Myth Ramble February 7 2005

Myths represent more than simple aetiogical, alchemical, biological, theosophical, theological, religionical, magical, metaphysical, psychological, sociological, scientifical, technological, philosophical, mythopoeical, or mythological methodology or functions and causes; they represent all of these things and more, as C.G. Jung and Joseph Campbell after him have suggested, myth is expansive. If Romulus and Remus are viewed as two incomplete parts that become whole once unified, then they can be seen as an apt representative of the human psyche, in that one is the ego and the other the Self, for once these two are unified much can be accomplished. The founding of a city, Rome in the case of the twins above, a religion, the exploration of a psychology and/or the furtherance of technology require some key fusions in order to work. Such fundamental road maps, mythology provides.

Mythology, then, gives humanity much more than the magic and mystery of simplistic stories that may be based on some historicity (that alone would be endowment enough), they gift us continuing survival strategies that as we mature as a civilization, we become more and more aware of, seeing the deeper layers as peeled onions of thousands of years of unfoldment. In Hindu mythology, Shiva the destroyer of worlds shows us that humanity nearly extincts and then miraculously continues, relearning and reembodying the myths that are left behind in treasure troves to be discovered by later civilizations looking at the ashes and sorting through the rubble of human societies past, present and future.

If each of the mythology systems open their secrets to humanity, and all are taken as various integral subsets of interrelated wisdom, then what is needed to survive as a species presents within the various stories related. In some creation myths systems process theory is embedded, according to Paul Laviolette—and he argues his case brilliantly. In others, we can see societal lessons and behavioristic blueprints, which upon further reflection by other scientists may also reveal other formulas. The layering within mythology is exhaustive, and thus parallels the layering of the human consciousness and unconsciousness: there are no real observable limits or borders, other than in very extreme conditions, which occur infrequently to rarely and are not indicative of the human condition, but, rather represent radical external influences to earth’s biosphere, such as cometary or asteroidal interruption.

Whether or not we choose to believe and hold desperately to outmoded false scientific information such as the Bering Strait Theory, which Vine Deloria exposes for its insidiousness and blatant disregard of scientific facts in Red Earth White Lies, or archeological ones like the one that civilization began in Mesopotamia alone, since Egyptian, Indian and Mesopotamian civilizations appear to have coexisted simultaneously—and all of them appear at the outset to be complete cultures—which speaks to other origins, determines in part how we as human beings view the rest of the world. Interpretive frames, lenses, attitudes, and ways of seeing all mean, basically, hermeneutics and that process involves aesthesis: a participative way of perceiving life around us, and poesis: a way of participatively co-creating that life around us. Aesthesis and poesis work tandemly to reveal and to hide (and a host of activities between and beyond) the numinous withal, without and within, above and below.

Aesthesis and poesis are two abovementioned critical fusionary archetypal energies that open up mythologies to humanity in the manner that they are ready to receive them, thus for some, they have become lies (and these would be the least open to aesthesis or poesis); for some, they are functional only in origin and now dried out husks (somewhat open to archetypal energies); for some they are psychological markers (Freud and Jung, much more open to archetypal energies); while for others they unveil scientific theories (like Laviolette’s Beyond the Big Bang, very open to archetypal energies); and for others, they provide road maps to human evolution (those who continue to work with not on the myths: extremely open to archetypal energies). To each of us, depending on our current states of being, as humans, we open ourselves to archetypal energies constantly, either consciously or unconsciously (read also aware or unawares), and in my humble opinion it is wise to be aware of these energies and how they influence us, and reflect themselves within cultures, for otherwise they enact myths through us, without us knowing. James Hillman and others have succinctly to exhaustively demonstrated the importance and significance of learning to discern which myth we as humans are living, or which myth lives us (especially when unaware), and the conceptualization of a structure that one exists within, drinking, eating and breathing it, normally provides much comfort to humans.

As we become ever more aware of what myths we live within or that live us, then these archetypal energies driving those myths also become increasingly clearer, like multitudinous hues of brilliantly sparkling diamonds, some evanescently blue, others fascinatingly pink, some radiantly white and others unfathomably black. These, after a time or period of diligent reflection, also begin to show elements of the others within them, until one sees an interconnectedness and interrelatedness that reveals a throbbing celebration of birth in riotous coupling, splitting, singly operating and recoupling, alongside a thumping carnival of death in riotous coupling, splitting, singly decomposing and recoupling, and a pulsating festival of life in riotous coupling, splitting, singly operating and decomposing, and recoupling. Myths can show us portals into such observations and numinous encounters, for they show humanity how to be open and receptive to not only being human—to story itself—but also the hidden magic, science, mysteries and archetypal energies of which all thinking and being emanates.

This is based upon a dream partially and partially upon reflecting upon that dream while waking up, or on an experience as Jung would say, because an experience requires reflection. That moment represents one of the most fertile moments for human consciousness because it taps directly into the unconscious or storehouse of human wisdom and eternal experience, a threshold moment of liminal inexhaustible opportunity.

Life’s Force,

Scott Michael Potter