HOW YOUR INNER ZOO IS ORGANIZED
Each chapter is focused on one animal and contains three sections: Keywords, Nature and Culture, and Insights.
Keywords
You can use the keywords listed at the start of each chapter to get an overview of the primary ideas that the animal has inspired in the human imagination. The keywords for all animals are also listed in the Keyword Index at the end of the book, and each keyword connects with all the animals associated with that particular theme. This cross-indexing enables you to explore any given theme across multiple animals. For example, the keyword “Transformation” is associated with the butterfly, frog, and seal, as well as other animals—and all of these animals are listed under “Transformation.”
Nature and Culture
The Nature and Culture section explores the animal through his appearance, behavior, and ecology, as well as the ways in which the animal has been represented in human culture—through symbolism, idioms, metaphors, myths, folk beliefs, and the arts. This section is intended to help you connect with the animal by reminding you of the aspects of the animal that gave rise to his symbolic associations and cultural traditions.
Insights
Drawing from the Nature and Culture section, and introducing new ideas as well, the Insights section presents creative suggestions for how you might look at yourself and your life through the lens of the animal. This section relies on creative interpretation of the animal’s natural and cultural history to explore psychological ideas associated with the animal. For example, the Insights section in the “Bear” chapter suggests that the bear’s tendency to live off of stored fat during hibernation serves as a metaphor for our own ability to rely on our accumulated inner resources.
Combining Nature and Culture with Insights
Insights can be drawn from the information in the Nature and Culture section, just as additional biological and cultural information is sometimes revealed in the Insights section. To get the most out of the book, read both sections and let them play off of each other in your imagination. For example, a detail about an animal’s ecological niche or her role in a creation myth might trigger insights that are not specifically highlighted in the Insights section.