Episode 212 - Lost Causes, Lost Souls

01/27/21 • 26 min

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This episode of Living Myth focuses upon two contrasting meanings of myth, one being a false narrative and the other as a genuine myth. On one level, myth involves things that can be proven false as when people say that something is “just a myth.” On a deeper, more meaningful level, myth means “emergent truth,” the learning of transcendent truths that can alter both our vision of the world and our immediate understanding of life.

Both the false myth and the genuine myth use the elements of narrative and symbolism to present their core stories. One difference between them is that false myths aim to divide people and turn them against each other, while more universal myths reveal underlying truths that serve to bring people together through greater imagination and deeper understanding.

In many ways, we are in the crux of a growing tension between the two levels and contrasting meanings of myth. The current moment involves the coming together of dangerous false myths in the form of the Big Lie and the Lost Cause. The Big Lie involves the false story line that Donald Trump won the recent election, only to have it stolen from him. The Lost Cause involves the weaving together of false narratives about the reasons for the Civil War with symbols of Christianity and the false myth of White Supremacy.

Those who commit to a big lie or a false myth can rarely be persuaded by the “facts of the matter.” Their commitment is not based on facts; almost the opposite, the blind belief at the core of false myths is based upon a determination not to experience a common reality. Thus, the antidote to the big lie or a false myth involves not just the facts, but the evocation of more enduring and inclusive narratives and symbols of unity and renewal that are the deepest heritage of our shared humanity.

Thank you for listening to and supporting this podcast. You can further support this podcast by becoming a member of Living Myth Premium. Members have access to the full archives of over 290 episodes, receive a 30% discount on all live events, courses and products and receive 3 bonus episodes each month, including regular live Q&A events with Michael Meade. You can learn more and become a member at patreon.com/livingmyth. As always, you can further support this podcast by leaving a review on iTunes and sharing it with your friends.

On behalf of Michael Meade and the whole Mosaic staff, we wish you continued well-being, protection and deep community connection during this period of great challenge and transformation.

On behalf of Michael Meade and the whole Mosaic staff, we wish you continued well-being, protection and deep community connection during this period of great challenge and transformation.

Previous Episode

Episode 211 - Ritual and Remembrance

This episode of Living Myth begins with the roots of the word inauguration, which Michael Meade traces back to “an installation and consecration” that happens when the “omens are favorable.” In ancient times, the date for an investiture would only be chosen after signs indicated an auspicious moment for a new beginning.

The modern world runs on fixed schedules that typically ignore the subtleties of omens and auguries, leaving us looking for auspicious signs within pre-scripted programs. When it comes to inaugurating a new administration amidst a tragic pandemic and widespread uncertainty, the signs and symbols may have enhanced importance.

Beginning with the words "to heal, we must remember," Meade reflects upon the memorial ritual held the night before the formal inauguration began. The symbolic lighting of 400 lamps to honor the loss of over 400,000 souls to the coronavirus presented the kind of healing moment the soul of the nation needs. For many ancient people, the moments “between sundown and dusk” were considered auspicious and symbolic of a time when one thing can turn into another. In that sense, acknowledging our shared losses and wounds makes a path to healing more possible. In the end, what brings us together and makes unity possible is not simply our shared history, but rather the recognition of our shared woundedness and the stirring of the deep longing in each human soul to find healing and pathways to wholeness and renewal.

On behalf of Michael Meade and the whole Mosaic staff, we wish you and your loved ones continued well-being, protection and deep community connection during this period of great challenge, change and transformation.

Next Episode

Episode 213 - Revelation Again

This episode of Living Myth begins in the year AD 96 on a remote island in the Aegean Sea. It was a period of great cultural upheaval, similar to the times in which we now live. Like the present era, extreme beliefs and conspiracy theories were battling with the dominant political systems and traditional religious values.

While in exile on the island, a man who came to be known as John of Patmos recorded a series of radical visions and prophecies about the impending “end of days.” The fiery text began with an old Greek word, apocalypse and the narrative became known as the Book of Revelation.

John had been exiled for rabble-rousing and preaching both revolution and revelation. While in isolation he wove threads of old apocalyptic stories with his own wild visions and prophecies of The End. Although many believed those prophecies at the time, the fiery end of the world never came. To this day however, when people are faced with upheaval and uncertainty the old images of apocalypse stir again, wild visions arise, and fantastic theories abound.

The ideas and the images of a final drama between the forces of good and evil leading to a fiery end of everything is deeply embedded in the human psyche. The problem way back then, which has become an increasingly mainstream issue now, is that people take literally what appears metaphorically and would be better understood psychologically.

Michael Meade shows how understanding the deeper sense of the “archetype of apocalypse” reveals how the world as we know it does come to an end. Yet, as has happened time and again, the world also becomes restored. The message of renewal turns out to be an essential component of radical change and a critical issue for understanding revelation here on earth.

Thank you for listening to and supporting this podcast. You can hear Michael Meade live by joining his new online series “Hidden Abundance” that begins on Friday, Feb. 12. Register and learn more at mosaicvoices.org/events. You can save 30% on this series, receive additional podcast episodes and further support this podcast by becoming a member of Living Myth Premium. Learn more and become a member at patreon.com/livingmyth.

As always, you can also support this podcast by leaving a review on iTunes and sharing it with your friends.

On behalf of Michael Meade and the whole Mosaic staff, we wish you continued well-being and deep community connection during this period of great uncertainty and transformation.