Modern consciousness has mostly lost it’s mythical perspective on life. We think myth emerges out of superstition and the irrational pre-scientific mind. We live in a world of numbers, reason and scientific validation, which leaves little room for mythic thinking – at least we suppose. The modern mind concludes that myths may entertain us but they no longer inform us – that power was swept away by the tidal wave of thought historians label the scientific revolution.
But what if the ultimate purpose of myth was something we aren’t used to today and have a hard time wrapping our minds around? What if the purpose of myth was (and is) to provide the symbols that move the spirit of man forward (not hold man back as many today might suggest)? The great myth stories are more than entertainment. They are more than a form of moral instruction. They reveal something more profound about what it means to “participate” in creation and understand the context of our existence. The proper myth takes us beyond words, beyond pictures and even beyond our imagination. The myth doesn’t come in opposition of rational thinking or scientific knowledge. It operates in a totally different hemisphere seeking to show us the world inside of us – the world that can’t be analyzed with a telescope or magnifying glass.
The mythic is all around us if we can turn down all of the constraints of our modern consciousness. And when we allow ourselves to be moved by the mythic – the stories that turn our heart strings, bring a sense of awe and draw out the deepest yearnings in our soul – we learn more about what we were created for: To be part of the mythic – to tell a great tale with our own lives.