Presentation Grant Award Winner at Conference: Yuria Celidwen

Tepeyollotl: the Mountainheart. Mesoamerican Myths of the Jaguar and the Mind of Humankind

This paper is a depth-psychological analysis of the mythology and symbolism of the Jaguar and the cloud-forest. Especially, I explore how the Mesoamerican way to dialogue with its unconscious through mythologies and rituals brought a profound sense of the sacred, which was expressed through the glorification of the jaguar and of natural sacred landscapes. The cloud-forest and the jaguar symbol have a prominent place of the in the different Indigenous cultures of the pre-Columbian world.  The importance of these traditions is preserved in contemporary Indigenous groups in Mexico and Guatemala. I examine the impact that climate change and the unsustainable practices of human consumption have on indigenous populations, the ecosystem and the natural species.  I conclude by suggesting solutions that promote a holistic relationship with the environment.

Yuria Celidwen is a native of Chiapas (Mexico). She is a Ph.D. candidate in Mythological Studies and Depth Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute, and a graduate from the Contemplative Sciences, Contemplative Psychotherapy, and Yoga and Psychology Programs from the Nalanda Institute for Contemplative Sciences. Her interdisciplinary approach bridges reason with emotion, and scientific inquiry with contemplative practices. Her research focuses on mystical traditions, the experience of the numinous, and compassion and ethics for social and environmental justice.   She chairs the Psychology, Culture and Religion section of the American Academy of Religion—Western Region, and is a humanitarian affairs officer for the United Nations in New York.

We are pleased to announce that Yuria is a winner of our Presentation Outreach Grant Award for 2018.