Myth in the Mojave

“We sense there is some sort of spirit that loves birds and the animals and the ants—
perhaps the same one who gave a radiance to you in your mother’s womb.
Is it logical you would be walking around entirely orphaned?”—Kabir, trans. by Robert Bly

Robert Bly made this fairy tale, known as “Iron Hans” by the Brothers Grimm, a cornerstone of the men’s movement in 1990. This story offers a poetic opportunity to reflect on the wounds inflicted by patriarchy that is still timely and important, and extends beyond the needs of contemporary men into the common psychic territory of masculine and feminine, civilized and wild, and the shadow cast by culture.

The images this story evokes in me are beautiful and powerful and I hope it provides the same for you.

Support the show

“The palpable sense of mystery in the desert air breeds fables, chiefly of lost treasure.” Mary Austen

The desert is an archetypal landscape, the traditional geography of revelations. In celebration of national poetry month and the desert, these poets read some of their work about the lessons and gifts they have received from the Mojave. Includes a brief telling of the Hopi myth of the creation of the fourth world.

This is part 2 of 2 programs recorded at an open mic hosted by Catherine Svehla at the Beatnik Lounge in Joshua Tree, CA.

Featuring original work read by: Cynthia Anderson, Noreen Lawlor, Mark Evans, Greg Gilbert, and Lisa Mednick-Powell. Thank you poets!

Support the show

“You should not see the desert simply as some faraway place of little rain. There are many forms of thirst.”  William Langewiesche

The desert is an archetypal landscape, the traditional geography of revelations. In celebration of national poetry month and the desert, these poets read some of their work about the lessons and gifts they have received from the Mojave at an open mic at the Beatnik Lounge in Joshua Tree.

Featuring original work read by: Dave Maresh, Gillian Spedding, Anita Harmon, Nanci Campbell, Rich Soos, Steve Braff, George Howell, and Phillip Rosenberg. Thank you poets!

This is part 1 of 2 programs recorded at an open mic hosted by Catherine Svehla at the Beatnik Lounge in Joshua Tree, CA.

Support the show

In this program we explore questions of homeland and security, hospitality and love, with the aid of Odysseus, Ovid, and the Good Samaritan. Can we create a world where the question “What can I do to help,” matters more than “where are you from?”

Support the show

The ancient Egyptian myth of the goddess Isis and her husband, the god Osiris, is a story about renewal and resurrection, and the necessary partnership of feminine and masculine energies in service to life. I offer this story in the energy of International Women’s Day because we need this wisdom in our current time of change and challenge.

This program is dedicated to my Muslim sisters, and to all the courageous women and men who fight for the human rights and freedom of women around the world.

“Isis, the great One, Mistress of the Gods, Mistress of magic, she is the skilful Healer, in her mouth is the Breath of Life, by her words she destroys pain, and by her power she awakes the dead.”

Support the show

“In a dark time the eye begins to see,
I meet my shadow in the deepening shade;
I hear my echo in the echoing wood—“

----Theodore Roethke,  from In  A  Dark Time

Like the Norwegian fairy tale, “Prince Lindworm,” the Arthurian story of Sir Gawain and Lady Ragnell is a story about the mysterious transformative power found in embracing the un-embraceable. It raises different questions though, questions about the nature of a true king, patriarchy, and our secret ugliness. I’m sending this out to nasty women everywhere, and the men who love and support them.

Support the show

A Norwegian fairy tale about a king and a queen, a witch and a maiden, a dragon, and a prince in a “once upon a time” kingdom, that holds a potent message about cultural transformation today. May you find some images and ideas that catalyze your imagination and give birth to visions for the future.

Support the show

“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” Eleanor Roosevelt

How can we each tell the truth as we see it? This important question faces many of us who are dismayed by the rise in false news and misinformation, and the divisive rhetoric that passes for public debate. My work with “The Emperor’s New Clothes” by Hans Christian Andersen led me to “The Gangamala Jataka,” for some insight into this question. I share this Buddhist story in this program.

Support the show

“Just to live is holy. To be is a blessing.” Rabbi Abraham Heschel

In this program we use the Norse myth of the trickster Loki and the death of Balder to explore the territory that was staked out in the previous program, “Beauty and Love in the Shadow.” How can this myth help us understand Joanna Macy’s advice to “inhabit larger fields of time?” 

Special thanks to Cynthia Anderson for sharing Deborah Miranda’s poem, “Prayer of Prayers for the Water Protectors at Standing Rock” which is included.

Support the show

Here are 4 ideas and 11 poems to help you stay connected to the beauty of the world and strengthen your resolve to love what you love in the face of whatever may come.  Insights collected from James Hillman, Pema Chödrön, Joanna Macy, and Rob Brezny are reflected through a handful of poems and thoughts about the way that Tricksters force us all to face the shadow.

Support the show