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Ancient Power, Strength and Royalty,
Strength of the Feminine: The Child, the Woman,
and the Wise Woman (Matriarchal Head of Family).
The Importance of Family, Fertility, Sexual Power,
Discrimination, Clouds and Illusion,
Out of Control Masculine Rage

The symbolism of Elephant is ancient. In India, Elephant was the mount of Kings. Elephant was a devastating weapon of war and would throw the enemies of the Kings of India into confusion whenever the giant animals would rush into their ranks. In the West during the Roman Empire, the general Hannibul was made famous for attempting to bring the Carthaginian war elephants over the Alps to attack Rome from the city’s exposed flanks. He failed, of course. But in India and even in the West, Elephant came to symbolize the God of Warriors. Elephant is the totem of the greatest of warriors, denoting royalty, inner strength and nobility.

The myths involving Elephant have profoundly influenced humanity through history. Dreams filled with Elephant carry messages of transformation and spiritual power. Elephant in one’s dreams can signify the emergence of one’s Highest True Self. The Self, deep within the Collective Unconscious, only emerges when one has done one’s shadow work and integrated the contents of the Unconscious with Conscious Mind. This cannot be done by oneself, but is a sign of the Grace of the Divine and gift of Love of the As Above.

Like most mythic symbols, Elephant carries both positive and negative symbolic content.

Elephants live in separate social groups of females and male. Members of the female herds care and protect their young, act together for mutual protection from predators, and maintain loving relationships across the generations. The older, experienced females act as the Grandmothers of the Herd, using their experience and wisdom to assist the mothers and calves with the problems of life. Unlike much of human society, elephant herds demonstrate how close supportive relationships can be maintain between the generations by the feminine members of family.

Elephants depend heavily on their well-developed sense of smell to stay informed on their environments. The sense of smell symbolizes the ability to ‘discriminate’ between positive and negative environments. Elephant can bring the gift of discrimination, so that if you are contemplating some important decision, you will notice if “something does not smell right” about your options, and you will take more time to find more positive solutions.

Male elephants wander with other males during much of each year, seeking food. But during breeding season, they become aggressive and go individually in search of the female herds. Once the breeding seasons are ended, they leave the females and return to their bachelor herds. In rut, the males are dangerous and so the term “rogue elephant” has become part of even the Western vocabulary. In the dark, Elephant symbolizes the abusive, enraged, out of control male.

Linked with the planet Neptune, Elephant can also symbolize illusion or fantasy. In Greek mythology, the god Neptune was the god of the oceans. The Ocean, in dreams, symbolizes the Unconscious. But then imagination is a gift of the Unconscious as well, so Neptune/Elephant can bring gifts of creativity. However, the danger of the Unconscious is the possibility of becoming lost in illusion or fantasy. The dreamer can become lost in illusion in life or escape reality into fantasy, turning ones back on the challenges and learning opportunities in everyday life in exchange for the lure of imagination and fantasy. The dreamer therefore must learn to live in the Present, using his creativity to build dreams here, instead of wandering only in the realms of the fantastic within his mind. Fantasy can also bring riches of creativity. Children often fantasize about life as a way of experimenting with solutions to problems. Adults need imagination to find solutions to life’s challenges, but too much fantasizing can lead one to withdraw from life into isolation, leading to depression and loss of healthy relationships if not attended to. If we lose the ability to play and instead start to take life too seriously however, Elephant can teach the adult how to play with others again and thereby restore lightness and laughter to his life.
 

Thanks to Ted Andrews’ book Animal Speak for symbolic analysis. Also, Mary Ellen Guiley’s book The Encyclopedia of Dreams for information on Jungian dream symbols.

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Guardian of Ancient Languages and Alphabets,
Polarity and Balance, Creativity,
Death and Rebirth,
Magic of Writing,
Gentleness with Strength.
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Spider has long had symbolic meanings in many cultures through history. To Native Americans, spider's archetypal form was Spider Woman, a trickster immortal who might help the seeker or devour her. Often, the seeker must pass a test or answer a riddle before Spider Woman decides whether the seeker is to be helped in her quest or eaten for lunch.
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In India, Spider symbolized the Laws of Cause and Effect. Her webs held humans fast in their illusions (Maya) until their learned that their own actions had caused their painful life experiences. Once learned, Seekers found her need was kindness, and they discovered their Dharma.
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Her eight legs speak of the Mayan Twenty Count, where Eight is the number of the Laws of Cycles and the Book of Life. When we have lessons written in our Books of Life, they are karmic requirements. So when Spider lays down the Law, we must listen and do as she tells us. The Seasons of our Lives have their time. We must accept the natural cycles of birth, existence and death.
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Spider teaches us that everything we do has consequences which may carry well beyond this life. Do No Harm is Her Lesson.
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Spider wove the web of the Universe. When morning first came to the Universe, the dew drops glistened on her web in the dawning sky, and the First People named the points of light in the skies “Stars.” She was called First Creator for many Aeons.
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Spider symbolizes three magics: The magic and energy of Creation, the magic of writing, and the Magic of the Spiral or Labyrinth.
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Spider is the Guardian of ancient languages and alphabets. In old myths, letters were created from the patterns and angles in spider webs. Spider gives the gift of writing which can catch others in their webs of thought and emotion.
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Possibly because the female of the species sometimes eats the male after mating, Spider has been associated in some myths with Death and Rebirth. She is also associated with the Moon.
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In her dark aspect, Spider is associated with murder and horror. Out of mankind’s primal past, an image has also come which causes both men and women to recoil in terror at the touch or close proximity of Spider. Spider reminds us how we too once were prey of animals which ate us.
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If spider has come into your life, you should ask yourself: are you caught in a web of karmic issues? Do you keep holding onto the things in life you shouldn’t? Are you in pain because you can’t let go of losing and winning? Do you need to spin a new web of dreams and life directions? Do you blame others for your not getting your needs met? If so, call on Spider to aid you. To find Her, you will need to go down into dark places within yourself to find your own answers to your frustrated needs. Spider often also brings the gift of writing; do you need to write?

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• Bold Self-Expression and Self-Reliance
  
• Healer

Badger is a keeper of knowledge of the Earth and her animals. In her dens below the ground, she hears the Earth speak and knows much about Her wholeness. Badger brings these stories she hears far below the ground up into the light and tells them to the children of the Earth. She sees below the surface of life and understands what she sees and hears. So she is the Story Teller of the animal kingdom.
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Badger is carnivorous and eats many smaller animals. As she takes these animals within her, she absorbs their knowledge and stories.
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Incredibly tough and resilient, badger has been known to take the kill from a mountain lion. Very few animals will take on an adult badger. It is an incredibly fierce fighter.
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Badger is an unsociable animal. It does not “relate” well with others-even its own kind. It looks after its own needs. Those who would feed off badger or her kills soon learn that they had better look elsewhere. One might think that an animal such as badger would be lonely, but she is quite comfortable in her aloneness, self-reliant and centered. Badger needs no one to make her happy because she is grounded and comfortable with her self.
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Like other members of the weasel family, badger is cunning. Provoke her and she’ll make you sorry you did. She has immensely powerful jaws and razor sharp claws. Try to move her and she’ll dig into the Earth and not be moved.
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If badger has come into your life, you should ask yourself: are you looking beneath the surface of things? Have you become ungrounded and too ethereal in your spirituality? Do you need to get grounded. Are you giving away your power to others by depending on others to meet your needs? Are you comfortable in your aloneness? Are you disconnected from the Earth and its animal spirits?
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If badger is one of your totem or power animal, you are fortunate for she will help you to live in the present in your power. And when you are ready, she’ll help you tell your story to others so that they too will feel their own power, their love for themselves and their wholeness.

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Lately, I’ve been feeling kind of stuck. You know how it is. Doing the same things, everyday, until the routine begins to take the joy out of living. Sometimes, I need new things to be; and then again, sometimes I need to go back out into the woods where I can feel at peace again. So Grandfather came by and suggested we go back down to the river, where we could fool around, have some fun, talk about life.

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We drove down Highway 64, crossed Jordon Lake, and then turned off by Pittsboro. The Haw River crosses 64 a few miles outside Pittsboro. We both like the river there. The river bed is filled with huge rocks perfect for just sitting, or fishing, or spotting birds. I see Great Blue Herons there all the time, an occasional eagle. But yesterday, the place is rocking with kids. The State declared the area as a North Carolina State Park recently, and now the river banks and waters are likely to be full of kids, fishermen, kayakers and canoers. With all the racket, it takes much of the pleasure out of the park experience.

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Wildlife gets frightened away. You know how it is?

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I was getting hot and sweaty—it was 95 degrees and sunny—and began to think about heading back to our (air-conditioned) car. Grandfather wasn’t quite ready yet, and pointed upstream with his chin.

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“Let’s go up that way a bit,” he suggested.

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I thought about the sweat rolling down my sides under my shirt, and said, “Okay.”

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So we walked back through the woods and crossed over under the highway bridge. It wasn’t long before we noticed that there were no people up river. We began to hear bird calls, squirrels scrabbling up the pines, a Great Blue Heron startling up out of the water and winging further upstream. The spaces under the trees began to cool our heated skins, and I began to relax at last.

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Further upstream, we encountered scattered stones pushing their way above the river surface, and I began feeling childlike, wondering how might it feel to venture out onto the river’s surface, high wiring across from stone to stone. When I was a kid, I wouldn’t think twice about it. But I’m 62 now, and a slip on the mossy stones could shatter an elbow or break a hip.

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But those stones looked inviting, and I began to feel like trying it. It felt “dangerous!” Exciting. If I fell, what would most likely happen is that I would simply get wet! Grandfather said nothing; he just watched me looking at those stones like a kid and smiled to himself.

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The first stones were easy—low to the water, well grounded in the stream—but of course, as I got out into the river, the rocks required step ups and downs, and some of the rocks looked treacherous. I had to begin making choices. There were easy looking paths that went waaaaaaaaay around, and there were direct paths which looked more unsuitable. I had to think about what criteria was right for choosing a path. Finally, I decided that common sense made a good criteria: take the long path if it was the easier. I wasn’t in any hurry to get across the river, so take the easy way I decided. I figured that said a lot about the kind of decision-maker I was, but at the same time saw that there wasn’t a “right” nor a “wrong” answer. It was just who I was.

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Then, there were the looong steps to the next rock, and the small rocks where footing looked tenuous, and the rocks with no footing in the stream--which would turn under my foot if I didn’t step upon them at exactly the right angle. So I’m calculating as I go, balancing like a high wire artist; then in the water I go. Thankfully, the water doesn’t go over the top of my loafer, so I’m really thanking the gods, or somebody out there, for helping me stay upright.

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I’m beginning to see that my little river adventure is really a lot like life: I’m learning about life by trying to walk across the river!

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There are times when you just have to take a longer step than you feel comfortable with, and with some of those, you’re going to end up in the river. But if you are enjoying the adventure, it doesn’t hurt nearly so much. So I’m reviewing in my mind what is it that makes the difference: if you take your time and see it as fun, the mistakes aren’t nearly so painful or so often because you’ve thought them out ahead of time and took your steps with a smile and a dare. You can’t guess right every time, of course! And you don’t have to be perfect in your steps from rock to rock to successfully navigate the river. The rocks won’t move, you know. Just you decide when to step and where you’re going, and it gets easier. Don’t step before you’re ready. Don’t take silly risks unnecessarily. Take as long as you need. Don’t rush. There is really no point in it. The important thing is to enjoy your journey and don’t take silly risks for no reason.

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So I catch a glimpse of Grandfather behind me. He’s just stepping calmly from stone to stone like he was walking in the woods. His balance seems perfect! I’m wondering how he makes it look so easy, and I feel a hot rush of resentment. He is far older than me! He’s showing me up. Ignoring a handy rock handhold, I step across a long stretch, lose my balancing and windmill wildly from stone to stone to the far side. Embarrassed, I look back at Grandfather, but he’s just watching the river slide past his perch. Chagrined, I think I just got another lesson. Don’t show off. Don’t ignore a friendly helping hand just because I want others to see how hot I am.

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Finally, on the other side, I revel in my adventure. It has been 50 years since I did anything so foolhardy and adventurous! Grandfather sits beside me and we enjoy a few moments rest. A small flock of geese are watching us warily from a short distance, and I can see a small creek that winds off into the woods. Someday, I think, I’m going to follow that branch off through the forest and see where it leads.

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“That was fun!” I say. “Yup!,” he says, and smiles.

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I’m thinking now about my car back at the parking lot. In order to get back, we’re going to have to go back across the river and retrace our steps back through the woods. Just like life, I’m thinking. I’ve spent my whole life getting here, and what does it mean. I’ve worked my way across a river, and I’m only on the other side of the river. Am I better off? No, I’m thinking. I’m just on the other side of the river. Both sides of the river look exactly the same. I spent my whole life working my **** off to get to retirement. The real question is, have I enjoyed the journey? Did I enjoy the company I shared, the friendships, the lovers. I realize how I spent most of my own life struggling to get ahead, worrying about promotions or people who seemed to be getting ahead of me, jealously guarding my turf or prerogatives, trying to hold on to what I had. I figure that was really pretty stupid of me.

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I gave Grandfather a hug, thanked him for walking beside me as teacher and friend, and told him I loved him.

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“Let’s go home!,” I said. And off we went again

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Messenger between Heaven and Earth,
The Unexpected, An Omen of Death,
Shapeshifting, Power of Languages,
Scavenger of the Darkness (Unconscious).
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Like Coyote and Mantis, Raven is an animal which frequently appears in the creation myths of the First Peoples. Raven can be wise, assiduous and heroic, but it might also be greedy, cunning and foolish. Raven is unpredictable. Raven is chaotic happenstance, change in the form of coincidence (or synchronicity?) at the worst time. Because of Raven, we might experience catastrophe or miracles. Who can tell? Life is a constant surprise.
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The Norse god, Odin, had a pair of ravens who served him as messengers. Their names were Munin (memory) and Hugin (thought). So too do our own thoughts and memories serve to link us to what is divine because our own minds are the Mind of God.
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Ravens are found wherever there is death. Death in life is simply change, dropping our compulsions to constantly relive the past and repeat our self destructive beliefs, behaviors, and ways of thinking. Descending in the Underworld, while still living, is the Hero’s Quest, which begins with the Dark Night of the Soul, or shamanic death, in which a person is torn apart by animals of the underworld so the he can be reconstructed or remade. Death-death is physically dying and descending into the Underworld to be eaten as are other animals; ravens are the scavengers of the Underworld and feed on the dead. They humble mankind by showing us that as we eat other beings during life, we are eaten after we die. We return to the Earth as do all other life forms. We are not the Masters of Heaven and Earth we sometimes believe we are. We are subject to the same Laws of Matter and Life as all other beings.
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By showing us our light and dark sides, Raven links the Light and Dark sides of existence. Raven teaches us that life as it is—with both positive and negative circumstances—is essential. He brings messages to the dreamer from the Unconscious (as thoughts or memories), and are thereby the agents of change in our lives. Raven ’s message is that mankind is not simply made to live as beings of light and happiness, but also darkness and suffering. We are not to reject our dark, unconscious, instinctual sides, but accept them as a part of who we are. Accepting this is the first step to understand the wholeness of love, for love cannot expand if we are not allowed to experience its complements: hate and indifference.
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Raven is watchful for danger. It is especially watchful for Hawks and for Owls who are Raven’s enemy, for if either finds Raven’s nests, the sky will rain death. Raven will mob Hawks or Owls for miles to drive them away. Owl is a creature of the Moon, symbolizing the power of the dark feminine, while Hawk is a creature of the day and symbolizes the light masculine. If you are a Hawk or Owl person, expect Raven--chaotic happenstance--to pursue you. So fly high and silent. Once at height, Hawk ignores Raven, so take the high road to be well in this case. If you are an Owl person, you carry the power of the dark feminine, e.g. the Unconscious Feminine. You can be cruel and without mercy. In the darkness, no one challenges Owl, so open to the darkness within you. You will discover that this is only one aspect of self.
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Wherever Raven is, magic is there. Magic is the ability to let go of the past and change—death and rebirth. Like the Fool in the Tarot, Raven is both foolish and wise. He is trusting, innocent, dark and magical. Raven is the flash of lightning in the dark. Who knows what will happen? He keeps life fresh and exciting with his magic of life and change

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Guardian of the Gates to the Underworld (the Unconscious),
Guardian of Mystical Treasures and Wisdoms,
Primal Energies of Birth, Death and Initiation,
Ferocity, Fury, Viciousness, Destructive Power,
Keepers and Protectors of All Knowledge,
Primal Mother, Fertility and Power, Fecundity,
Vegetation, Hypocrisy, Insincerity.

Crocodile guards the Gateway to the Underworld of the Unconscious. Her great mouth is the entrance into the Waters of the Unconscious, which is the domicile of the Great Mother. She therefore symbolizes the unconscious aspect of the Sacred Feminine.

To be swallowed by her is akin to Jonah’s being swallowed by the Whale. Her bite is death, and in her jaws the seeker is torn to pieces so she can be reborn as a new person. This is the Shaman’s Death which begins our Hero's Journey.

The waters of the Collective Unconscious are dangerous waters for the unwary adventurer, for many get lost here and never find their way back from the Underworld. Madness lurks there. But here is where the Seeker must venture to discover the lost aspects of her self. They are also protectors and guardians of the wisdom and treasures to be found into the dark waters of our minds and hearts.

Crocodiles are excellent mothers. They guard their young and nurture them. Occasionally however, they suddenly turn and devour their young. Unpredictable, primal, savage, and ferocious, they symbolize both Life Mother and Death Mother.

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From ancient times, Swans symbolized the Beauty of the Soul. Totem of the child, the poet, the mystic and the dreamer, the coming of Swan intensifies the emotions and the feeling nature within man and woman, as the Soul rises to the surface to feel its way in the Sunlight of Earth.

In myth, swans pulled the god Apollo’s chariot across the heavens, signifying that our own lower selves are pulled along in the wake of the Soul’s own journey.

The Soul’s Beauty is too great for this weary world, and she comes only occasionally, preferring—like the Swan--to remain in her own cold realms of inner conscousness. But when she does come, she is so bright, so bright, that many fall beneath Her spell. She calls many to tragic ends seeking a Beauty which is not for this world.

In ancient Greece, the Elders taught that no animal sings so sweet as the swan as she dies. In fantasy and faery, swans transformed into beautiful women, drawing men into hopeless yearning for that which could never be possessed. Swans were sacred to Aphrodite, goddess of Love. Once touched by Swan, men can feel their hearts, and the music of poetry awakens within them. Yet Beauty is also perilous, for once men have drunk of Beauty, they cannot live without it. Passion denied is the dark side of the soul’s need, for men destroy the things they love.

In the youngest children, the soul stirs and feels its “inferiority.” This is why children relate so well to the Tale of the Ugly Duckling. For in their innocence, they yearn to be loved, as does the Soul, for itself. And adults wonder about the shining eyes of their little ones as they gaze uncertainly upon the world in which they find themselves.

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Containment, Concealment and Resurrection,
The World, the Body and the Grave,
The Power of the Unconscious,
The Truth and Strength of the Inner Being,
The Descent into the Dark,
The Awakening of our Inner Depths,
The Mystic Mandorla or vesca piscis,
Creation, Practical Use of one’s Creativity.
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With 90 or so different species of cetaceans or whales, the whale is the largest mammal on earth. Some whales are toothed, eating fish, seals and other marine life, while others have baleen in place of teeth, feeding on plankton and the sea life within this sea weed.
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Whales have held spiritual associations and archetypal meanings for many cultures through the ages. The list above describes some of the key associations. It is an ancient symbol for creation. In Jewish and Islamic spiritual texts, the whale symbolizes containment, concealment and resurrection—as Jonah was swallowed by the whale and forced to wander in the dark of the belly for three days before being spit back up. There comes a time for each of us when we are swallowed up by the whale and descend into our dark places. In the belly of the whale, each of us teeter between heaven and earth, being both macrocosm and microcosm; at any instant, we could tip over into macrocosm and enlightenment. It is in the dark night of the soul where we meet the Creator.
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In modern psychotherapy, this period of containment and imprisonment symbolizes man’s descent into the darkness of his shadow or into his Unconscious for a period of introspection and death, before being “reborn” or resurrected as a new being.
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In dreams, being swallowed by a whale is archetypically the passing of the Threshold of the Heroic Quest into the Darkness of the Underworld, where the dreamer must confront his demons and dragon, find his pearl without price, and return to the World of Mankind changed, renewed and prepared to bring his gift to the waiting world. The whale is the world, our very bodies, and the place where each and everyone of us experiences the transformation of souls.
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The whale swims in deep waters, and is a power of the deepest part of the Unconscious. Like Herman Melville’s Moby ****, the medicine of whale can bring an obsessive need to be with the gods rather than be here living life as a human, or bring the need to capture and possess the love of god rather than allow Creation Its own regimes and element of existence. Whale dives deep and lives in the depths with the intent of the Creation to be innocently aware of itself and awake in the worlds of man and God. Swallowed by the Whale, Man becomes the Creator.
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In general, the whale is not a predator of man. Even so-called “Killer whales” or Orcas, seldom attack men or people in the water. Recently, I have dreamed of Orca in ways which suggest that It represents the power of Creation offering itself to us in this time and age: a power of the Unconscious Sea upon which we all dwell. Creation is bringing a new Creativity to Man—a time of renewal and change is upon us all. All about us are signs of a more tangible love from the Power of Creation. These gifts of creativity should be used with wisdom and love—for both ourselves and others.
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The pursuit of wisdom and spirituality must bring all peoples together rather than holding us apart, for the loss of love is deepening the needs of many for signs that they are loved here on Earth. Feelings of loss and lovelessness are driving men and woman into despair where they do harm to themselves and others. Now is the time to reach out to others, including the poor and downtrodden, those of different religious persuasions, and different social classes. Now is the time for power to be used more wisely and justly for everyone is here to be transformed.
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The Needs and Wants of all beings here on Earth should be honored and respected, including the plants and animals. Life is here to be honored as sacred. Our emerging creativity must bear fruit in the form of love among all peoples, regardless of divisions of race, religion, or nationality so that peace might reign as once promised; or else it will not be continued as before.
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If whale has shown up in your life, it is time to re-examine your use or lack of use of your creativity. Are you copying others and their ideas, or are you adapting their ideas to new and pragmatic uses to improve the lot of others? Each man and woman possesses this gift, to be reined in if it is not well used. Think of ourselves as the ‘prodigal son’ or ‘daughter’ who has been given priceless gifts of creativity and adaptation; how are you using your gifts? And what return will you take to the Father as you complete your assignments here on earth?
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Sources: J.E. Ciriot, A Dictionary of Symbols
Jean Chevalier & Alain Gheerbrant, Dictionary of Symbols
Ted Andrews, Animal Speak
Alice Anne Parker, Understand Your Dreams

For those who don’t believe all the extremist claims from environmentalists about "Global Warming", Stephen Hawking--arguably the world’s most famous astrophysicist--said that Earth could become an inhospitable, sweltering hothouse like Venus, which sometime in its past underwent a phase of runaway greenhouse effects.

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That’s a pretty dramatic claim. And though you can read about it all over the place today, it is not news. In 2001, he said threats of bioterrorism had him worried that humans would not survive the next 1,000 years.

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But wait! There’s more. Global warming threatens more than a million species of plants and animals, according to a new study by scientists from Conservation International. The researchers say nearly one-fourth of all the species on the planet may vanish over the next fifty years if global temperatures keep rising at their current rate.

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The scientists say the biggest problem is that species have nowhere to go if their habitat becomes unsuitable because of rising temperatures. Even small temperature changes will force animals to move to a cooler part of their range. But if their path is blocked because of human development or habitat destruction, they have nowhere to go.

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Plant species will suffer as well. More and more plants will become endangered by stress from lower soil moisture levels and higher temperatures. This in turn would affect all the animals that depend on them for food or shelter.

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The researchers looked at the possible impacts of three different climate change scenarios. They compared small, medium, and large global temperature changes. In the medium scenario, global temperatures would rise by about 3 degrees Fahrenheit through 2050. In that scenario, computer models predict that 1.25 million species will become extinct.

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The situation gets even worse in the maximum (greater than 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) temperature rise scenario. Overall, more than one-third of the world’s species would be lost. In Queensland, Australia, 85% of birds would face extinction. In the Amazon Basin, 87% of all plant life would disappear.

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Of course, scientists all around the world have been making the same points for generations, but our country won’t listen. Business interests don’t want to be bothered; doing anything about it might drive up costs and reduce profits. Coal and oil businesses don’t want to lose their businesses. Politicians won’t listen; there is no proof that Nature itself isn’t driving temperatures up. And the population won’t listen; environmentalists--one hears--are extremists, terrorists, alarmists. What people want to do is simply raise their children, cook their steaks on the barbie, keep child-predators away, gays from being married, illegal aliens in their own country, and make more money.

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I guess I no longer have faith that people will do what is in their collective interests--even if it means their deaths. We had rather blame someone else or go to war than to take any collective responsibility for what we’ve done to this Earth. The wild animals are being slain, the oceans overfished and poisoned, the whales and sharks hunted down to the last living creature, the rainforests burned. No thought for the future. No thought at all to preserving beauty or living in harmony with our fellow creatures. Our greed and arrogance is killing this planet and will kill us too.

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No wonder Hawking is depressed. It doesn’t take a genius to see our future!