Myth in Motion

Something I found fascinating that modern magician Carolyn Elliot recently shared, which came to her through C.G. Jung’s observations in his field of psychology, was that the western mind is occupied by Christian symbolism more than any other religion, whether or not it was directly exposed to those symbols at any point. This western mind was equally influenced and occupied by Greek mythology and symbolism.

While I am going to continue remaining conscious of this fact as I create my new deck centered around goddess mythology, I also want to stay true to what mythic figures are naturally and synchronistically reaching out to me— those which are stirring the fires of inspiration within…

I have no interest in forcing my creative spirit into a box for the sake of cultural diversity in my art work. That is not my purpose. I have explored that in the past and what comes of that enforcement, of something that should be wild and free, is a piece lacking in depth, honesty, and heart. That lack has absolutely nothing to do with the subjects I have chosen to work with that have felt more foreign to me, but everything to do with my simply not being authentic.

A huge part of me wants to change that patterning earnestly and not give too much focus on cultures and religions that in many respects have so unfortunately embodied the oppression and disempowerment of the feminine and all that she represents, particularly as empowering the archetypal feminine embodies so much of what this new project is about.

What I have come to understand is that much of that re-patterning lies in the elucidation of the myths, and just as much, the religions, that have occupied the Western psyche.

To be clear, I don’t feel that humanity will be saved by one side of any duality rising above the other, but true to the alchemical theory, I believe that through a sacred union of the opposites we may reach new levels of consciousness for the betterment of humanity, the earth— all of us. However, this requires the reclamation of the feminine in myth, legend, religion and lore— to remember what she actually represents. To do this truly, authentically and effectively, we must trace back her lineage and her mythos from the female perspective…

Joseph Campbell once said that at the time that he was diving into mythology, there were very few women in a prominent position to share their understanding of the myths that he built his entire thesis around. He couldn’t wait for the time that women were in the position to share their deeply necessary voices on the subject of myth interpretation, even if he wasn’t around to witness it. We are all deeply lucky to be alive at a time when women are able to do just that with the same myths that have shaped our patriarchal society.

What is to come of that same society when the meaning of those same myths drastically transforms in collective consciousness? Particularly those stemming from predominantly empirical, colonialist and patriarchal societies like ancient Greece and Rome?

A bridge will be formed to do the sacred work of uniting the dual forces of our collective psyches and of our world. And as all myths have shaped our worldviews and cultural values, on both collective and personal levels, they will continue to do so as they are re-interpreted, creating this greater balance— an opening for union to take place in the deeper structures of our lives.