Step
Three

Understand
Nature’s
Plotlines

We use stories spun from basic plotlines to make sense of our experiences. The same handful of plotlines appear again and again as common threads in the multitude of stories we absorb from culture: good triumphs over evil, hard work pays off, love conquers all, and a few dozen more. But our planet is too big and complicated for these, so

WHY CAN’T WE HAVE SOME FOR EARTH?

We can. This step gives you three foundational plotlines for each realm, fundamental themes for understanding Earth as it’s manifested through Nature.

SCIENCE AND PLOTLINES

Science has been figuring out Earth and Nature for centuries, but its findings don’t fully penetrate our cultural consciousness. If its concepts came as stories with plotlines—which our brains seem wired for —they’d become our basis for understanding the natural world and replace outdated stories we’ve been using. And by knowing basic plotlines, nonscientists could start making sense of Nature like they never did before.

Do you understand Nature’s plotlines?

How
To Do It

Go Inside
The Realms

Dive into each of Earth’s nine realms to find beautiful examples from the real world surrounding a bronze pyramid. Engraved on its sides are three tales that describe the plotlines and their underlying science concepts. Your mission is to familiarize yourself with the 27 tales you’ll discover.

DOUBTS & EPIPHANIES


If you doubt that digging into the tales is worth the effort, you’ll be stuck interpreting your experiences through the human-centered stories inherited from settler and commercial culture. But if you carry on with this step, you’ll realize:


YOUR EXPERIENCES IN NATURE ARE CONSEQUENTIAL ENCOUNTERS WITH PROFOUND GLOBAL EVENTS.

The
Market

Help With
This Step

Get your own guide to the plotlines. Each item gives you the same set of tales and concepts but with tweaks to the format and experience. Pick one that suits your learning style and start making sense of the natural world.

DIRECTIONS


Once you receive your item, take time to read its tales and look at their images. They’re more than pretty pictures, they’re examples of what plotlines can look like in the real world. As you examine each one, create a memory clip of the imagery, the title, and the last line of the tale. To go deeper, check out the science concepts online. And, remember to keep your item somewhere you can touch base with the plotlines again and again.

Take It
Outside

Use What
You Learn

Now you have the playbook to follow big events that are happening around you. When you notice something in Nature, ignore cultural narratives like “how can this be used?”, or “is it good or bad?”, and think instead of a related realm and tale. Look again and see what you noticed is acting out a part in that tale, adding detail and nuance to the bare bones of its plotline.

MAKE PROGRESS

Interpret what catches your eye with a tale. Next, blend in the memory clip to let the experience sink into your subconscious. Letting your mind wander through words and images connects ideas and fits pieces together to form deep understanding. With practice, you’ll start noticing Nature’s details and Earth’s stamp on them wherever you go. This transforms your outdoor experiences into awe-inspiring brushes with Earth’s grand stories, something you’ll want to continue as you go to the next step.

Step four

Photo Art on this website includes adaptations from “A Long Dead Star” from ESA, Hubble, and NASA, by Y Chu; “The Blue Marble from NASA; “Twin Blue Marbles” from NASA; and Earth photo by Reid Wiseman from the International Space Station, Expedition 40.