Thesis
Pilgrimage and the alchemy of transformation - Finding a way from entitlement to gratitude
Honours, Murdoch University
2011
Abstract
Joanna Macy proposes a ‘shift in consciousness’ as the third element of the Great Turning, an all-encompassing transition from the industrial growth society to a life-sustaining civilisation. While this line of thinking is echoed in some of the literature in sustainability, there is lack of research that addresses: what exactly is ‘shift in consciousness’ or ‘transformation;’ and how it might be achieved. The literature also demonstrates a strong bias towards objective methodologies which distance the researcher from the enquiry.
This thesis seeks to address these gaps by conducting an exploratory investigation of pilgrimage as a transformative practice using a first-person introspective methodology. It has two broad aims: firstly, to explore pilgrimage as a practice that facilitates an ontological shift from entitlement to gratitude; and secondly to elucidate the complex web of factors that comprise a transformative process - here referred to as ‘the alchemy of transformation.’
Having designed an heuristic phenomenological research protocol, the author walked a 1100km pilgrimage through the south-west of Western Australia as a reflective, embodied practice. Four themes - ‘simplicity,’ ‘hardship,’ ‘divine communion,’ and ‘connection to country’ - were chosen to structure the reflection and a bricolage of methods was used to explore and depict the author’s experience. The results of the study were that this particular pilgrimage was found to facilitate a shift from entitlement to gratitude, and the four previously mentioned themes were found to represent elements of transformative process. These findings are illustrated in a graphic artwork.
The results of this research are intended to contribute a clearer and more nuanced understanding of transformation to the field of sustainability.
Details
- Title
- Pilgrimage and the alchemy of transformation - Finding a way from entitlement to gratitude
- Authors/Creators
- Lucy Ridsdale
- Contributors
- Ian Barns (Supervisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Murdoch University; Honours
- Identifiers
- 991005544256807891
- Murdoch Affiliation
- School of Social Sciences and Humanities
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Thesis
Metrics
822 File views/ downloads
174 Record Views