How familiar are you with the myth that shapes your life?

Myth

      We generally associate myths with communities, rather than individuals. Joseph Campbell argued that myths are shared, public dreams that shape societies.¹

      I have argued that myths are intensifications of persisting worldviews. It would be truer to say that worldviews, which are more expansive than myths, rest on mythic foundations.

      Cultural myths are located in a society's subliminal consciousness and are inculcated and reinforced through ritual,² which brings mythology alive.³

      Genuine myth emerges from the unconscious. It is not the result of conscious contrivance. It emerges, like dreams and visions,⁴ from that level of the self, and of society, where imagination operates. Mythological images that need to be explained have lost their power.⁵

      According to Campbell, the difference between myth and ideology is related to the difference between the ego and the self. While ideology is generated by our minds, mythology arises out of our being,⁶ out of what he describes as the wisdom-body.⁷ Campbell went on to argue that myth is sourced in our biology⁸ and is associated with basic physiological impulses.⁹

      Myths have not always been beneficial. They have justified ethnic cleansing! The baleful influence of pernicious myths has been emphasised by Howard Bloom, who argued that communities have been captivated by their hypnotic spell.¹⁰

      We live in myth-generating communities. Real, as distinct from artificial myths arise from the bubbling, collective unconscious of homogeneous communities. These myths are transformational. Human progress is a result of the upsurge of volcanic, mythological energy.¹¹ [55]

The function of myth

      There is an unavoidable illusiveness about myth. As James Hillman argued, we cannot avoid using myth to explain myth.¹²

      According to Jung, myth functioned in the ancient world as a means of dealing with what was experienced as troubling.¹³ It was his view that religious mythology was one of humankind's greatest achievements as it afforded devotees security and strength in the face of an inhospitable universe.¹⁴

      Joseph Campbell concluded that there was a basic core to all myth, a consistent story,¹⁵ which was evidence of the essential unity of the species.¹⁶

      Campbell argued that the common theme of the world's mythologies is achievement--the achievement of a supreme good, whether this be eternal life, universal justice, illumination or the love of a good-natured woman.¹⁷

      Campbell approached the question of the function of myth from a number of angles. He argued, at one point, that the fourfold function of myth was to relate the individual to God, to the cosmos, to society and to developmental energies.¹⁸

      On another occasion, he contended that myth enables individuals and communities to address and overcome psychological stresses by arousing hitherto dormant energies.¹⁹ He also suggested that they validate and maintain social systems.²⁰

      Campbell argued that, at a deeper level, myth assists individuals to find their place in the universe,²¹ and to discern and engage the source of the phenomenological.²² The purpose of myth is not to control nature, but to help society live consistently with nature.²³

      Campbell argued that it is through mythology that the world becomes transparent to transcendence.²⁴ It is through myth that our consciousness is brought into sync with the ground of our being.²⁵ [56]

      The power of myth is enormous. We are the bondservants of our myths, even more than we are of our ideas.²⁶ Ideas are subject to focused appraisal. The influence of myth, because it is subliminal, is awesome.

The great age of myth

      Ken Wilber situated the great age of myth between 9500 BCE and 1500 BCE. According to Wilber, the mythic phase in the evolution of human consciousness coincided with the development of farming.

      Farming, as distinct from hunting and gathering, helped develop the concept of extended time. One needed to prepare for harvests. Planning for the future became a type of insurance policy. People became aware of their existential vulnerability.

      Farming necessitated the passing on of skills and the more extensive use of language. It relied on larger communities, in which formal communication was important. Because of the extensive use of language, a different form of consciousness, a verbal consciousness, developed, emerging out of the undifferentiated bodyself.²⁷ This increased communication represented a transition from a biological to a superorganic plane, a plane in which meanings were conveyed by symbols.

      Farming communities also produced surplus food and money, which freed certain individuals in the community for other more specialised tasks, such as the development of the alphabet, writing and mathematics. It is hard to over-emphasise the importance of this development,²⁸ which necessitated complex social organisation and control.

      The transition from what Wilber calls the Magic-Typhonic (half-human, half-beast) era²⁹ to the Mythic-Membership era was startling. It occurred within the narrow span of several thousand years and was evident in a riot of cultural activities.³⁰

      This development was accompanied by the emergence of new and powerful mythologies. As Joseph Campbell pointed out, comparison between this era and that which preceded it leaves one gasping and is reflected in the comparison between the childlike [57] mythologies of the Paleolithic hunt and the horrific myths and rituals of the planting cultures that succeeded it, which exhibit a greater psychological and philosophical depth.³¹

      The principal deity worshipped in the Mythic Membership era was the Great Mother, the guarantor of life and fruitfulness. In her positive aspect she was the Great Protectress. In her negative role she was the Great Destroyer.³²

      These ancient mythologies involved sacrificial rituals.

      Before it was understood that life resulted from the genetic contribution of both male and female, women were seen to be wholly responsible for new life. Furthermore, during pregnancy it was noted that menstruation ceased. From this it was concluded that the blood remained in the woman to feed the embryo. This led to the assumption that the Great Mother needed to be fed blood to ensure the fruitfulness of the land. Hence the need for sacrifice.

      The moon was the consort of the Great Mother, who was associated with the earth.³³

      The earliest sacrifices were human sacrifices. Later, animals were substituted for humans. The earliest kings, as consorts of the Great Mother, submitted to ritual regicide. They sometimes took their own lives, cutting off, successively, different parts of their bodies. At other times they were strangled and burnt.

      The style of consciousness characteristic of the Mythic-Membership era involved a mythological way of reasoning, equivalent, in today's society, to the pre-operational³⁴ and concrete operational thinking³⁵ of children between the ages of 2 and 11.³⁶

      Mythological thinking was succeeded by a form of a consciousness based on reason, rather than myth. During this same period, the individual ego began to emerge out of its embededness in the community.³⁷

Hero myths

      Developments associated with the Mental-Egoic era, ³⁸ which succeeded the Mythic Membership era, did not destroy people's myth-making capacity. There was, however, a shift in attention [58] from the community to the individual, from community myths to the myth of the individual hero.³⁹

      Furthermore, as a lunar focus gave way to a solar focus, the spotlight shifted from the female to the male. The new myths celebrated the exploits of male heroes. The primary gods were male. Most were male warrior gods associated with marauding, conquering hordes. Female deities were driven underground or relegated to inferior roles.⁴⁰

      The new myths, celebrating the exploits of individual heroes, reflected common themes--a venturing forth on a quest, the initiation of the adventurer and his return with the trophies of his quest.⁴¹

      According to Campbell, the hero is transformed by the experience and exhibits qualities that were not previously apparent.⁴² He articulates the secrets of the darkness through which he has traveled.⁴³ He also brings back a treasure that benefits the community.⁴⁴

A mythological vacuum

      When a myth loses its power, its demise creates a vacuum that invites the development of new myths. Two recently generated myths are the twin myths of science and progress.

      At one level, science was destructive of mythology, which was dismissed as non-factual. However, while myths are not concerned with actual events, they are disconcertingly accurate descriptions of human experience.⁴⁵

      The myth of science, the belief that science can save the world, has enjoyed considerable influence. However, it is currently out of favour. We realise that science could destroy us. While the benefits of science continue to accrue, science, as a salvific myth, is no longer credible. The myth of progress has suffered the same fate. It is viewed by many today as an unstoppable daimon that is leading us by the nose towards destruction.⁴⁶

      The mythological vacuum characteristic of our era has allowed us to discern vestiges of ancient myths threaded through [59] the interstices of our lives. Jean Shinoda Bolen has highlighted the degree to which men and women reproduce, in their daily lives, the characteristics of ancient gods and goddesses.⁴⁷

      The same vacuum allows ancient myths to break through the packed earth that shields our civilisation from the rubble of those that preceded it. Resurrected myths can catch us unawares. In the early 1930's Jung argued that the Germanic God, Wotan, was beginning to feature in the dreams of his German analysands.⁴⁸ This proved an accurate portent of the mythological underpinning, the energy, of the Third Reich.

Artificial myths

      Genuine myths are autonomous. They arise spontaneously from the unconscious of a people. It is possible, however, to create pseudo-myths. Dictators, pressured by deflationary economic pressures, often have recourse to mythological invention to turn the fractious energies of their people towards an external enemy. The myths demonise the scapegoat, usually a powerful neighbour. Traditional mythological symbols and stories are appealed to.

      Advertising agencies, film-makers, the media, and managers of political campaigns have made myth-making into an art form.

A critical difference

      It is important to recognise the difference between the great myths of the Mythic-Membership era and current myths, including ancient myths that have been revived.

      In the Mythic-Membership era communities lived their myths unconsciously. They did not distinguish between myth and reality. Myth was reality. Their logic was the logic of myth.

      By contrast, we recognise myth as myth. We adopt an "as if" attitude towards myth. We treat myths "as if" they were true. This "as if" attitude helps to distance us from the myth. We tend to be dismissive of people who accept their myths as literal truth. [60]

Deconstruction

      Modern myths, particularly artificially created myths, are more easily deconstructed than were the myths of the Mythic-Membership era.

      The process of mythic deconstruction has been explored by Panikkar. With Jung and Campbell, Panikkar argues that myths are powerful because they influence us unconsciously. Being unconscious, they are not subject to a critical analysis. The second stage, according to Panikkar, is concerned with the telling of the myth, the teaching of the myth to the young and the uninitiated. The third stage is the application of reason, or critical reflection, to the myth. By this stage myth has lost its power.⁴⁹

A recovery?

      Joseph Campbell has argued that twentieth-century Western society has been living without an over-arching mythology, in spite of the influence of the myth of scientific progress. He contended that the fact that we live without a predominant mythology could help account for the anxiety from which contemporary society suffers.⁵⁰

      To alert us to our condition, and to familiarise us with the importance of myth, Campbell spent his life rummaging through ancient mythologies.

      The way forward, however, as Wilber has indicated, is not to retreat to a mythological past, but to proceed, beyond reason, to a form of consciousness that transcends reason. While Campbell has performed an invaluable service in helping us appreciate the importance of myth, we must move forward into the future. In a sense, there is an inevitability about this forward movement. The further development of human consciousness is not within our control. Even if we wanted to return to a mythological consciousness, which few are suggesting, we would not be able to rid ourselves of our "as if" attitude.⁵¹ [61]

Benefits

      One of the benefits of understanding how myths functions is that we are provided with an additional resource for resolving social conflict.

      In Australia there are three obvious areas of cultural tension. The first relates to the different mythological underpinning of indigenous and white Australians. The second is concerned with the need to develop an expression of multi-culturalism that will honour a range of cultural myths, which sometimes reflect antipathies generated by past conflict. The third area highlights a clash of mythologies that pits ecological survival against economic interest, including security of employment. An awareness of the role of myth, married to sensitivity and compassion, is a valuable resource in dialogue aimed at resolving these tensions.

Your myths

      Exploring our personal myths is a necessary preparation for dealing with the clash of mutually antagonistic cultural myths.

      Unless we can identify elements of the mythic within ourselves; unless we can discern the power that myth exercises over us; unless we can appreciate the important role myth plays in our lives; unless we can recognise the clash of antagonistic mythical elements within ourselves, and work out ways of moderating these clashes, we are hardly in a position to deal with the same issues on a wider scale.

      The exploration of our personal myths, however much it benefits cultural interchange, has an intrinsic value of its own. It helps us discover the degree to which we share common myths, as well as identifying mythological elements that are unique to us.

      There are a number of ways that we can go about this second task:

• We can pay attention to our dreams.
• We can explore family mythologies that underlie the scripts by which our families live
• We can identify the stories we were read as children. [62]
• We can graph the changes in our perspective on life, tracing each re-visioning down to its mythological roots.
• We can explore the mythologies that underlie the beliefs we articulate.
• We can talk to our parents and grandparents about their lives and contrast their visions and expectations with our own.
• We can attempt to identify generational changes, comparing our outlook with that of our children.
• Cross-cultural comparisons are helpful because they challenge the conviction that our approach to life is the norm.
• We can compare the reaction of people to the First World War, the Second World War and the Vietnam conflict.
• We can seek to identify salvific myths.
• We could attempt to unearth the mythological roots of our attitudes towards medicine, the law, politics and religion.
• Attitudes towards industrial relations will reflect distinctive mythologies.
• We can ask ourselves what we consider the primary good.
• We can reflect on the vision that sustains us.
• We can seek to identify our heroes?
• We can name those we consider villains?
• We can ask ourselves whom it is that we blame when things go wrong?
• We can seek to identify the primary filter through which we view reality?

      This personal research, which requires of the researcher a capacity for detachment and objectivity, will yield rich rewards, not the least of which will be growth in self-understanding. Self-understanding will foster compassion, wisdom, respect for the [63] views of others and a capacity to enter into another's worldview and to dialogue with them from within that worldview. [64]

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