Speaking of myth - old wisdom/everyday observations (post 3)

Yesterday I was profoundly glad to be able to tell stories live - face to face - for the first time in a year and a half, to a wonderful local audience. Many of the stories touched on the season we are now in - harvest, apples, Samhain, Day of the Dead. As I was preparing them, I thought about how many of our folktales touch on our relationship with the natural world. They contain mythic elements but have come down to us as simplified, everyday versions of much larger narratives.

Tony Allan dwells on this in the introduction to his book 'Myths of the World' but what really caught my attention was the foreword by Martin Shaw in which he says of mythology:

... it is an ecological age we now live in, and I want to suggest we take another step. A deeper one yet. That actually what we have in our hands are the most beautiful transcriptions of an extended conversation between humans and the wider earth. That myth is the way we and the world and its inhabitants talk to each other. That the earth itself thinks in myth.

Speaking of myth - old wisdom/everyday observations (post 2)

The working title I have chosen for this project - Speaking of myth - old wisdom/everyday observations - is just a way in. A bit of a guide as to what I might do. The big stories, and particularly myths, are multi-layered ... they reach us at a deeper level than words alone would normally do. This quote from mythologist Joseph Campbell took my attention this morning:

' (on mythology) ... It used to be that these stories were in the minds of people. When the story is in your mind, then you see its relevance to something happening in your own life. It gives you perspective on what's happening to you.'

Joseph Campbell, The Power of Myth

Speaking of myth - old wisdom/everyday observations (post 1)

I am fascinated by the ability of traditional stories to reflect human wisdom, to touch on wider and deeper perspectives and to free-up the power of the imagination. 

You can imagine my delight at being granted an Artist's Residency at Hawkwood College (14 - 18 November, 2021), which will give me the time to focus on these aspects of stories and what they might illuminate in a period of profound change and uncertainty. This residency is supported by Hawkwood College and The Francis W Reckitt Arts Trust.

At the moment I am simply thinking about how to begin! It is a vast arena and I am finding the words of those who have looked deeply into myths and mythology to be a good starting point.

'Myths are universal and timeless stories that reflect and shape our lives - they explore our desires, our fears, our longings, and provide narratives that remind us what it means to be human.' 

Karen Armstrong, A Short History of Myth