mythology

i wanted to start with a broad social construct when looking at how people communicate with each other. where do the stories come from that we tend to repeat and what stories have meaning. so i invited a friend to come in and talk to us about mythology.

The following are Peter's notes from Ann Maxwell’s presentation

How do we know things?
-Experience
-Education
-Institutions
-Family
-Church
-Science
-Things that have been tested and results measured
-Measurable facts

Phenomenology: Anything imagined as real can be accepted to be as real as proven things.

Mythology: How the world was created and how are you supposed to be in the world.
Not morals, but open-ended stories.

Joseph Campbell: A Hero with a Thousand Faces
-Why so many hero stories?
-That’s what worth writing about
-Someone who achieved something improbable
-Someone who has given their life to something larger than themselves

Physical Hero vs. Spiritual Hero:
-What type of difficulty did you overcome?

Initiation ritual:
-A child must ‘die’ to come back as an adult
-Going from psychological dependency to independence requires a ‘death’ and
reincarnation

Transformations:
-Finding your career
-Drafted into war

Commonly seen stories:
-“Fire theft” relay race:
-Brought fire to civilization, different birds carried the torch, got burned , and
turned different colors
-“Monster Slayer”
-“Temptations”
-Three temptations of Christ
-Economic
-Political
-Spiritual
-Three temptations of Buddha
-Fear
-Lust
-Social Duty
Both return from their journeys and choose disciples.

The trials of the hero journey are essential
-Serendipitous adventure
-Hero is given not only a physical instrument, but also a psychological commitment

Commonly seen metaphors:
-Belly of the whale
-Going in and coming out again
-A willingness to cross the threshold
-Water
-Water is unconscious

We all operate in our society relative to a system
-Will the system eat you up?
-Will you harness the system to succeed?

Memorable quotes (from star wars/ the hero's journey):
-“I love you”-Princess Leah
-“I know”-Han Solo