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One doesn’t have to be a developed writer to engage in mythic writing. Its purpose is discovery, gaining new wisdom and understanding. The process begins by making a place for reflection in our busy lives, and by tuning into the dreams and images that drift in and out. When we start recording dreams, looking at cards or paying attention to mythic stories, we signal the deep mind that we’re listening. A dialogue begins.
The most available entry to the mythic realm is through the porthole of the stories themselves. There are thousands of world myths, folktales and fairy tales on line and on bookshelves. Many of these stories were told for generations and the “authors are in eternity,” as the poet William Blake said. They’re communal stories that have developed a magnetic attraction because they have meant many things to people down through the ages. All mythic stories take us through the looking glass, into another world for the purpose of learning something about this one.
Most of us know some piece of an old fairy tale or myth. If you’re willing to believe that there’s a reason you’ve never been able to shake the image of, say, Rapunzel in her tower, then you have a way in. Pick up whatever end is in reach, and follow the thread. Walk into the landscape of the story, and head for the scene that fascinates you.
You may be surprised at what you see, and how it fosters your creativity. Standing by the hearth in Cinderella and observing her demeanor might prompt a poem or a reflection that will tell you something about what is going on between the lines. Your insights may also serve as a mirror to tell you where you are, what is going on in your life, or in the world. (To see what some people have found in the myths, click on People in Myth.)
Where we go with our mythic imaginations is unique to every person. So, when you’re in the myths and you start seeing things, ask questions. “I wonder what has caused Cinderella to be so depressed and immobilized. What motivates her to get up and go to the ball?”
Your imagination will fill in the pictures. I leave the rest to you!
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