifica dissertation, can be approached in parts or consumed in its entirety. Some of the parts provide a context, they set the stage so to speak. All of the so-called “excursions” are optional, as are the historical portions. They add texture and richness, but are tangential to the main ideas of this dissertation. To get an overview of each chapter, look at the links, which are located at the beginning of the different chapters and sections. They let you know what to expect in each section, and their titles often reflect the tone. Also, look at the pictures, since they tell the story, too. The beginning paragraphs of each chapter provide a broad overview of that chapter, and the lessons or reflections at the end of each chapter, will summarize the important play-related ideas contained in that chapter; if you find these interesting, you can read the chapter. The links also serve as an orienting device, to let you know what to expect as you read, allowing you to more easily get the sense of what is happening.

While you can begin anywhere you like, I would recommend starting with the "Prelude," [link to prelude] because it tells the whats, whys and wheres of the dissertation, and from there, you can go where you like, in any order you choose. “A Look at the Layout” of the dissertation is provided below so you can see what is where, so to speak. Although you can read the dissertation in any order you want, I have suggested a possible order in the "Organization of the Study" section of the "Introduction" chapter. By clicking on the instructional links at the end of each page, you can read the dissertation in this order. Feel free to disregard these links however, and read it your own way.

How to Navigate the Dissertation

On the left-hand side, you will notice a sidebar containing different choices, with its own scrollbar that operates independently of the text to the right. The headings on the sidebar of the home page contain the main chapter or section choices “original choices,” (Welcome, Introduction and Method, Cosmic Game, Kaleidoscope of Culture, etc.) which correspond with the different icons on the home page. These original choices are available on all the different sidebars.

As you pick a chapter to explore, the chapter’s name will be highlighted in a particular color and the sidebar will change to reflect the main sections of the chapter in the same color, along with the "original choices," which will stay in white. As you pick one of the main sections, the sidebar again will change, giving you the subsections under the main sections. After you finish one of these subsections, you can either click on the link at the bottom of the page telling you where to go next, or you can click on the chapter heading and you will go back to the main sections for that chapter and you can then select another section. You can also click on the blue links that are located at the beginning of the chapters and main sections, and they will take you to the desired area. There are also links at the very bottom of each page that take you to the different original choices.

The "Kaleidoscope of Culture" is a bit of an exception, since it contains six different chapters, thus there will be an additional level or two of sidebars. A site map is available to help you navigate, too. But, if you get lost, do not worry, because that is half the fun.

All of the images can be seen in a larger view by clicking on them, too. When you are done looking at the larger view of the image, simply close that window and you will be back where you were.

Layout of the Dissertation and Website

A Look at the Layout

My dissertation is divided into two major parts, aside from the "Introduction" and "Methodology" chapters: the "Cosmic Game" and the "Kaleidoscope of Culture." The" Cosmic Game" part includes the "Prelude" and "Cosmic Game." This is where the cosmic play pattern is introduced through myth, and this pattern’s eternally returning correspondences are demonstrated in detail from depth psychology, to chaos theory, culminating in Grof’s cartography of the psyche, and my original board game.

After a brief "Interlude," the second part of the dissertation, the "Kaleidoscope of Culture" explores the different aspects of this archetypal pattern as they occur in different cultural pieces: Chicago (Marshall, 2002), Disneyland, Mary Poppins (Stevenson, 1964), as well as in culture at the time these pieces premiered.

The "Interlude" further explicates Grof’s cartography and gives important resources for the rest of the journey, along with insight into kaleidoscopes, as well as correspondences between Grof's cartography and Caillois’s (1958/2001) categories of games. It is here that we will see how different qualities of little “p” play fit into the cosmic picture.

At the end of the "Kaleidoscope of Culture," there will be a few "Parting Shots," where we will see how the whole thing fits together, as one big bricolage. "Parting Shots" features a final conversation between Tele Sphoros and Rick O’Shea. These two have also been having a running commentary all along, which occurs each time a ∆RC appears. Their discussion is like color commentary at a sporting event, amplifying what is going on and giving tips on how to apply these ideas to your own life.

How the Web Site is Organized--Iconically Speaking

Welcome Bunny: This is the section where we are right now. Fittingly my first toy and blanket, what Winnicott (1999) calls transitional objects, welcome you into the world of play. Follow the White Rabbit as Alice and I have done into the Wonderful World of Play, featuring different Disney creations in the Kaleidoscope of Culture. We will go down the rabbit hole and see how far this really goes!

Ransom Note: This icon pays homage to the fact that Hermes hijacked my dissertation from the beginning as he clandestinely peered at me from the cover of Edinger’s (1984) The Creation of Consciousness, in the fall of 2000. It has been a wild ride! The two chapters—"Introduction" and "Methodology"— were the original dissertation proposal. The Introduction contains the review of the literature, the statement of the problem, the organization of the study, as well as some of my experiences with play. The methodology chapter also contains sections on the bricolage method, as well as excursions into the three methods underlying the bricolage method: hermeneutics, heuristics and phenomenology. The method chapter also discusses the artistic method of this dissertation, and how it came to be a website.

Ouroboros and Jung’s Stone: This section, "Prelude: The Cosmic Setup," provides a broad overview of the dissertation, including what the different chapters are about, how to navigate the dissertation, and why the dissertation has such a different style—"why it is the way it is." The "Prelude" includes tips on how to skim through, to get the flavor of the dissertation. The icon is a bricolage composed of an ouroboros that I designed for a class t-shirt in 2001, as well as a picture of me and Jung's stone, a la Alfred Hitchcock, taken during my 2003 visit.

"Cosmic Game"— This chapter presents everything you never knew you wanted to know about lila, how the gods play. This is useful to know, because to paraphrase astrologer Laurence Hillman “either you play the game or the game plays you.” The "Cosmic Game" chapter explores the cosmic death-rebirth pattern in detail, and we will see it explicated in ancient myths and modern science, as it eternally returns everywhere. It seems that the Hindus had things right a long time ago. In many of their myths, Western society is discovering scientific truths. In exploring the myth of Shiva’s dice game we will see the significance of these stories. This chapter also introduces Grof’s cartography of the psyche and my game: Monomythopoply— Eternal Return Edition ™. The Monomythopoly game board is the icon for this chapter.

"Interlude"—This section explores the correspondences between Grof’s cartography and Caillois’s game categories, takes a look at kaleidoscopes, and discusses why I chose astrology as a lens. The Interlude also gives us other important information and resources, as well as an overview that is useful to a better understanding of the next part of the dissertation—the "Kaleidoscope of Culture." The antique map, which is the icon for the Interlude, reflects the ancient roots of Grof's cartography, and reminds us of the usefulness of maps.

"Kaleidoscope of Culture"—This part of the dissertation contains six chapters that explore the different archetypal aspects of play, as they "play out" in three different cultural pieces—Chicago (Marshall, 2002), Disneyland, and Mary Poppins (Stevenson, 1964)—as well as in popular culture at the different times of the cultural pieces. The first chapter is an introduction, which takes us to the turn of the Twentieth Century, and shows us the cultural confluence of the different ideas and innovations that we have been discussing during the dissertation, and we will be able to see how the world was gathered at this time. We can take an astrological excursion to see how the sky was gathered, and thus see how the patterns that are being explored were actually mirrored by the cosmos at the time. Here we will be introduced to the planetary players who will play parts in the upcoming chapters.

In the "Chicago" chapter, we will see the shadow side of play, its pitfalls and its perils. In the "Disneyland" chapter and the "Extra Excursions" chapter we will see the promise of play. In the "Mary Poppins" chapter we will see the transformative power of play. The "Parting Shots" chapter, will wrap it all up with a final conversation between Tele Sphoros and Rick O’Shea, and we will see how the method was the message after all. To quote Rick O'Shea: “Its all bricolage, baby!” The kaleidoscope icon consists of a collage of pictures representing the different chapters of the "Kaleidoscope of Culture": Alice In Wonderland for the Introduction to the Kaleidoscope of Culture, Billy Flynn in "Razzle Dazzle" for the "Chicago" chapter, Sleeping Beauty Castle for the "Disneyland" chapter, the "Haunted Mansion" poster for the "Extra Extra: Disneyland’s Optional Excursions" chapter, Mary Poppins for the "Mary Poppins" chapter, and Bert from Mary Poppins returning Admiral Boom’s volley for the "Parting Shots" chapter.

"Odds and Ends": In this part, such things as the table of contents, and in this case, the site map, the reference list, along with various tables and other miscellaneous items of interest can be found. "Odds and Ends" also includes the very important Dedication and Acknowledgements sections, where you can find out more about some of the important ideas and people who contributed to my journey. As psychologist and musician Byron Metcalf would say, I've had many Helpers Allies and Guides along the way and in these sections, I will give credit where credit is due. The Cheshire Cat and Tinkerbell yin/yang symbol icon provides something odd, the ineffable Cheshire Cat, who hints at play's elusive qualities, and Tinkerbell symbolizing the imagination and neoteny—some of play's greatest ends.

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