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Myth Matters

Myth Matters

Catherine Svehla

Welcome to Myth Matters, a thought-provoking exploration of myth in contemporary life and the intersection of myth, creativity, and consciousness. Host Catherine Svehla PhD. shares her knowledge of mythology and depth psychology to find insight and explore possibilities. Member of the Joseph Campbell Foundation MythMakerSM Podcast Network.

Learn more at www.mythicmojo.com and keep the mystery in your life alive.

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Top 10 Myth Matters Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Myth Matters episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Myth Matters for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Myth Matters episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

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“In this universe we are given two gifts: the ability to love and the ability to ask questions.” -- Mary Oliver

The Arthurian legend of the knight Perceval and his quest for the grail was written by the French Romantic poet Chrétien de Troyes, who reworked Celtic legends and British history.

The story includes King Arthur, his knights, and a number of unlucky damsels, but the mysterious loathly lady is the key.

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Email Catherine at [email protected]
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Learn how you can work with Catherine at https://mythicmojo.com
Buy me a coffee. Thank you!

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Myth Matters - Fee-fi-fo-fum: Outwitting the Ogres in Life
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03/01/24 • 37 min

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Last Monday, February 26th was Tell a Fairy Tale Day. I began preparation for this episode with the intention of telling you a fairy tale, perhaps one that was connected to the holiday. This process opened up reflection on the necessity of a well-developed imagination to meet life challenges in a creative and satisfying way, and the role fairy tales play in cultivating this capacity.

In fairy tale language, some of these life challenges could be called "ogres," the people and forces that hoard the gold and will eat you up, take your life, if they can. Ogre is a pretty good metaphor for some of the challenges that we meet. And, of course, an ogre appears in the story in this episode.

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Email Catherine at [email protected]
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Learn how you can work with Catherine at https://mythicmojo.com
Buy me a coffee. Thank you!

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The hero is a central figure in our myths and stories. The hero can often provide inspiration or comfort. These stories can help us find our courage or feel a bit more powerful.

The image of the hero is also a burden. Hero narratives in the dominate culture have combined with modern myths of the individual and individualism to paint a picture of the solo actor, the person who battles against enemies or the odds alone. The hero we imagine today, feeds the terrible loneliness of our time.

And yet there are alternatives, and these can even be found in stories that have been framed or reshaped as hero narratives. The fairy tale "Sleeping Beauty," also known as "Briar Rose," is one example.

Lots of storytellers and crafters of story, psychologists, and cultural commentators are engaged with our notion of the hero today, but the role of the hero in our stories and in our lives is something that each of us needs to consider.

How does the powerful influence of the hero image and heroic rhetoric affect you? How does it shape your expectations of yourself, of other people, and of life?

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Email Catherine at [email protected]
Post a positive review on apple podcasts!
Learn how you can work with Catherine at https://mythicmojo.com
Buy me a coffee. Thank you!

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Myth Matters - Fate, free will, and 3 Swords
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04/04/24 • 27 min

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Fate and free will, and the longing for purpose and prospect of destiny that hangs somewhere in-between. How do these forces shape our lives? Do we play assigned roles in a cosmic plan or make it all up as we go?
These questions weave through many myths and stories. What answers do we find and how can we live with the questions?

Support the show

Email Catherine at [email protected]
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Learn how you can work with Catherine at https://mythicmojo.com
Buy me a coffee. Thank you!

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“A yogi sees Me in all things and all things within Me.” Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita

The Bhagavad-Gita is an important Hindu teaching story embedded in the Mahabharata, an astonishing epic poem. Astonishing for its length- 100,000 verses-- and for its beauty. Astonishing for the complexity of the social and spiritual world constructed in the poem and the exploration of the moral dilemmas we face while attempting to live our lives correctly.

In this episode, I take a look at the Bhagavad-Gita with the help of Gabriella Nagy, an embodied yoga instructor and yogic life skill guide.
Gabriella has a deep love for this story and far more understanding of the text. I'm grateful for her guidance through some of the puzzles the Gita presents and hope our conversation aids your reflections.

GABRIELLA NAGY is an embodied yoga instructor and yogic life skill guide who has practiced yoga and mindfulness since high school. She believes that yoga ultimately is the science of inner transformation and the first step is to purify our hearts so that we can see clearly.

Her unique teaching approach which she calls “yoga of awareness” is named to honor the main yoga that Krishna teaches in the Bhagavad Gita.Her classes support spiritual seekers longing to embrace yoga as a life skill and cultivate balance and strength on the mundane level as well as on the subtler realms.

Gabriella lives on the sandy beach of Baja California, Mexico with her multimedia artist husband and their four-legged chihuahua children Merlin and Maya.

You can find Gabriella at: www.yogaofawareness.comInstagram: @yoga.of.awareness

Support the show

Email Catherine at [email protected]
Post a positive review on apple podcasts!
Learn how you can work with Catherine at https://mythicmojo.com
Buy me a coffee. Thank you!

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Myth Matters - A Not Just About the Ukraine
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03/04/22 • 20 min

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Nations. Sovereignty. War. Democracy. Citizenship. I. We.
Unconscious monotheism. Polytheistic consciousness.
Diversity. Complexity.
Fluid myths. Culture building. Trickster.
Multiple meanings. Art.
Some thoughts and two poems.

Support the show

Email Catherine at [email protected]
Post a positive review on apple podcasts!
Learn how you can work with Catherine at https://mythicmojo.com
Buy me a coffee. Thank you!

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Myth Matters - Gilgamesh Part 1: The Creation of Enkidu
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10/17/19 • 34 min

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The Sumerian myth of the hero-king Gilgamesh may be the oldest story in recorded history and yet, his quest for meaning is poignant and powerful today. This podcast is part 1 in a 3-part series on this myth. In this episode we meet Gilgamesh and his friend and alter ego, the wild man Enkidu.

Transcript and links to bonus material available at www.mythicmojo.com

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Email Catherine at [email protected]
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Learn how you can work with Catherine at https://mythicmojo.com
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Myth Matters - The Bacchae: How do you imagine the dark?
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09/23/21 • 42 min

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"He is a young god.
Mythologically obscure,
always just arriving

at some new place
to disrupt the status quo,
wearing the start of a smile."

--from Ann Carson' translation "The Bakkhai"

In the northern hemisphere we began our collective descent into winter's darkness, with the fall equinox on Wednesday September 22nd.

This is a good time to meditate on the most famous myth of the god Dionysus, intoxicating god of the night. It's a play written by Euripides in the 5th century BCE called "The Bacchae."

Athenians found the cautionary message of this play subversive. It disturbed their image of Greek reason, democracy, social order, and power. The women don't stay in their place. It ends on a gruesome note.

A few years after the play was performed, Athens fell to Sparta and their empire building was over. Euripides was in self-imposed exile, and perhaps he saw something that his fellow citizens could not...

Support the show

Email Catherine at [email protected]
Post a positive review on apple podcasts!
Learn how you can work with Catherine at https://mythicmojo.com
Buy me a coffee. Thank you!

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Myth Matters - Meanwhile, The World Goes On
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04/14/20 • 41 min

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"Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine. Meanwhile, the world goes on..."
--Mary Oliver, "Wild Geese"

The world that you and I knew has ended and many things are changing and yet, the sun still rises and sets, and the spring flowers are blooming here in the Mojave Desert. The earth--- our source and ground---is beneath our feet.

Here is a program of poetry to connect you with all the life and beauty that remains despite the great changes underway. I've included poems by Eleanor Lerman, James Wright, Czeslaw Milosz, W.S. Merwin, Billy Collins, Wallace Stevens, Eavan Boland, David Whyte, Pat Mora, and Mary Oliver.

In celebration of National Poetry month here in the United States-- and of all the good that remains.

“Poetry is not a luxury. It is a vital necessity of our existence.” —Audre Lorde

A transcript of this episode is available at www.mythicmojo.com.Thanks for listening!

Support the show

Email Catherine at [email protected]
Post a positive review on apple podcasts!
Learn how you can work with Catherine at https://mythicmojo.com
Buy me a coffee. Thank you!

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Myth Matters - Effort, Uncertainty, and Cerridwen's potion
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11/01/24 • 29 min

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"It is above all by the imagination that we achieve perception and compassion and hope." –Ursula K. LeGuin

This episode revolves around the Welsh myth of Cerridwen and the Birth of Taliesin. I've worked with this story a number of times. It comes to mind this time of year because Cerridwen is both a goddess and a witch, and this story includes potions, cauldrons, shapeshifting, and poetry.
A different theme emerged for me this time in response to our collective uncertainty and questions about action, control, and faith.

I hope you find something of value in this meditation.

Support the show

Email Catherine at [email protected]
Post a positive review on apple podcasts!
Learn how you can work with Catherine at https://mythicmojo.com
Buy me a coffee. Thank you!

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FAQ

How many episodes does Myth Matters have?

Myth Matters currently has 124 episodes available.

What topics does Myth Matters cover?

The podcast is about Mythology, Myth, Society & Culture, Spirituality, Religion & Spirituality, Storytelling, Podcasts, Philosophy and Jungian.

What is the most popular episode on Myth Matters?

The episode title 'Questions, Connection, and Perceval's Quest for the Grail' is the most popular.

What is the average episode length on Myth Matters?

The average episode length on Myth Matters is 35 minutes.

How often are episodes of Myth Matters released?

Episodes of Myth Matters are typically released every 14 days, 3 hours.

When was the first episode of Myth Matters?

The first episode of Myth Matters was released on May 2, 2019.

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