How Aliens Might Dream: The Science and Imagination of Extraterrestrial Myths with Jason D. Batt, Ph.D., Begins August 20
Six Week Class Taught Online Via Zoom
Wednesdays, August 20 - September 24, 2025
7:00 - 8:30 pm ET (NYC Time)
$130 Paid Patreon Members / $150 General Admission
PLEASE NOTE: Classes will be recorded and archived for students who cannot make that time
The stars have always inspired our most profound myths, but what tales might arise under distant suns? This course will explore how mythology might emerge in extraterrestrial contexts, drawing on insights from exoplanet science, astrobiology, and depth psychology. As we move closer to discovering life beyond Earth, we are challenged to imagine how radically different environments and forms of consciousness could give rise to entirely new mythological systems. Students will consider how factors such as a planet’s climate, atmosphere, and even the presence of multiple suns might shape the symbolic worlds of alien beings.
Through analysis of both scientific research and science fiction’s most compelling alien cultures, we will examine theoretical models for the development of “xenomythology”-the study of myth-making beyond our planet. The course will include creative exercises in which students design plausible myths for hypothetical extraterrestrial species, encouraging both rigorous analysis and imaginative speculation.
Led by Dr. Jason D. Batt, a pioneer in this emerging field, the course will also address deeper questions: Is the impulse to create myth universal, or is it unique to humanity? Can mythic archetypes transcend biological and sensory boundaries? How might non-human ways of perceiving reality shape narrative structures and sacred stories? By engaging with these questions, students will not only expand their understanding of myth’s environmental and psychological foundations, but also develop new tools for thinking about consciousness and meaning in a truly cosmic context.
Jason D. Batt, Ph.D., is a technological philosopher, mythologist, futurist, artist, and writer specializing in mythologies of space exploration. He co-founded Deep Space Predictive Research Group, Project Lodestar, and the International Society of Mythology. He has authored three novels, edited three fiction anthologies, and his short fiction and scholarly work have appeared in numerous publications. Jason currently serves as Senior Editor for the Journal of Mythological Studies, Co-Managing Editor of the Beyond Earth Institute Space Policy Review, Associate Editor of the Journal of Space Philosophy.
Images: The Raven and the Grim Reaper, Gustave Gore, circa 1832; Report of the apparition on March 2, 1561 in Nuremberg. The broadsheet claims that the divine signs should be taken seriously in view of the Last Day and will lead to a penitential life on earth, via Public Domain Review.
Six Week Class Taught Online Via Zoom
Wednesdays, August 20 - September 24, 2025
7:00 - 8:30 pm ET (NYC Time)
$130 Paid Patreon Members / $150 General Admission
PLEASE NOTE: Classes will be recorded and archived for students who cannot make that time
The stars have always inspired our most profound myths, but what tales might arise under distant suns? This course will explore how mythology might emerge in extraterrestrial contexts, drawing on insights from exoplanet science, astrobiology, and depth psychology. As we move closer to discovering life beyond Earth, we are challenged to imagine how radically different environments and forms of consciousness could give rise to entirely new mythological systems. Students will consider how factors such as a planet’s climate, atmosphere, and even the presence of multiple suns might shape the symbolic worlds of alien beings.
Through analysis of both scientific research and science fiction’s most compelling alien cultures, we will examine theoretical models for the development of “xenomythology”-the study of myth-making beyond our planet. The course will include creative exercises in which students design plausible myths for hypothetical extraterrestrial species, encouraging both rigorous analysis and imaginative speculation.
Led by Dr. Jason D. Batt, a pioneer in this emerging field, the course will also address deeper questions: Is the impulse to create myth universal, or is it unique to humanity? Can mythic archetypes transcend biological and sensory boundaries? How might non-human ways of perceiving reality shape narrative structures and sacred stories? By engaging with these questions, students will not only expand their understanding of myth’s environmental and psychological foundations, but also develop new tools for thinking about consciousness and meaning in a truly cosmic context.
Jason D. Batt, Ph.D., is a technological philosopher, mythologist, futurist, artist, and writer specializing in mythologies of space exploration. He co-founded Deep Space Predictive Research Group, Project Lodestar, and the International Society of Mythology. He has authored three novels, edited three fiction anthologies, and his short fiction and scholarly work have appeared in numerous publications. Jason currently serves as Senior Editor for the Journal of Mythological Studies, Co-Managing Editor of the Beyond Earth Institute Space Policy Review, Associate Editor of the Journal of Space Philosophy.
Images: The Raven and the Grim Reaper, Gustave Gore, circa 1832; Report of the apparition on March 2, 1561 in Nuremberg. The broadsheet claims that the divine signs should be taken seriously in view of the Last Day and will lead to a penitential life on earth, via Public Domain Review.
Six Week Class Taught Online Via Zoom
Wednesdays, August 20 - September 24, 2025
7:00 - 8:30 pm ET (NYC Time)
$130 Paid Patreon Members / $150 General Admission
PLEASE NOTE: Classes will be recorded and archived for students who cannot make that time
The stars have always inspired our most profound myths, but what tales might arise under distant suns? This course will explore how mythology might emerge in extraterrestrial contexts, drawing on insights from exoplanet science, astrobiology, and depth psychology. As we move closer to discovering life beyond Earth, we are challenged to imagine how radically different environments and forms of consciousness could give rise to entirely new mythological systems. Students will consider how factors such as a planet’s climate, atmosphere, and even the presence of multiple suns might shape the symbolic worlds of alien beings.
Through analysis of both scientific research and science fiction’s most compelling alien cultures, we will examine theoretical models for the development of “xenomythology”-the study of myth-making beyond our planet. The course will include creative exercises in which students design plausible myths for hypothetical extraterrestrial species, encouraging both rigorous analysis and imaginative speculation.
Led by Dr. Jason D. Batt, a pioneer in this emerging field, the course will also address deeper questions: Is the impulse to create myth universal, or is it unique to humanity? Can mythic archetypes transcend biological and sensory boundaries? How might non-human ways of perceiving reality shape narrative structures and sacred stories? By engaging with these questions, students will not only expand their understanding of myth’s environmental and psychological foundations, but also develop new tools for thinking about consciousness and meaning in a truly cosmic context.
Jason D. Batt, Ph.D., is a technological philosopher, mythologist, futurist, artist, and writer specializing in mythologies of space exploration. He co-founded Deep Space Predictive Research Group, Project Lodestar, and the International Society of Mythology. He has authored three novels, edited three fiction anthologies, and his short fiction and scholarly work have appeared in numerous publications. Jason currently serves as Senior Editor for the Journal of Mythological Studies, Co-Managing Editor of the Beyond Earth Institute Space Policy Review, Associate Editor of the Journal of Space Philosophy.
Images: The Raven and the Grim Reaper, Gustave Gore, circa 1832; Report of the apparition on March 2, 1561 in Nuremberg. The broadsheet claims that the divine signs should be taken seriously in view of the Last Day and will lead to a penitential life on earth, via Public Domain Review.