The Continuing Power of Myth

This week I was listening to an NPR story about the Persian Poet, Abolqasem Ferdowsi, who wrote an epic poem called the Shahnameh (translated as "The Book of Kings"). The poem is a combination of myth and history as it describes the wars and rulers of the great Persian empire. I was impressed by the continuing knowledge of this poem in the lives of those in Iran - how the mythic stories had significance symbolically to them. I was especially impressed by how dominant this work is within their culture.

The poem begins beautifully, "In the name of God of soul and wisdom, than whom thought cannot reach higher. God of name and God of space, God [who is] sustenance-granting and our guide. The God of "universe" and of the revolving sky, the kindler of Moon, Venus, and Sun."

Other cultures have similar mythic poem and sacred texts. The Hindus have the Ramayana, the Western world has the Greek and Roman myths, the Jews and Christians have the stories and parables in the Old and New Testament. But although these stories still exist in the Western world, I wonder how many of us actually use them as a source of wisdom in our daily lives.

In the NPR story, a Tehran journalist was interviewed. He opened his copy of the Shahnameh to one of its most poignant stories. It is the tale of Rostam a warrior who kills his son thinking him to be an enemy. It is the great story of mistaken identity, miscommunication and pride. The journalist used Rostam's life as an metaphor for the lack of communication between his country and the U.S.

How often do we hear others use the characters, stories and events in our myths and sacred texts within our daily conversations? How often do we think of the sacred stories and parables within our traditions as guidance for our lives? What have we lost in our education and culture - within the world of constant entertainment? How do we communicate the wisdom of our lives to others? Do we say, "I'm struggling to discover my truth just like Daniel in the lion's den?"

Joseph Campbell in his epic PBS television series with Bill Moyers, The Power of Myth, once said, "Myths are clues to the spiritual possibilities of the human life." Without these clues what have we lost? How can be best reclaim them?

All the Good/ Jana Stanfield & Doug Ellis

What's Up With the World?

Life is hard. We know that. The Buddhists say "life is suffering." But I prefer what Christ said better, "I come to bring you life and life ABUNDANT." Nevertheless, we are living in trying times, let's put that, scary times. I'm coping by living in denial. I put my 401K statements in a folder unopened. I refuse to get caught up in the consciousness of lack. I know my life and my material surroundings are not dependent on the world. I know they are mine by the grace of God. Still the news and the chatter leads us to fear and from fear we quickly leap to insanity.

I like to remember that we are blessed living in the good ol' U.S.A. True suffering is unknown for most of us here and whether we lose our IRA or our 401K we are still better off than most of the world. This week I saw a reference to an article in the New York Times by Ben Stein entitled, "They Told Me That Madoff Never Lost Money." The part that grabbed me was the conclusion.

"We are more than our investments. We are more than the year-to-year or day-by-day changes in our net worth. We are what we do for charity. We are how we treat our family and friends. We are how we treat our dogs and cats. We are what we do for our community and our nation. If you had $100 million or $100,000 a year ago and now you have a lot less, you are still the same person. You are not a balance sheet, at least not one denominated in money, as was explained to me recently.

Losing and making money are not moral issues so long as you are being honest. You may have a lot less money as this year ends than you did two years ago. But you are just as good or bad a person as you were then. It is a myth that money determines who you are, and if you have gotten over that myth by now, then 2008 will have been a very good year."

This is how I chose to view life. There is a lot we can do "out there" for good. A lot of folks need help and we can still help them. Whether it is recycling, donating unneeded items, volunteering to take meals to shut-ends, feed the hungry, teach reading... We don't need a lot to help a lot. So I'm warning everyone, don't come whining to me. When you feel sorry for yourself, just start helping someone with less. As one of my favorite musicians, Jana Stanfield wrote, "I can not do all the good that the world needs, but the world needs all the good I can do." Amen, Sister!

Book Study

My friend Amy and I recently started a book study group. While I'd love spending time with Amy anyway, discussing books is just the icing on the cupcake for me. We are currently reading two books - alternating between them. Could be a bit disjointed, I guess, but because they are nonfiction it works well. One of the books is the Dance of the Dissident Daughter by Sue Monk Kidd. The other is Walking a Sacred Path: Rediscovering the Labyrinth as a Spiritual Tool by Lauren Artress.

I have had this book on my shelf for a couple years (I actually have a labyrinth in my back yard). I just never got around to reading it. What a nice surprise! I am enjoying reading Artress' analogy of the labyrinth as an archetype (shouldn't that be a metaphor?). And she discusses the value of the symbolic and the need for rituals in our spiritual life. She writes, "To walk a sacred path is to discover our inner sacred space: that core of feeling that is waiting to have life breathed back into it through symbols, archetypal forms like the labyrinth, rituals, stories and myths. Understanding the invisible world, the world of patterns and process, opens us up to the movement of the Spirit." I continue to find myself surrounded by symbols and discussions of the same. What a trip that is, synchronicity at it's best. Jung would be proud.

And So It Begins

Finally. I've spent the past two weeks doing and redoing my website for Symbols of Soul. Very frustrating. Some error in FrontPage that I was not able to decipher. This week I just caved and created a whole new template. Tonight it is finished! All but the proofing that is. And so I can begin my blog happily without the specter of the website hanging over my head.

So why a blog? I'm a "journaler" by nature and I enjoy reading artist and "thinker" blogs and I thought it might be interesting (if for no one but myself) if I chronicled this new endeavour as I journey more into the language of soul.