Discovering Truth in Mythic Voices

When it comes to mythology, we have diverse views concerning what it is, how to interpret it, who gets to define it, and why many of the myths echo each other. We also have differing ways of comparing our personal myths with ancient/traditional ones.

It is generally accepted that myths provide us with stories and symbols which shape our beliefs about ourselves, our community, our world, and our humanity.

Over time these stories and symbols grow into myths. Once that happens, we no longer question them. They structure the meaning and direction our minds use to define the way things are or are meant to be. As with so many things, myths are at their most powerful in our lives when they are so deeply ingrained, we don't name them. We believe we don't have to define them because they simply are. At that point, we generally have little awareness of their power over us.

We see this everywhere around us. Every day. All of our most noxious isms grow out of one or more of these unquestioned, deeply ingrained myths. And yet....many of our most cherished myths are also about change. Siddhartha Gautama sat under the bodhi tree until he reached enlightenment. Jesus preached about and shared all he had as an example of change. Kwan Yin choose to stay on the Earth plane to continue to be a compassionate source. Boudica, as queen of the British Celtic Iseni tribe, went to war to free her people from Roman rule, uncommon for a woman. Hercules. Mulan. Moana. Even Disney retells our myths. Sherlock Holmes. Lyra Silvertongue. Tom Sawyer. We find mythic characters everywhere. We listen to their mythic voices.

We have choice. We have agency. We determine which myths we will believe. Which we will follow. Which we will question.

Which stories live within your life? How do you determine what is myth? Are there beliefs you have about yourself that grow out of those stories or myths? What symbols are significant in your life? Where did you learn about those symbols? Why are they important?

Super New Moon in Pisces and Solar Eclipse

Tuesday, March 8th at 23:19 UTC (11:19 p.m.), the Solar Eclipse begins. The four-minute antumbra will begin at 1:59 UTC (1:59 a.m.) on Wednesday, March 9th. It will be visible in a swath of the Pacific Ocean and Micronesia. Living on the West Coast of the U.S., it will not be seen in the sky, but it will begin at 3:19 p.m. and be at its maximum at 5:59 p.m.

Those are the technical details. Then there are the other, more arcane meanings. A solar eclipse happens when the three most powerful and influential celestial bodies ~ Sun, Moon and Earth ~ align and create a new energy, a new story, for us to embody. Having this particular eclipse happen while the Super New Moon is in Pisces sends us into Mama Ocean, the collective unconscious, where depth hides the memory of every story that's ever been lived on Earth. It contains all of archetypal life as well as the myths we plumb to guide our steps. Within this container rests our creative imagination.

This is the New Moon for travel into the Dreamtime, for practicing and dancing with our creativity. Mama Ocean helps us shape-shift in that deep, dark realm, in the primal womb. This is the time to engage our passion and uncover what we are passionate about ~ to dream a present and a future that embraces each and all of us. Within that Dreamtime travel, there is a call to stay present, awake and aware. It is a time of healing the deep soul wound through many clear or subtle routes, including karmic completion, full awareness of feelings, forgiveness of self and others.

What are you feeling as you pass through this Eclipse and New Moon? What draws your heart? your passion? How are your interactions with others shifting? How are you expressing this? What creative expression calls to you? Are you answering it?

Mama Killa

If you'd like a Goddess with strength to help you stay the course, try Mama Killa (yes, that's really her name). She's the third deity in the Inca pantheon after Inti (Sun god and husband) and Illapu (Thunder god), though in some coastal communities, She was considered stronger and more vital than the others. As Mother Moon, She regulated women's menstrual cycles and childbirth. She provided shelter, understanding and support to women; in return, they venerated Her.

One myth of Mama Killa was about the Moon's 'dark spots' or lunar craters. Once a fox fell in love with the amazing beauty of Mama Killa and rose into the sky to be with Her. When he came close, she squeezed him against her, creating the dark patches visible on the bright moon's surface.

Lunar eclipses were believed to be a mountain lion or a serpent attacking and attempting to devour Mama Killa and leave the night world in darkness. The Incas would throw weapons and make great noises to scare the creature away.

Goddesses operate from a very different strength than Gods do. Many Goddesses rely less on their physical prowess and show care for the people. Mama Killa took especial care of women in the Inca community. Showing that kind of care over time means that She is capable of guiding and staying the course under any kind of conditions ~ especially when changes occur.

How do you plan to 'stay the course' through any coming changes? How can myths guide you through them? Why would a Goddess be an ally for you? Who else could be one?

Mythic Storytelling

Wisdom of Avalon by Colette Baron-Reid

I truly enjoy the art of divination: shuffling a deck with a question in mind, then choosing a card. Over the course of many years of doing this, I'm a believer. It's amazing how much I've learned through this method!

My question: What strength will I dance with tomorrow? I shuffled the deck through several repetitions of the query. I felt a nudge to finish with my shuffling and split the deck which I gladly followed. I was left with two choices, the 'bottom' card (the one shifted to the bottom of the deck when the cut is made) or the 'top' one. I wanted it to be the bottom one, but kept feeling that insistent nudge to choose the top one. So I did.

What a surprise! I got The Bard: music, poetry, myth, history, the enchantment of storytelling. What a hoot! I love myths and am a storyteller. My focus is reworking and reclaiming the myths that shape our lives and our world. I call it re-mything. More than that, I am participating in a writing workshop tomorrow where I am certain the mythic will show up. It always does.

Now if you're thinking is anything like mine, I wanted to check out the 'bottom' card to find out if the concepts were similar. That card was The Horse: accepting help from another, delegating authority. Very different messages.

What I recognize is that like most things, the choice is always mine. I can follow my instinct which made one choice or my mind which made a different one. The differences are not always so radical. Other factors often pop in to change it up even more: emotions, memories, chance. Whatever I follow is my choice. I love my choice this time. Nothing against The Horse. I'm simply thrilled with The Bard!

How do you make decisions? Is it different if they're big decisions or not-so-big decisions? If it's something as simple and non-crucial as a divination card, does it matter?

Holy Saturday ~ 2014

Looking down from the Rotunda of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, believed to be built on the site where Jesus was crucified ~ on Golgotha, is one of the most sacred, and most disputed over, sites in Jerusalem. [There was a church built on the site before 66 CE; leveled by Hadrian about 135 CE; rediscovered by Helena, mother of Constantine about 326 CE.] During Holy Week, hundreds of Christians come to see the church and to participate in worship services within, around and on it. [Six denominations ~ Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox, Syrian Orthodox, Ethiopians and Copts ~ own different parts of the church. None own the main entrance. The key resides in the care of the Joudeh family and the opening/locking of the entrance are in the care of the Nusseibeh family, both of whom are Muslim.]

I've been inside this Church twice though neither time during Holy Week. Within its walls, I felt the weight of the centuries of spats between the different sects. I also felt an incredible peace and sacredness within and all around the Church. I cannot imagine the beauty and the overwhelming press of worshipers at the vigil on Holy Saturday.

Why do I find myself looking back at that particular Church tonight? Because it marks for Christendom the place where the Messiah died. Holy Saturday marks the in-between time, the time when Jesus was neither in this world nor in heaven. It marks the time when the myth of Jesus, a myth that would significantly alter the course of the world for hundreds of years, was born. The myth wasn't born with Jesus' birth, but with His death. Tonight, this night of all other nights of the year, reminds me most deeply and dearly of where and under what circumstances Christianity was born.

What influence has Holy Saturday had on your life? What influence has Christianity had on your life? What myth of Christianity is most significant to you?

Writers Sometimes Give Up.....

©2013 Mary-Lynne Monroe

I was looking for some word of inspiration and turned to one of my favorite poets ~ Mary Oliver. This tidbit showed up in the quote stream found on the internet. I felt called into it... like Alice tumbling through the looking glass... only to see myself both reflected within and without.

As I've been writing these posts over the past month ~ and posting links to them in more public venues than my blog itself ~ I find my curiosity peaked to know what draws people in to read? what phrasing catches them? what line connects to the line of their lives? When I fell into this quote and let it surround me... when it flowed into me and was absorbed... I recognized that my curiosity and my questions sometimes took me off the track of my own writing and onto the track of writing what someone else might want. So, whether or not anyone chooses to read what I write, I am reminded to be true to myself, to the call of my own rough-edged myths and let that be what I write.

Gratitude flows around me like a mist. Gratitude for the teachers and mentors in my life. Gratitude for friends. Gratitude for every moment of life itself.

What motivates you? What "rough edges" do you smooth out to 'accommodate' others? What are you called to do with your life?