Mythic Journeys - Originally published in the United … StudyGuide V1-10-6.pdfMythic Journeys Documentary Study _ Pg. 5 _ V2.11.1 CHAPTER 2

_________________________________________________ Mythic Journeys Documentary Study Guide

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Originally published in the United States of America by Imaginal Cells, Inc.

All rights reserved. All artwork not credited to a specific artist is property of and copyrighted to Imaginal Cells, Inc. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quota-tions embodied in critical articles and reviews.

First Imaginal Cells, Inc. printing: June 2010

Mythic Journeys® is a registered trademark of Mythic Imagination Institute.

The Mythic Journeys Facilitator’s Guide is available for purchase on our website. This comprehensive master workbook is a full-color, spiral bound, printed manual that contains

additional material including group exercises & activities, tips for a successful study group, answers to the chapter questions, and more.

Please take a trip on your internet machines and visit us on the World Wide Web! We’d love to hear from you…really! Steve & Whitney Boe

www.MythMovie.net

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© 2010 Imaginal Cells, Inc. All rights reserved.

MYTHIC JOURNEYS Documentary Study Guide

Presented by Imaginal Cells FilmWorks

Written by Steven & Whitney Boe

"The gods will invite you on a journey. If you refuse, they’ll drag you kicking and screaming.” ~Ancient saying

Welcome to the Mythic Journeys Documentary Study Guide. Throughout history humans have asked the questions “Who am I?” and “Why am I here?” We want to understand our purpose and how we fit into the world.

At the same time it seems like the world is spinning faster and faster, and we’re so busy just trying to hang on we’ve forgotten that we have the ability to lead our lives in a fulfilling and prosperous direction; that we are the heroes of our own story and we can shape the journey that lies ahead. We can write the next chapter in our lives.

In order to understand our story we need to look to the past, look to the stories that have shaped who we are and where we come from. Our ancestors gave us myth and story as a way to communicate the wisdom stories of humankind. But the mod-ern world tends to marginalize the importance of story and myth even though it swirls around us and impacts everyone on this planet. We have all of this wisdom built into the fabric of our world but many of us have never been given the tools to understand the information that’s available.


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This companion study guide to the award-winning documentary Mythic Jour-neys looks deeper into the questions that are raised by the film. It examines not only the spiritual impact of myth in today’s world but the scientific and educational bene-fits that allow us to implement this information in our daily lives. Mythic Journeys advocates the use of myth as a tool to bridge the gap between cultures, communities and generations. We hope that the film and this study guide aid in the discovery of your individual purpose in life. What we ask in return is that you take that new found knowledge and passion and put it into service any way you can. And it all starts with your story. As we say in the film… every life is a story and your story can change the world.

CHAPTER GUIDE

When creating this companion guide to the film, we wanted to make sure that like the documentary it would be accessible to everyone. Don’t get us wrong; we love the scholars, intellects, philosophers and poets, but sometimes we don’t understand a word coming out of their mouths! Myth belongs to the people. And the interpreta-tions of those wisdom stories can be as unique as each one of us and equally as personal.

We also wanted to keep the guide in the basic five chapter structure of the film so that you can follow along with the journey as it unfolds. The sixth chapter is a sup-plementary chapter with the riddles that can either be it’s own session or incorporated in to the other chapters.

In the end though we hope we have presented a guide that is as equally infor-mative and entertaining to those already familiar with the world of myth as it is to the “newbies.”

CHAPTER 1: Your Mythic Toolbox

A re-introduction into the world of myth. You wouldn’t dream of building a house or shooting a movie or changing a diaper with-out having the correct tools for the job at your disposal. Our tool here is knowledge: your personal definition of myth; under-standing why it is important and what we have to gain by exploring this ancient and new world; how it affects our day to day lives; and understanding the world around us.


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CHAPTER 2: Catching The Fire

Following your passion is about saying “yes” to the journey. Dis-covering your passion is about recognizing the signs and being conscious of the world around you. Being conscious starts by ask-ing questions, starting from a place of openness, and putting ideas into action. Find the mentors, partners and friendships that help guide you on the journey ahead.

CHAPTER 3: Below The Surface Stream

There are consequences to our actions and our inaction. How we react to obstacles and rewards placed before us directly affects our experiences in the universe. The path will not always be easy as we come face to face with our inner demons. Ritual and initiation were created to ease transitions and assist in our times of need. Life can be violent and messy just like in the classic myths and many movies today, but if we can survive the darkest moments there is always another chapter yet to come.

CHAPTER 4: My Path Lies Beautiful

Metaphors are the building blocks of spirituality. Defining our individual understanding of our beliefs may aid in unlocking our passions. Getting past our dependency on literalism opens the door to a compassionate way of life and inspires imagination in its most creative form.

CHAPTER 5: Healing The World

Creativity and the desire to heal the world arises from divine dis-content. Engaging and understanding other cultures is vital to our evolution as a species. We must connect to our past as well as our future. Are you an active or an inactive participant in your own story? As you follow your passion, remember to return the gift back to the community.

CHAPTER 6: The Riddles

A look at the 5 riddles in the short film “The Bone Orchard” woven throughout the documentary.


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USING THIS GUIDE

"How is it possible that suffering that is neither my own nor of my concern should im-mediately affect me as though it was my own, and with such force that it moves me to action?" ~Arthur Schopenhauer

STUDY GROUPS

We begin at the end. As Bob Walter says at the end of the film, “Find that one person who is most unlike you, that seems most different from you, then walk up to them, stick out your hand and say ‘Hi, my name is Bob, what did you think of this film?’” At the basic level, that’s it. That’s the idea. A study guide such as this will help to navigate the waters into your new group and will hopefully help introduce new and wondrous people into your life. We’re just providing you with a jumping off point to a new ad-venture. Now it’s up to you to say yes and step out over the abyss. (And we promise you’ll know what to do next.)

The hardest thing for some people to do is ask for help even for the most mun-dane of tasks. We know – we tend to be those people. So, now here we are talking about “life” and “spirituality” and issues that carry a little more weight than say, sort-ing the laundry or the best way to organize your tax receipts. One of our favorite quotes from the movie is when Maren Tonder Hansen says, “There are some times in your life where something is just beyond your ability and you have to ask for help. Isn’t that wise?” And there are plenty of groups, organizations and teachers that are available to help guide you on your journey. You just have to find them (or in some cases let them find you). We’ve listed a few of those that were helpful to us at the end of this guide. Feel free to utilize the networks they have in place, check out our website for a group near you, or start your own group from the ground up. The only rule is TAKE ACTION. The rest is up to you.

Groups are generally made up of 5 to 8 people who meet once a week or month to discuss the themes around the film. Keep in mind you’ll probably cover less mate-rial with more members in your group. You should dedicate at least one three-hour gathering for each chapter but feel free to break a chapter up over multiple meetings if necessary. It’s important that everyone has watched the discussion chapter of the film before you meet. Some groups like to read each paragraph of the study guide aloud as a group, some don’t. Your facilitator might already have this worked out or you can decide as a group.


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GROUP FACILITATOR

Although everyone in the group should be treated equally, having a facilitator is a great way to get the most out of your meeting. The facilitator’s duties may include opening and closing the meetings, watching the time and keeping the conversation moving along, communicating the next meeting’s themes, introducing guest speakers and welcoming new members to the group, maintaining the contact list, etc.

MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR GROUP

The bottom line is your group should be enjoyable, educational and feed your spirit. We call it getting our “myth injection.” After our gatherings we feel uplifted and inspired to continue our next day’s work, whatever it may be. The atmosphere should be warm and welcoming to all who wish to attend and participate. Here are a few suggestions before getting started with your group:

• Choose a facilitator

• Choose a host location (can vary from week to week)

• Decide if your meetings will be open-ended or for a fixed amount of weeks.

• Set a regular meeting day and time and stick to it.

• Plan on having healthy snacks and beverages (maybe “pot luck” style). This creates a relaxed atmosphere and everyone feels and thinks better when they have happy stomachs.

Set your ground rules for everyone to commit to up front; it just makes things go so much easier. Here are a few of our group resolutions:

• Come prepared – Be familiar with the week’s discussion chapter before coming to the meeting.

• Really listen when someone else is speaking and don’t interrupt.

• Honor everyone’s time and commitment by starting your group meet-ings ON TIME!

• Make sure each person who wants to speak has the opportunity to do so.

• Most importantly, remember this is dialogue and discussion not debate and argument. You don’t have to agree, but try to keep an open heart and mind.


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LET THE MEETING FLOW…

The format and flow of a group is really set by the energies and imagination of that particular group. A facilitator plays a great part in this, especially in the begin-ning. Ritual and ceremony, even in a study group, are important to providing a safe and comfortable environment for sharing thoughts, passions, and gaining understand-ing. Come up with some kind of meeting structure and stick to it. “We’ll just see how it goes” quite often turns into just drinks and conversation about what was on TV last night.

THE TALKING STICK

To us judgmental Hollywood-types, talking sticks seemed silly. But you know what? They really work! A “talking stick” can be as simple as a wooden spoon or as ornate as a ceremonial staff with feathers and beads. It can also be a small statue or a conch shell or even a Magic 8 Ball. But it should be the same thing at every meeting for the sake of ritual and the reverence of that object. (Keep in mind people will be holding and touching it repeatedly so consider this in your choice!) Whomever is holding the “talking stick/shell/ball” may speak openly and honestly and remain confident they will not be interrupted. If someone else wishes to speak they should raise a hand and wait until the stick is passed to them. (We learned a lot of great ideas like these in elementary school but somehow forget them with age. Hmmm… Mrs. White you were right all along.)

FEED THE CONVERSATION

We’ve supplied a starting block of questions to pose to the group in each chap-ter. These are just a few that occurred to us or were asked by audience members at a Mythic Journeys screening. Read each one out loud and allow members to respond to the ones that speak to them. There are also blank lines where your group members may add a question to pose to the group if they wish. It doesn’t matter how many Q&A sessions we’ve attended, there are always new questions that we’ve never thought of asking, which is great because we continually learn new insights to the film. It’s also scary because we have to think quickly and try to sound intelligent in front of a live audience. (That doesn’t always happen but people tell us they love our “authenticity”, which we think is a nice way of saying, “you look so cute when you stand there like a deer in the headlights.”) We’ll try to post new questions and ideas for each chapter on our website’s forum and may add them to future revisions of this study guide.

DIALOGUE VS. DEBATE

We hope that the discussions raised in your group are fulfilling to everyone in-volved. We encourage equal participation but we also realize that while some people


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love to talk (like us), others are very happy just listening (those are usually the smarter ones). It is important to understand and respect the shared ideas and dynamics of conversation. Disagreement is inevitable and even encouraged. Debate, argument, disrespecting other ideas, threats, and fistfights however, will only create a hostile and unproductive environment. Please remember: You are not here to prove a point. You’ve gathered together to share ideas, learn, enjoy the moment and that means play-ing well with others. Communicating through open dialogue is the first and most important step to our spiritual, intellectual and social evolution.

THE LIFE & DEATH OF A GROUP

Your group is alive and sentient. It will have its ups and downs, some meetings will be better than others, things will happen to affect and shape it; it’s all part of the experience. The end of this study guide should not be the end of your journey, how-ever. It should merely be an introduction or continuation of the path you have already chosen. When you’ve completed this guide we urge you to continue with the group, perhaps around another film or book. We’ve also provided you with resources for further study at the end of the study guide. And if your group should end and every-one go their separate ways, that too is part of the journey. Honor your time well spent, remember what you’ve learned, and move forward with grace and gratefulness.


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CHAPTER ONE

Myths are the collective dreams of the tribe. They give life to our subconscious carrying with them the emotions and knowledge of our ancestors, bridging the gap between cul-tures, communities and generations. In that way they are much more accurate than history, which is nothing more than selective accumulation and discarding of facts. History tells us what is possible but myths tell us what is impossible and shouldn’t that be what we’re striving for?

MYTH – YOUR PERSONAL DEFINITION

We asked every person we interviewed for Mythic Journeys the simple ques-tion, “What is myth?” and we got answers as varied and personal as each individual answering the question. Here are just a few answers from the film:

“Mythology is a story. It’s a story that I can understand and that I can really live into. And what I mean by that is that it offers the possibility to think about my life in relation to how other people have led their lives.” ~Steven Aizenstat

“In the ancient sense myth is the words of the gods, the stories that are true, that tell us what it is to be human and, more than that, reveal something for us of the mysteries of the world.” ~Ari Berk

“See people are always trying to tell the truth in a simple, didactic way, and you cannot communicate enough truth that way, but if you get a good story the truth comes out through the story. And so myth in the modern world, most people use it to mean some-thing false. “Oh, that’s just a myth.” But another definition of myth is emergent truth. So again, the world has gone backwards and people think a myth is false, when a myth is a false thing that reveals the truth. ~Michael Meade


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Then as we went along in our travels, we asked our friends, family, and other everyday people (i.e., those without a PhD in Mythological Studies or Jungian Psy-chology) the same question and we learned many people couldn’t give us even a simple definition of myth, which meant they couldn’t then develop a personal connec-tion to myth either.

So that’s where we will start. We don’t need to agree on one specific answer, but we do need to define what it means to each of us at this point in our journey, be-cause meanings, perceptions and beliefs change with our experiences.

• What is your definition of myth?

• Why is myth important today?

• How do you think the world around you deals with myth?

• ___________________________________________________

(Add your own question here if you wish)

CONNECTING TO STORY

Myths seldom give us direct answers; rather they supply us with the tools to discover our own truths. The importance of myth comes back to your personal defini-tion of what it means to you. Myths simply lay out their tale and leave it to you to interpret their meaning. Sometimes they just plant a seed in our subconscious that even doesn’t sprout until years later.

And then there are the stories that we just don’t connect with. You ever have this happen to you? Everyone is raving about a particular movie, then you see it and you think, “Eh, didn’t do much for me,” or even, “Is everyone on drugs?! That was the worst thing I’ve ever seen!” We either connect to a story or we don’t. We make an emotional connection to the story – positive or negative – and then we use our intellect


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to process that emotional information and to communicate our understanding of the story to others. One way we define who we are is by the stories we connect to. Fans of a particular movie for example, can share a bond that supersedes social class, race, cultural or age differences or common sense!

And don’t we do the same with people? As we move through our lives, we cross paths with people of all types and backgrounds. Some we form life-long bonds with, while others simply slip into distant memories. But regardless of time and space, we have formed connected bonds with each of them. Many people define who they are by their ancestry. We form bonds with long-gone generations, people whom we may not even know by name. We form bonds with pets, with plants, with inani-mate objects, and material goods. We collect and share, we play games; every thing we do in this existence is about connection. Failure to connect is where depression, anger and anxiety thrive; in the recesses of the disconnected.

Myths and stories connect us to the fibers of the universe and allow us to be-long to something greater than ourselves, to be a part of the whole.

“Joseph Campbell used to say that myth is much more important and true than history. History is just journalism and you know how reliable that is.” ~Deepak Chopra

There is a certain poetics of belief that we humans have, a need to adapt stories and ideas so that they conform to our personal belief systems. The stories we choose (or those that sometimes choose us) help to articulate our beliefs about life and death, religion or atheism, or sometimes just issues in our day to day existence. These stories not only conform to us, but they also shape our beliefs, give us a moral compass to live by, and teach us what it means to be human.

• Do we connect through emotion or intellect?

• How do connections between friends, strangers and ances-tors differ?

• Give a few examples of modern people who seem connected or disconnected and why?

• ___________________________________________________

GODS & GODDESSES OF THE MODERN WORLD

If you watch television, read a newspaper, flip through a magazine, surf the in-ternet or breathe oxygen you’ve probably heard of Brittany Spears, Tiger Woods, Sarah Palin, Brad Pitt or (insert similar movie star, celebrity, sports figure name here.)


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These are our gods today. We behave as if we have intimate relationships with these people we only ever occasionally see on TV or at the movies because in a way we do. They are two-dimensional canvasses onto whom we project our own stories. They are the embodiments of our fears and desires. They are the gods and goddesses of the modern world.

One of the primary functions of mythology is that it takes the functions of the human condition and the embodiments of our psychological processes and our psychosis and makes them big. Big because we don’t get it when its explained subtly. ~Ari Berk

Obviously humans need gods because we’ve kept the practice around since the beginning of time. We need imperfect, problematic, noble, heroic, romantic, sinful, idealistic, lustful, tangible gods. We’ve denied ourselves the gods of the past, the Zeus’ and Heras, the Lokis and Odins and Yemayas and Tuatha Dé Dananns. We con-sider ourselves civilized and evolved to the point where we trivialize the quaint gods of the ancients whom we think we have outgrown. What we fail to realize is those gods still exist whether we want to admit it or not. The names are different, of course, but they’re still the famous and powerful. We think of them as immortal; everything we need gods to be.

No matter how evolved and enlightened we think we are, we still need a way of understanding the world around us. We need justification for our wants and de-sires, and forgiveness for our mistakes.

So, we adore and praise these gods of today and place them high upon pedes-tals -- and then we actually watch with bitter anticipation in hope that they fall from that superhuman height we put them at in the first place! What’s the point of this? Perhaps we’re thinking, “If these beings of greater stature than I fall, then fallibility is human. And if they are just as human as I am, I can relate to them, especially when they fail. Maybe I can forgive myself? And if these gods suffer as I do and then rise


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again, than so can I.”

This is typical human behavior that has been going on for millennia. These gods, whom we often refer to as our heroes, give us permission to fail and inspiration to succeed. As Maren Tonder Hansen says, “They give us soul companions. They give our souls something to cling to.”

However, if we obsessively follow these gods, living our lives vicariously through them, we do a disservice to ourselves and stunt our own growth.

So, if we can look at our apotheosizing of these celebrities as essential to the human condition and understand the purpose of it, then we may not only benefit from this practice, but our annoyance and anger toward those “avid fans,” the media, or the celebrities themselves may lessen as well.

• Who are some modern day examples of mythic characters and who are their mythical counterparts?

• What do you think causes this need for stories about celebri-ties?

• How did the worship of ancient gods such as Hera & Zeus differ from how some people worship celebrities today?

• ___________________________________________________

“Every great deed in the world is the activation of a mythical seed in the consciousness. Somebody partakes in a big corporate merger in business it’s the same story as the Ar-gonauts seeking the Golden Fleece. Somebody flies a solo plane across the Atlantic, it’s the same story of that mythical figure reaching towards the stars and the sun.” ~Deepak Chopra

“Myths reflect the human experience but the human experiences are what creates the myths so they’re very much a reflection of each other.” ~Tricia Klink


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WHO AM I?

The answer to this age old question is paramount to purpose. And purpose is discovered through connections, and connections are created through story. There are people who believe with the distance and isolation of computers and video games and the internet that we are losing a vital human-to-human connection. There are others who believe these same inventions are bringing us closer as a global community; that the connected bonds still form whether we are in the same room with the person we are speaking to or across the planet. Why should geographical distance matter when connecting to someone when we can feel just as connected to our long-dead ancestors through story and myth?

The problem is not the physical connection. The problem arises from the failure to teach the importance of connection in the first place. We understand the how but ignore the why. So we use all of the incredible tools that are available to us today to connect, but without an understanding of the action itself, we are missing a major part of the picture.

Connection is no longer the lynchpin of communication. Society abrogates true communication with “networking.” When that moves to the forefront of the conversa-tion, we are no longer truly connected. Our goals and achievements become our source of self-worth rather than purpose.

“We’re connected in so many ways; we have cell phones, we have instant messaging, we have e-mail, we have everything to be able to connect. Unfortunately, I fear we as people are becoming more and more disconnected. So what is it that we’re sharing? We’re sharing this time and this space, but we’re not building much. We have to con-nect, we have to talk, we have to share, we have to create myths, we have to create memories for ourselves and for our families.” ~Andres Botran


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THE TRUTH, THE WHOLE TRUTH, AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH…

As Robert Walter also said in the film, “It’s not the experience that impresses us so much as telling the experience, the experience doesn’t come to life until you tell somebody about it.”

And, of course, all films, books and artwork are a part of the artist’s own story. It’s their perception of an event, dream or idea. Whether it’s fiction or non-fiction the storyteller can’t help but relate the experience from their own perception. So is the storyteller telling the “truth?” And who’s “truth” is he telling? And what if this “truth” has changed since he created the story? And what’s the definition of “truth” anyway?! Well, here’s one that we found in a printed dictionary (so it must be true, right?):

TRUTH: noun, 1. ideal or fundamental reality apart from and transcending perceived experience: the basic truths of life.

Well, we respectfully disagree with Mr. Webster on that one. What do you think about this definition? Break it down and really look at it.

Now, here is OUR personal rewrite of the definition, which we believe to be more accurate (so it must be true, right?):

TRUTH: noun, 1. a fundamental reality defined by an indi-vidual’s perceived experience: the truths of your life.

And here’s one of our favorite lines from Mythic Journeys about truth that hit us pretty hard:

“People have lost track of the fact that something that is factual does not necessarily mean that it’s truthful and something that is truthful is not necessarily factual. Truth is an emotional quality. Truth people have been arguing about for centuries and they will continue to argue about for centuries more. Unfortunately people kill one another over truth, over competing truths. They don’t tend to kill either over competing facts.” ~Delia Sherman

Talk about these definitions. Which works for you? Rewrite, expand, rethink the whole idea of “truth,” if you want!


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• Name a truth in your own life.

• How does perception and emotion alter truth?

• How can a “false” story reveal a “truth”?

• How does what you hold to be true shape who you are?

• ___________________________________________________

GROUP EXERCISE #1 (Available in the Facilitator’s Guide)

END CHAPTER ONE

HAVE CLOSING RITUAL


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CHAPTER TWO

“This is what the hero does: he goes off, he finds his own truth, he slaughters the dragon and then he brings the boon back to the community, to society. There is a deeper mean-ing in our lives.” ~Lynn Kaufman

WHERE DO I START?

Any good teacher’s job is not to tell you what to think but rather how to think; to inspire their students to take the information they are given, disseminate it, shape and redefine it with their own perceptions and experiences, and then give that back to the community. The relationship of the mentor and student is a reciprocal one. It is an exchange of ideas and emotions; some harmonious while others contradictory.

The universe works in much the same way of give and take. Sometimes we pull from the energies and sometimes we give back; a never-ending supply of power and knowledge. No one individual is all giving or all taking, even though on the sur-face it may seem that way. The most direct path to cultivate this cycle is through service to your community. Being actively involved in the story is the foremost way to alter the world around you and thus change the very perception of who you are.

“Action without love is irrelevant, but love without action is meaningless.” ~Hafsat Abiola


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A lot has been said about prayer and visualization and while we do not dispute their benefits, they are physically passive in nature. Combining them with imagina-tion and then putting our passions into action serves as an active catalyst for our goals.

Newton’s well-known First Law of Motion is basically an object in motion re-mains in motion unless something comes along to stop it. And we know from high school science class that while the object is in motion it gives off a type of energy that either attracts or repels other objects. It doesn’t take a huge leap of the imagination to connect this idea with people as the “object”. We’ve seen it happen first-hand that when someone is moving forward with their passion they attract to them like-minded people who aid and share in the obtainment of their goals. (That’s the story of Mythic Journeys!) We like to refer to this as the Emotion of Motion. People will be attracted to you if you are moving forward with genuine emotion towards a goal. Once you start following your passion, others will find you.

But inertia can be a sizeable force to overcome. The advice of “just get mov-ing!” might be ineffectual at times. Well, we’ve seen the Emotion of Motion work by people surrounding themselves with other forward-moving people. (Think of it as re-verse engineering the previous idea!) Let the passions of others inspire and generate energy within you to get your passion into action.

“In my tradition they say, if you do not know how to build a fire, go and hang around with fire people and they will show you how to build your own fire. And let them in-spire you and as you are standing there you start to go, ‘You know, I could be doing this and I could even be doing better!’” ~Sobonfu Some

“If you really want to do something, you go there and you be part of the story. That’s the way to change the story. You know, you don’t sit on the bench and complain -- join the revolution. You want to do something? Then do it!” ~Tom Blue Wolf


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“You know, when I was young, I remember we always used to say, well someone should really do something. And then it turned out that we are them.” ~Michael Meade

“I think that all of us have broken places and that the spirit of service is a reciprocal one, so it’s not ‘serving those who are broken and those of us who are serving are whole.’ It is literally that we also heal ourselves in the process of healing the world.” ~Michelle Nunn

• Discuss the above quote by Michelle Nunn.

• Is it self-serving to realize you are helping yourself while helping others?

• Give an example of how just taking a first step got you going or of someone else’s journey inspiring you.

• What holds us back from saying “yes” to the journey?

• ___________________________________________________

“We have not even to risk the journey alone; for the heroes of all time have gone before us; the labyrinth is thoroughly known; we have only to follow the thread of the hero-path. And where we had thought to find an abomination, we shall find a god; where we had thought to slay another, we shall slay ourselves; where we had thought to travel outward, we shall come to the center of our own existence; where we had thought to be alone, we shall be with all the world.” ~Joseph Campbell

THE HERO’S JOURNEY

Joseph Campbell was comparing the great myths from many cultures around the world and saw a commonality of structure within many of them which he called the Monomyth, better known as The Hero’s Journey. In short, a hero (we use the word as either masculine or feminine) receives a call to go on an adventure to an un-known world, faces trials and challenges usually with assistance from others he meets along the way, has to survive an intense encounter after which he receives a gift or “boon,” and then he must make the final decision whether or not to return with the boon back to his community to improve the world. Campbell identified 17 stages to his Hero’s Journey structure and there are many, many books written about this, not the least of which is Campbell’s own The Hero with a Thousand Faces. (See further reading at end of guide or just Google “Hero’s Journey” on the internet)


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Hollywood has been using this structure even before Joseph Campbell popular-ized the term. (e.g., The Wizard of Oz, It’s a Wonderful Life.) Scriptwriters today take this structure and create epic films with space ships, dinosaurs, gladiators, cowboys, gangsters, etc., and love lost and found. They reflect our desires and emotions in an easy to understand, condensed format with which we connect. (Hollywood really hopes we connect or else they’ve blown a whole lot of money!) In fact, many bio-graphical films are written in the Hero’s Journey structure consolidating an entire lifetime down to a two to three hour story.

Now many of us, perhaps for the reasons of self-discovery and personal explo-ration, therapeutic insights and healing, have tried to chronicle “the story of our life” but we’ve become so overwhelmed by the complexities, the multi-layered pathways, and the sheer amount of stuff accumulated over the years that we’ve throw our hands up in despair before we get very far. So what would happen if we took that fairly simple Hollywood screenplay structure of the Hero’s Journey and applied it to our own lives? Would it be a little less overwhelming? And might looking at some of the smaller journeys help us make sense of the Larger Journey of our existence? At the very worst it might be kinda fun.

We liked the idea of using film, which is life reflected on screen, to reflect our lives back to us. Self-discovery and insight are valuable things to know about yourself but who has 6 hours a day to do it? We like things that are simple, easy to understand, and practical. (Unlike those diets where you have to take 32 supplements every 2.5 hours with only a special kind of protein shake that tastes suspiciously like wet dirt and measure your food into exactly 8 oz. portions but only foods that are purple and eat 5 times a day exactly 3 hours apart while standing on your head. Seriously?)

Since we don’t like to work that hard, we decided to simplify the Hero’s Jour-ney structure for our own purposes. After all, that’s what you’re supposed to do with myth, right? Adapt it for your own needs.

Below is a diagram of “Steve & Whitney’s Version of the Hero’s Journey”, which is a simplified adaptation of Campbell’s Monomyth.

*It is also noteworthy to mention that these steps don’t always necessarily happen in order in every film.


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We begin from a place called HOME, which can be our actual physical address or a place within ourselves at the core of our being. At various points in our lives the gods send an invitation, THE CALL TO ADVENTURE, that we can either choose to accept or refuse. Of course, saying yes to the invitation means leaving the comfort of what is known and CROSSING THE THRESHOLD into the unknown. Each step along this journey is another chance to say yes or no. Once underway THE CHALLENGES will reveal themselves. They may or may not be the ones we antici-pate, in fact they can take many shapes. These trials force us to look inward, ask questions about ourselves, and come face to face with some of our inner demons.

THE BELLY OF THE WHALE is where we are the most vulnerable, the darkest part of the journey where the greatest doubt and fear reside. But as we discover the courage to overcome our biggest challenge in the journey, there is a rebirth of spirit; THE RESURRECTION. We find renewed energy and faith. And if we use the new found energy in a positive way we are able to SLAY THE DRAGON and accomplish the goal we set out to attain at the beginning of the journey. We may even receive a gift or a “boon” to mark the occasion.

After defeating the dragon we must make the final decision to CROSS THE


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THRESHOLD back into the known, and bring the boon back HOME to share it along with knowledge and wisdom with the community. We may need to make atonement for a previous fault or misdeed, but without the return the Hero’s Journey is not com-plete; it is a failed quest, for it is here that we receive the greatest REWARD and learn the lesson of journey. This is the true cycle of evolution.

“We’re not here just for our own sake. You know, the hero’s quest, the hero’s journey, the heroine’s journey always ends with the return. And if there is no return then the quest is a failure. And so our journey, the work that we do is about personal transfor-mation moving into social transformation, moving into making this a better planet for all of us.” ~Michael Karlin

“The hero’s journey is that common thread through all the stories where the ultimate purpose is to vitalize something greater than yourself. And you can see that every-where from Star Wars to Spiderman to the Arthurian Legends, where there’s a quest to discover something that in doing so it can be returned back to the village. Back to the community to vitalize and enhance the community, enrich the community, expand it into a better way.” ~Dr. George Rosch

• Many argue the hero must always be a man in the Hero’s Journey, while others say it is representative of our mascu-line side. What do you think?

• Why do we connect to the Hero’s Journey in so many films?

• Why is the return important in the Hero’s Journey?

• ___________________________________________________

You can watch just about any blockbuster Hollywood studio film and follow along as the Hero’s Journey unfolds. In fact, we’ve taken one of Hollywood’s most iconic movies Star Wars and outlined the moments for you below. You may agree with our interpretation or have your own. That’s what so great about myths!

*We have also included a blank worksheet in the appendix so you can watch other films and outline the Hero’s Journey within them. This is a great exercise in looking at a story from a new perspective.


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STEVE & WHITNEY’S HERO’S JOURNEY WORKSHEET

MOVIE: STAR WARS

STAGE FILM SCENE OR ELEMENT

HOME: Setup for the story; introduction of the hero and the known world.

Luke Skywalker living a boring life as a farm boy on Tattoine with his aunt & uncle.

Call to Adventure: How does the character receive the call?

Princess Leia’s holographic message delivered by R2D2 the droid.

Refusal of the Call: Does the character immediately accept the call?

Luke feels an obligation to stay on the farm in-stead of following his dreams.

Accepting the Call: What motivates the character to ac-cept the call?

The death of his aunt & uncle – nothing left for him on Tattoine.

Mentor/Guide: Is there a specific character that helps the hero understand the situation or provides special training?

Obi-Wan Kenobi who knew his father invites him to come with him to Alderaan and learn the ways of the force.

Supernatural Aid: Does the hero receive something to help him on the quest?

Obi-Wan gives him his father’s light saber.

Companions: Who is on this journey with the hero? How do they help the hero face the challenges?

R2D2, C3PO, (the loyal servants), Obi-Wan (mentor)

Crossing the Threshold: At what point does the hero move from the known world into the unknown?

The cantina in Mos Eisley where Luke meets Han Solo. (Also jumping into hyperspace on the Millennium Falcon is a great visual of “crossing over the abyss”)

The Challenges: What are the tests or challenges that the hero faces? Does he need to “learn the rules” in this new world?

Minor confrontation with stormtroopers before leaving Tattoine; light saber training on board ship; various skirmishes on the Death Star


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Allies & Enemies: Do more Allies join him on his quest? Does the hero battle with a close friend or family member?

Han Solo (smug, tough, experienced fighter pi-lot – opposite of Luke), Chewbacca (the protector character), Princess Leia (the goddess character)

Inner Demons: How are the hero’s doubts and fears re-vealed?

Han plants doubts about Obi-wan, Luke fears the princess will be executed, not having a plan after rescuing her

Belly of the Whale: When does it seem that all is lost? Is the hero injured or thought to be dead? Does the hero mis-takenly believe someone close to him is dead?

The trash compactor. C3PO & R2D2 think they all are dead for a moment. (Also, later Luke witnessing the murder of Obi-Wan.)

The Resurrection: Does the hero discover renewed energy or determination?

Luke takes charge in the trash compactor.

Transformation: Does the hero appear to be changed somehow? (mentally, physi-cally, spiritually, etc. )

Luke’s “Tarzan leap” with Leia; fighting off storm troopers & tie fighters.

Revelation: Does the hero learn a new truth, find the last piece of the puzzle or “the key” that will enable him to take the next step?

The blueprints to the Death Star are in R2D2. For Luke personally, Obi-wan saying, “trust the force.”

Slay the Dragon: How does the hero overcome their great-est challenge?

Luke let’s go of his doubt and embraces The Force to blow up the Death Star.

The Reward: Is there a mate-rial gift or boon given to the hero?

The Award Ceremony

Crossing the Threshold: When does the hero appear to leave this new world behind?

Symbolized by Luke’s escape from and the ex-plosion of the Death Star.

The Return Home: Does the hero return home to share the gift with the community?

Luke returns to the rebel base and is reunited with everyone.

Atonement: Does the hero repay a debt or redeem himself for a previous transgression?

Represented by Han Solo coming back to help Luke during the final battle with Darth Vader


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Mastering Two Worlds: Does it appear that the hero has conquered life in both worlds?

Luke has become a successful star fighter pilot and a hero and is on his way to becoming a Jedi knight.

Knowledge: Is there a reali-zation by the hero of a lesson learned?

Trust in The Force, don’t give in to your “dark side”.

Spiritual Evolution: Has the hero grown spiritually? Is his community made better in any way?

Luke is now a hero, the rebellion is momentar-ily free from the grip of Darth Vader.


END CHAPTER TWO

HAVE CLOSING RITUAL


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CHAPTER THREE

"Below the surface - stream, shallow and light, Of what we say we feel - below the stream,

As light, of what we think we feel - there flows With noiseless current strong, obscure and deep,

The central stream of what we feel indeed" ~Matthew Arnold

LINKS IN THE CHAIN

Becoming an authentic person is about peeling away the dead skin that has pro-tected us for so many years but is also weighing us down. It’s about discovering what’s below the surface and allowing that to grow and flourish. That shedding can be a painful and terrifying process. However, our ancestors have given us communal tools to help navigate these transitions. We are not alone in our fears and apprehen-sions.

Initiations, rituals and rites of passage were created and continue to be created as ways to help each of us deal with inevitable change in a positive way. But just like the gift of a book left unread, the wisdom imbued in these ceremonies is useless if ig-nored.

Too often we superficially go through the motions of a ritual because it’s al-ways been done that way. At birthday parties and senior proms and weddings and funerals, we trod through the ceremonial steps because that’s the way our parents did it and that’s the way our grandparents did it, so that’s the way we do it. Hasn’t any-one thought to ask the all-important question, “Why the heck are we doing this in the first place?”


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As with any structure if we neglect the founda-tion it starts to crumble. Once the numbness of repetition sets in, the spirit of the ritual begins to fade away and we begin to question the validity of our ac-tions and look elsewhere for answers. But when we combine structure with purpose, then we have strengthened the foundation that grounds us to the community. It’s from this grounding that we can con-tinue to build. It’s from this grounding that we start that next stage in our life’s journey with anticipation and wonder and faith.

“Most adults are dragging corpses of their former life around; aspects of their life that have no vitality but they can’t get rid of them. The problem with that is if you don’t get rid of the corpses of the past, there’s no room for the vitality of the present to enter. So change requires brushing death and letting something go just the way a snake sheds its skin every once in a while.” ~Michael Meade

“One of the things that myths do, of course, is they negotiate transitions. They help us cross the threshold from one phase of our life into another.” ~Ari Berk

“What a lot of people have forgotten is how important ceremony is to the community in general. You know, so the senior prom becomes a rite of passage. But they just don’t go deep enough. They just don’t go into the character, and the values, and the morals, and the basic ethics of what it means to be a human being. So we’ve lost that depth of con-nectedness.” ~Tom Blue Wolf

• Discuss the poem by Matthew Arnold at the beginning of this chapter. What does it mean to you?

• Name at least 3 ceremonial events and discuss where they began, what our ancestors originally meant them to be, and what they mean today.

• Name some modern ceremonies created within the last 20 years or so and their importance.

• ___________________________________________________

© Charles Urbach


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“Everybody goes into the river. The question is whether you come out whole or not.” ~Michael Meade

FACING OUR DEMONS

Many myths and stories are violent, macabre tales of murder and tragedy, of lies and deceit. They reach down into the darkest parts of our subconscious and speak to the wild animal that lies within us all. And it’s these very same wild animals that protect us from the dangers of the world. But these wild animals, when kept caged and unfed, can attack and try to destroy their masters. So it is paramount to our survival that we not only treat these animals with the respect they deserve, but nour-ish and care for them so that they may grow strong and loyal.

And when we learn to speak to our wild animals and ask for their help when facing those demons that lurk in the dark places, we find we’re stronger than we think we are.

• What is it about violence in movies, music and sports that connects to the human psyche?

• Do men and women see violence in films differently? What about teenagers and children?

• How does our understanding change if we look at the vio-lence in myth as metaphor instead of taking it literally?

• ___________________________________________________

“Death is the most creative act of the soul, because every death is followed by a resur-rection. But we cannot die peacefully and with exaltation unless we know how to exalt right now.” ~Deepak Chopra

TRIALS & OBSTACLES

There’s a stillness that happens at the exact moment we understand the trial ahead; a momentary suspension while we weigh the possible outcomes before us. Apprehension, fear, and anxiety begin to creep in as we defiantly grasp to whatever stability we find comforting. But often it’s what we’re holding onto that is holding us back.

This stillness also provides us with the opportunity to look at these seemingly insurmountable obstacles as a challenge to overcome as well as a path to wisdom. Like a knight setting off to fight the dragon for the glory, and the adventure, and the


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boon that can be returned to the community, we can look at these trials with excite-ment and appreciation for the opportunity to grow and learn and evolve. Or we can approach the obstacle with fear and contempt, wallowing in the comfort of our dis-pleasure, dooming ourselves to repeat the failed lesson.

“Sometimes the obstacle is in the way and sometimes the obstacle is the way. And so we try to stop and say we’ve been banging our heads against this for a long time. Is it stopping us or showing us where to go?” ~Michael Meade

“Remember, most of the knights when they leave the castle, they see the dragon, one of the first motifs, they see the dragon and they pull their swords and charge the dragon and most of them get burned and die in the story; because the dragon is a mighty thing. The dragon is the metaphor of our own struggles, whether it’s depression, loneliness, alcoholism; you know, it’s something we’re struggling with. But it’s also a teacher.” ~George Rosch

• The dragon is a metaphor for what in your life?

• Change has its consequences; resistance to change also has its consequences – is one a better choice than the other?

• Turning points are easy to see in hindsight. What benefit would seeing them “in the moment” provide?

• ___________________________________________________

THE BELLY OF THE BEAST

Even the most enlightened, educated, spiritually evolved among us have days where they may doubt the wisdom they espouse. There are days when they want to give up, and there days when they don’t even want to get out of bed. The reason this may sound familiar is because this is all part of the human journey.

What keeps these people going when things get tough is the truth that there is always another chapter yet to come. “The only thing constant is change,” sings Jean Val Jean in the musical Les Miserables (although we’re pretty sure the philosopher Heracli-tus said it first). Things evolve, transform, die and resurrect but they never stay the same. Just as water becomes ice or rises as vapor only to begin again as a raindrop, so does the story of our existence. The hero understands this, even at the darkest hour. He knows that the story will continue. And it’s this knowledge that allows him to take an active role in the writing of the next chapter.

So rather than fighting or denying the grief that will inevitably encompass our lives, we must learn to embrace the emotions and its lessons. Only then we will learn


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to face the darkness with an acceptance and gratitude for the gift of experience and wisdom.

“The human tendency is “if something is broken let’s fix it” and “let’s put it back the way it was.” Well, first of all, if it got broken in the first place it wasn’t meant to be that way… So as a result, a lot of time we tend to not move forward because we’re grasping to hold on to the past.” ~Sobonfu Some

“Life is not easy. There are wild and bad things in life and I think it’s wrong to lie to children. I think it’s really wrong to tell them that if you’re just good enough that eve-rything is going to come out all right. And a lot of what fairytale is about is something really bad happens, now what do you do? You’re threatened with death, you lose your family, now what do you do?” ~Delia Sherman

“There is a Jewish saying, just because it is not given you to complete the task, does not mean that it is not yours to begin it.” ~Ellen Kushner

© Janny Wurts

THE NEXT CHAPTER

Lifting yourself from the depth of your grief is not as easy as many books or psychiatrists may suggest. There is no magic pill to cure grief or “just make it go away.” (Clinical depression and other emotional and mental disorders that impair a person's ability to function can be exacerbated or even brought on by grief and should never be ignored, however. We are in no way denouncing medications or supple-ments that can be of enormous help for the many, many people suffering with this disorders.)

The path through the darkness is a necessary and an unavoidable part of the journey. And if we choose to bury our grief and ignore it, inevitably it will reemerge


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at some point in our lives because it is a part of who we are as human beings.

“Grieving and joy are two sides of the same coin, you cannot have without the other. If you do not express your grief you will not be able to genuinely have joy.” ~Sobonfu Some

Like that dreaded, long, inevitable trip back home when you’ve gone away for a while; you may be exhausted, sad your vacation is over, possibly annoyed at every little delay on the way, but you know you’ll be home soon enough and you can sleep in your own bed again. There’s comfort in at least having a schedule and we can ad-just our plans around it.

Grief doesn’t afford us this luxury. It doesn’t tell us in advance how long the pain will last. It doesn’t give us the courtesy of a map or a timetable of events. Grief forces us to look inward and question our abilities, assess our strengths, confront our failures, and to travel down roads that we otherwise would hope to avoid.

But when we keep the knowledge in our minds that there is another chapter yet to come, that this part of the journey is just another part of the evolution of who we are, we gain comfort and begin to trust that the suffering will end. We begin to make the best of the emotions that seem so overpowering. We begin to move forward and up out of the darkness. And when we rise and exalt in our newfound wisdom and stand upon the heights looking down the path we came, we remember that there will also be another downside someday. And it’s this insight that provides the humility, compassion and faith for the travels that lie ahead.

“Life eats life. And that’s something that frightens us, and saddens us. Death saddens us, and illness saddens us and man’s inhumanity to man saddens us, but if you can hold those pair of opposites in your mind to enter joyfully into the sorrows of the world, we can make things better.” ~Lynne Kaufman


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• Why do some people want to talk about their grief while others do not?

• Is it really as simple as “Grief is about loss – happiness is about gain?”

• Exposure to myth & fairytale has been said to “inoculate” children from the horrors of the world. Discuss this.

• ___________________________________________________


END CHAPTER THREE

HAVE CLOSING RITUAL


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CHAPTER FOUR

“At this time of my parting, wish me good luck, my friends! The sky is flushed with the dawn and my path lies beautiful.

Ask not what I have with me to take there. I start on my journey with empty hands and expectant heart.”

~Excerpt from “Gitanjali” by Rabindranath Tagore

THE SPIRITUAL BEING

Religion is not spirituality. Religion is outside. Spirituality is inside. Religion is structure. Spirituality is freedom. Religion is given to you. Spirituality is found in you. Religion is pre-determined and absolute. Spirituality is sentient and ever evolv-ing. Religion demands adherence to what man has written. Spirituality allows you the gift of writing your own story.

The above paragraph is not a statement of fact. It is however, a statement of truth. Is it your truth? Not necessarily. Some people who read it may not only dis-agree with the statement but might even be offended by it. It was not our intent to offend anyone. (Okay, maybe a little.) It was our intent to state our belief. And our be-liefs are the only truths that any of us really have.

“An interviewer asked me once, ‘Do you believe in God?’ I got into a whole philosophi-cal discourse with him. Are you talking God with or without form, with or without gender? But ask yourself that question, what’s your conception of God? Do you have any idea of God? What is it? Is it still the God from when you were 7 years old and go-ing to church with your parents?” ~Robert Walter


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“It’s easy, particularly in the kind of mytho-poetic culture, to criticize religion and to marginalize it, and to look at all the problems with religion, the wars being fought be-cause of this particular institutional system of beliefs or the abuses that have happened in the church in one way or the other. So it’s very easy to be critical. On the other hand, there is something about being part of a religious order that generates a great deal of comfort for people and a great deal of structure.” ~Stephen Aizenstat

© Michael Green

WHAT HASN’T BEEN SAID?

This section of Chapter Four has been left fairly short of our writings. The main reason for this is the wide range of discussion that will arise once the subject matter is barely broached. No subject in the world has created so much pain and joy, so much division and unity as religion. Using the content above and the questions below talk amongst yourselves. The one thing we ask is that the conversation begin and end in open dialogue, not angry debate. And remember this line from the film, “There is no one answer; it depends on how you look at it.”

• Discuss the idea of spirituality vs. religion.

• Why do people join organized religions?

• How does that differ from joining a study group?

• Does viewing a passage in the Bible as a myth alter your spirituality or faith?

• ___________________________________________________


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© Michael Green

IMAGINATION

As artists it’s difficult for us to understand a world without the nourishment of imagination. With each breath we take, we exhale a creative energy that passes back into the narrative. But that energy is not sustainable without cultivation. We feed on the stories around us. And if society as a whole, fails to provide the stories that the artist needs to survive, the creative energy withers and dies. Without the stimulation of information the artist may become stagnant and cease to grow; existing for a time but for what purpose?

That same creative energy exists in every living being on this planet. The artist merely provides the voice of that energy. The artist distills the information into an ex-pression of emotion that is then given back to society to help each of us understand our purpose. This relationship is a reciprocal one of co-dependency. It is a never-ending cycle of spiritual evolution that connects us all.

“The artist is the social conscience of a society. Never forget the role of the artist in a society. It used to be said that the pen is mightier than the sword. I would replace that with today the artist is today’s social conscience. When tyrannical regimes come what do they first do? They go after the artist. When they come that’s where they go first, because the artist speaks with the rebel’s voice. The artist has vision. The artist sparks passion. The artist sparks emotionality.” ~Deepak Chopra

“Imagination is what we have to be able to do in order to make any kind of change. The capacity to imagine yourself doing it precedes you actually doing it.” ~Jean Shinoda Bolen

“Okay, think about this, in the time of Moses we had everything we needed to utilize electricity and make a light bulb, it was all around us. But there was no one at that time that had that idea, that had that idea in their imagination. So it took someone to think of it first, put it into their imagination, and then it was created.” ~Tricia Klink

We use the term “artist” in the broadest sense of the word. Who is to say that an accountant is not an artist with numbers? Some criminals are even called “con art-ists.” We found these two definitions to be artistically helpful:


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Art {ahrt} noun

1. The quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance.

2. Skill in conducting any human activity.

No one is truly without imagination, yet many believe otherwise.

• What does Deepak Chopra mean when he says, “The artist is the social conscious of a society?”

• Is there a relationship between imagination and spirituality?

• What are some areas of the world that could benefit from more imagination?

• ___________________________________________________

“In stories what happens is the shaping of the story and the symbols in the story can re-awaken the imagination or the mythic imagination inside people. And if people listen to a story they can’t all agree; a good story won’t let them agree. And so then you can get them in a nice little struggle with themselves. Wait a minute, where is the truth if you don’t even agree?” ~Michael Meade


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THE MYTHIC IMAGINATION

Myths were handed down as a way to inspire and cultivate our imagination. Myths give us structure to understand our spirituality. They give us a container for our intellect and emotions and enable us to co-exist in a world that is often undefinable, inexplicable yet beautiful and amazing at the same time. We can safely cross the threshold into the unknown and traverse the darkest regions of who we are simply because we have been given the road map by travelers who have gone before us.

It’s from this place of understanding and trust that we begin to build our new myths. We look forward into the world of the impossible and imagine the possibili-ties. We push ourselves to let go of the constraints of morality, insecurity and judgment and play out the scenes before us in new ways. This is where the discover-ies are made; on the fringe of the imagination, when we jump into the abyss, risking the embarrassment of failure.

NOT EVERYTHING IS A LESSON; SOMETIMES YOU JUST FAIL.

We want structure, we want pat answers that tell us, this is what happened and this is why. We feed on conspiracy stories of second gunmen and faked lunar landings because they seemingly give us a sense of understanding or control. They tell us that we are not at the mercies of some random fate but that we have shaped our own des-tiny. There is comfort in this knowledge. But we risk a denial of responsibility in this acceptance. “This was not my fault, it was caused by them.” We become the victim of our story rather than the protagonist. We allow the chapters to be written about us rather than by us.

So rather than tell us why something happened to us myths give us the tools to deal with the unexpected or unexplained. They give us questions rather than answers so that we continue to expand and evolve as individuals and societies. They move us forward as the protagonist of our story through active imagination.

Real things are always given and received in silence. And I think that in that silence that lies within us all is the answer of what we need to do. The actual doing, the strate-gizing, all of the words that we say, that comes. The only thing is, I think that we are not believing what we are saying, because we say, “we need to work with our heart,” but we don’t believe in our heart. “We need to trust the forces of the universe,” but we don’t trust the forces of the universe. So we keep on sowing that and in the end we are bound to fail, which is good, because that even is part of the game.” ~Arsenio Rodriguez


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“I personally feel that if we could collectively harness our imagination, there’s no limit. But imagination is not enough. The second thing is the emotion of love. See, if you combine the emotion of love with the ability to imagine, I think we could definitely take that quantum leap in evolution.” ~Deepak Chopra


END CHAPTER FOUR

HAVE CLOSING RITUAL


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CHAPTER FIVE

“We are here for a purpose. So quit being an observer, quit being a tourist, quit being a guest in this world. This is your home, this is you. So make it better.” ~Sobonfu Some

HEALING THE WORLD

In the “Tikkun Olam” section of the film Ellen Kushner asks two very impor-tant questions. First she asks, “Does the world need healing?” She goes on to offer the utopian challenge, “In your ideal vision of a perfect world, what would it be like?” Both of these questions, while common in discussions, are rarely ruminated upon in our per-sonal philosophies.

“The relative world exists because somehow there is duality, otherwise it wouldn’t ex-ist. If it was a totally perfect world we would be doomed to eternal senility. There would be nothing to do. There would be no creativity. The very impulse for creativity arises from what we call ‘divine discontent.’ And if it’s a totally perfect world, what are we going to do?” ~Deepak Chopra

• Answer Ellen’s 2 questions for yourself.

• Do you agree with Deepak Chopra’s ideas above about a perfect world?

• ___________________________________________________


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CULTURAL CONNECTIONS

Without a doubt the key to developing compassion for a fellow human being is understanding their story. When originally explaining the film Mythic Journeys to others we often would say, “If you understand your neighbor’s story, you’re less likely to want to go bomb them.” This belief holds true to your next-door neighbor as well as the person in a foreign country all the way across the globe.

Understanding someone else’s cultural beliefs and needs starts with communi-cation. One of our heroes, former President Jimmy Carter, said that his greatest regret when dealing with the Iranian Hostage issue was his own ethnocentricity. His as-sumption was one many of us still make today: These are flesh and blood people with eyes, a nose and a mouth; they look like me therefore they must think like me.

We cannot think like another culture, no more than a man can think like a woman or visa-versa. However, we can understand how the other thinks. And through their stories and culture we can understand why they think in a particular way. Understanding the why expands the discussion from debate to dialogue. And when we listen with compassion and understanding then we are developing emo-tional connections that cannot be broken.

© Jen Delyth

“My tribe is not bound by gender, it is not bound by race, it is not bound by national-ity. It is species bound and I think we as a species have responsibility for the common wealth, and that common wealth is the tribal common wealth, and that’s the planet.” ~Robert Walter


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“What needs to emerge from the evolutionary point of view is a true planetary con-sciousness. That’s how we get beyond polarity. It’s the only way to get beyond polarity because to try to hold evolution back is a hopeless cause. And will we be one of those butterflies that emerge from the sludge or will there be another life form in this great huge awesome infinite expanse of evolution that continues after the human race ex-punges itself? Who knows? But it doesn’t matter. We don’t need to know. That’s the wisdom of uncertainty. We know already all we need to know. We can embrace the uncertainty with a kind of life affirming sense of humor and lightness and appreciation and gratitude and dialogue.” ~Duncan Campbell

“My hope for the future is telling our own story and listening with an open heart to other people’s stories. The universe is alive, it’s sentient, and when we realize that then life’s going to get better.” ~Lynne Kaufman

• What are the benefits and drawbacks of thinking in national-istic terms as opposed to as a global community?

• How does hearing someone’s story connect us to that per-son?

• How do myths communicate emotion?

• ___________________________________________________

CONNECTING TO THE PAST AND THE FUTURE.

Without a connection to the past and the future we abandon any responsibility to them. We no longer are the shepherds of the planet or the species. We exist only for the moment but that moment always passes. The stories of our ancestors, handed down from generation to generation, shaped and refined over the years, connects us to where we came from. And by accepting the responsibility of tending the story we then look beyond ourselves to the future. We connect to the story through a sense of


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ownership and belonging. We begin to write the next chapter of our lives as a gift to our children and our community.

“I am an ancestor of the future. Five hundred years from now, a thousand years from now, I’m going to be the handprint on the cave wall. I’m going to be the one scribbling them little things all over the walls. And they’re going to look back and say, “Ooh, those were our ancestors, and what did they do? They lived their life to the fullest. And it doesn’t matter how they died, it only matters how they lived.” ~Tom Blue Wolf

© Don Maitz

A NEW GLOBAL CONSCIOUSNESS

Contributing to the global consciousness in a positive way means awakening to your purpose. Much like the act of voting in a political election, we can choose to ac-tively participate in the story or not. If you choose not to vote you passively participate by relegating your vote to the majority and letting others decide for you.

The active participant, the one involved in creating and shaping the story is much more inclined to contribute to society, connect to other people, and discover their true individuality.

“My tribe is not bound by gender, it is not bound by race, it is not bound by national-ity. It is species bound and I think we as a species have responsibility for the common wealth and that common wealth is the tribal common wealth and that’s the planet.” ~Robert Walter

“The person who awakens to the seeds of their life begins to figure out what story they’re living. That person becomes very valuable.” ~Michael Meade


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• What is your definition of “tribal” myth?

• Discuss differences in actively and passively participating in various moments and events.

• ___________________________________________________

RETURNING THE GIFT TO THE COMMUNITY

Before we can write the next chapter we must look at the information given and learned in the previous ones. We need to take stock of where we are in the story and then examine where it is we wish to go next. It is said (at least by us but probably others as well) that you never truly understand some-thing until you can explain it to others. Until you can sit across the fire from some-one and tell them the story of your journey, sharing the gift of knowledge, you cannot move on to the next chapter.

“We’re not here just for our own sake. The hero’s journey always ends with the return. And if there is no return then the quest is a failure. And so our journey is about per-sonal transformation moving into social transformation, moving into making this a better planet for all of us.” ~Michael Karlin

“This is what the hero does: he goes off, he finds his own truth, he slaughters the dragon and then he brings the boon back to the community, to society. There is a deeper mean-ing in our lives.” ~Lynn Kaufman

© Don Maitz


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“You know, when I was young, I remember we always used to say, ‘Well someone should really do something.’ And then it turned out that we are them.” ~Michael Me-ade

• Is there more than one definition of the word “community” and if so what are they?

• What are some examples of gifts that can be or have been re-turned to the community?

• ___________________________________________________


END CHAPTER FIVE

HAVE CLOSING RITUAL


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SUPPLEMENTARY CHAPTER – THE RIDDLES

A mother told her child, “When you're walking through the graveyard at night

and you see the boogeyman, run at it, and it will go away.” “But,” replied the child, “what if the boogeyman's mother

has told it to do the same thing? Boogeymen have mothers too." ~Rumi (Translated by Coleman Barks)

THE BONE ORCHARD

When we first decided to make a documentary on mythology we knew we wanted to incorporate a myth – and not just any myth; we needed a story that not only encompassed the overall theme of the film that we could break up and weave in and out of the five acts. There were other factors to consider too, such as, some myths are fundamentally geographical – they are a part of the land and culture they came from and moving them may alter their meaning. Also, some myths might not translate well to screen, they might be too simple or too complex. And, we BOTH had to like it. In essence, we needed a universal tale that could speak to multiple cultures, defined by an all encompassing human experience, that we both really felt a strong connection to, AND it had to fit within our budget.

When we read “The Tales of King Vikramaditya” we knew we had our myth. A story that not only fit all of our criteria but also had the possibility to be a visually cinematic piece as well. This 1,000 year old tale from India offered layer upon layer of wisdom and beauty which immediately spoke to us as artists and at a deeply spiritual level as well.

People are often surprised when we tell them that a) there are actually 24 rid-dles in the original myth (which began in the oral tradition, was passed down through generations and have all gone through many revisions and retellings), and that b) in


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India these are children’s stories analogous to the fairytales and fables we Americans grew up with such as Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, The Prince and The Pauper, etc. There are even comic books, cartoons and animated films devoted to “The Tales of King Vikramaditya.”

Since there were multiple versions of the tale and the 24 riddles as well, we felt confident this was a myth we could adapt for the documentary without dishonoring the intent of the myth or the Indian culture by doing so. (Of course, we did consult with our experts as we wrote the script just to cover our bases.) In fact, it was Michael Meade who suggested this myth in the first place. Yet, another reason we love him!

In this chapter of the study guide we are including our adaptations of the rid-dles before we edited them down to give you a fuller sense of the stories. And FYI: The Jacob & Isaac riddle is not one of the King Vikram riddles – we wrote that our-selves from the Biblical story in our desire to be multi-cultural. (Note: In the reference section at the end of this guide we list our research sources where you can find many different versions of The Tales of King Vikram and the 24 riddles.)

A long time ago, or not so long ago, there was a wise and just King… who for ten years remained blind to the gifts that we’re being offered to him. He merely handed them to his treasurer to be stored away, out of sight, forgotten. Only after the playful monkey bit into the fruit did the King discover the hidden treasure. And from the moment this knowledge was revealed there was no turning back; an invitation was made, and the only decision was whether or not to say “yes” to the journey.

• What does the fruit represent?

• Why did the author use a monkey to reveal the gems inside the fruit?

• ___________________________________________________


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Wei-Chuan Hsu, artist

THE THREE BRAHMIN

Once upon a time there were three young Brahmins who studied in the home of their spiritual teacher. They grew into fine young men and the bonds of their friendship were strong. However, all three had fallen in love with their teacher’s daughter.

The three friends soon became rivals for the young woman’s affections, but the maid simply could not decide which one she wanted to marry, as each Brahmin was worthy in his own respect.

Soon, the friends began to fight and argue, each one claiming to be the one most worthy to be her husband.

One day, the maid caught a high fever and became very ill. For days the three Brahmin stood vigil beside her bed, praying for forgiveness for their childish rivalry.

But on the seventh hour of the seventh day of her illness the young girl died.

The three young men watched, equally mournful, as her body was carried to a funeral pyre.

The next day the first Brahmin gathered her bones from the ashes and pro-ceeded with them to the holy Ganges River; the second, grief-stricken, decided to wander the world as a beggar; and the third constructed a sanctuary over her ashes in devout worship of his love.

One day, the Brahmin who had decided to roam the world stumbled upon a magic book that could restore life. The young lover hurried back to the cremation site and arrived just when the one who had gone to anoint her bones with water from the Ganges also arrived. They found their other friend inside the modest hut and devised a plan.

The three Brahmin laid out the bones among the ashes, recited the spell from the book, and miraculously… the beautiful and beloved maiden arose again. At once the rivalry resumed for each claimed he provided the crucial element of the restora-tion.


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THE CORPSE’S QUESTION: “Whom should the maid take as her hus-band?”

THE KING’S ANSWER: “The young man who carried her bones to the Ganges played the role of a son. The Brahmin who found the magic book, provided the gift of creation as would a father. But the one who protected her ashes and committed his life to honoring her, demon-strated a husband’s devotion.”

• Do you agree with the King’s answer? Would you have cho-sen differently?

• What’s the theme of this riddle?

• Why are love stories often told with such dark undertones?

• ___________________________________________________

Ron Noble, artist

THE STUPID BROTHERS

Once upon a time a proud Native American Indian Chief had four sons. All of them were useless. The eldest was a gambler, the second was a liar, the third was a glutton, and the fourth -- an ass. Fed up with their behavior, the Chief decided to send them away to apprentice with a wise shaman.


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He turned to sons and advised them, “Seek knowledge, otherwise you will re-pent in your old age.”

The next day the sons traveled to the shaman and apprenticed for many years.

When the sons had finished with their training, they headed back to their tribe. Passing through a forest they saw a hunter putting the bones and skin of a dead bear into two separate sacks. The four brothers purchased these sacks to practice what they had learned from their shaman. “Our father will be very impressed by our magic,” boasted the eldest. “He’s sure to respect us now,” agreed the youngest.

The eldest brother magically fused the bones together in the anatomy of a bear. The second one charmed the skin of the bear to attach to the skeleton. The third brother summoned blood to flow through the bear’s veins. The brothers smiled at one another, agreeing the bear was ready. The fourth brother then chanted a magical spell awakening the spirit of the animal.

The bear rose up and, roaring fiercely, pounced on the four brothers tearing them limb from limb until they were all…quite…dead!

THE CORPSE’S QUESTION: “Who is the stupidest of these brothers?”

THE KING’S ANSWER: “The brother who filled the bear with life is the most stupid of the four. In spite of his learning, he did not have the common sense to know that a living bear could be dangerous. Only a stupid person will bring a dead bear back to life."



• What do you think the bear represents?

• ___________________________________________________


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C.J. Bloomer, artist

THE NOBLE EMPEROR

This is the tale of a boy named Johjima who lived in a small Japanese village. Johjima was raised by his grandfather who told him stories of the great and noble Em-peror who ruled their kingdom. Before his grandfather died, Johjima promised the dying man that he would travel to the city and pledge his life to the Emperor. He gathered his few possessions and a crude spear and set out on his journey to the pal-ace.

As he walked along the road, Johjima heard the cry of a great horse. He rounded a corner and saw a large and deadly snake set to strike the Emperor’s valiant steed. Johjima threw his spear, striking the snake dead.

The Emperor, who appeared even more great and noble in person, dismounted and approached the young boy. “You have shown great bravery and have saved my horse’s life and quite possibly my own. I shall name you my personal aide and trusted friend and you will live in my castle for the rest of your days.”

One day as Johjima was roaming through the city he caught sight of the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. He courted the young woman, and soon after, asked her to be his bride.

The two young lovers rushed hand in hand to the court of the Emperor and knelt before him. When Johjima introduced his beloved to the Emperor however, she was immediately smitten with the great man. The young woman decided she wanted to marry the Emperor instead. Johjima was heartbroken, but stepped away from the woman of his dreams and said, “The lady has made her decision. I shall honor it and wish you both happiness.”

The Emperor turned to the girl and asked, “My dear, yesterday you were en-gaged to my very worthy friend, Johjima. Why must you break his heart today?”


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The young woman replied, “Oh, I don’t wish to break his heart. But as Em-peror you can give me silk and satin and all the jewels I desire.”

The Emperor thought for a moment then said, “If I still give you all that you de-sire will you be content to marry Johjima?” The young woman squealed with delight. “Of course! He is so young and handsome and I truly love him.”

And so the Emperor hosted a grand wedding for the couple and Johjima and his beautiful bride lived happily in the palace until their end of their days.

THE CORPSE’S QUESTION: “Who was the most generous, Johjima or the emperor?”

THE KING’S ANSWER: “Johjima was certainly chivalrous to the young woman and demonstrated his continued loyalty to the Emperor. But the Emperor could have easily married the young woman himself. Instead he persuaded her to marry Johjima, and did all he could to make them both happy, showing he was the most generous.



• Some say the woman in this story is portrayed in a negative way. How might she be viewed 1,000 years ago when this story was created?

• ___________________________________________________


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Leo Gotlibowski, artist

JACOB & ISAAC

In the land of Canaan there lived a man named Isaac who took Rebekah to wife when he was forty years old. After 20 years Isaac pleaded to God because his wife was barren and could not conceive a child. God heard Isaac’s prayers and ap-peared before Rebekah blessing her with twin sons saying, “Two nations are in your womb, two separate peoples shall issue from your body. One people shall be mightier than the other, and the older shall serve the younger.” Esau was the first to be born and became a skillful hunter, earning the favor of his father. Jacob, born second, was favored by his mother because he was peaceful and mild.

When Isaac was old, blind and near death he called his eldest and favorite son Esau to his bedside. “My Son, I am old and soon will die, take your bow, hunt me some game and prepare me a dish such as I like. Bring it to me so that I may give you my innermost blessing before I die.”

Overhearing Isaac’s instructions, Rebekah quickly called for her favorite son Ja-cob and explained what she had heard. “Go and fetch me two choice kids from the flock. I will prepare his favorite meal. Then you will take it to your father so that he may bless you before he dies.”

“But my brother Esau is a hairy man,” replied Jacob, “And my skin is smooth. If my father touches me then he’ll know that I am a deceiver and will curse me.”

His mother said, “Your curse be upon me! Just do as I say.”

So Rebekah dressed Jacob in his brother’s clothes and covered his hands with the skins of the goats. She gave him the dish she had prepared and sent him to his fa-ther.

“Which of my sons are you?” the dying Isaac asked. “I am Esau your first born,” replied Jacob. Isaac reached out and took Jacob by the hand. “The voice is the voice of Jacob yet the hands are that of Esau.” Isaac wondered and asked again, “Are you really Esau?” And when Jacob said “I am” Isaac blessed him saying, “May God


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give you the dew of Heaven and the fat of the Earth. Let people serve you and nations bow to you. Be master over your brothers and let your mother’s sons bow to you. Cursed be they who curse you. Blessed are they who bless you.

THE CORPSE’S QUESTION: Did Isaac really know which of his sons came to him first to be blessed?

THE KING’S ANSWER: “A father always knows his son. By showing the ambition to take what he wanted, Jacob proved that he was ready to be a strong leader.”


• What is the theme of this riddle?

• The filmmakers chose to utilize rod puppets in the telling of this story, an art form that was used during the time of the Old Testament. How does the art form of telling a story serve the story itself?

• ___________________________________________________


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C.J. Bloomer, artist

THE AFRICAN KIN

A proud African chief, who was a widower, and his unmarried son were out hunting one day when they came upon two sets of footprints. They deciphered the prints were those of two women, and their skillful eyes perceived them to have been made by a mother and daughter of royal descent. The larger prints had obviously been left by a regal queen and the smaller set by a graceful princess.

Since they were both unmarried, the chief believed this was a sign from the Gods and immediately gave his judgment. The chief would marry the woman of the larger footprints and the son the smaller, as age and authority dictated. The son ea-gerly agreed, already imagining how beautiful his princess would be. A sovereign pact was made and the two continued tracking their quarry in most high spirits.

As the sun began to fade, they at last came upon the two women who had stopped along the trail for a rest; and indeed, they were a queen and a princess. Ex-cept the daughter was the one with the larger feet and, according to their oath, the son was sworn to marry the queen and the father the princess.

The noble party returned to the hunters’ village and a grand wedding followed. True to their word, the chief married the princess and his son married the queen. Soon the two women each conceived a son.

THE CORPSE’S QUESTION: “What is the relationship of the two male children that were born of these unions?”

THE KING’S ANSWER: “They were a living paradox of kinship; both uncle and nephew and nephew and uncle at once to each other. There is no single answer -- it depends on how you look at it!”


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• What is the theme of this riddle?

• After 24 riddles the King finally understood the lesson of the night’s journey. Was failure a part of that lesson? Could the failures have been avoided?

• ___________________________________________________

THE FINAL CHAPTER?

A line of questioning that is sometimes brought up during Q&A’s or interviews is, “How could a noble King carry out the heinous act of cutting off the Sorcerer’s head? Did it have to be that violent? Do we not lose respect for the King?” People argue that the King could have simply forgiven the Sorcerer, or captured him and locked him in a dungeon, or tried to talk to him reasonably and raise his conscious-ness, or any manner things that would have been more humane.

If we look at the story literally we would have to answer yes. However, this story, as all myths and fairytales, should be viewed metaphorically; remember …the world behind this world.”

The characters in this story are embodiments or personifications from the author’s imagination. If we look at the story from the perception of each character is representing a different psyche of the King, you begin to see an inner struggle the King must come to terms with. So if this is all happening inside the King’s head and the Sorcerer represents an “evil” or “destructive” influence or trait, this cannot be rea-soned with or locked in a dungeon. It must be destroyed in order to further the King’s own evolution – symbolized by cutting of the Sorcerer’s head.

Another brilliant aspect in mythology is gaining the understanding that the de-cisions we make are not always black and white. Sometimes our choices are extremely difficult and inevitably most have consequences. And just as the gods had their rea-


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sons for making their choices, don’t we always have our reasons (or a whole list of reasons?) for making the decisions we have to make? Thus our choices may not al-ways be completely honorable or unequivocally ethical. The ambiguities of action are part of the human condition but it is our choices when faced with these varying shades of grayness that ultimately shape our morality.

• What are some common expressions that sound violent but are meant metaphorically?

• What other children’s stories end with the hero committing an act of violence in order to obtain his/her goal?

• ___________________________________________________

“Fairy tales are more than true - not because they tell us dragons exist, but because they tell us dragons can be beaten.” ~G. K. Chesterton

FINAL THOUGHTS…

The Bone Orchard, along with all stories, give us the opportunity to look at the unknown; the “what-ifs.” They allow us to view the world from a place of safety and dip our toes into waters full of danger and intrigue, into the dark corners of our psy-che and ask questions that, try though we may, cannot be ignored. It’s through the telling of these stories that we are given the tools to face those moments in our life where things seem out of our control, when we’re in over our heads and the water just keeps rising. Modern society tells us these stories are for children yet our souls ache for the ability to share these tales and connect to others no matter what our ages.

This study guide was created not from the academic structure of the classroom but rather from the chaos of conversation. As with story, our point is to spark dia-logue and raise questions. It is to expose the dark underbelly of our beliefs and poke them with a stick until we get the answers that work for us at this particular moment in our lives. And if you don’t find the answers just keep poking until you’ve done enough damage that you are forced to rebuild because you’ll emerge stronger than be-fore.

We hope that you’ve discovered something of value in this guide, if only the in-spiration to discover your own story. Or perhaps we’ve handed down that little bit of simple wisdom from our elders, “Leave this world a better place than you found it.” And to pay them back with the respect of evolving the species.


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But in the end we leave you back where we started, with a definition that spoke to us and we hope speaks to you on your journey:

Myths are the collective dreams of the tribe. They give life to our subconscious carrying with them the emotions and knowledge of our ancestors, bridging the gap between cul-tures, communities and generations. In that way they are much more accurate than history which is nothing more than selective accumulation and discarding of facts. His-tory tells us what was possible but myths tell us what was impossible and shouldn’t that be what we’re striving for?


END CHAPTER SIX

HAVE CLOSING RITUAL


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APPENDIX

STEVE & WHITNEY’S HERO’S JOURNEY WORKSHEET

MOVIE: ________________________________

STAGE FILM SCENE OR ELEMENT

HOME: Setup for the story; introduction of the hero and the known world.

Call to Adventure: How does the character receive the call?

Refusal of the Call: Does the character immediately accept the call?

Accepting the Call: What motivates the character to ac-cept the call?

Mentor/Guide: Is there a specific character that helps the hero understand the situation or provides special training?

Supernatural Aid: Does the hero receive something to help him on the quest?

Companions: Who is on this journey with the hero? How do they help the hero face the challenges?

Crossing the Threshold: At what point does the hero move from the known world into the unknown?


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The Challenges: What are the tests or challenges that the hero faces? Does he need to “learn the rules” in this new world?

Allies & Enemies: Do more Allies join him on his quest? Does the hero battle with a close friend or family member?

Inner Demons: How are the hero’s doubts and fears re-vealed?

Belly of the Whale: When does it seem that all is lost? Is the hero injured or thought to be dead? Does the hero mis-takenly believe someone close to him is dead?

The Resurrection: Does the hero discover renewed energy or determination?

Transformation: Does the hero appear to be changed somehow? (mentally, physi-cally, spiritually, etc. )

Revelation: Does the hero learn a new truth, find the last piece of the puzzle or “the key” that will enable him to take the next step?

Slay the Dragon: How does the hero overcome their great-est challenge?

The Reward: Is there a mate-rial gift or boon given to the hero?

Crossing the Threshold: When does the hero appear to leave this new world behind?


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The Return Home: Does the hero return home to share the gift with the community?

Atonement: Does the hero repay a debt or redeem himself for a previous transgression?

Mastering Two Worlds: Does it appear that the hero has conquered life in both worlds?

Knowledge: Is there a reali-zation by the hero of a lesson learned?

Spiritual Evolution: Has the hero grown spiritually? Is his community made better in any way?


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“THE BONE ORCHARD” REFERENCES

VIKRAM AND THE VAMPIRE: CLASSIC HINDU TALES OF ADVENTURE, MAGIC, AND ROMANCE by Sir Richard R. Burton, Edited by his wife, Isabel Burton (1870) THE KING AND THE CORPSE - TALES OF THE SOUL'S CONQUEST OF EVIL by Heinrich Zimmer, edited by Joseph Campbell, Princeton University Press, 1973/1956. VIKRAM AND VETAL By Poile Sengupta Paperback (Edition: 2005) Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd. STORIES OF VIKRAM BETAL: BETAL'S RIDDLES AND KING VIKRAMADITYA'S BRILLIANT LOGICAL SOLUTIONS by Dr. Mahendra Mittal Paperback Manoj Publications VIKRAM – BETAL (DVD) Greengold Animation Pvt. Ltd. Animated Feature Film (2005) HOW MANY FACETS CAN A NON-EXISTENT JEWEL HAVE? -THREE PATH-OF-REALIZATION TALES (ONLINE ARTICLE) © John Fudjack and Patricia Dinkelaker - June, 1999 http://tap3x.net/EMBTI/j5tales.html#FOOTNOTES BHARATADESAM – EVERYTHING ABOUT INDIA (website): http://www.bharatadesam.com/literature/stories_of_vikram_betal/vikram_and_betal.php SUPERINDIAN.COM (website): Indian Stories http://kids.superindian.com/providers/providersSearch602-Vikram%20Aur%20Betaal.htm


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SUGGESTED READING AND VIEWING

BOOKS:

“The King and the Corpse - Tales of the Soul's Conquest of Evil” by Heinrich Zimmer, Edited by Joseph Campbell (there are other great myths in here besides The King and the Corpse, and Campbell’s analyses are brilliant. A must-read.)

“The Hero With a Thousand Faces” by Joseph Campbell

“The Water of Life” by Michael Meade

“American Gods” by Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett

“The Graveyard Book” by Neil Gaiman

“The Bromeliad Trilogy” and the Disc World Series by Terry Pratchett

“The Poetry of Rumi” translated by Coleman Barks

“The Curse of The MistWraith” by Janny Wurts

“Enders Game” & “Speaker for The Dead” by Orson Scott Card

FILMS:

Not only are these some of our favorite films, we recommend seeing these films as a group and discussing the myth within them.

“The Power of Myth” with Joseph Campbell and Bill Moyer – DVD

“Silverado” starring Kevin Costner, Kevin Kline, Scott Glenn

“Princess Bride” starring Cary Elwes, Robin Wright Penn

“Lars and the Real Girl” starring Ryan Gosling, Emily Mortimer

“Star Wars” director George Lucas

“Amelie” starring Audrey Tautou

“Pan’s Labyrinth” director Guillermo del Toro

“O Brother Where Art Thou?” starring George Clooney, John Turturro

“Three Kings” starring George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg


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ORGANIZATIONS OF INTEREST

MYTHIC IMAGINATION INSTITUTE

www.MythicImagination.org

Mythic Imagination Institute offers conferences, performance festivals, courses, exhibitions, concerts and workshops to encourage a creative response to life -- our own individual lives and our lives as families, communities, nations and as a world.

Our purpose is to enliven the imagination. Imagination is the root of empathy, innovation, problem solving, art, and science. The enlivened imagination cultivates insight and understanding of nature and human nature. This knowing exists univer-sally in myths, folktales, sacred stories, and wisdom stories. It exists within the structure of story itself.

Mythic Imagination Institute creates experiences of the mystery and metaphor in myth and story through art, hands-on activity and cross-disciplinary conversation. We gather together artists, scientists, business people, psychologists, scholars, per-formers, educators, philosophers, writers, astronauts, farmers and anyone else who'd like to be part of it, through the common medium of story. Together we discover, ex-perience and discuss the questions of how to live, what to do, what is right by connecting first to the wisdom our ancestors have left us about the natural world, about our social world, about our own souls in stories. Narrative, metaphor and myth are a language, an accessible, pleasurable medium to bring us toward understanding each other and our own place and meaning in the world. Mythic Imagination Insti-tute's events are full of life because they are full of people who do fascinating, provocative, useful and powerful work in the world. The roster includes Nobel Peace Prize Laureates and Mayan shaman, US senators and organic farmers, musicians and NGO workers.

JOSEPH CAMPBELL FOUNDATION

www.jcf.org

The Joseph Campbell Foundation was incorporated in 1990 to...

1. Preserve, protect, and perpetuate the work of Joseph Campbell by:

• Cataloging and archiving his works

• Developing new publications based on his works


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• Directing the sale and distribution of his published works

• Protecting copyrights to his works

• Increasing awareness of his works by making them available in digital formats on the Foundation's website (www.jcf.org)

2. Further his pioneering work in mythology and comparative religion by:

• Promoting the study of mythology and comparative religion

• Implementing and/or supporting diverse mythological education programs

• Supporting and/or sponsoring events designed to increase public awareness

• Donating Campbell's archived works and personal library (Joseph Camp-bell/Marija Gimbutas Archive & Library)

• Utilizing the Foundation's website as a forum for relevant cross-cultural dia-logue

3. Help individuals enrich their lives by participating:

• Globally in the Foundation's Internet-based Associates Program

• Locally in one of the Foundation's international network of Mythological RoundTables

• Periodically in various related activities that JCF undertakes

PACIFICA GRADUATE INSTITUTE

www.Pacifica.edu

Pacifica Graduate Institute is an accredited graduate school offering masters and doctoral degree programs framed in the traditions in depth psychology. The Insti-tute has established an educational environment that nourishes respect for cultural diversity and individual differences, and an academic community that fosters a spirit of free an open inquiry. Students have access to an impressive array of education re-sources on Pacifica's two campuses, both of which are located between the coastal foothills and the Pacific Ocean, a few miles south of Santa Barbara, California.

The mission of Pacifica Graduate Institute is to provide graduate degree pro-grams and to foster research in the fields of psychology and mythological studies framed in the traditions of depth psychology. The Institute seeks to fulfill this purpose


V2.11.1 ______________________________________________________________________________ Pg. 66

by creating an educational environment which nourishes respect for cultural diversity and individual differences and an academic community which fosters for its faculty and students a spirit of free and open inquiry consistent with the recognized values of academic freedom.

Pacifica is dedicated to cultivating and harvesting the gifts of the human imagi-nation so that these insights may be brought to bear upon the personal, cultural, and planetary concerns of our era. This dedication is contained in Pacifica's motto: animae mundi colendae gratia (for the sake of tending soul in and of the world).

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

A special thanks to the artists who allowed us to use their beautiful artwork within this study guide - please support them and visit their websites!

C.J. Bloomer www.nydwynGreenDragon.com Jan Delyth www.KelticDesigns.com Leo Gotlibowski www.LeoGot.com Michael Green www.GreenArtPrints.com Wei-Chuan Hsu www.Sylviagus.com Don Maitz www.Paravia.com Ron Noble www.NobleTown.com Charles Urbach www.CharlesUrbach.com Jerry Wennstrom www.HandsOfAlchemy.com Janny Wurtz www.Paravia.com

www.MythMovie.net © 2010 Imaginal Cells, Inc. All rights reserved.

Documents

Mythic Journeys - Originally published in the United … StudyGuide V1-10-6.pdfMythic Journeys Documentary Study _____ Pg. 5 _____ V2.11.1 CHAPTER 2

Mythic Journeys - Originally published in the United … StudyGuide V1-10-6.pdfMythic Journeys Documentary Study _ Pg. 5 _ V2.11.1 CHAPTER 2