“Writing is a way of thinking. When I compose poetry, the refining of language, the rhythms and compacted structures and the resultant shaped and cadenced language is a still life that captures an instant of ongoing discovery.” Greg Gilbert

This special edition podcast with poet and writer Greg Gilbert is part of our annual celebration of National Poetry month. In this interview, Gilbert reads some of his wonderful poems and talks about writing as a way of thinking that can lead to empathetic understanding and advocacy for the life experiences of others. 

His poetry is tender and funny, intelligent, and rich with an awareness of the beauty in ordinary life. In the words of poet Cynthia Anderson, “These poems dance on the brink of the apocalypse while urging us to sit together, listen to each other, and transform our world.”  (Anderson’s interview with Myth in the Mojave can be found in the archives).

Greg is a retired English professor, and his many contributions to his students, the college community, and the high desert include the founding of several literary magazines, including CMC’s “Howl.”

Gilbert’s poetry collection, Afflatus,” is available at these high desert locations: Space Cowboy, Rainbow Stew, and Raven’s Books.

Thank you Greg.

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“Nothing is in the intellect that was not first in the senses.” Aristotle

We celebrate National Poetry month with this special edition interview with high desert poet and writer, Caryn Davidson. Caryn shared the quote (above), which may lead you to ask, “Why would a poet quote Aristotle, the father of modern science?”

According to Davidson, curiosity and attention to sensory experience can be portals into the natural world that illuminate the mysteries of that world, and the meaning one finds there.

Caryn’s poetry and prose blend her deep knowledge and love for the desert with keen observation, a willing heart, and an adventurous mind. She allows the outer world and its sensual gifts to lead her into new lands and fresh insight, and offers practical suggestions for being more present and conscious of place, no matter where you live.

You’ll be refreshed by Davidson’s humor, writing, and reflection. Desert lovers will revel in Caryn’s poetic portraits of the Mojave and the stories she shares from her many years here. 

Thank you Caryn. 

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“It was an adventure much could be made of: a walk
On the shores of the darkest known river…”
---Mark Strand, from “Orpheus Alone”

The Greek myth of Orpheus, singer of sweet songs, and his beloved Eurydice, has inspired countless artists and lovers of all stripes. The version shared in this podcast is based on Ovid’s telling in Book X of the Metamorphoses. 

This ancient story offers a view of the Greek underworld and underworld journey, and still has the power to move, inspire, and puzzle us with open questions about heroes, love, loss, death, and selflessness.

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“Everything changes and no thing abides.” Heraclitus

I’ve devoted the last two podcasts to the Greek myth of Demeter and Persephone, and the connection between the life of the soul and the underworld initiation.

These podcasts generated a lot of comments and questions about Greek ideas of the underworld, and fascination with the underworld experience. 

Whether you are intrigued or frightened by the prospect, the image of the underworld remains a potent metaphor for our descent into the deepest mysteries in human life.

So how is this trip made successfully, and what more can we glean from the Greek perspective?

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In this podcast, I return to the Greek myth of Demeter and Persephone to reflect on the soul’s longing for depth, meaning, and experience, and the violence that may perpetrate on the sunny side ego and the innocent personality. 

These reflections lead me to the telling of an Inuit tale called “Skeleton Woman,” and a few wise words from Jungian Anne Ulanov as well.

If you missed the last podcast with the telling the Homeric Hymn to Demeter, you can find it in the archives on bandcamp or at the Myth in the Mojave website.

“If you will contemplate your lack of… inner aliveness… and impregnate it with the interest born of alarm at your inner death, then something can take shape in you, for your inner emptiness conceals just as great a fullness if only you will allow it to penetrate into you.” C.G. Jung as quoted by Ann Ulanov

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How can one summarize a myth as profound as the one I offer you this week? 

The Homeric Hymn to Demeter gave rise to the Eleusinian mysteries, a potent, secret ritual that was performed for millennia, to liberate men and women from their fear of death. 

This story of mother and daughter continues to speak to us today about love, grief, and perpetual renewal. Blessed be the great mother Demeter, giver of all good gifts, and Persephone, the Great Destroyer. May we all move deeper into the sustaining mystery with each turn of the seasons.

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“A myth is an image in terms which we try to make sense of the world.” Alan Watts

Many stories, old and new, begin with someone leaving home. This leave taking comes in many forms, from answering the call of destiny to running away or being abandoned. Whatever the circumstances or intent, “leaving home” entails letting go of the familiar to engage the mystery.

In this podcast, I explore this image of “leaving home” with the aid of stories and poems, to consider our shared challenge of these crazy, interesting times--- to let go and make room for the new. What does the image of “leaving home” hold for you right now?

“Your soul knows the geography of your destiny. Your soul alone has the map of your future, therefore you can trust this indirect, oblique side of yourself…” John O’Donohue

The poems read in this podcast include:

•  “Unfold Your Own Myth” (“Shams”) by Rumi, translated by Coleman Barks
• “Self Portrait” by David Whyte
• “Unlived Life” by Dawna Markova

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“I had no idea that the gate I would step through 
 to finally enter this world 

would be the space my brother’s body made.”

From “The Gate” by Marie Howe 

Many of the most familiar fairytales, and the issues and questions these tales raise, revolve around the happily-ever-after marriage between prince and princess, king and queen. But there is another important male-female pairing and another intimate bond, the one between siblings. 

In this podcast I tell the last in a trilogy of stories about sisters who save their brothers from enchantments, “The Seven Ravens,” collected by the Brothers Grimm. 

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The fairy tale “The Twelve Brothers,” collected by the Brothers Grimm is the story of brothers and sisters, murderous kings, evil queens, and enchantment in various forms. It’s also an interesting meditation on the need for psychic renewal and the process we undergo when that time comes. 

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Seasonal darkness is an invitation to move inward, to do the deep soul work that proceeds all meaningful outer action or personal growth. The holiday culture urges social interaction, busyness and brightness and yet, you may feel the warmth of a tiny spark of a new idea burning deep within, a potential that you can’t articulate.

You may feel a palpable tension between the existing structure of your inner kingdom and the needs of a new paradigm. The gap between the every day world and your private life may seem especially wide.

If this is so, honor the need for introspection and solitude. This is a tremendously creative time, a time to align with the energies of renewal that gather in the earth and the fertile ground of psyche. 

This is a good time for a fairy tale about the power of silence, “the Six Swans,” collected by the Brothers Grimm.

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