Mythic Discourse: Essays on Mythology, Culture & Soul
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Mythic Discourse: Essays on Mythology, Culture & Soul Compiled by John Knight Lundwall Cosmos & Logos Press Salem, Utah 2006 Copyright © 2006, Cosmos & Logos Press 1026 South 550 West, Salem, Utah 84653 The individual authors of each essay contained within this book retain personal copyright ownership of their respective work. Authors may be contacted through the web site www.cosmosandlogos.com. Any reproduction or distribution of any essay or portion of any essay without prior written permission from its author is strictly prohibited. Cover, book design, and Introduction by John Knight Lundwall Table of Contents Introduction .................................................................1 The Salvation of Imagination ...................................................4 By Chris Laliberte – Presents a brief look at an important contribution of religious scholar Henry Corbin to the field of depth psychology by examining the way his translation and presentation of the Persian mystical concept of the Mundus Imaginalis has informed the field. Particular attention is given to the unique confluence of the Sufi theme of the "Voyage and the Messenger" and Carl Jung's own personal encounter with the unconscious. The Grateful Dead: Communitas Through Music and Dance . 16 By Ann Vermeer – The author finds a sense of the sacred through the modern ritual of concert- going. The music of the Grateful Dead and the experience of Grateful Dead concerts initiate and transform participants into new states of awareness and being. Epics: Of Ministers, Morticians and Architects . 29 By Terry Pearce – The author shows how the epic novel can recreate the past and project the future; not merely to define a need for change, but to transform that need into a call for progress. Unfortunately, Western civilization cannot respond. Exploring the Libation Ritual in Greek and Roman Myth . 41 By Sean Froyd – The ritual pouring out of liquid on the ground has been a puzzling part of many mythological systems. While we as outsiders cannot know why libations have been poured, a close examination of the myth may give some hints to an answer. Limiting an investigation to the Greek/Roman myth systems, what can be learned about libation? Shout and Speak: Possession in African Diasporan Religion in the United States . 52 By Jeff Levering – African diasporan religion in the United States, like diasporan religion in the Caribbean and South America, continued the African spiritual heritage of possession. However, due to the unique condition of slavery, the tradition of possession acquired a novel expression in the diasporan religion of the United States. Riding on Horses’ Wings......................................................64 By Janet Rich – A look at how horses inspire the human heart and mythic imagination in Native American and other cultures. The Huichol Trinity..........................................................78 Pam Bjork – An exploration of the divinity of the Huichol Indians of Mexico as experienced in their annual pilgrimage to the Sacred Mountain of Wirikuta where they seek peyote that is dear to their life. In this arduous journey, plant, animal and man are united and become one with the world and cosmos. The Hopi Wedding Belt: Cosmic Text and Textile . 91 Linda Vogelsong – Based on original fieldwork, this study gathers a rare collection of data on one of the Hopi's most ancient and revered ceremonial artifacts, explores the worldview assumptions that underlies the textile's cultural and ritual function, and hints at the ecological implications for our world of separating the transformative powers of psyche and cosmos encoded in its text. The Wind Beneath Our Wings: Divine Inspiration and Shadow Exaltation in Rites of (Gas) Passage ...................................................................110 By Craig Titley – "Is there more to farting than meets the nose?” The author explores the role of flatulence in world rituals and depth psychology. WARNING: may be too sensitive for some nasal passages. What is “African Art?” An Exploratory Debate in Two Parts . 122 By Sarah Holloway – Artistic expression from the African continent and Diaspora is so richly diverse that it is difficult to categorize into the neat "art history" boxes most of us are familiar with. However, exploring the creative spirit of Africa and the African Diaspora is deeply revealing -- not only of the society, history and mythology of this ancient culture, but also of the deep-seated prejudices lurking within even the most liberal-minded of Westerners. Approaching the Beat of a New (Female) Drummer: West African Tradition in Transition .................................................................137 By Emily Afanador – This essay explores gender construction in the ritual drumming of West African cultures where women have been traditionally excluded from the role. How does blurring the gender boundary to allow women to drum potentially strengthen and weaken women's power? Plato, Poets, and the Virginia Standards of Learning . 149 By Lynda Burns – Written for the History of Depth Psychology in Winter 2005, this paper focuses on the similarities between the current fight over No Child Left Behind and the fight between Plato and the poets in ancient Athens. In both cases, the fight is about what the goal of education should be, demonstrating that despite the passage of over two millennia, nothing has really changed at all. Strange Fruits of the Soul: Epic as Orphic guide to Nectar . 158 By Cheryle Van Scoy-Mosher – In this analysis of Toni Morrison’s epic, Beloved, archetypal forces are unveiled as bearers of cultural realities that resonate through the novel’s significant characters. Depth psychological associations further elucidate the themes. Astrology and Jung: Bridging Science and Synchronicity . 170 By Susan Paidhrin – Jung is often proffered by astrologers as a significant supporter of astrology, mainly because of his theory of synchronicity. This paper explores Jung's explorations of astrology both within a scientific and synchronistic framework. Baptism: Social Order or Initiatory Rite?.......................................182 By Gary Wilson – With the passing of time, the Christian tradition has placed greater emphasis upon baptism as a ceremonial cleansing away of “Original Sin,” rather than as a powerful rite of initiation. Is baptism today merely a socially ordained prerequisite, or does it still hold an efficacy as initiator into the mysteries? “Love is a Force of Nature”: An Archetypal Analysis of Brokeback Mountain .........195 By John S. Gentile – Brokeback Mountain won multiple international awards and was the most controversial film of 2005; its outstanding success suggests that it resonates powerfully on the archetypal level. This essay presents an archetypal analysis of that landmark film. Raven as Trickster, Messenger, and Artist ......................................209 By Nancy Weems – Eden is found. A secret treasure is lost, but the world is gained. There is no explicit or implicit moralizing. There are no laws that have been broken or punishments for doing so. What might Western Civilization been like if various episodes of "The Raven Steals the Light" had been painted on the Sistine ceiling? Zombification: Fact, Fiction, or Function? . 218 By Brad VanWagenon – A degree of scientific evidence exists in support of zombification. This evidence, however, is by no way conclusive. The zombie serves a mythological, psychological, and sociological purpose. More than anything, the zombie can be viewed as a product of our projections. The Silence of the Sage: Jung’s Ambiguous Reactions to Charges of Anti-Semitism and Nazi Collaboration ......................................................231 By Benjamin Daniel Blatt – Because of some unfortunate remarks that Carl Jung made in the 1930s, a number of scholars and psychoanalysts, mostly followers of Sigmund Freud, have accused the pioneering Swiss psychoanalyst of anti-Semitism. A closer inspection of the record shows that Jung’s fault was not anti-Semitism, but insensitivity, articulating his racial theories at a time when they could be seen to justify the Nazi regime in Germany. After World War II, aware of how his remarks had been interpreted, Jung apologized to and sought reconciliation with a number of Jewish colleagues and scholars, including Rabbi Leo Baeck. Chaos and the Sacred Moment................................................244 By Katherine Lansing Davis – This paper looks at the Chaos before Creation through Creation myths, particularly the aspects of nothingness, darkness, emptiness, and the connection of these images to the creative impulse within humankind. The unconscious aspect of our psyche may be compared to these notions of Chaos. The thought is presented that entering the dark, through story, myth, song, poetry, etc. may inspire images which texturize that dark and bring in the Sacred Moment, the divine impulse to “[…make] the darkness conscious,” as Jung said—the awakening of “Let there be light.” Sorrow So Lovely ...........................................................259 By Susan Weir-Anker – This paper highlights a story from the Acoma and Laguna Pueblos in New Mexico. The legend compares to a similar beautiful sadness in Celtic traditions, Greek myth, Hindu epic, Japanese fairytales, and Australian Aboriginal legends as informed by a depth psychology perspective. Lyric Poetry and Sappho.....................................................271 By Cynthia Smith – The author