Living Myth

This episode uses two ancient stories to show how humans have repeatedly had to deal with periods of worldwide upheaval and fears of drowning in the seas of life. A creation myth from India, depicts how the original sage fell out of the dream of life and into the seas of oblivion. He found himself in an existential condition and metaphysical version of sink or swim. In order to survive he had to face his innermost fears of annihilation and learn to let go of those things that were not life-enhancing. Only then could he turn within and find a deep sense of buoyancy, the wisdom to not abandon himself and a redeeming vision of a greater sense of life. When the world as we know it seems to fall apart around us, the primordial fears of loss and overwhelm become activated in us. Yet, as old stories seek to reveal, at the same time we can be closer to revelations of the deep self and soul within us. While the ego or little-self may feel overwhelmed with fears and uncertainties, the greater self within us is actually closer to us and we can be closer to the sage in our own hearts and the guiding force that has been carrying us all along. When the world has become dark and turbulent again, it is helpful and important to know that at such critical times, a small effort in the direction of awakening our deeper sense of self and soul has a greater effect on us and on the world than it has at any other time. Thank you for listening to and supporting Living Myth. You can hear Michael Meade live by joining him for two upcoming events: his free online event “Surviving Uncertainty by Growing Your Soul” on Thursday, May 22 and his new online workshop “Paths of Awakening” on Saturday, June 14. Register and learn more at mosaicvoices.org/events. You can further support this podcast by becoming a member of Living Myth Premium. Members receive bonus episodes each month, access to the full archives of nearly 700 episodes and a 30% discount on all events, courses and book and audio titles. Learn more and join this community of listeners at patreon.com/livingmyth. If you enjoy this podcast, we appreciate you leaving a review wherever you listen and sharing it with your friends. On behalf of Michael Meade and the whole Mosaic staff, we wish you well and thank you for your support of our work.

On this episode of Living Myth the deep-seated feeling of empathy is viewed in several contexts: as it appears in a traditional story, as it occurs in personal experience, how it is currently being attacked as “toxic and sinful” and how as "suicidal empathy” it is being called “the existential threat to Western civilization.” The idea that truly caring about other people could end civilization is a new extreme in this era of extreme beliefs and what appears to be an endless onslaught of unprecedented ideas and events. As people become increasingly uncertain about the future of the world, they also become more easily divided against each other. Uncertainty can not only cause financial markets to plunge, it can also cause people to become more extreme and absolutist about religious beliefs, secular ideologies, and personal opinions. As collective feelings of fear and uncertainty grow they can be used by self-negating ideologies, not just to claim that we are truly separate from each other, but also to insist that some of us are essentially better than others, and therefore count for more even in God's eyes. In times of cultural upheaval, even empathy and compassion can be weaponized in order to turn those who simply seem “other” than us into those who are enemies to us. Meanwhile, the hidden message of suffering and tragedy in this world involves the sense that we can empathically feel and thereby know the pain that others suffer, precisely because it reflects our own suffering and losses. Just as charity and understanding begin at home, empathy involves being compassionate towards ourselves. It is our mutual fate to be alive at a time in which we are in a struggle between suffering ever greater and more tragic divisions in life, or else awakening to the ways in which we are all interconnected. Rather than something toxic or suicidal, genuine empathy can be an indication of authenticity and psychological understanding. It can also be a source of hope and a deep resource which can help reveal the inner aim of our lives as well as more mutually inclusive and more wisely sustainable ways to live together.   Thank you for listening to and supporting Living Myth. You can hear Michael Meade live by joining him for two upcoming events: his free online event “Surviving Uncertainty by Growing Your Soul” on Thursday, May 22 and his new online workshop “Paths of Awakening” on Saturday, June 14.   Register and learn more: mosaicvoices.org/events    You can further support this podcast by becoming a member of Living Myth Premium. Members receive bonus episodes each month, access to the full archives of over 675 episodes and a 30% discount on all events, courses and book and audio titles.   Learn more and join this community of listeners at patreon.com/livingmyth.   If you enjoy this podcast, we appreciate you leaving a review wherever you listen and sharing it with your friends. On behalf of Michael Meade and the whole Mosaic staff, we wish you well and thank you for your support of our work.

This episode begins with an often asked question: What is the soul? Michael Meade describes the soul as “the animating and connecting force without which we cannot live,” yet that “cannot be seen directly or simply be proven to exist.” He further describes the soul as “a betwixt and between thing, neither simply physical nor strictly spiritual,” but rather “the third element in the trinity of existence, that fills the subtle space between spirit and matter.” Soul is the connecting tissue and the hidden continuity of all of life. It is “the missing ingredient when everything seems to fall apart. When we lose our way in the world, it is the soul's way of being that has been lost. For we are most lost and truly abandoned when we have lost touch with our own soul, with our own inward style and way of being. Each person born enters the world as a unique soul on a unique life adventure. From the view of the soul, the troubles and obstacles we encounter in life are secretly intended to awaken the inner nobility and creative energies that are part of our soul’s inheritance. As unique souls we live on the verge of awakening to who we already are at the core of our being and how we can best contribute to a world in need of more soul.   Thank you for listening to and supporting Living Myth. You can hear Michael Meade talk more about awakening the soul by joining his free online event “Surviving Uncertainty by Growing Your Soul” on Thursday, May 22. Register and learn more at mosaicvoices.org/events.    You can further support this podcast by becoming a member of Living Myth Premium. Members receive bonus episodes each month, access to the full archives of over 675 episodes and a 30% discount on all events, courses and book and audio titles.   Learn more and join this community of listeners at patreon.com/livingmyth.   If you enjoy this podcast, we appreciate you leaving a review wherever you listen and sharing it with your friends. On behalf of Michael Meade and the whole Mosaic staff, we wish you well and thank you for your support of our work.

This episode of Living Myth considers the oldest versions of the tale of Pandora’s Box as a way of understanding how it is that all the ailments and troubles of the world seem to be loosed upon us again. The name Pandora is connected to the abundance of the Earth and carries meanings like “all gifted” and ‘the one who sends up gifts.” It turns out that it was not Pandora who lifted the lid and released all the anxieties, chaos and suffering that can plague life on Earth.   Pandora married Epimetheus, the brother of Prometheus who gave fire to humans and was credited with inspiring human culture. Whereas Prometheus means “far-seeing” or “one with foresight,” Epimetheus means “one who is short-sighted” and only able to see the effects of his actions after the damage has been done. In the old myths, it was the impulsive, uninformed and short-sighted brother who lifted the lid on the proverbial box and released all of the troubles of the world at the same time.   As waves of anxiety, uncertainty and panic once again spread through the world and undermine social patterns and institutions, it doesn’t take a seer to see that the self-proclaimed strong men and would be autocrats repeat the impulses and lack of foresight that characterize the weaker, blinder and ultimately ill-fated brother. While branding themselves as all-knowing culture-bringers, all would be dictators and autocrats, out of their own arrogance, blindness and greed, inevitably open Pandora’s box and release storms of uncertainty and chaos that intensify all the pain and suffering, all the corruption and injustices that torment people and threaten the core values of human culture.   Thank you for listening to and supporting the Living Myth Podcast. You can further support this podcast by becoming a member of Living Myth Premium. Members receive bonus episodes each month, access to the full archives of nearly 700 episodes and a 30% discount on all events, courses and book and audio titles. Learn more and join this community of listeners at patreon.com/livingmyth.   If you enjoy this podcast, we appreciate you leaving a review wherever you listen and sharing it with your friends. On behalf of Michael Meade and the whole Mosaic staff, we wish you well and thank you for your support of our work.

This episode of Living Myth explores how as humans we live and die in the context of the stories we tell ourselves about the world and our place in it. Two great stories happen at the same time, the great drama of the world and the unique story trying to unfold from each individual soul.  At this critical time on earth, something essential to the story of the world is trying to be re-discovered and something crucial in each life story is trying to be revealed.   People are increasingly fearful about the future of the earth. Yet, people cannot simply be scared into caring for the earth. Fear can be an awakening force; yet fear over time can become a cause of further division and greater isolation. The unity of life must be found again and one challenge involves seeing how collapse and renewal can be happening at the same time. Through myths of re-creation we can touch the timeless images and archetypes from which the living world first arose and find inspiration as well as insights into collective transformation on Earth.   Thank you for listening to and supporting the Living Myth Podcast. You can further support this podcast by becoming a member of Living Myth Premium. Members receive bonus episodes each month, access to the full archives of nearly 700 episodes and a 30% discount on all events, courses and book and audio titles. Learn more and join this community of listeners at patreon.com/livingmyth.   If you enjoy this podcast, we appreciate you leaving a review wherever you listen and sharing it with your friends. On behalf of Michael Meade and the whole Mosaic staff, we wish you well and thank you for your support of our work.