About Dr Geoffrey Berry

I gained my PhD (Monash University 2010) by writing an analysis of the symbol of light and what is has meant to people over time, especially in the context of environmental consciousness. The thesis answered the question: what does the way we think about light, in symbolic terms, say about the way we treat nature? It was driven by my feeling that when we think of light as some kind of ethereal force, connected to a kind of ‘otherworldly’ spirituality, we stop being true to our natures as intelligent animals who are dependent upon the earth and its other creatures. Both examiners ranked it in the top 5% of the world on several counts.

I also completed an MA in Creative Literature (Deakin University 2005) on our dreams as underworld journeys and initiatory rites. Sojourn (as it was called) explored the way our personal dreams can link us to a mysterious world of symbolic power, similar to ancient myths and shamanic journeys, even in a seemingly desacralised modern world. It also includes a philosophical component that outlines the ideas that went into the creative piece. Examiner Sean Kane (respected author of Wisdom of the Mythtellers) compared my writing favourably to that of Leonard Cohen. I was pretty happy with this result, to say the least…Read More