Myth Matters: Recent Episodes
Catherine Svehla
Welcome to Myth Matters, a bi-weekly podcast of storytelling and conversation about mythology, and why it’s important to life today.
The old myths and stories speak to the mysteries of life. They are one of the oldest forms of teaching, healing, and community building, and continue to offer these gifts today.
Gain a different perspective on your life and the world. Learn a new way to think, create, thrive, and transform in these best (and worst) of times.
Myth Matters host, Catherine Svehla PhD, shares her knowledge of mythology and depth psychology to bring you into the story circle. She offered this podcast under the name “Myth in the Mojave” for 6 years and 127 episodes are also available under that name.
Check out “Myth Matters at www.mythicmojo.com and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.
Enjoy patron-only content and help this unique story circle grow by joining Myth Matters on Patreon.
Thanks for listening and keep the mystery in your life alive.
This podcast is a member of the Joseph Campbell Foundation MythMaker℠ Podcast Network. The information, statements, comments, views, and opinions expressed or provided in podcasts on the MythMaker℠ Podcast Network (including by speakers who are not officers, employees, or agents of The Joseph Campbell Foundation) are not necessarily those of the Joseph Campbell Foundation, and may not be current. The Joseph Campbell Foundation does not make any representation or warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of any of the information, statements, comments, views or opinions contained in any podcasts on the MythMaker℠ Podcast Network, and any liability therefor (including in respect of direct, indirect or consequential loss or damage of any kind whatsoever) is expressly disclaimed. The Joseph Campbell Foundation does not undertake any obligation whatsoever to provide any form of update, amendment, change or correction to any of the information, statements, comments, views or opinions set forth in podcasts on the MythMaker℠ Podcast Network.
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"It may be that when we no longer know what to do, we have come to our real work, that then when we no longer know which way to go, we have come to our real journey. The mind that is not baffled is not employed. The impeded stream is the one that sings." ---- Wendell Berry
The situation that Berry describes is a creative edge, the place where the known meets the unknown, where what is and has been realized and understood fades into the possibilities of what is yet to be.
Two questions arise for me in contemplating this creative edge. Where do we look for guidance? Or rather, what are we in conversation with when we reach the edge of knowing? And what is a good way to court this guiding source, energy, inspiration, or wisdom?
The nine Muses of ancient Greece and their mother, the Titan goddess Mnemosyne, offer some ideas.
Thanks for listening and keep the mystery in your life alive...
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“Energy, creation, movement and harmony, development, all happen under the aegis of love, in the domain of eros. Desire is the cause of all movement, and movement is the character of all being. The universe is a process, and its method is change.” — Germaine Greer
The ideas expressed by Greer in this quote reflect the ancient Greek perception of a cosmic dynamic of love and attraction, imagined as the god Eros. The notion of Eros is thousands of years old and yet still central, compelling, and meaningful.
In this episode, we take a look at two ancient poets whose poetry about eros speak to us today. The Roman Ovid was fascinated with the psychology and effects of eros, passionate love. In his view, love is the catalyst for transformation and our passions are our folly. This is a mad, crazy world.
Ovid's work was innovative and yet he had an important predecessor in Sappho, a Greek lyric poet whose primary theme was also love. Her work was also ground-breaking and known to Ovid. He even included her in his Heroides, a collection of fictitious letters exchanged between lovers.
The work of these two poets, conceived centuries ago, illuminates some of the ways that ancient Greco-Roman ideas about eros influence our ideas about love and passion today.
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"Some sisters said such things could never be, while others were convinced that anything was in the power of true deities---"
-The Metamorphoses, Book 4, by Ovid translated by Allen Mandelbaum
Ovid wove Greek myths of transformation to create his masterwork, The Metamorphoses. This poem describes a world of shapeshifting, ambiguity, and forms in flux. Of endless transformations instigated by passion: passionate feelings, fantasies, pleas, prayers, and convictions.
This episode contains a couple of more obscure myths from Book 4 that seed a meditation on the fluidity of identity and gender, and the blurriness of boundaries in an ever-changing cosmos.
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“All things change; nothing perishes.”-- Ovid
Ovid was a Roman poet who wrote his master work, The Metamorphoses or "Transformations," in 8 C.E.. He weaves more than 250 Greek myths together in one long poem to tell a story of transformation, and explore the complexities of love as an agent of change.
Ovid's voice has been influential over the centuries. The Metamorphoses was an important touchstone for Dante, Chaucer, Shakespeare, and other artists and thinkers whose works are foundational to today’s dominant culture. HIs perspective and the story that he tells are worth examination.
Is it still useful to us? Does it offer anything to our vision of the future?
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“The universe is a continuous web. Touch it at any point and the whole web quivers.” ― Stanley Kunitz
I always dedicate the April episodes of Myth Matters to poetry as a way to celebrate National Poetry month here in the United States. This year, I'm turning to the work of Stanley Kunitz.
Kunitz received nearly every honor bestowed upon a poet in this country. His work is a marvelous blend of deep feeling and philosophy, and clear observations of the natural world. He lived to be a 100 years old and was lucid to the end; the writing from his later years is beautiful and wise, marked by his earthy eroticism and fascination with the mysteries.
Poetry is a valuable tool and resource in this time of cultural transformation, a source of truth, inspiration, and companionship, and a doorway into inner calm. I hope you enjoy this episode and if you have a favorite poem or poet, please share them with me!
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"But people must be taught lessons. Without them, none of them will ever learn.
People are dreams and awkwardness and gawk. They prick their fingers
Bleed and snore and drool. Politeness is as quiet as a grave,
Unmoving, roses without thorns. Or white lilies. People have to learn."
-- excerpted from "Observing the Formalities" by Neil Gaiman
Our myths and old stories play a complicated role in our personal and collective evolution. On the one hand, they are conservative carriers of social values that impede change. On the other, they are tools for de-conditioning and vehicles for liberation.
The role they play depends on the perspective we take and the interpretative lens that we bring to them. We inherit our myths and we're taught how to receive them.
This episode is an exploration of this idea, a thought experiment using a fairy tale that you may know, "Briar Rose" AKA "Sleeping Beauty." I found something new in this story and hope that you do too.
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The Norwegian fairy tale of "Tatterhood" begins as many stories do, with a kingdom that lacks something essential. Each of us lives in a fairy tale kingdom or two, in an orderly system of protocols and social rules that structure both outer and inner worlds.
The stability of the kingdom is important. And yet, the structure eventually outlives its usefulness. The old order stagnates, degrades, and loses meaning. The boundaries are too tight and the space feels too small. Because life = change.
Something new, something radical, is needed to catalyze a necessary renewal.
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"We must unlearn the constellations to see the stars. "-- Jack Gilbert from "Tear it Down"
This episode revolves around a Hindu story, "The King and the Corpse," about a king who spends a long night with a talking corpse and realizes a profound truth.
This is one of my favorite stories, rich in metaphor, humor, riddles, and insight. I don't want to spoil it for you so I'll simply say that I've worked with this story several times and always find something useful, and I was compelled to share it with you when it began to haunt my consciousness once again.
I think you'll see why after you've heard it.
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"Participate joyfully in the sorrows of the world. We cannot cure the world of sorrows, but we can choose to live in joy. The warrior's approach is to say 'yes' to life: 'yea' to it all."-- Joseph Campbell
How do you stay engaged with the creative potential of this time? How can you participate to bring something positive, necessary, unprecedented, into our constantly evolving world?
These questions are in the forefront of my mind. I'm intrigued by Campbell's emphasis on joy, and the suggestion that joy is part of the "warrior's approach." But I wonder what being a "warrior" might look like and if it's a useful image/role for me.
I brought these questions to a Buddhist teaching story called "The Tigress Jataka" and share the story and my reflections in this episode.
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The end of a year and our seasonal holidays invite evaluation, reflection on what the future holds, and longing for some type of renewal. A fresh start. A clean slate. Restoration. A new green world.
The Grimm fairy tale "The Goose Girl at the Well" is not a holiday story and yet, the symbolic language of transformation and value, of what truly matters in a good life, speak to the concerns and longings of December. Like many fairy tales, characters in this story undergo transformation through encounters with enigmatic forces that reveal deeper truths.
What does "The Goose Girl at the Well" hold for you?
This is the final episode of 2025. Thank you for your attention and support of Myth Matters, and thank you for being you! Best wishes for a peaceful year end. See you in 2026.
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“He who runs after two hares will catch neither.” Japanese proverb
Feelings of emptiness, lack, greed, dishonesty--- are any of us immune from this experience? The number of stories that revolve around this problem suggest a near universal need to meet this challenge.
We commonly associate greed with an insatiable need for more and more money, but one can be greedy for all types of things: food, love, power, attention, sex, status, books, time, even spiritual knowledge. This Japanese story is one that appears in similar forms in other traditions. It offers a lens for reflection.
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The existence and importance of other worlds populated by other beings, non-human beings, is consistent across mythological traditions. Today, the dominant culture has a difficult time accepting these stories and yet we continue to tell them.
We continue to need them.
In this episode, I share the Celtic story "The Adventure of Bran" and reflect on what stories like this might offer.
“And there seems never to have been an uncivilized tribe, a race, or nation of civilized men who have not had some form of belief in an unseen world, peopled by unseen beings. In religions, mythologies, and the Fairy-Faith, too, we behold the attempts which have been made by different peoples in different ages to explain in terms of human experience this unseen world, its inhabitants, its laws, and man's relation to it." --- W.Y. Evans-Wentz
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"We are all taking everything that we've learned from the past, and we're reformulating what we want to do with that and how we want to live. And so, one of the ideas that's embedded in that, for me, is that when you're in this period of history, like we are now, with AI and with the digitization of everything and with the resurgence of a fascist movement, everything is up for grabs.
You know, anything can happen, and that's the whole point really, that we have agency in this moment to affect what direction things are going to go in, as bricoleurs." --- Rags Rosenberg
A special interview episode with poet and performing songwriter Rags Rosenberg. Rags writes what he calls mythopoetic folk rock in the tradition of songwriter poets he admires: Leonard Cohen, Bob, Dylan, and Tom Waits.
His latest album Song of the Bricoleur speaks about myth and our ongoing myth-making. We talk about artistic identity and guiding images, the role of the artist in dark times, and "making it up as we go."
In times of profound cultural change, we're all bricoleurs.
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"Leaving home" is an interesting metaphor for the call to significant change. This episode is a reflection on intention, uncertainty, and how myths can help us listen to the soul and find clarity around the risks and purpose of the journey.
Thanks for listening and keep the mystery in your life alive...
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In this episode, we take a look at the fairy tale "The Valiant Tailor" or the "The Brave Tailor," collected by the Brothers Grimm. Honestly, I almost dismissed this story as a bit too silly and I didn't like the tailor much at the outset.
But what you don't like about a story can be a good prod to look more closely...
The tailor's adventures opened reflections on trickster strategies, courage, and the power of imagination. All useful bits to put in your pocket when you're ready to leave home.
Special thanks to Gary Diggins for granting me permission to include his story about leaving home in this episode.
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“You must give up the life you planned in order to have the life that is waiting for you.”-- Joseph Campbell
In this episode we explore the mythic theme of leaving home as a central part of answering the call to transformation. Drawing from myths such as Inanna’s Descent, Valemon the White Bear King, Psyche and Eros, and The Odyssey, we reflect on the symbolic and literal meanings of “home,” and how leaving it often initiates deep personal change.
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This is the last episode in a 4-part series on the Sumerian myth of Inanna: Dumuzi’s Dream and The Return. After Inanna ascends from the underworld, she chooses her lover-king Dumuzi as her replacement in the Great Below.
What happens to him? What meanings can we find in this action? Did the goddess betray her husband? Is this cruelty or compassion?
I hope you find value in Dumuzi's story and welcome your thoughts and comments-- feel free to share them with me.
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Special episode with guest singer-composer Kelli Scarr!
Scarr released her new album Greater Mysteries, a musical journey through the spiraling cycle of transformation, last month. The Sumerian myth of Inanna is one of the touchstones in this beautiful work, and I'm grateful to Kelli for taking the time to talk with me about the making of the album, her engagement with Inanna, and our collective transformation.
"What I hope that this album does is brings solace and inspiration, and holds people's hands through their ears to say it's worth the risk. It's worth the risk of dying in all of its forms. Because even when what is on the other side isn't what you thought it was going to be, it's so much better."-- Kelli Scarr
Thanks for listening and keep the mystery in your life alive...
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She goes down
As we go down
We follow her underground
Hail to Inanna
Who died
To become born.
— Chant from the writer Starhawk and the Reclaiming Collective
This is episode #3 in a four-part series on the Sumerian myth of the goddess Inanna and the part of the story that contains her descent to the underworld. It's a fascinating story and a very old one, which tells us something important about this journey and the surrounding mysteries, and how they live in our imagination and psyche.
Inanna's story is a story of transformation, transformation as an inevitable part of life. She can help us navigate the chaos and find the gifts.
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“The Church says: the body is a sin.Science says: the body is a machine.Advertising says: The body is a business.The Body says: I am a fiesta.”― Eduardo Galeano, from Walking Words
In this episode I tell the second part of Inanna's story, the courtship and marriage between Inanna and her honey man, the shepherd Dumuzi.
Ripe in every sense, Inanna engages in a passionate and symbolic union that celebrates physical desire, renews the life cycles of nature, and expresses the creativity and eros of the cosmos. Her myth illuminates the sacredness of embodied experience and the transformative power of creative union, and challenges traditional dichotomies between spirit and matter.
Inanna invites us to reconsider the sacred through the lens of wholeness, integration, and reverence for life in all its forms.
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In the first days, in the very first days, everything needed was brought into being and the goddess Inanna, Queen of Heaven and Earth, took her place in the center of the Sumerian pantheon. This myth was recorded at the beginning of history and describes a pivotal time in human civilization.
We're reckoning with the developments of this time, today. Inanna's myth can help us find a place-- as individuals, communities, and countries-- in the transformation that's currently underway. This is the first in a four-part series.
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"We need joy as we need air." Maya Angelou
Joy. Joy is my motivation, my desire and object in sharing some poetry with you in this episode. Joy---gladness, pleasure, delight, and rejoicing. Joy, a very precious freedom.
How can you, how can we, build our capacity for joy? The belief that suffering alone lends you depth and nobility seems pretty common, and I wonder about this. Is familiarity with hardship sufficient to grow in compassion and resilience? Or does joy expand our humanity and understanding of life as well as lift us up?
There are valuable clues to these questions in poems, the fruits of a poet's devoted attention. I have 13 poems for you, a baker's dozen of poems that speak about or gesture toward, joy.
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The final episode in a three-part exploration of the mysterious Baba Yaga, a scary crone in Russian and Slavic fairy tales. Who or what is she?
The fairy tale "Finist the Bright Falcon" opens up some interesting possibilities.
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The Baba Yaga is a complex and scary crone in East Slavic and Russian fairy tales. She's a face of the earth goddesses and the fierce wildness of nature.
Are some of us meeting the Baba Yaga right now?
There's a lot of chaos right now as institutions, laws, and norms of behavior that order our societies are attacked. Chaos that has a parallel in escalating natural disasters and other earth events.
Is this a collective initiation? What might we see if we understood this time as an initiation through forces much greater than the actions of a cabal of greedy sociopaths?
These are scary times and they are ripe with opportunity. There's no avoiding it. Let's make something beautiful.
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Welcome to episode one of the new (7th) season of Myth Matters!
A new year and a time of change. Is this, as some say, the time of the wise, elder woman, the time of the crone? The Baba Yaga is one face of this archetypal energy.
This episode is the first of two about the Baba Yaga. Baba Yaga is a complex and multifaceted figure in Russian and East Slavic fairy tales. She's a scary crone with roots in the pre-Christian pagan goddesses that we now call "mother earth," and expresses the warmly maternal dimension of nature and the fierce wildness. She seems to be full of contradictions. She holds the key to the mysteries of life.
Here we explore some of her complexity through the three of her many stories: "Baba Yaga and the Kid," "The Step Daughter and the Step Mother's Daughter," and "The Geese and the Swans."
Thanks for listening and keep the mystery in your life alive...
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“These lofty words are an antidote for anyone sickened by extremism’s poison.” Farid ud Din Attar, translation by Sholeh Wolpé
The Conference of the Birds is an epic poem from the 12th century written by Sufi poet Farid ud Din Attar. The poem tells the story of a group of birds and an arduous journey to find a mysterious king. Renowned for its depth and beauty, the Conference of the Birds is an allegorical teaching about the spiritual path to self-realization that offers insight into the communal nature of a solitary quest.
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Endings, loss, and uncertainty. Fears of a catastrophic future. Many of us are living with this right now or wondering how to. How to act. How to participate.
Perspective and guidance can be gleaned from myths and old stories. They are a poetic record of life in a world where catastrophe happens. A world in which people have at various times, felt that everything was falling apart or that the world might even end.
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"It is above all by the imagination that we achieve perception and compassion and hope." –Ursula K. LeGuin
This episode revolves around the Welsh myth of Cerridwen and the Birth of Taliesin. I've worked with this story a number of times. It comes to mind this time of year because Cerridwen is both a goddess and a witch, and this story includes potions, cauldrons, shapeshifting, and poetry.
A different theme emerged for me this time in response to our collective uncertainty and questions about action, control, and faith.
I hope you find something of value in this meditation.
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“We must be willing to let go of the life we planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us.”― Joseph Campbell
We began an exploration of some important questions in the last episode. Questions about our allegiance to the inner world and the concerns of our outer life in the material world, as the demands of these realms often seem to be in conflict with each other. How well do we understand the relative weight and power of these worlds? How they inform and enrich the other? What is involved in our choices?
A fairy tale called "The Nixie in the Mill Pond" was our way into reflection on this topic. This is part 2 of the story and our reflection of these questions.
Make a deep dive into story----
Step Into the Fairy Glen details and registration
A self-guided journey into story and soul
November 1st- November 15th
Tap into the power of story to live your symbolic life
Follow your bliss
"He who looks outside, dreams; he who looks inside, awakens." C. G. Jung
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To what do we owe greater allegiance, our outer life in the material world of human conventions, or our inner life and the requirements of soul? I explore this question through the lens of a fairy tale called "The Nixie in the Mill Pond," collected by the Brothers Grimm.
This is a big topic and a fascinating story with many twists and turns so I'm devoting to episodes to it. This is part 1.
" Sometimes a man stands up during supper
and walks outdoors, and keeps on walking.."
--Ranier Marie Rilke translated by Robert Bly
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How we imagine our lives is how we live our lives, and mythologies provide the images and ideas in this process. But images of the human in the dominant myths-- as sinner, dominator, or world destroyer-- aren't guiding us toward a bright future. What are the alternatives?
How about an ingenious, improvising jack-of-all-trades, the "bricoleur"?
There is no "Myth of the Bricoleur" as far as I know and yet, the bricoleur and the act of bricolage can be found in myths and stories around the world. And once you know what this is, I think you'll see the bricoleur at work everywhere today.
You may even be one.
The human as bricoleur jack-of-all-trades offers a different way of understanding and engaging with the personal and cultural transformation currently underway. I hope you enjoy the episode!
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How we imagine ourselves is how we'll be.
And where do we receive these images of the human? They're in our myths.
In this episode, I take a look at three images in the myths of the dominant culture that determine how many of us see ourselves and how we live: the sinner, the king of the animal kingdom, and the world destroyer/ parasite.
Are these images useful today? How do we find and live into alternatives?
I'm joined by the insightful Dr. Craig Chalquist (see bio below) in an exploration of these questions. Many thanks to Dr. Chalquist for his rich contribution to the conversation!
Much more could be said on this important topic. I hope you find this a helpful.
Craig Chalquist is academic director of the Consciousness, Psychology, and Transformation program at National University. He holds a PhD in Depth Psychology and another in Psychology and Religion. His most recent nonfiction book is the second edition of Terrapsychological Inquiry. He also writes speculative fiction and is working on a trilogy of novels dealing with how humanity will face events sixty years from today. Visit his website Chalquist.com.
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Sifting through options to make a decision is something that each of us has to do at some point. When our choice is part of a creative process in work or life, in the arts or our psychic terrain, it can be very difficult. Something new will come into the world. Some type of transformation will take place. We're deeply invested in the outcome and there may be consequences.
The dilemma posed by the need to make a choice is a common feature in the tests and tasks faced by characters in fairy tales. The nature of the choice and the way it is accomplished in these stories provides useful metaphors for considering our present situations and the challenges posed by creative choices.
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“We would do well… to think of the creative process as a living thing implanted in the human psyche.” --- C.G. Jung (1922) Collected Works 15
We often say that every person is inherently creative and yet doubts and fears of inadequacy are common. Many of us hesitate to make any claims to creativity and feel it is lacking in our lives, or question the value of our creative processes and the outcomes.
In this episode I offer a perspective on this dilemma with the aid of a fairy tale called "The Three Feathers" and The Red Book by and C.G. Jung.
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Apple's ad for the new iPad has evoked some very strong reactions, reactions that illuminate old links between image, metaphor, myth, and our collective notions about creativity and the creative process. The current cultural conversation is a good starting point for reflection on some commonly held images of creativity and the way these images shape our creative process and the value we place upon it.
This is the first in a series of episodes that will explore the central importance of image and imagination in all of life. How we imagine our lives is how we live them.
Thanks for listening and keep the mystery in your life alive...
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"Well, that's the trick: the sudden unexpectedness inside the over-known."
--- Heather McHugh
What type of mood does the word "poetry" evoke for you? Do you associate poetry with the profound and weighty? The concerns of the soul and the seriously sacred?
I rarely look to poetry for a laugh and I wonder why, when there are many brilliant moments of humor to be found there. In celebration of National Poetry month, here are ten or so humorous poems from Roald Dahl, Billy Collins, Carol Ann Duffy, and others.
I'm joined by poet and songwriter Rags Rosenberg, a longtime friend of Myth Matters who adds a few of his thoughts and poems to the mix. Thank you Rags!
I hope you enjoy the episode and please share your favorite poems of the moment with me!
Thanks for listening.
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Fate and free will, and the longing for purpose and prospect of destiny that hangs somewhere in-between. How do these forces shape our lives? Do we play assigned roles in a cosmic plan or make it all up as we go?
These questions weave through many myths and stories. What answers do we find and how can we live with the questions?
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“A yogi sees Me in all things and all things within Me.” Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita
The Bhagavad-Gita is an important Hindu teaching story embedded in the Mahabharata, an astonishing epic poem. Astonishing for its length- 100,000 verses-- and for its beauty. Astonishing for the complexity of the social and spiritual world constructed in the poem and the exploration of the moral dilemmas we face while attempting to live our lives correctly.
In this episode, I take a look at the Bhagavad-Gita with the help of Gabriella Nagy, an embodied yoga instructor and yogic life skill guide.
Gabriella has a deep love for this story and far more understanding of the text. I'm grateful for her guidance through some of the puzzles the Gita presents and hope our conversation aids your reflections.
GABRIELLA NAGY is an embodied yoga instructor and yogic life skill guide who has practiced yoga and mindfulness since high school. She believes that yoga ultimately is the science of inner transformation and the first step is to purify our hearts so that we can see clearly.
Her unique teaching approach which she calls “yoga of awareness” is named to honor the main yoga that Krishna teaches in the Bhagavad Gita.Her classes support spiritual seekers longing to embrace yoga as a life skill and cultivate balance and strength on the mundane level as well as on the subtler realms.
Gabriella lives on the sandy beach of Baja California, Mexico with her multimedia artist husband and their four-legged chihuahua children Merlin and Maya.
You can find Gabriella at:www.yogaofawareness.comInstagram: @yoga.of.awareness
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Last Monday, February 26th was Tell a Fairy Tale Day. I began preparation for this episode with the intention of telling you a fairy tale, perhaps one that was connected to the holiday. This process opened up reflection on the necessity of a well-developed imagination to meet life challenges in a creative and satisfying way, and the role fairy tales play in cultivating this capacity.
In fairy tale language, some of these life challenges could be called "ogres," the people and forces that hoard the gold and will eat you up, take your life, if they can. Ogre is a pretty good metaphor for some of the challenges that we meet. And, of course, an ogre appears in the story in this episode.
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We have an ever- increasing wealth of myths and stories, fueled by new discoveries and ongoing mythmaking. There are also dominant myths and stories, and dominant ideas about myths and stories, that limit the usefulness of this inheritance and the possibilities we entertain.
In the last episode, I turned to the Hero's Adventure, a mythic pattern articulated by Joseph Campbell, to reflect on some of the many ways that we can hear a call to a new life. A bigger life, a life of purpose.
In this episode, I pick up the hero's adventure once again to consider the final phase of the process, what Campbell called "The Return." This final phase is essential to the image of a hero as a person who serves the community, and yet it rarely receives much attention.
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It's only January and 2024 already feels like a year of consequence. Crazy weather and climate change, war, elections, ideological, religious, and cultural conflicts, and Pluto's move into Aquarius, heralding a long underworld journey of transformation in our communities, social contracts, technology, idea of service, and visions of freedom.
What role might mythology and myth-making play in the cultural and personal changes underway? Are our inherited narratives an obstacle to overcome or an aid in imagining the future?
These are questions I take up in this episode as an opening meditation on endings and beginnings in 2024. Thanks for joining me in this reflection. I'd love to hear from you if this opening foray sparks thoughts in response.
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The solstice will soon be upon us, followed by the arrival of a new year. A time of endings and beginnings. Reckoning. This passage through winter darkness here the in northern hemisphere leads me to Norse mythology and my fascination with the god Odin.
Odin is a god who lives with the prophecy that his world will end and he will die. This is an unusual combination of themes, one that imbues Odin with an approachable humanness and sparks my curiosity about the quest for wisdom that defines him.
Odin's efforts didn't prevent the end of his world. And yet I suspect the god felt his quest was worth the cost. Is there a parallel in my life? In yours?
This could be a fruitful reflection as 2023 and Season 5 of Myth Matters come to a close. I hope you find something of value in the stories and many thanks for making Myth Matters part of your mythic journey.
Warm wishes for a glorious holiday season and keep the mystery in your life alive.
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"I am destined to die either by a crocodile, a serpent, or a dog; it is the will of the gods. Then let me go forth and follow my heart's desire while I live.".
2023 is drawing to a close. "The Tale of the Doomed Prince," a fairy tale found in ancient Egyptian papyri from 1550 BCE or so, is an interesting companion to year end (year round?) reflections on what you're doing with your life. Are you following your heart's desire?
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The existence of monsters, alongside gods and goddesses, is a distinguishing feature of myths, fairy tales, and legends. Defeating a monster is often the test of the hero, the act that makes that individual a hero.
And yet, life is full of challenges and dangers. There are plenty of opportunities for various forms of heroism in this everyday world and ordinary reality, right? Do we need monsters? Or, are monsters relics of an archaic world view, evidence of a time when people often misunderstood the world around them and feared the boogie man?
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The season around Halloween and Samhain is a liminal time when shadows grow and lengthen in the world and psyche. The old Celtic stories of poet warriors and fairies feel especially potent to me right now, so I'm dipping back into the collection Irish Fairy Tales by James Stephens for this story offering.
"The Enchanted Cave of Cesh Corran" is rich in metaphor, humor, and insight, and also provides a launching point for reflection on the different types of interpretation we bring to myths and the nature of a mythic sensibility in these times.
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Sedna is the goddess mother of the sea, marine animals, and the underworld in the myths of the Inuit people, an indigenous Arctic culture. This episode is an exploration of variations on her origin story, and some of the questions and possibilities Sedna raises in this time of climate change and fundamentalism.
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"I went out to the hazel wood,
Because a fire was in my head,
And cut and peeled a hazel wand,
And hooked a berry to a thread.."
---from "The Song of Wandering Aengus" by W.B. Yeats
The Salmon of Knowledge is a mythical creature in Irish folklore associated with poetry and knowledge of deep truths. Any person who ate a bit of the fish would become wise and know the essence of all things.
Which leads one to wonder: what is the nature of this wisdom?
The Story of Tuan Mac Cairill suggests an answer to this question. I love this story and hope you enjoy it too.
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“Dogs are our link to paradise." Milan Kundera
From current news to creation myths, to Irish legends of Fionn MacCool, stories remind us of the enduring bond between humans and dogs and what they teach us about loyalty and empathy.
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"I don’t think the meaning of life is what we’re seeking. I think it’s an experience of being alive, so that our life experiences on the purely physical plane will have residences within our own innermost being in reality, so that we actually feel the rapture of being alive." -- Joseph Campbell, The Power of Myth
The meaning of life isn't what we're seeking?
Isn't meaning what makes life worthwhile, at least, or especially, from the perspective of a depth-psychological-mythologist?
In this episode, I take up these questions and Campbell's claim with the aid some stories found in his book Myths To Live By.
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"Rationality and logic can be spiritual." -- Alan Lightman, Mr. g
The antagonism between Western science and myth/religion has shaped human history and continues to obstruct the quest for a holistic understanding of existence.
In Myths to Live By, Joseph Campbell outlines the conflict and offers solutions to the modern dilemma. Science will provide new metaphors, he explains.
I wonder about the reconciliation of science and religion and what forms this might this take. This led me to Mr. g, a novel by Alan Lightman.
Lightman is a theoretical physicist who has served on the faculty at Harvard and MIT. In his novel he combines science, theology, and moral philosophy to tell a creation story that is mythic, if not technically a myth.
Through the eyes of the cosmic creator Mr. g, we witness the birth of the universe and the wonders of scientific evolution, from galaxies and stars to the emergence of life on a small planet.
I hope you enjoy this gloss of the book and are inspired to read it too.
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The Babylonian Enuma Elish, also known as The Seven Tablets of Creation, is one of the oldest surviving creation myths. The story narrates the epic battle between the god Marduk and the primordial goddess Tiamat, which resulted in the creation of mankind and the establishment of an enduring order in heaven and on earth.
No one alive today "believes" in this myth. The cuneiform tablets containing the poem were lost for centuries. Nevertheless, Marduk exerts considerable influence over the world-dominating cultures today.
In this episode, I tell you the myth, provide some historical context, and consider the role it has--and might yet-- play in the ongoing creation of culture
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How did all of this-- what we call reality, the universe, the earth, life, begin? What do you think? This question is a primary motivation for our ongoing myth-making. Despite all the tools and technologies, the origins of the cosmos, life, and human beings are still a mystery.
In offering us an explanation of our creation, these myths offer a perspective on human nature, purpose, and social organization as well. Your inherited myths influence how you live and what you value, even if you spend little time consciously thinking about them.
So, let's spend some time thinking about them.
This episode is a brief survey of some creation myths from around the world that illuminate the variety and implications in the answers that humans have developed to answer the question of beginnings.
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The proper way to be a father or mother, questions about who can father or mother, and what these parental roles mean are contentious topics, ripe for creative reflection and renewal. Myths about fathers and fatherhood contain images and meanings that shape society and family life. They're a key part of this cultural conversation.
The fathers in myths and fairy tales exert influence over us whether or not we believe in them or know the specifics of the stories. In this episode, we take a look at the Christian God the Father, Zeus of the ancient Greek pantheon, Odin from Norse mythology, and a couple of fairy tales dads.
Happy Father's Day!
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Our appreciation of mythology as a symbolic language is central to the contemporary relationship to myth. As people bound to a psychological view of the inner life, myth as metaphor is the key to understanding the old stories. And yet, myth is more than metaphor.
The elements in a story, the specific animals, plants, and features of the land that are named in a given story, are more than artistic details. Investigation into the scientific as well as the mythic biography of these elements can result in discoveries that enhance your appreciation of the story and expand your original insights.
In this episode, our exploration of the stinging nettles in "The Wild Swan" takes us further into the world of the story and a psychology of craft for today.
"Working so slowly by hand is transformative, bringing up different conceptions of time and questions of what constitutes value." -- Dylan Howitt , filmmaker, "The Nettle Dress"
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On the surface, "The Wild Swans" is a fairy tale about cursed brothers who are saved by their sister. This is a common motif.
Closer examination led me to consider the creative power of words and of silence, and how we use and are used, by both.
I hope you enjoy the story.
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In The World's Wife, Carol Ann Duffy offers myth poems that are also myths for today in the form of a poem. These poems converse with old myths and stories AND they are stories in themselves. They display a deep appreciation for the poignancy of these tales, and a wicked, dark humor.
I love them.
As the title suggests, Duffy tells her myths from the perspective of the women who are largely silent in the older and more popular versions. This episode includes a handful of my favorites from the collection, accompanied by a bit of background about the relevant myth or fairytale.
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April is National Poetry month!
Myth and poetry have a long, shared history. In fact, our oldest known myths are poems.
Have you ever wondered why this might be?
I suspect the intuitive rightness of myth as poetry springs from the ancient understanding of the sacred power of the word. In this episode, we explore the creative power of speech with the aid of a handful of contemporary poems that reference myths. These poems also give us a chance to plumb the questions at the heart of these myths.
I hope you find a poem, a poet, a thought, a moment in this podcast that inspires or provokes you. As Jeanette Winterson says: " [...] a poem is like a shot of espresso – the fastest way to get a hit of mental and spiritual energy."
Thanks for listening and keep the mystery in your life alive.
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The Greek goddess Athena was a warrior, the patron of cities and mentor of heroes, clear-eyed, practical, and strategic. What was her great power?
She was the goddess of Reason.
Yes, the ancient Greek patriarchy, a model of misogyny, imagined "reason" as female.This being myth, there's plenty to unpack and contradicts abound. This episode is your invitation to meet Athena and reflect on the conundrums she presents. She's present today and she's at work--- in what form and to what end, I wonder?
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Myth has an interesting and complex relationship to history.
Myth is part of the historical record of our species, and part of the history of a given people. And myth shapes history. Myth gives rise to the beliefs and point of view that create our world, determine the present, and influence the future. This blending of myth and history can lead to important revelations and new understanding, and it can create blind spots.
I started thinking about this after watching the movie "The Woman King," inspired by the warrior women of Dahomey, the Agojie. Visiting Europeans called these women "Amazons." I talk about the movie (no spoilers), Amazons, and some of the twists and turns of myth and history.
This episode gestated with me a while and I learned a few things putting it together for you. I hope it gives you food for thought and enhances your appreciation of the movie (which I encourage you to see:)).
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The freedom to love and individuality. The difference between spiritual love and carnal love. Love for the self and love for a beloved. The fear and fascination elicited by those who don't fit conventional categories and definitions.
Hans Christian Andersen was probably not thinking about these ideas when he wrote his fairy tale "The Little Mermaid," at least not with a conscious agenda. And yet this story about a mermaid, a figure with a long mythological history, offers an interesting opportunity to reflect on these themes.
This original version by Andersen is not Disney. It might surprise you. The story doesn’t offer solutions but it may launch valuable personal reflection into your beliefs about who and how to love, and how you value your love relationships.
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A new year is a time of beginnings and possibility. A fresh and hopeful creativity infuses our aspirations. This is a good time to make conscious choices about the sources we turn to and the images we hold, as we form our goals, predictions, and hopes for the coming year.
According to the ancient Chinese zodiac, each year in a 60-year cycle has a particular character, set of opportunities, and challenges. 2023 is the year of the Rabbit. What is the quality of the year of the Rabbit, and how can this inspire us in 2023?
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Yes, Christmas is grossly commercial, a taint that touches other year-closing holidays as well. And yet this time, and these traditions, have deep mythological roots that connect us to important gifts of the spirit.
The mythic figure of Santa Claus reveals the tangled history of our year end aspirations and need for community. I hope this snapshot of some of his origin stories adds interest and inspiration to your holiday season.
Warm wishes for a wonder-filled season. See you in 2023!
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Whatever your ancestry, wherever your people had deep roots, winter was the time for storytelling. To gather together inside, stay warm, relax, and learn together.
Winter stories in particular, are stories about the mysteries that bind our earthly world to the other worlds. Stories about the bridges between the visible and the invisible. Stories of the uncanny.
They are myths about the beginning times, when everything came into being and found its rightful place. Stories of the mythic times that bear on today. Raven is one of these mysteries who has been with us from the very beginning of our storied existence.
In this episode, I tell a couple of Haida stories about Raven based on material collected by Robert Bringhurst. Raven is often associated with winter and the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere. Raven teaches us how to go into the dark to bring forth the light.
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“In this universe we are given two gifts: the ability to love and the ability to ask questions.” -- Mary Oliver
The Arthurian legend of the knight Perceval and his quest for the grail was written by the French Romantic poet Chrétien de Troyes, who reworked Celtic legends and British history.
The story includes King Arthur, his knights, and a number of unlucky damsels, but the mysterious loathly lady is the key.
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In this Norwegian fairy tale, the queen makes a mistake.
That's not the whole story.
There's also a dragon. And an opportunity to reflect on our fallibility, the tendency to blame, our story inheritance, and the empathy we might develop through imaginative engagement with what angers and disturbs us.
I hope you enjoyed the story.
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I recently overhead an exchange between a little boy and his mom. The subject was witches and magic. Which got me thinking.
Magic involves perception, changes in the way we see and the manner in which things appear. Magic, like myth, is now a matter of "belief" when it could be practice.
This episode revolves around a Russian fairy tale called "Vasilisa the Wise." On one level, this is a story about a young woman and a witch called the Baba Yaga. On another level, it's an invitation to think about magic. The magic and the mystery that we are in, by virtue of being alive.
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“Loving is an authentic psychological task, the most demanding there is, just because it activates in us new ways of knowing ourselves.’" --- Aldo Carotenuto
The myth of Eros and Psyche can be read as a myth of initiation orchestrated by the goddess Aphrodite, a personification (or archetype) of love, sexuality, and beauty as enlivening powers that bring us into relationship with someone or something in particular.
The story tells us something about the demands of this type of love, and what is required to express and live it.
It also offers an opportunity to reflect on the transpersonal energies and patterns that shape human life and comprise our destiny.
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“I have always thought of a myth as something that never was but is always happening.”-- Jean Houston, The Possible Human
Eros and Psyche, or Cupid and Psyche to the Romans, a marvelous old myth about love, soul, and what's required to unite the two. Apuleius included this story in The Golden Ass (also called The Metamorphoses) from the late 2nd century AD, drawing on ancient Greek sources.
I've worked with this story many times. I often feel that I am living some part Psyche's journey, or turning to a moment in the tale that presents the perfect metaphor for the task at hand.
Sorting seeds. Sending up a prayer in the form of tears. Lighting a lamp to dispel an inner darkness.
Lately, I'm hungry for the active relaxation in the space of story and the insights that arise without effort. Perhaps you are too.
Hope you find something wonderful and mysterious in this story. I'll unpack some of the themes and reflect on this myth in the next episode. Thanks for listening.
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“Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope.” — Maya Angelou
What can we do when we are motivated by love?
I recently had the great good fortune to see the Broadway production of "Hadestown." This inspires me to revisit the ancient Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, to explore of the power of love to sustain and inspire us.
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The hero is a central figure in our myths and stories. The hero can often provide inspiration or comfort. These stories can help us find our courage or feel a bit more powerful.
The image of the hero is also a burden. Hero narratives in the dominate culture have combined with modern myths of the individual and individualism to paint a picture of the solo actor, the person who battles against enemies or the odds alone. The hero we imagine today, feeds the terrible loneliness of our time.
And yet there are alternatives, and these can even be found in stories that have been framed or reshaped as hero narratives. The fairy tale "Sleeping Beauty," also known as "Briar Rose," is one example.
Lots of storytellers and crafters of story, psychologists, and cultural commentators are engaged with our notion of the hero today, but the role of the hero in our stories and in our lives is something that each of us needs to consider.
How does the powerful influence of the hero image and heroic rhetoric affect you? How does it shape your expectations of yourself, of other people, and of life?
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“Always you will find that within you the shadow and the light go together… It is up to you to know how to utilize the one to realize the other.” -Sri Aurobindo
Each of us is called to change, mature, and take responsibility for our conscious evolution. A central task in psychological development is recognition and integration of the shadow. And this is where the concepts and the jargon begin to obscure understanding, right?
The Persian tale of Abu Kasem's Slipper's is a humorous story that can shed some light on Aurobindo's teaching and the problem of the psychological shadow. I hope you find value in the story.
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"Noting these tokens and examples some have said
that a share of divine intelligence is in bees,
and a draught of (a)ether: since there is a god in everything..."
--Virgil, The "Georgics," 29 BCE
Stories from contemporary indigenous cultures convey an ecological consciousness of balance and symbiosis that is foreign to the way many people live today.
Are there stories in the European tradition that can help those of us in that cultural mindset reconnect with our nature and the earth, and refashion this relationship? How does a myth or story become a source of guidance and wisdom?
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“We are an impossibility in an impossible universe.” ― Ray Bradbury
The impossibilities of our existence are more than a matter of statistics and probabilities. Our stories remind us of the tensions that we are called to live, our impossible longings, and the contradictions that are part of being human.
They also tell us that wonder is essential to approaching life with a sense of adventure, and to cultivating the curiosity and compassion that we need to stay open to the marvelous richness of our experience.
A sense of wonder is what inspires me to share the story that I have for you today. It's a Norwegian fairy tale called "Valemon the White Bear King," and it begins with a great and beautiful mystery, a powerful dream.
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"He is now struck with wonder by what's wonderful in him..."
----Ovid's Myth of Narcissus, translated by Allen Mandelbaum
In the most popular version of the myth of Narcissus, a beautiful young man rejects many adoring suitors and falls in love with his own reflection in a still pool of water.
This myth inspired the psychologists Havelock and Freud to name a pathological love of self, "narcissism."
Narcissism can be a very serious problem, and many psychologists say this disorder is prevalent in our times. But does this concept accurately reflect the myth or contain all that it has to offer us today?
The Greek myth of Narcissus, like the still pond in the story, can offer us a place to reflect on the mysteries of self, other, love, beauty, and more.
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Our notion of "self" is one of the deep and enduring mysteries of human existence. The concept of self is both obvious and unfathomable, the meanings elusive and diverse. It can range from the concrete "me" to the illusory-- the self as a shifting fabrication of preferences, experiences, and perceptions.
To speak mythologically of the "self" is to speak of our yearning for soul, for depth, for the direct experience of our own inner unfolding. This process is guided by that part of us that knows our unique place in the grand scheme of things.
Many of our myths and stories describe this quest for a vision and relationship to self that satisfies our longing. In this episode, I tell you "The Six Companions" fairy tale.
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Birds have a unique place in our cultural imagination. Observing their habits, our ancestors learned about home building, foraging, and partnership. Their presence inspired our earliest art forms and culture.
Today birds still teach us about sorrow and death, love and joy, and the beautiful power found in song, in singing. We're also learning new lessons from birds, about intelligence, cognition, and language.
"The Nightingale" is one of Hans Christian Andersen lesser-known stories. It's quirky and funny and an interesting reflection on the difference between art and artifice, nature and culture. I hope you enjoy the story.
“Once upon a time, when women were birds, there was the simple understanding that to sing at dawn and to sing at dusk was to heal the world through joy. The birds still remember what we have forgotten, that the world is meant to be celebrated.”-- Terry Tempest Williams, When Women Were Birds: Fifty-four Variations on Voice
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"The spirit wanders, comes here now, now here, and occupies whatever frame it pleases. From beasts it passes into human bodies, and from our bodies into beasts, but never perishes." ----Joseph Campbell
Animals have a significant presence in our mythologies. The meanings we ascribe to them illuminates our uneasy relationship to our other-than-human companions, and offer us a way to think creatively about our place in the world and human nature.
The exploration in this episode revolves around two stories, "The Tigress" jataka and a fairytale called "The Three Languages."
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Fables are probably the best known and most widely used stories in our mythological traditions. These are simple stories that frequently include animal characters. What is their appeal? Do they offer us more than a laugh?
In this episode we make some leaps, from a fable about frogs to practical philosophy, to an angry goddess, an ancient Greek comedy, and the mythological history of frogs.
I hope you find something entertaining and useful.
“We are rag dolls made out of many ages and skins, changelings who have slept in wood nests or hissed in the uncouth guise of waddling amphibians. We have played such roles for infinitely longer ages than we have been men. Our identity is a dream. We are process, not reality, for reality is an illusion of the daylight — the light of our particular day.”
-- Loren Eisley, The Unexpected Universe
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This is our second and final podcast in celebration of National Poetry month. I devote the April episodes to National Poetry month, to honor and recognize the shared origins of poetry, myth, and song.
I also want to share some of the power of poetry. A poem, like a song or a story, can evoke a deep and necessary sense of the rightness of things. In his work titled The Relevance of the Beautiful,philosopher Hans Gadamer writes "[...] the experience of the beautiful, and particularly the beautiful in art, is the invocation of a potentially whole and holy order of things, wherever it may be found."
Attention to beauty is one way to find the quiet eye in the middle of our collective storms. I need the perspective and peace of mind that communion with a poem offers. Maybe you do too.
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"Let the beauty we love be what we do.
There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground." --Rumi
In the last podcast, "A Terrible Love of War, A Culture of Peace," I talked about the need to build a culture and societies that are so satisfying and compelling that we are unwilling to sacrifice them or our precious lives to the destruction and death brought by war.
I imagine the time that we spend together here today with these poems, as an offering to such a culture.
I hope these poems bring you some respite, inspiration, a deeper appreciation for the beauty in your life. Perhaps you'll find a new poet to investigate on your own.
April is National Poetry month here in the United States. Let's celebrate.
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In 2004, James Hillman published a difficult and though-provoking investigation of war titled A Terrible Love of War. He writes:
"I believe that we can never speak sensibly of peace or disarmament unless we enter into this love of war. Unless we enter into the martial state of soul, we cannot comprehend its pull [...] To know war we must enter its love. No psychic phenomenon can be truly dislodged from its fixity unless we first move the imagination into its heart..."
In this episode, I approach Hillman and "A Terrible Love of War" with these questions:
What is "the terrible love of war?"
How does Hillman ask us to imagine it?
What can an archetypal perspective on the phenomenon of war tell us about its nature, and our own?
Can this perspective help us, as citizens and mortal humans, to create a culture of peace?
I welcome your comments and questions. Thanks for listening.
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Nations. Sovereignty. War. Democracy. Citizenship. I. We.
Unconscious monotheism. Polytheistic consciousness.
Diversity. Complexity.
Fluid myths. Culture building. Trickster.
Multiple meanings. Art.
Some thoughts and two poems.
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“The secret source of humor is not joy but sorrow, and there is no humor in heaven.” ~ Mark TwainWhen we get stuck, when life hands us a challenging situation and there's no clear way out, our best tool is the ability to shift perspective. To see things from a different angle.
Laughter can help us make such a shift. So can a story.
The answer might not come immediately and yet, the shift is essential. In this episode, we'll explore this process with the aid of a fairy tale called "The Bee, the Harp, the Mouse, and the Bum-Clock."
Whatever you're dealing with right now, I hope you find something useful in this episode. Thanks for listening.
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My jumping off point today is a story that's generating a lot of heated debate right now, the movie "Don't Look Up."
I'm going to make some references to this movie, but this podcast is not about it, per se. So, if you haven't seen the movie, no worries. And if you have, and are perhaps tired of or already feel deeply embroiled in the conversation that it has catalyzed, I hope to take you in a somewhat different direction.
We're going to wander with the Trickster and see what he/she can tell us about the process of cultural change....
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“How can I be substantial if I do not cast a shadow? I must have a dark side also If I am to be whole.” ― C.G. Jung, Modern Man in Search of a Soul
The creation and maintenance of a shadow aspect of the personal and collective psyche is an inevitable part of psychic life. When consciousness and a sense of personal identity emerges, so does a shadow.
Recognizing your shadow and maintaining a healthy relationship with it is a central psychospiritual task. Owning your shadow is essential to self-awareness, ethical behavior, and psychological wholeness.
The dangerous machinations of the psychological shadow are revealed in this creepy adult fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen.
"If you imagine someone who is brave enough to withdraw all his projections, then you get an individual who is conscious of a pretty thick shadow. Such a man has saddled himself with new problems and conflicts. He has become a serious problem to himself, as he is now unable to say that they do this or that, they are wrong, and they must be fought against… Such a man knows that whatever is wrong in the world is in himself, and if he only learns to deal with his own shadow he has done something real for the world. He has succeeded in shouldering at least an infinitesimal part of the gigantic, unsolved social problems of our day." --- C. G. Jung, “Psychology and Religion” CW 11
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Here we are, on the cusp on the new year, 2022.
Around the world, throughout history, this is a time to rest. To pause and take stock. To restore dreams of harmony. To hope.
To begin again.
In this episode, I offer a few thoughts on the ancient ritual of this sacred pause, the role of myth, and our need for "happily ever after."
Thank you for listening and warm wishes for a very happy New Year.
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The cycle of material and psychic life is often encapsulated as life, death, and rebirth. This cycle is the mythological context of the solstice.
But in her formulation of the ancient triple goddess, Marija Gimbutas writes of life, death and regeneration.
Rebirth and regeneration are not quite the same, are they?
This is the starting point of this episode, which includes the fairy tale "The Handless Maiden" and reflections on the importance of a regeneration mindset as 2021 comes to an end.
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Part 2 of "Iron John," a fairy tale popularized by Robert Bly, and a meditation on outer riches, inner rewards, self-worth, and the quest to own your gold.
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The words "this wide, beautiful, crazy world of ours" have been part of my introduction for this podcast for years. In my experience, this is an accurate picture and yet the meaning and context for the descriptors: "wide," "beautiful," and "crazy,"--especially "crazy," ---has changed over time. Many things happen that surprise me. Developments in all areas of life that I didn't imagine, let alone predict. A level of chaos and uncertainty that I never expected to entertain in my lifetime.
Among the pieces of good news, and there are many, is this: we're in the boat together my friend. Called to re-evaluate and re-imagine what has importance and value. Called to change. The company that you keep and the places that you look for guidance will determine how you feel about this present moment.
This line of thinking brought me to the story that I want to tell you today, a fairy tale called "Iron John," or "Iron Hans" if you look for the Grimm Brother’s version. This fairy tale resurfaced in the popular imagination in early the 1990s when Robert Bly shared it with men in need of story work. Bly also published a book under that title that you might find interesting.
I'm going to tell the story in two parts over two episodes, so you and I both have some time to let the details and images of the story sink in. Time to imagine with and through it. This is part 1. I'll tell the rest of "Iron John" in the next episode.
Now on with the story....
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A myth from the Aztec creation cycle, the mythology of bones, and what it might mean to be in service to life today.
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The Celtic story of Cerridwen and her cauldron calls to me as Halloween/Samhain approaches. She's a witch in search of a potion and yet, the tug of the story is deeper. Seasonal changes amplify the energies of betwixt and between that give rise to current challenges. This is a good time to examine your creative dreams.
What do you long to bring into the world? Who are you willing to become in the process? Where will you turn for inspiration and guidance?
Your ideas and expectations about creativity, and the images of the process that you hold in mind, determine the way that it will unfold. Cerridwen's story has helped me shift my perspective and listen more carefully to messages from the imaginal realm, from soul.
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Personal transformation.
Do we really want it?
What can inspire that deep change, and how far are we willing to go in courting those powers?
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"He is a young god.
Mythologically obscure,
always just arriving
at some new place
to disrupt the status quo,
wearing the start of a smile."
--from Ann Carson' translation "The Bakkhai"
In the northern hemisphere we began our collective descent into winter's darkness, with the fall equinox on Wednesday September 22nd.
This is a good time to meditate on the most famous myth of the god Dionysus, intoxicating god of the night. It's a play written by Euripides in the 5th century BCE called "The Bacchae."
Athenians found the cautionary message of this play subversive. It disturbed their image of Greek reason, democracy, social order, and power. The women don't stay in their place. It ends on a gruesome note.
A few years after the play was performed, Athens fell to Sparta and their empire building was over. Euripides was in self-imposed exile, and perhaps he saw something that his fellow citizens could not...
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This episode is devoted to the Greek god Dionysus, whom Walter Otto aptly named “the epiphany god,” and his wife Ariadne.
Dionysus was called “the Loosener” or lysios in Greek, the loosener of limbs and of minds. The Greek word lysios comes from "lysis," which means “setting free" or "unraveling.” I want to pick up this thread to reflect a bit more on the nature of Dionysian loosening and epiphanies, by spending some time with the myth of Ariadne.
Who was Ariadne, to be partner to this god? Ariadne like Dionysus, is likely an older deity than the Olympians, one with much more significance than her place in Greek mythology suggests.
Thanks for listening.
"If the horizon hadn't swallowed you, I'd believe in it still,
let it hold me like a wall..."---Ioanna-Veronika Warwick from "Ariadne Thanks Theseus for Abandoning Her"
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What does the mythic relationship between Dionysus and the Titans suggest about our titanism and titanic culture, and ways to mitigate the destructive influence of titanic fantasies?
“Oh how lucky you are, how really lucky you are, if you know the gods from within…” Euripides, The Bacchae
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"Let Zeus, born in the open, awake to all under the sky, ever-watchful, ever-noticing, be exemplar for responding to all that the senses present with a richly elaborating imagination. Only well-shaped images fed by the senses can contain and differentiate our innate titanism."--James Hillman
In this episode we consider today's battle with the titanic, the excess and pressure of the "unlimited" in Western culture, and the numbness and stress that it engenders in us. How can we participate effectively in the cultural dynamics and find a measure of health and happiness for ourselves?
"The mind that generalizes continually prevents itself from those experiences which would allow it to see and feel deeply." --- W.B.Yeats
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"I shall sing of Zeus, the best and greatest of the Gods; far-seeing, mighty, fulfiller of designs..." Homeric Hymn to Zeus
Real change begins with a change in perspective. The old myths offer a valuable lens and means to make such a shift. They reveal the shared webs of meaning and images that are the source of ideologies, theologies, and other constructs.
Greek mythology continues to be a particularly strong influence in the world today, given the colonizing history of Western culture. I think it can help us understand the deeper themes in this time of social unrest and transformation.
In this episode, we examine the Greek myths surrounding Zeus, the ruler of gods and men. What do these stories suggest about power, legitimate authority, and justice?
This episode builds on ideas in the last one, "Meaning is magic: the trickster Hermes and radical change." You might want to listen to that one first, if you haven't already.
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Meaning is a very powerful thing. The meaning of something is intimately connected with the nature of the thing itself, whether that thing be an actual "thing" or an idea. The meaning of something is central to its appearance, identity, and significance. When you change the meaning of something, you change the truth of it.
You change the context. You may change the "rules." Something brand new may come into the world. Changes in meaning = world creation, my friend!
I think this is a useful lens to apply to the painful divisions and amazing developments taking place right now. People are consciously attempting to manipulate or change the meanings of things. This is causing a lot of disagreement, discomfort, and excitement.
The mythological figure that is most closely associated with these activities is the trickster. In this episode we take a look at Hermes, the Greek trickster god, to see how an expert uses the magic of meaning to recreate the world.
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"I have had a most rare vision. I have had a dream, pass the wit of man to say what dream it was." --Shakespeare, from "A Midsummer Night's Dream"
A few Celtic stories about encounters with fairies, to celebrate the solstice and midsummer, and to consider the need for healthy skepticism and making room for magic.
"The Celt in all ages of his long history, like the ancient Greek thinkers with whom his ancestors were contemporary, has always been inclined, unlike modern scientists, to seek an explanation for the phenomena of evolutionary life by postulating a noumenal world of causes as the background to a phenomenal world of effects. Today, the rapid march of scientific pioneers, chiefly those in psychical research, is bringing our own cold and exact science very close to that indefinable boundary which separates the two worlds [...]"
--Walter Evans-Wentz, The Fairy-Faith in Celtic Countries
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The help that we need often comes from unexpected sources, if we have the wisdom to recognize them.
We're surrounded by helpers, teachers, and truth-tellers in the visible and invisible worlds, and yet it's easy to miss the advice and magical tools and get stuck.
We think that we know what's important. We place faith in illusions of power and control. We're rude to the dwarf who stands at the side of the road.
There are so many old stories on this theme. Apparently, learning how to respond without arrogance is part of the process, a lesson on the journey that is repeated over and over again!
Here are a few short stories with a humorous twist to help you locate yourself on the spectrum between pride and prejudice, and an open mind and heart. I hope you find a moment or two in these tales to aid you in your quest for transformation.
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When the king is fatally ill and radical change is required, you need to make a journey down unfamiliar paths into the symbolic world of story, and find the water of life.
"The Water of Life," a fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm, provides some guidance about how this quest can be undertaken. What message does it hold for you right now?
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"I’ve been terrified every moment of my life—and I never let it keep me from doing a single thing I wanted to do." -- Georgia O’Keefe
How do you find the courage and commitment to be true to yourself?
A relatively small happening in your life, a minor mystery or random thought, even an irritant, can be a moment of awakening and the start of your quest. In this Native American story, a busy little mouse hears a strange roaring in his ears. This experience has no place in his world. Other mice tell him that it doesn't exist. But one day...
"The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are."~ Joseph Campbell
Sending this out in celebration of my dad, Robert L. Svehla, who would have been 88 years old today.
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"Imaginal knowing is the only way that the unconscious can move into consciousness [... it happens through pictures, events, and well-told stories. It happens through poetry, where well-chosen words create an image that, in turn, creates a new awareness [...]"
In this episode we do something a bit different, in celebration of National Poetry month.
Here is a kaleidoscope of poems and voices, of topics and perspectives, a short journey beyond conventional wisdom, to deeper knowing and recognition, to appreciation of the gift of living in this time.
There is loss and pain, there is grief and helplessness mixed in. Let's not pretend otherwise, and let it also be fuel for creative fires. May synchronicity, or a moment of grace or attention, gift you with a poem that lifts you up today and helps you see that you are not alone.
Thank you to the Myth Matters patrons and supporters who contributed their voices and poems to this episode. They give life to our virtual story circle.
A complete transcript of this episode--and links to the featured poets and poems-- are available at www.mythicmojo.com
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"Art is the informed translation of soul." ---Brian Michael Tracy
April is National Poetry month in the United States. I'm joined by fellow myth-lover and poet, Brian Michael Tracy, for an exploration of the connections between poetry and soul.
Psyche is the mysterious wellspring of myth, dream, and poetry, and our source of creative vitality. As Brian writes, "Art is the informed translation of soul."
Brian's poetry weaves through our conversation. I hope you find inspiration and a reflective respite here, and perhaps hear a whisper of soul.
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"April 1st is the day upon which we are reminded of what we are the other three hundred and sixty-four days." Mark Twain
There's been so much abuse of the truth, deception, and erosion of our trust in each other that April Fool's Day feels a bit dicey. And yet, laughter is more than the best medicine. Laughter is life.
Here are some fun facts about April Fool's and a handful of humorous tales. I hope they give you laugh, and some perspective, and help you feel that you belong.
"The first of April, some do say,
is set apart for All Fool's day,
but why the people call it so,
Nor I, nor they themselves do know.
But on this day people are sent
on purpose for pure merriment."
---Poor Robin's Almanac (1760)
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To see a World in a Grain of Sand
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour
from "Auguries of Innocence" by William Blake
Among the paradoxes posed by Blake, I find the notion of "eternity in an hour" particularly compelling. Events of the past year have changed our relationship to time. I wonder how to retain the gifts as we move into spring, fresh starts, and new life.
How to remain in the still point as the wheel begins to spin.
In this episode I tell a Japanese fairy tale about the fisherman Urashima Taro, which leads me to thoughts about the power of stories to collapse time, and one of Joseph Campbell's observations about art, wonder, and aliveness.
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“Perhaps the greatest stories are those which disturb us, which shake us from our complacency, which threaten our well-being. It is better to enter into the danger of such a story than to keep safely away in a space where the imagination lies dormant.” -- N. Scott Momaday, The Way to Rainy Mountain
What are these stories that disturb us, and why would you venture into the danger zone of such a story?
When you think about "a disturbing story," you may think about stories of brutality and destruction. Terrible truths.
And yet, stories that shake us from our complacency, as Momaday says, aren't necessarily stories about horrible things. They are stories that take us out of the world that we know, the comfortable world that we've constructed out of the materials provided to us. Stories that challenge our expectations and assumptions, even contradict what we believe is true.
A story that disturbs may open our hearts to needs and forms of suffering that we didn't know existed, or didn't want to admit exist. It can also open us to possibility, reveal illusions, and call us to live with more creativity, compassion, and freedom.
In this episode, I tell a Celtic fairy tale called "The Lass Who Went Out at the Cry of Dawn." It has the power to shake my complacency, and may do the same for you.
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This entertaining Ashanti story about the trickster spider Anansi reveals the threads between story, imagination, and possibility.
Who controls the stories that we tell, and why is it important to reach beyond our personal experience to hear the stories of those who are different from ourselves?
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This episode includes a series of Sufi teaching stories that address change, loss, and renewal, and the power of story to shift our perspective and life the spirit.
Includes Nasrudin and the man with the sack, Fatima the Spinner, Nasrudin and his neighbor, and one of my favorite poems by Rumi, "The Guest House."
"With its concentration, among other things, on awareness and psychological balance – “mindfulness”, if you like – Sufism is a natural antidote to fanaticism." -- Jason Webster
Click here to read Webster's interesting article in The Guardian, "Sufism: ‘a natural antidote to fanaticism’"
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This is the fourth and final episode in the 4-part series on the Sumerian myth of Inanna. We've crossed into the new year in the meantime, and this mixing of beginnings and endings felt appropriate for this myth and for these times.
What is the difference between a "beginning" and an "end?" What binds the realms of the Great Above and the Great Below? What is the shared reality of Inanna and her sister Ereshkigal, and Dumuzi and the rest of us mere mortals, for that matter?
I hope you enjoy the story. thanks for listening and keep the mystery in your life alive...
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The ancient Sumerian story of Inanna's descent to the underworld is an iconic myth about a psychological and spiritual journey of great significance. There's loss and suffering in this story. And there's a return to new life. Feels like a fitting end to 2020, and this season of Myth Matters
A belated happy solstice and hurrah to the dawning age of Aquarius! Wishing you a safe and happy holiday. See you in 2021.
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In this episode I tell the second part of Inanna's story, the courtship and marriage between Inanna and her honey man, the shepherd Dumuzi. I've always delighted in the description of their courtship and the way it captures the excitement and hesitation that is part of falling in love and discovering the power of your sexuality.
At the same time, I bridled at the need for such a powerful goddess to marry and make her husband king. But is this merely a patriarchal degradation of a figure who rules heaven and earth? Or is their union, expressed in the language of a fertile and creative earth, a metaphor for the immanent divine? For the eternal spark in every life and material form that supports our own existence?
If so, is there a way for their coupling to translate into a lived experience for us today, distant as we are from the image of a holy couple who seed each other to sustain the earth? I turn to the opening pages of Lab Girl by geobiologist Hope Jahren to aid in this reflection.
Until next time, please take all precautions to protect your health and that of others. Every life is too valuable to lose.
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"Symbol systems cannot be simply rejected, they must be replaced. Where there is no replacement the mind will revert to familiar structures at times of crisis, bafflement, or defeat." --Carol Christ
The corruption of the old forms, of old institutions and ways of thinking, continues to be revealed. The need for a new paradigm, myth, or metaphor that carries new values is clear. This involves working with our mythological inheritance, to reclaim or renew truth in the images and stories that inspired our predecessors, and sort through to find what is of value in the present.
This is the first in series of four programs exploring the Sumerian myth of the goddess Inanna, Queen of Heaven and Earth. What might Inanna offer to our times?
Thanks for listening, and keep the mystery in your life alive.
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"Imagination is destiny." James Hillman
Your greatest gift in times of change is your imagination. What is your vision? Are you ready to live it?
In this episode, a story about the Hopi creatrix Spider Woman and a poem by Diane di Prima offer inspiration to feed your imagination and creative power.
" history is a living weapon in yr hand
& you have imagined it, it is thus that you
"find out for yourself"
history is the dream of what can be, it is
the relation between things in a continuum..."
-Diane di Prima, excerpt from "Rant"
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This Hindu story, "The King and the Corpse," is one of my favorites, rich in metaphor, humor, riddles, and insight.
A king spends a long night with a talking corpse and realizes a profound truth. No spoilers-- so I'll end on this note: you may also learn something about the power of story to teach, transform, and awaken.
I hope this story provides you with a few sweet moments of respite and reflection. Take good care of yourself in this liminal time of the year (Halloween, Samhain around the corner) and remember that you are not alone.
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In the last podcast, we talked about the crisis of a life of "nothing but" and the inherent dangers in what C.G. Jung called "the one-sidedness" of Western consciousness. The overly rational person is psychologically crippled, and vulnerable to what is repressed in the unconscious. This is also true of cultures, and we are living with the ills and effects of this one-sidedness right now.
So, how do you become a healthier person, and a better citizen in a saner world? You learn to live the symbolic life, decolonize your soul, liberate your consciousness, and keep the mystery alive.
It doesn't take a lot of time or money or specific expertise, and you don't have to "believe" in anything. You don't need to go on retreat or take a leap off the deep end. You don't have to give up facts and buy the woo-woo. Opportunities are all around, every day, to cultivate a soul-full perspective and a different type of attention, to cultivate what James Hillman called " a poetic state of mind."
I'm joined by writer, poet and colleague, Rohini Walker, who lends her insight to this episode. Rohini is the Editor and Creative Director of Luna Arcana, an arts and literary print publication based in Joshua Tree, CA, and much more. She mines myths and metaphors, and like me, is a perpetual student in the arts of soul. I am so grateful to Rohini for being part of this podcast.
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"Everything is banal, everything is 'nothing but;' and that is the reason that people are neurotic. They are simply sick of the whole thing, sick of that banal life, and therefore they want sensation. They even want a war; they all want war..." --C. G. Jung from "The Symbolic Life," CW 18.
According to Jung, most Western individuals suffer from a pervasive soul sickness, a sickness created by the one-sided nature of Western consciousness. The single-minded pursuit of "reason" has driven the deep need for wonder, meaning, and mystery into the unconscious and given rise to a dangerous literalizing, and a world in which the lines between fact and fiction, truth and lie, are collapsing.
The one-sidedness begins with the mistaken notion that one makes a choice between two opposing options. Both impulses will direct your life as this is beyond your control, and the choice is not "between" reason and imagination, the rational and irrational, fact and fantasy.
The choice is to become more conscious of all of it, to learn to live with nuance and ambiguity, and live the mystery in you, that is you.
This choice is available to any person of intelligence and heart, who hears the invitation in "once upon a time" and begin a conscious quest for the symbolic life.
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"Our identity is shaped not only by our differences from the Others but in the alchemy by which assimilating them informs the genesis of self. They are both the reciprocal and the constituents of our consciousness." --Paul Shepard, "The Others, How Animals Made Us Human"
Dragons, griffins, chimeras, unicorns, talking horses, and helpful toads-- images of fantastic creatures like these typically come to mind when we think of "mythic animals" and yet animals, the first companions and teachers of early homo sapiens, have always been an essential part of human myth-making and the evolution of human consciousness and culture.
This podcast is a mini-exploration of connections between mythology, science, animals, and the fantastic, with some storytelling about the unicorn, one of my favorite "mythic animals."
"Wonder Is Not Precisely Knowing." ---Emily Dickinson
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"I’ve been terrified every moment of my life—and I never let it keep me from doing a single thing I wanted to do." --Georgia O’Keefe
How do you find the courage and commitment to be true to yourself?
A relatively small happening in your life, a minor mystery or random thought, even an irritant, can be a moment of awakening and the start of your quest. In this Native American story, a busy little mouse hears a strange roaring in his ears. This experience has no place in his world. Other mice tell him that it doesn't exist. But one day...
Thanks for listening and keep the mystery in your life alive.
"The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are."~ Joseph Campbell
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The popular image of the hero is ripe for reflection. In this episode, I share two Buddhist teaching stories (jatakas) that offer an interesting perspective.
The Tigress Jataka and The Prince Five Weapons Jataka illustrate different courses of action taken on the path of the bodhisattva. Are the "heroes" in these tales, heroes? What do you think?
So you should view this fleeting world—
A star at dawn, a bubble in a stream,
A flash of lightening in a summer cloud,
A flickering lamp, a phantom, and a dream.
- from the Diamond Sutra, translated by Red Pine
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"We moms are often underestimated. But we're stronger than we're given credit for. So what do you say, will you stand with me?" Bev Barnum, catalyst for the Wall of Moms protest in Portland, OR USA
In 411 BCE, Aristophanes' comedy the “Lysistrata” was performed in Athens. Athens was embroiled in the Peloponnesian War, and the play was a dream of peace in which women played a significant role.
In this podcast, I give a gloss of the plot of this play and consider some connections between the ancient Greek world of Aristophanes, and the growing presence of women in public life today. Women are taking the lead, speaking out, and showing up in greater and greater numbers. They are not uniformly welcome.
A look at the classical Greek roots of Western culture sheds some light on the cultural tensions that surround women and power and the right to speak out.
“We have to be more reflective about what power is, what it is for, and how it is measured. To put it another way, if women are not perceived to be fully within the structures of power, surely it is power that we need to redefine rather than women?”
― Mary Beard, Women & Power: A Manifesto
Visit the Mythic Mojo & Myth Matters website--- http://www.mythicmojo.com --- for links to related resources that you might find helpful.
Thank you for listening and keep the mystery in your life alive....
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Cultural and personal transformation begins with conscious evaluation of value systems and the stories that express and perpetuate them. In the West, this includes the idea of the hero, and the mythic pattern of the hero's journey delineated by Joseph Campbell.
A close critique of Western heroes and heroism is long overdue in my opinion, and yet the incredible popularity of this image of the individual and the road to fulfillment signals the need for careful, nuanced reflection. In truth, I am often inspired by the courage, feeling, vision, and stamina of heroes, past and present. At the same time, I'm very frustrated by the hegemony of the heroic perspective, which excludes people and experiences and most importantly, colonizes the imagination.
Campbell didn't create the mythologies that he studied and yet, he did conceive the monomyth of the hero's' journey. I recently returned to "The Hero With a Thousand Faces" and I was struck by Campbell's use of Siddhartha's journey to enlightenment. It's a good story, one that can help you think about the nature of heroism and the change our times demand.
Buddhism and other major philosophical and religious systems appeared during a time called "The Axial Age." This isn't the first time that people have felt the need for a new story, although I don't think the longing has been expressed in these terms before. Something profound is underway. You can feel it. But I wonder how much can change, how human civilization can be retooled, if people don't learn how to read a myth, how to live the symbolic life and see through metaphor...
The nature of Siddhartha's story offers me a way to talk about that too.
I hope that you're doing okay and find something helpful in this podcast.
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The old forms are dissolving. I find myself thinking about allies--how to be an ally, and also, where are my allies? These questions are important in my "outer life" as a citizen, and a human being making my way through the day-to-day.
I can find some answers in movies and books and my community... but can these take me far enough, deep enough, into the desired transformation? How can depth psychology and the soul life help me grapple with the challenge of allyship, alliances, and support today?
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What do you do when the old ways don't work anymore? When the roles that you've played, and the activities that have engaged your time, must change? What do you do when your ideas about the world and about yourself must evolve? When you need a new story to live?
You turn to soul and your soul life, that imaginative capacity in your nature that enables you to bridge what exists and what could be. Soul---that imaginative ground-- is a portal that is always available, to take you into the liminal space where transformation occurs.
Listening to a story like we do here on this podcast, is one way to enter this soul realm. In this episode, I have a story that tells us something about soul and the liminal space, and the possibilities that can be found there. It's a Celtic story called "The Man Without a Story," and I hope it helps you find your way to the edge of the fairy glen.
A transcript of this episode is available at www.mythicmojo.com.Thanks for listening!
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Here we are, two weeks further into this process, a process that few, if any of us, can define, a collective transformation. Sometimes I feel a certain fatigue in all of this, and maybe you do, too. I remind myself that all I can do, really, is express - through how I live, what I do, what I say and my own being- the values that I want to see in the world.
In that spirit, I offer you a little bit of humor and sweetness in today's story, a Czech folk tale called "Clever Manka."
"Peace begins with a smile." Mother Teresa
A transcript of this episode is available at www.mythicmojo.com.Thanks for listening!
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"If this life be not a real fight, in which something is eternally gained for the universe by success, it is no better than a game of private theatricals from which one may withdraw at will. But it feels like a real fight." William James
The words above are the epigraph to a chapter in Annie Dillard's book "The Writing Life." In this podcast, I share a story from Dillard that helps me greet the day and take up my work despite uncertain outcomes. I hope that it does the same for you.
I've also included two poems written by members of our Myth Matters story circle. Thank you to Dick Sumpter and Elise Kost for sharing your hearts and words!
A transcript of this episode is available at www.mythicmojo.com.Thanks for listening!
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"Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine. Meanwhile, the world goes on..."
--Mary Oliver, "Wild Geese"
The world that you and I knew has ended and many things are changing and yet, the sun still rises and sets, and the spring flowers are blooming here in the Mojave Desert. The earth--- our source and ground---is beneath our feet.
Here is a program of poetry to connect you with all the life and beauty that remains despite the great changes underway. I've included poems by Eleanor Lerman, James Wright, Czeslaw Milosz, W.S. Merwin, Billy Collins, Wallace Stevens, Eavan Boland, David Whyte, Pat Mora, and Mary Oliver.
In celebration of National Poetry month here in the United States-- and of all the good that remains.
“Poetry is not a luxury. It is a vital necessity of our existence.” —Audre Lorde
A transcript of this episode is available at www.mythicmojo.com.Thanks for listening!
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You and I are living through huge changes. My day to day is a roller coaster ride through grief and fear of loss, to joy at the birdsong, gratitude, inspired resolve, and anxiety. I'm energized and exhausted at the same time. Maybe you're riding a roller coaster too.
It's tempting to devote all energy to practicalities and logistics, to the newsfeeds and the search for distractions, or to disconnect and retreat into your private world. But we're needed. You and me. Right now.
So how do we ride the roller coaster? And how do we participate with our gifts and wisdom?
By making space for reflection on the bigger meanings, including our vulnerability. To stop and breathe and let that in. This old Celtic story of competition and tests of character can guide reflections on the source of true strength and the deep meanings of this time.
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“Participate joyfully in the sorrows of the world. We cannot cure the world of sorrows, but we can choose to live in joy.” Joseph Campbell
A lot has changed in a mere two weeks and I hope that you are safe and healthy.
In the recent podcast about Loki and the quantum cosmos, I suggested that we need to use our ability to question and cultivate a new state of openness. I received requests to talk more about this "openness," which led me to consider these words from Joseph Campbell.
There is a connection between this wisdom and the old stories, one's sense of belonging to the world, and the ability to live this paradox of joy and sorrow. Here is my attempt to knit them together for you, offered with the wish that you find some inspiration and encouragement here.
The need for physical distance compels us to spend more time at home and perhaps alone, yet we have technologies like the podcast to connect with each other.
Take good care of yourself.
A transcript of this episode is available at www.mythicmojo.com.Thanks for listening!
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Myths of the Norse god Loki combine with understanding of the quantum cosmos to offer insight into the necessity of chaos, and a perspective on the restructuring of our lives.
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How can a thoughtful person think, in a useful and creative way, about the seeming insanity of many politicians and the turmoil in public life and community affairs? What does mythology have to do with the conflict, and do the old stories offer any insight?
These are big questions. The role that mythology plays in shaping every aspect of communal life is too big for one podcast, but this Yoruba story about Eshu and his love of discord offers a good starting point in the search for a healthy, helpful perspective.
A transcript of this episode is available at www.mythicmojo.com.Thanks for listening!
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Are we solitary and relatively powerless egos in a mechanical world, or do we belong to a community of seen and unseen Others? What does it mean to live the life of the soul, and why is this necessary?
“The Fire-bird and the Princess Vasilisa,” a Russian fairytale about a hunter and a horse, a king, a magical bird and a mysterious princess, offers a way into the imaginal realm where such questions can be considered.
A transcript of this podcast is available at http://www.mythicmojo.com
Thanks for listening and keep the mystery in your life alive.
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In the last podcast I told you the fairy tale of “The Three Feathers” and talked about the connection between gratitude, imagination, and possibility. This was an invitation to look beyond what you perceive to be a limited situation and actively entertain the unknown, to unleash the power of imagination and the magic that arises from a place of willing curiosity.
The story that I now offer, “The Old Thief and the Plum Seed,” extends those reflections in ways that I didn’t foresee. And that may be the point(!).
Trickster energy is at work in the world my friends. I hope this story enriches your perspective on our changing times and helps you find the opportunities.
May you have a joyful holiday season and smooth transition into the new year. You are the story circle, dear listener and it means everything to know that you are out there.
A transcript of this podcast is available at http://www.mythicmojo.com
Thanks for listening and keep the mystery in your life alive.
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“we are saying thank you and waving
dark though it is”--- W.S. Merwin
The wise ones tell us that true gratitude, gratitude beyond the platitude, is gratitude for everything, even hardship and suffering. Easier said than done, right?
How can we move into a fullhearted posture of thanksgiving? How can the old stories help us reach this peaceful state of acceptance?
In this podcast, a fairy tale called “The Three Feathers” provides a meditation on imagination and a trapdoor down into that realm of possibility.
A transcript of this podcast is available at http://www.mythicmojo.com
Thanks for listening and keep the mystery in your life alive.
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“Here is the epic of the fear of death.” Ranier Marie Rilke
This program is the third and final episode in my telling of the ancient Sumerian myth of Gilgamesh, the hero-king of Uruk. When he was a young man he terrorized his people, but at the end of his story they say that Gilgamesh was wise, that he traveled the world and knew secret things.
What happened to Gilgamesh? He faced his fear of death.
Death isn’t something that we’re generally encouraged to contemplate and yet this existential problem (to put it mildly) is a universal task, the catalyst for the quest for purpose, love, and meaning, and the impetus for myth.
Death looms large in these times of mass extinction and cultural disintegration and I believe that we must grapple with it to be fully alive and present, to do what each of us is here to do with courage, creativity, gratitude, and love.
I hope your journey with Gilgamesh guides your further down your path to meaning.
A transcript of this podcast is available at http://www.mythicmojo.com
Thanks for listening and keep the mystery in your life alive.
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In part 2 of this 3-part series, Gilgamesh and his friend Enkidu venture into the sacred cedar forest to confront the demon Humbaba and make great names for themselves. These actions and motivations may seem questionable today, and raise questions about the enduring value of the ancient story.
What do these two have to teach us about the human condition? Do they simply illustrate timeworn heroic values—for better or for worse--- or does this poem connect past and present in a meaningful, useful way?
A transcript of this podcast is available at www.mythicmojo.com. Thanks for listening and keep the mystery in your life alive.
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The Sumerian myth of the hero-king Gilgamesh may be the oldest story in recorded history and yet, his quest for meaning is poignant and powerful today. This podcast is part 1 in a 3-part series on this myth. In this episode we meet Gilgamesh and his friend and alter ego, the wild man Enkidu.
Transcript and links to bonus material available at www.mythicmojo.com
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In the last podcast I told you the beginning of the Arthurian legend of Perceval and his quest for the grail, written by the French poet Chrétien de Troyes in the 12thcentury. This story, and others about King Arthur and the Knights of the Roundtable, were part of an important cultural conversation, a conversation about the rights and authority of the individual.
Perceval’s quest for the grail is easily understood as a quest for self-realization, and an assertion of the need felt by each and every one of us, to know ourselves, be ourselves, and meet our destiny on our own terms. The right to make such a quest must be claimed over and over again.
Now I want to share the last part of Perceval’s story, about his fateful meeting with the Fisher King. This is an opportunity to consider the larger significance of the personal quest for self-realization, and its importance for our community.
A transcript of this episode is available at www.mythicmojo.com.Thanks for listening!
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“You enter the forest at the darkest point, where there is no path. Where there is a way or path, it is someone else's path [...] If you follow someone else's way, you are not going to realize your potential.”
― Joseph Campbell
Some people seem to know the purpose for which they were born very early in life. Others of us stumble along searching for a long time. The Arthurian legend of Perceval and the Story of Grail can tell us something about how the quest for self-fulfillment begins.
Mythologist Joseph Campbell loved these stories and found a touchstone or two in them that shaped his life. Maybe you will too.
"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing." -- Helen Keller
(The Campbell quote above is from "The Hero's Journey: Joseph Campbell on His Life & Work").
A transcript of this episode is available at www.mythicmojo.com. Thanks for listening!
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“Tell me Muse, about the dear son of Hermes, the goat-footed, the two-horned, the lover of the din of revel, who haunts the wooded dells with dancing Nymphs who tread the crests of the steep cliffs, calling upon Pan the pastoral god of the long, wild hair…” Homeric Hymn to Pan
Many, if not all of the old gods, are embedded in what we now call the “natural world” in one way or another, so what makes Pan the Greek god of “nature?” How has he been treated by Western culture over the centuries, and what does this tell us about Western fears and prejudices?
In this podcast, we look at 4 of his defining characteristics: the significance of his trickster father Hermes, that he’s half man and half billygoat; his reed pipe; and his home in Arcadia—to find answers to these questions.
A transcript of this episode is available at www.mythicmojo.com. Thanks for listening!
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What is the source of creative ideas and guiding visions, and how do they come to us? How do our creative ideas change and how do we change along with them?
In this episode I share a Celtic story that offers an opportunity for meditation on these questions. The story of Aengus and Caer is based on myths that inspired the poet William Butler Yeats to write his poem “Wandering Aengus.” Here are a few words from Yeats about the creative life:
“The greater energies of the mind seldom break forth but when the deeps are loosed. They break forth amid events too private or too sacred for public speech, or seem themselves, I know not why, to belong to hidden things.”
Creative inspiration is commonly linked to artistic and poetic endeavors and yet, it is an essential ingredient for anyone who understand that a good life is made, that it is an adventure with purpose, form, beauty, and meaning.
This is the life of the engaged imagination and fully utilized powers of perception, the life of the soul.
A transcript of this episode is available at www.mythicmojo.com. Thanks for listening!
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Fairy tales are inherently subversive. If you sit with one, if you think about what puzzles, delights, or infuriates you, you will be changed. And there are thousands of fairy tales and stories in cultures around the world, that have this power.
“The Queen Bee,” a fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm, was new to me when I set out to record this podcast. It’s pretty short and I didn’t expect much. I didn’t love the story or think that it would find its way into a podcast, but the tale kept revealing new depths and I was compelled to follow the trail.
This fairy tale got me thinking about what kind of person I am and who I want to be, about hopelessness and surrender, belonging and miracles. I hope you find inspiration and food for thought here too.
A transcript of this episode is available at www.mythicmojo.com. Thanks for listening!
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“These lofty words are an antidote for anyone sickened by extremism’s poison.” Attar
The Conference of the Birds is an epic poem from the 12thcentury written by Sufi poet Farid ud Din Attar.
The story is an enduring source of insight and inspiration for truth seekers everywhere. Rumi, said, “Attar is the soul itself.” If you want a story to speed you down the path to your fulfillment then let Attar be your teacher.If you are feeling lost, beat down, angry, or despairing, let the story of these birds and their quest to find a king, guide you and lift you up.
“The way of love is not subtle argument.
The door there is devastation.
Birds make great sky-circles of their freedom.
How do they learn it?
They fall, and falling,
they’re given wings.”
--Rumi
A transcript of this episode is available at www.mythicmojo.com. Thanks for listening!
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“I sing of the great god Poseidon, mover of the earth and fruitless sea […] god of the deep, shaker of the earth […] tamer of horses and savior of ships […]” Homeric Hymn to Poseidon
After the Olympians defeated the old gods, Zeus and his brothers, Hades and Poseidon, divided the world into three realms. They drew lots to establish which of them would rule over each.
Poseidon was awarded the ocean.
In this podcast I talk about Poseidon and share some his myths, including his role in Homer’s Odyssey and the contemporary significance of his longstanding competition with the goddess Athena.
A transcript of this episode is available at www.mythicmojo.com. Thanks for listening!
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In the Greek myth of Oedipus a king tries, unsuccessfully, to avoid fulfilling a horrifying prophecy. He doesn’t escape his fate and yet free will exists, doesn’t it? Did Oedipus make a critical mistake? Did he have other options? Do we?
Reflections on the message and meaning of the tragic fate of King Oedipus and how it can illuminate the dance with fate and destiny today.
A transcript of this episode is available at www.mythicmojo.com. Thanks for listening!
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How do you come to know yourself? What does this mean and how is this task accomplished? Most importantly, do you really want to know?
The quest for self-knowledge lies at the heart of human experience and it is a quest surrounded by questions. Some of them are addressed in one of most famous Greek myths, the myth of Oedipus, immortalized in a trilogy of plays by Sophocles from the 5th century BCE.
In this podcast I tell the story of Oedipus and reflect on the connection between this story, the contemporary quest for self-knowledge and authenticity, and the patron deity of Greek tragedy and theater, the god Dionysus.
A transcript of this episode is available at www.mythicmojo.com. Thanks for listening!
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When the moon shone, Artemis was present, and beasts and plants would dance.” Karl Kerenyi
An exploration of Artemis, Greek goddess of the moon, the hunt, and wilderness, and the myth of her fateful encounter with Acteaon, that may help you find your place in the family of things.
A transcript of this episode is available at www.mythicmojo.com. Thanks for listening!
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Summer is almost here, bringing warm nights perfect for stargazing and communion with the moon. A full moon rises here in the United States on Saturday May 18th, so this podcast includes stories and information about two Greek moon goddesses, Selene and Hecate, and an invitation to develop your night vision and capacity for magic.
Bathe in the silver shimmer, get moonstruck, and maybe a little bit mad.
A transcript of this episode is available at www.mythicmojo.com. Thanks for listening!
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“Without warning
As a whirlwind
Swoops on an oak
Love shakes my heart.”
---Sappho
In this podcast I share some of the ancient Greek mythology about Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love, and Eros, the God of Desire, the force that brings people and things together. These are universal, timeless energies and the Greek ideas about them, personified in this Goddess and God, can help us expand our thinking about the role love, beauty, and desire play in our lives.
Aphrodite is depicted as very beautiful. You may be familiar with Botticelli’s painting “The Birth of Venus,” for example. (Venus is the Roman name for Aphrodite). She personifies beauty and yet Aphrodite is not the goddess of beautiful people. She gives her gifts to everyone who wants to know the transformative power of love.
A transcript of this episode is available at www.mythicmojo.com. Thanks for listening!
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