Paul Levy discusses his book Wetiko: Healing The Mind Virus That Plagues Our World.

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In its Native American meaning, wetiko is an evil cannibalistic spirit that can take over people’s minds, leading to selfishness, greed, and consumption as an end in itself, destructively turning our intrinsic creative genius against us. Revealing the presence of wetiko behind every form of destruction our species is carrying out, both individual and collective, Levy shows how this mind-virus is so embedded in our psyche that it is almost undetectable, and it is our blindness to it that gives wetiko its power. However, by recognizing this mind parasite, we can break free from its hold and realize the vast creative powers of the human mind.

Levy explores how artists, philosophers, and spiritual traditions across the ages have been creatively symbolizing this psychic pathogen so as to help us see it and heal it. He explores how the projection of the shadow self – scapegoating – is the underlying psychological mechanism fueling wetiko, and examines wetiko in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, showing that we can reframe this event to receive the lessons and opportunities embedded in it. Revealing how the power of imagination can cure wetiko, Levy underscores how important it is for each of us to bring forth the creative spirit within us, which helps shed the light of consciousness on wetiko, taking away its power over us while simultaneously empowering ourselves.

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