Page - 159 - in JRFM - Journal Religion Film Media, Volume 03/01

Bridging Real and Virtual: A Spiritual Challenge | 159www.jrfm.eu 2017, 3/1, 159–181 Michael R. Heim Bridging Real and Virtual: A Spiritual Challenge ABstrACt The question of how to bridge virtuality and reality intensified in 2016 with the release of several consumer products. the article begins by reviewing two anxieties about virtual reality raised at a 1999 conference. to address these anxieties, the paper draws on post-Jungian archetypal psychology (James hillman, thomas Moore) and the re- trieval of renaissance theology (Marsilio ficino). two experiences with samsung Gear Vr then illustrate how classic archetypal elements can contribute to active proce- dures for bridging the virtual and the real. KeyWOrDs Vr spirituality, constructivist metaphysics, virtual architecture, immersive media, per- ceptual elements, archetypal psychology, 3-D dwellings, samsung Gear Vr BiOGrAPhy Michael heim is the author of several books on the ontology of virtual environments (amongst them the pioneering the Metaphysics of Virtual reality, 1993 and Virtual realism, 1998). he is lecturer at the Mount st. Mary’s College, Los Angeles. the CUrreNt sitUAtiON in the 1990s, Virtual reality (Vr) was a fantasy experiment among a small group of imagineers. the Vr headset was a rare clunky device used by artists and experimenters. in 2015, the headset appeared in several products on the con- sumer market, and by 2016, it had become widespread. thousands of headsets now function in a wide variety of contexts. Gamers were the first to adopt 3-D headsets, but now real-estate agents in Los Angeles also wear them, to give property tours to non-local buyers.1 therapists employ Vr in the treatment of 1 Gibson real estate, June 2016.