A Triangle of Faith: Parallels between Motherhood, Religion and the Worshipping of Nature

Abstract

The relationship between a mother and her child is mirrored by the relationship between a religious devotee and God. The same dynamic is present in the relationship between people and the natural world, especially in historical contexts when people’s wellbeing and survival relied more directly on the environment. In each of these cases, one party is devoted to the other, dutifully serving, protecting and nurturing, while simultaneously being at the mercy of the one that they serve. This creates a passionate and complex entanglement containing love, anger, and sacrifice all at once. There are fascinating examples of the ways in which people display their devotion, including prayer as a means of medical treatment, the creation of monuments (such as Stonehenge), and physically intimate relationships with books of scripture (namely Harley 2966, a medieval Book of Hours). I have found through my research that all of these practices have a common goal: dispelling fear. The chapter titles in this thesis are “The Power of the Body,” “The Power of Nature,” and “The Power of Worship,” as these are three of the most common tools used by individuals to deal with fear and bring about feelings of comfort and equilibrium. I will predominantly call on three writers to help expand this discussion: Bessel Van der Kolk, a psychiatrist whose writing on trauma presents new evidence on the power of the body; Jacqueline Rose, an academic who explores the psychic and physical intensity of being a mother; and Donald Winnicott, the famed pediatrician, who offers many helpful thoughts on devotion, maternal hatred, and Transitional Objects.1 This thesis and my studio practice have provided abundant opportunities to explore the web I have found myself in: an ecosystem of faith, fear, devotion, worship, love, hate, pain, pleasure, flesh, and earth. I have referred back to the three pillars of body, nature, and worship throughout my study, and they have acted as a manual to guide my understanding of these aforementioned relationships (mother-infant, devotee-God, person-nature).