David Feinstein

How mythology got personal

Abstract Treating myth‐making as the vehicle through which consciousness is given form, this paper traces historical evidence indicating that mythology, consciousness, and culture have evolved in concert. No longer are myths conveyed by a single storyteller around a campfire. Each person in ancient times was wedded to the mythology of the tribe, but modern cultures do not have a single unifying mythology. Today, numerous competing myths and fragments of myths vie for peoples attention and allegiance. Our senses are bombarded by diverse mythic images that are simultaneously flashed around the world. These developments allow, and in fact force, people to think for themselves in ways that were unimaginable in the past. Myth‐making, and the spiritual concerns that have always been the province of mythology, have increasingly become the responsibility of the individual. Developments leading to this “personalizing” of mythology, and their implications, are discussed.

Mythic perspectives for a world in distress

In a series of books and articles published over the past two decades, the authors have developed a five‐stage system for identifying and modifying the mythic structures that guide individual development. In this essay, they draw upon the integral relationship between personal and collective myths in applying this five‐stage model to contemporary social issues. They focus, in particular, on the mythic conflicts that underlie the tensions between progress and sustainability and between individualism and community. Based on the contradictory designs inherent in a prevailing myth and in an emerging myth, the authors present a dialectical model that is formulated to lead to a new myth that incorporates the most functional elements of old and emergent forces, while transcending their limitations. The essay closes with a discussion of social actions that may embed a new myth within a culture, along with the conditions that are required to effectively reinforce and maintain it.

Reconciling transcendent experiences with the individual's evolving mythology

Abstract Altered states challenge an individuals established construction of reality, the personalized mythology by which one operates. Sometimes those altered states offer a glimpse into aspects of being that the mythology is unable to embrace. Experiences of this nature may challenge the prevailing mythic structure. This confrontation between the established construction of reality and the view provided in the altered state may inspire a profound and wholesome shift in the persons sense of being, or it may lead to destabilizing conflicts with previously unquestioned belief systems and patterns of behavior. This article discusses the lure—and the dilemmas — of attempting to incorporate directly into ones life the raw creativity of a powerful and inspiring altered state, the challenges of reconciling such experiences with ones existing mythology, and it presents a framework for facilitating such a reconciliation.