How do we empower women?

Journey of the Universe, an epic film of Cosmic, Earth, and Human Transformation

As related to Robin Parisse for See Jane Do

Mary Evelyn Tucker, the Yale University Historian of Religions spoke with See Jane Do at the 2011 Bioneers Conference held in Marin last month to share her excitement on the release of “Journey of the Universe” which she co-wrote with Brian Thomas Swimme and created with a renowned team of scientists, scholars and award winning filmmakers: Patsy Northcutt and David Kennard produced and directed “Journey of the Universe”.

One of the aims of the team’s project was to use the art of storytelling to capture the grandeur and drama of the universe itself – from the big bang to where we are today in a moment of great transition.

In our growing environmental and social crises around the globe, this film is designed to inspire a new and closer relationship with Earth. Using his skills as a masterful storyteller, Swimme connects big picture issues such as the birth of the cosmos 14 billion years ago to the human genome to our current impact on Earth’s evolutionary dynamics to engage audiences to discover the profound role we play in the intricate web of life.

Beautifully filmed in HD, the story begins on the historical Greek island of Samos, the birthplace of the mathematician Pythagoras. At dawn, Swimme expertly guides us on an exhilarating trek through time and space sharing a wondrous view of cosmic evolution as a process based on immense creativity, connection and interdependence.

Scientific discoveries in astronomy, geology, biology, ecology and biodiversity are woven together with humanistic insights concerning the nature of the universe. What emerges is an intensely poetic story that evokes emotions of awe, excitement, fear, joy and belonging. Throughout billions of years of evolution, triumph, and disaster have been only a hair’s breadth apart. Violence and creativity are pervasive. The ability of matter to organize and reorganize itself is remarkable – from the formation of the first atoms to the emergence of life.

The Journey of the Universe shows us how we are not just a part of the astonishing process, we are the very edge of evolution, a primate species that has found in its language and symbols the power to take over the very evolutionary process itself. “Now we live in a time when the human species is being asked to play a central role in activating the flourishing powers of Earth’s living systems” comments Mary Evelyn. “But this control that we now exercise comes with a responsibility; and viewers will not only be imbued with a sense of astonishment, they will come away with excitement and a call to action.”

Screenings: http://www.journeyoftheuniverse.org/upcoming-events/

More Info: http://www.journeyoftheuniverse.org/

Connect with Mary Evelyn Tucker: Tcmk@aya.Yale.edu