This episode of Living Myth begins with the ancient idea of each soul receiving a “lot in life.” Lot basically means “a chip of wood,” but in this case, the chip comes from the roots of the World Tree, that also used to be known as the Tree of Destiny. Thus, each of our souls secretly carries a “divine word” or living symbol drawn from the Tree of Life that makes each person a divine experiment in life. We are human by lot, but we are divine by origin. We must begin life with the hand that fate has dealt us; yet our fate can be seen as more of an oracle set within us than as an outcome predetermined for us. When so many aspects of modern life seem increasingly out of our control, turning to the adventure our souls would have us live can give us our best chance to find a sense of inner unity and live with meaning and purpose. The soul’s adventure involves stepping off the common pathways and going off the maps that others have given to us. This “second adventure of life” intends an unfolding of the meaningful story trying to unfold from within us. It is a path of awakening to who we already are at our core and how we can best contribute to life. The soul’s adventure aims at things beyond the concerns of the daily world, and yet the transformations it can produce are essential for renewing human culture and for determining the fate of life on Earth. Thank you for listening to and supporting Living Myth. You can hear Michael Meade live by joining his free online event “Finding Unity in a Divided World” on Thursday, July 17. Register and learn more at mosaicvoices.org/events. You can further support this podcast by becoming a member of Living Myth Premium. Members receive bonus episodes each month, access to the full archives of over 700 episodes and a 30% discount on all events, courses and book and audio titles. If you enjoy this podcast, we appreciate you leaving a review wherever you listen and sharing it with your friends. On behalf of Michael Meade and the whole Mosaic staff, we wish you well and thank you for your support of our work.
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Episode 441 - A Light Within Dark Times
On this episode of Michael Meade recounts a myth from ancient Persia, the name by which Iran was known for centuries. The ancient tale predates all historical hostilities and battles in the Middle East and offers surprising insights into the origins and nature of the kind of conflict that can plunge whole peoples and entire epochs into darkness. Way back at the beginning, the original clash of opposite forces and the presence of great uncertainty about the future of life entered the world together. The force of chaos and darkness attacks the principle of order and creation using the weapons of lies and aggression. However, that is not the end of the story, but rather a critical turning point in which a greater sense of consciousness and a deeper sense of wisdom can shift the balance back to the process of creation. The primary problem is that breaking the tension of opposing forces requires that the original split in life must become more conscious. No true healing unless the original split is touched. No true changes without a moment of wholeness that can offset the underlying doubts and projections of guilt and blame. No lasting treaty unless those claiming to create peace already have peace in their hearts. Only then can it be understood that the effect of an elemental opposition is to generate a deeper sense of meaning and a greater sense of understanding that does not simply stop the hostilities, but also stimulates life itself. Creation is the only outcome of conflict that can satisfy the soul. Thank you for listening to and supporting Living Myth. You can hear Michael Meade live by joining his free online event “Finding Unity in a Divided World” on Thursday, July 17. Register and learn more at mosaicvoices.org/events. You can further support this podcast by becoming a member of Living Myth Premium. Members receive bonus episodes each month, access to the full archives of over 700 episodes and a 30% discount on all events, courses and book and audio titles. If you enjoy this podcast, we appreciate you leaving a review wherever you listen and sharing it with your friends. On behalf of Michael Meade and the whole Mosaic staff, we wish you well and thank you for your support of our work.
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Episode 440 - The Orphan Boy and the Heedless King
This episode begins with one of the great scenes in the mythologies of India. Indra had become King of the Earth by winning a great battle; he also became obsessed with power and increasingly demanding. Just when all the people were being reduced to dust and bones by the endless orders and sudden changes, the self-proclaimed lord of the earth has a surprising encounter with a ragged beggar boy. Although young and seemingly an outcast, the orphan boy knows more than the king about the use of power, the meaning of life and how the world can change in a moment. We are each the beggar boy in the sense that we know what it means to be the orphan, the outcast, the immigrant or other who is being rejected, alienated or exiled. And in the end, the orphan boy, who breaks the spells of self-glorification and self-delusion that entraps the king and all the land, turns out to be Vishnu, the original creator who dreams up the world. Those who insist on claiming that they are superior and more righteous or entitled than others are not only psychologically rejecting their own inner orphan, they are also severing their connection to the underlying and essentially unifying dream of life. Thank you for listening to and supporting Living Myth. You can hear Michael Meade live by joining his free online event “A Divided World, a Hidden Unity” on Thursday, July 17. Register and learn more at mosaicvoices.org/events. You can further support this podcast by becoming a member of Living Myth Premium. Members receive bonus episodes each month, access to the full archives of over 700 episodes and a 30% discount on all events, courses and book and audio titles. Learn more and join this community of listeners at patreon.com/livingmyth. If you enjoy this podcast, we appreciate you leaving a review wherever you listen and sharing it with your friends. On behalf of Michael Meade and the whole Mosaic staff, we wish you well and thank you for your support of our work.
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Episode 439 - In a World Gone Wrong
Increasingly, we are caught in the shattering of the world and in the broken heart of tragedy. The loss of soul in the world leaves people not only divided but turned against each other. The world we used to know is gone and we are suspended betwixt and between chaos and creation. We are in a series of crises and events that seem to turn the world upside down. For it is our mutual fate to be alive at a time of radical transformation that affects all levels of nature and all aspects of human culture. The great crises of the world do not take place outside the soul, for soul also awakens in the midst of conflict and crisis. Even as everything breaks down, soul knows where to reconnect to life. The presence of soul connects our inner nature to the renewing energy of great nature and awakening the soul stirs a deep sense of resiliency and creativity that serves as an antidote and remedy for the rise of brutality and the misuse of power. What stirs the individual soul can also shift the ground of tragedy and help heal the world. Thank you for listening to and supporting Living Myth. You can further support this podcast by becoming a member of Living Myth Premium. Members receive bonus episodes each month, access to the full archives of 700 episodes and a 30% discount on all events, courses and book and audio titles. Learn more and join this community of listeners at patreon.com/livingmyth. If you enjoy this podcast, we appreciate you leaving a review wherever you listen and sharing it with your friends. On behalf of Michael Meade and the whole Mosaic staff, we wish you well and thank you for your support of our work.
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Episode 438 - Heart Within the Heart
As nature and culture rattle and old forms crumble, a crisis of imagination occurs and we are called to see the world with different eyes. Finding and following a genuine vision requires an open heart as well as an open mind. Thus, transforming our lives involves a genuine “change of heart.” While the heart fosters feelings and love, the heart within the heart is also the seat of imagination and the place of wisdom. What was known as the “eye of the heart” sees with a kind of vision that opens to revelations about ourselves and the world. Yet, for the heart to open and the spirit of change to enter us, we must let go of our received ideas and restrictive attitudes. Love is the divine spark in each heart, intended to illuminate the true path of our life. Such a path with heart reveals who we are in essence and how we are aimed. We are each intended to serve something greater than ourselves; when we serve in that way, we become truly whole-hearted. To be fully alive, growing the soul and incarnating spirit is the only thing that satisfies the longings seeded in the garden of the heart. Thank you for listening to and supporting Living Myth. You can further support this podcast by becoming a member of Living Myth Premium. Members receive bonus episodes each month, access to the full archives of 700 episodes and a 30% discount on all events, courses and book and audio titles. Learn more and join this community of listeners at patreon.com/livingmyth. If you enjoy this podcast, we appreciate you leaving a review wherever you listen and sharing it with your friends. On behalf of Michael Meade and the whole Mosaic staff, we wish you well and thank you for your support of our work.
Mosaic presents Living Myth, a podcast with Michael Meade, renowned mythologist and storyteller. Meade presents mythic stories that offer uniquely insightful and wise ways of understanding the current dilemmas of the world we live in. Living Myth proposes that genuine solutions to the complex and intractable problems of our world require both transcendent imagination and cohering, transformative narratives.
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