Living Myth

Episode 479 - Living with Emotional Upheaval

This episode of Living Myth focuses upon the extreme emotions generated by the war in Iran and the many other conflicts and divisions in the current world. Michael Meade addresses the increasing flood of raw emotions that we are all subjected to and what psychologists are now calling "political depression." Although political depression can present the same sense of hopelessness and despair as traditional depression, its source is different. It does not simply come from within; but rather from the violence and upheaval, the corruption and unjustness in the world around us. According to recent studies, this sense of political depression has affected the psyches of most people, and along with issues of anger and outrage, increasingly appears in the offices of therapists and counselors. The human psyche cannot simply be separated from the conditions of the world. Whereas emotional responses can be eruptive and disruptive, emotions are also "the necessary and mysterious turbulence without which we cannot truly tell if we are alive or not." Emotions move us because they carry massive amounts of energy that can be used to change life from within. The natural inheritance of the human soul includes an ability to "feel the feelings" and shift raw emotions to being sources of increased vitality and creativity. Ultimately, emotions are intended to connect us to our deeper sense of self and to the world as it is. In that sense, emotions would have us engage life more fully and live life more meaningfully, especially in times of crisis when a transformation of life actually becomes more possible. Thank you for listening to and supporting Living Myth. You can learn more about connecting to the deep self by taking Michael Meade's new course "Rites of Passage" that explores how timely and timeless practices of rites of passage can help us navigate a changing world and connect more deeply to inner wisdom and our unique genius. Purchase and learn more at: store.mosaicvoices.org 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 750 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 Along with these free weekly podcasts, you can now read free weekly essays and long form posts by Michael Meade on Substack. Learn more and subscribe at: michaeljmeade.substack.com 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.

Episode 478 - Medicine of the Deep Self

In this episode, Michael Meade examines how collective fear and overwhelm can knock the ego off balance and lead to stress and despair. Since the world will not settle soon, the unity and wholeness so sorely missing in the outer world must be found within us. As things fall apart the "knowing self" within moves closer to the surface, seeking to become more conscious to us. Despite the troubles they cause, critical turning points in life intend to change us from within, giving us access to imagination and wisdom from the deeper self while also learning to deliver something of our true self to a troubled world. The centering and guiding power of the deep self gives us our innate sense of meaning, a true source of coherence and a instinctive sense of purpose. Thank you for listening to and supporting Living Myth. You can learn more about connecting to the deep self by taking Michael Meade's new course "Rites of Passage" that explores how timely and timeless practices of rites of passage can help us navigate a changing world and connect more deeply to inner wisdom and our unique genius Purchase and learn more at: store.mosaicvoices.org 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 750 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 Along with these free weekly podcasts, you can now read free weekly essays and long form posts by Michael Meade on Substack. Learn more and subscribe at michaeljmeade.substack.com 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.

Episode 477 - Living with a Whole Heart

In this episode of Living Myth, Michael Meade considers the current global challenges and emphasizes the importance of living from a place of wholeheartedness. He reflects on the symbolism of an open heart and how facing personal fears contributes to living a life of meaning and purpose. Woven through this episode are poems from Rumi and William Stafford about the need for transformation and the unique role each soul plays in the world's drama. Like the Earth, the human heart bears an inner flame that can burn with intense passions and deep longings, but can also illuminate paths of compassion, healing and renewal. Our greatest obstacles and sufferings aim at a revelation of the heart within our heart. For, what the heart loves is the cure and what cures the human heart can help heal a broken world. Thank you for listening to and supporting Living Myth. You can hear Michael Meade live by joining his free online event "Finding Ways to Make a Change" on Thursday, March 5. 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 740 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 Along with these free weekly podcasts, you can now read free weekly essays and long form posts by Michael Meade on Substack. Learn more and subscribe at michaeljmeade.substack.com 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.

Episode 476 - Resistance to Change

This episode considers the problem of resistance to change from psychological and mythological viewpoints. While we are facing radical changes that threaten both nature and culture, we are also challenged by the dilemma of human resistance to change at both personal and collective levels. The issue is not simply a lack of commitment to change. Rather, resistance arises precisely where we have the best intentions to change. The problem becomes all the more difficult as we may not be aware of our resistance because it occurs at an unconscious level. Attempts to meaningfully change can feel like an internal struggle between opposing parts of ourselves; one part that overtly wants change and another part that covertly works against it. What some psychologists call an internal "competing commitment" or a subconscious "immunity to change" was once known as the fatal flaw that leads us away from our soul's natural goal of transformation and spiritual realization. In terms of mythic imagination, each soul has an original intention waiting to be found and a life dream waiting to awaken. And each soul also has its fatal flaw, a kind of reverse attitude that works against that original intention. Genuine transformation develops from the inside out. Thus, when change becomes essential, not just for ourselves, but also for life on earth, we are called to awaken to the true aims of our authentic selves as well as to the fatal flaws that work against meaningful change, both personally and collectively. Thank you for listening to and supporting Living Myth. You can hear Michael Meade live by joining his free online event "Finding Ways to Make a Change" on Thursday, March 5. 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 740 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 Along with these free weekly podcasts, you can now read free weekly essays and long form posts by Michael Meade on Substack. Learn more and subscribe at michaeljmeade.substack.com 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.

Episode 475 - How Stories Heal and Make Us Whole

Michael Meade explores how stories enable us to understand the world and our place in it. Mythic narratives weave the divine and natural realms together in ways that become antidotes for our anxieties and fears. To be modern can mean to have fallen out of story or to be living in opposing stories as many people believe at this time. Yet, stories are how we understand our lives and how we make meaning of even the most overwhelming and tragic aspects of life. At each critical juncture or time of change, the story of our soul tries to break through and become more conscious. Since myths speak to each soul differently, they can deliver to each listener the psychic facts and healing factors they most need. In that sense, stories are a form of medicine that can operate at the deepest levels of self and soul. Thank you for listening to and supporting Living Myth. You can hear Michael Meade live by joining his free online event "Finding Ways to Make a Change" on Thursday, March 5. 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 740 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 Along with these free weekly podcasts, you can now read free weekly essays and long form posts by Michael Meade on Substack. Learn more and subscribe at michaeljmeade.substack.com 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.