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The old forms are dissolving. I find myself thinking about allies--how to be an ally, and also, where are my allies? These questions are important in my "outer life" as a citizen, and a human being making my way through the day-to-day. 

I can find some answers in movies and books and my community... but can these take me far enough, deep enough, into the desired transformation? How can depth psychology and the soul life help me grapple with the challenge of allyship, alliances, and support today? 

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What do you do when the old ways don't work anymore? When the roles that you've played, and the activities that have engaged your time, must change? What do you do when your ideas about the world and about yourself must evolve? When you need a new story to live?

You turn to soul and your soul life, that imaginative capacity in your nature that enables you to bridge what exists and what could be. Soul---that imaginative ground-- is a portal that is always available, to take you into the liminal space where transformation occurs.

Listening to a story like we do here on this podcast, is one way to enter this soul realm. In this episode, I have a story that tells us something about soul and the liminal space, and the possibilities that can be found there. It's a Celtic story called "The Man Without a Story," and I hope it helps you find your way to the edge of the fairy glen. 

A transcript of this episode is available at www.mythicmojo.com.Thanks for listening!

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Here we are, two weeks further into this process, a process that few, if any of us, can define, a collective transformation.  Sometimes I feel a certain fatigue in all of this, and maybe you do, too. I remind myself that all I can do, really, is express - through how I live, what I do, what I say and my own being- the values that I want to see in the world. 

In that spirit, I offer you a little bit of humor and sweetness in today's story, a Czech folk tale called "Clever Manka."

"Peace begins with a smile." Mother Teresa

A transcript of this episode is available at www.mythicmojo.com.Thanks for listening!

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"If this life be not a real fight, in which something is eternally gained for the universe by success, it is no better than a game of private theatricals from which one may withdraw at will. But it feels like a real fight." William James 

The words above are the epigraph to a chapter in Annie Dillard's book "The Writing Life." In this podcast, I share a story from Dillard that helps me greet the day and take up my work despite uncertain outcomes.  I hope that it does the same for you.

I've also included two poems written by members of our Myth Matters story circle. Thank you to Dick Sumpter and Elise Kost for sharing your hearts and words! 

A transcript of this episode is available at www.mythicmojo.com.Thanks for listening!

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"Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine. Meanwhile, the world goes on..."
--Mary Oliver, "Wild Geese"

The world that you and I knew has ended and many things are changing and yet, the sun still rises and sets, and the spring flowers are blooming here in the Mojave Desert. The earth--- our source and ground---is beneath our feet. 

Here is a program of poetry to connect you with all the life and beauty that remains despite the great changes underway. I've included poems by Eleanor Lerman, James Wright, Czeslaw Milosz, W.S. Merwin, Billy Collins, Wallace Stevens, Eavan Boland, David Whyte, Pat Mora, and Mary Oliver. 

In celebration of National Poetry month here in the United States-- and of all the good that remains.

“Poetry is not a luxury. It is a vital necessity of our existence.” —Audre Lorde

A transcript of this episode is available at www.mythicmojo.com.Thanks for listening!

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You and I are living through huge changes. My day to day is a roller coaster ride through grief and fear of loss, to joy at the birdsong, gratitude, inspired resolve, and anxiety. I'm energized and exhausted at the same time. Maybe you're riding a roller coaster too.

It's tempting to devote all energy to practicalities and logistics, to the newsfeeds and the search for distractions, or to disconnect and retreat into your private world. But we're needed. You and me. Right now. 

So how do we ride the roller coaster? And how do we participate with our gifts and wisdom? 

By making space for reflection on the bigger meanings, including our vulnerability. To stop and breathe and let that in. This old Celtic story of competition and tests of character can guide reflections on the source of true strength and the deep meanings of this time. 

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“Participate joyfully in the sorrows of the world. We cannot cure the world of sorrows, but we can choose to live in joy.” Joseph Campbell

A lot has changed in a mere two weeks and I hope that you are safe and healthy. 

In the recent podcast about Loki and the quantum cosmos, I suggested that we need to use our ability to question and cultivate a new state of openness. I received requests to talk more about this "openness," which led me to consider these words from Joseph Campbell.

There is a connection between this wisdom and the old stories, one's sense of belonging to the world, and the ability to live this paradox of joy and sorrow. Here is my attempt to knit them together for you, offered with the wish that you find some inspiration and encouragement here.

The need for physical distance compels us to spend more time at home and perhaps alone, yet we have technologies like the podcast to connect with each other.

Take good care of yourself. 

A transcript of this episode is available at www.mythicmojo.com.Thanks for listening!

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Myths of the Norse god Loki combine with understanding of the quantum cosmos to offer insight into the necessity of chaos, and a perspective on the restructuring of our lives.

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How can a thoughtful person think, in a useful and creative way, about the seeming insanity of many politicians and the turmoil in public life and community affairs? What does mythology have to do with the conflict, and do the old stories offer any insight?

These are big questions. The role that mythology plays in shaping every aspect of communal life is too big for one podcast, but this Yoruba story about Eshu and his love of discord offers a good starting point in the search for a healthy, helpful perspective.

A transcript of this episode is available at www.mythicmojo.com.Thanks for listening!

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Are we solitary and relatively powerless egos in a mechanical world, or do we belong to a community of seen and unseen Others? What does it mean to live the life of the soul, and why is this necessary? 

“The Fire-bird and the Princess Vasilisa,” a Russian fairytale about a hunter and a horse, a king, a magical bird and a mysterious princess, offers a way into the imaginal realm where such questions can be considered.

A transcript of this podcast is available at http://www.mythicmojo.com

Thanks for listening and keep the mystery in your life alive.

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