The Biggest Myth Of Our Time
Perhaps one of the biggest myths of our time is that myths are myths.
I’m not suggesting that the great ancient stories were/are are in the historical record, although many may have been (such as Atlantis for example).
What I am suggesting is that these myths tell stories in symbols, and our psyche is deeply connected to them. Maybe this is why they have been around for thousands of years, and proven by the Lindy effect, will be around for thousands of years more.
Hero With A Thousand Faces
Joseph Campbell did a fine job with his work – ‘The Hero With A Thousand Faces’. It put mythology back onto the map in the 20th century. What Campbell showed was that the same myths were told through the generations, in different cultures across the world.
Is this because they are rooted in our nature and never be lost?
Losing Mythology
I believe that one of the biggest issues we have, particularly in the western world, is that we no longer have reverence for mythology and consider them mere fantasy.
Psychologists such as Carl Jung, Sigmund Freud and Otto Rank knew of the importance of myth and used it in their practise. They understood the importance of symbols and myth having its roots deep inside the Human psyche.
Personal Myth
“Thus it is that I have now undertaken, in my eighty-third year, to tell my personal myth. I can only make direct statements, only ‘tell stories.’ Whether or not the stories are ‘true’ is not the problem. The only question is whether what I tell is my fable, my truth.” – C.G. Jung, Memories, Dreams, Reflections, pp. 3-4
Our personal myth is the story we have to make sense and give meaning to the world. It is the story we have lived and keep living. Keep in mind that myth is our story about our experiences as a human – it is not something that is false or unreal. Having a deep exploration of your personal myth invites you to edit and change the story. In changing the story, you can change your life.
Be sure to check out my notes on a couple of myths here.