How do we use and view
mythology? When people talk about myths today they speak of fallacies, but myths
are more than that.
Jordan
Peterson, Carl Jung, and Joseph Campbell both state that myths give us the
ability to cope when we need to rebuild our world view in a psychological
crisis. They say that our society is sick due to a lack of myths. When you live
within the structure of a myth, that myth is absorbed by your psyche. It sinks
into your bones.
The advantage
of this is that a psyche that obtains the myth’s architecture. The psyche gains
strength and resilience required to deal with chaos when disaster enters a
life. This is one of the great advantages of the Christian Church. But it will
only become a strength if the story is recognized as myth and not taken as
historical fact.
Taking a myth
as a literal truth robs it of the truth it contains. There are many people who
think that myths are simple, enjoyable and entertaining tales that have no
truth to them. After all, modern science has disproven many things told in
myths. This thing that supposedly happened, according to the myth, could not
have happened therefore there is no truth to the myth.
But
mythological truths are not measurable in a scientific way. Joseph Campbell said
in an interview that all cultures have the same myths: resurrection stories for
example. The question he tried to answer was why. Both Joseph Campbell and
Jordan Peterson state that mythological architectures aid us in reconstructing
our world view when it is destroyed.
People who deny the truth
in a myth will tell Aesop’s fables, and other stories of like kind, and point
to the conclusion. They say that the story has real merit because the lesson it
gives is important. The fact that animals cannot talk, but do so in these
stories, doesn't matter; after all it isn't meant to be
taken literally.
But that is the
point; myths are not to be taken literally.
The various archetypal heroes of the myths are mangled, tortured, abused,
or killed, and yet they come out victorious, despite everything that happens to
them. This resurrection is the very architecture taken into our subconscious
that helps keep us sane when disaster strikes. Myths sink into our being and
give us strength when we most need it. They help us learn from the painful
experiences we have. We can step back and build a new world view. We learn from
the experience in such a way that the myth strengthens within us.
I belong to
two different faith groups. The first group is the Anglican Church as it lives
within St. Simon-the-Apostle church on Bloor Street in Toronto Ontario Canada.
The second faith group is on Hiawatha Street also in Toronto and is the
Neighbourhood Unitarian Universalist Congregation. In St. Simon’s we have
been lucky to have had some Priests who view the Bible as Myths.
Few Priests,
who served there, thought of the stories in the Bible as historical fact. The
trap of “here is the myth and it is like all the other myths, but ours really
happened” was fortunately avoided in St. Simons. You are expected to say the
creed, and weekly imbibe the mythos. There is however nothing that says you are
required to believe the dogma as historical fact.
The dogma of the Church supports and comes from the myth and is supposed to be
taken as Truth. It is the dogmatic approach that causes trouble when science
collides with Myth. Fortunately, St. Simon’s does not take this approach.
Neighbourhood Unitarian
Universalist Congregation (Neighbourhood) however is completely dogma free.
This means the belief system does not collide with science in the same way as
in the Anglican Church. You are not required to believe in anything specific.
You are told that your spiritual growth is your own responsibility. To be a
Unitarian Universalist you are required to follow the seven
principles which are:
The inherent worth and dignity of every person;
Justice, equity and compassion in human relations.
Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual
growth in our congregations.
A free and responsible search for truth and meaning.
The right of conscience and the use of the democratic
process within our congregations and in society at large.
The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and
justice for all.
Respect for the interdependent web of all existence
of which
we are a part.
Unitarian
Universalists try to follow the seven principles. Unitarian Universalism (UU)
draws from many mythological sources. No valid myth is deemed more mportant
than another. The strength of this approach is that all valid teachings, myths,
poetry, stories and writings of great teachers and an incredible diversity of
music and thought are used in UU communities.
The weakness
is that while Neighbourhood is one of the most spiritual places I have ever
been, there is no mythological architecture that I can imbibe to guide my
living, and strengthen me when chaos overtakes my life. In fact, if the
Minister is not very spiritual a UU community it is not likely to be very
spiritual. I have worked in some UU communities where the services resembled
university lectures with music thrown in to alleviate the talk. These
communities were spiritually dry. I also worked in a UU community so spiritual
that I am strengthened and often deeply moved every time I go to a service.
Now the fact
that the mythological structure within the Anglican Church is common does not
mean that these churches are all the same in their spiritual feeling. The story
is the same. The way the myth is told and interpreted varies greatly within
Anglican Churches. Better understanding of the language in the ancient texts
has given the Anglican Church a problem.
Early
interpretation of what God wants was not universal. The early Church and the
Jews before them followed what Joseph Campbell calls a bounded myth. This Truth
is for us. It is not for them, they are not us, so therefore we are better.
Because of the bounded nature of the myth, we have scripture that is extremely
contradictory. “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will
toward men.” as sung by angels in Luke 2:14, is
more accurately translated as “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on
earth to those with whom God is pleased.” So now we must decide who God is
pleased with. The bounded Myth turns us, against them. After all He must be
pleased with us, we’re the good guys.
The UU
attitude that mythology should be for everyone equally with no one myth being
more important than another is a very good idea. The strength here becomes a
weakness though because there is not one underlying story that everyone can
enact throughout the year and get into their bones. The Anglicans, Catholics,
Orthodox, and other Christian denominations would be better served if the Bible
were first translated literally, then the text handed to good poets. These
poets then tell the story with all the power of beautiful language. Have the
theological experts check the result ensuring the bounded nature of the
original is removed. After much handing back and forth we would have a Bible
that has the power of poetic language and the Truth of the mythical, mystical
tale it tells. I think that by unbinding the mythos of the Church, it would be
more acceptable to everyone.
UUs use
multiple mythologies. We can learn from them all and that is a great. But we as
UUs choose for a service one mythology, and the teaching surrounding it, then
move to another myth and then the week after that another. The under lying
power of the myths presented are not lived. It would be better for the
community to live the mythology for a time before moving to the next great
teaching. Give the Truth of the myth a chance to sink into the bones of the
congregation and be deeply understood by trying to live it for a time. Have the
community learn and feel how that chosen myth directs the seven principles and
supports the actions of those faith statements. It might even make it easier for
the UU community to live by the seven principles day to day.
There is a balance in the
strength and weaknesses found in both traditions. The weakness of the UU
approach is that there is no one underlying myth to learn and absorb. The
strength is the exposure of the community to many myths and the commonality
they share. The weakness of the Anglican Church is the Church’s history that
makes myth into dogma that must be followed. This makes people, and some
Priests, act as if the story of the Bible were history and not Myth. Doing that
defeats the Myth and hides its Truth.
Posted by Nikos at 8:50 p.m. No comments: 
FRIDAY, AUGUST 6, 2010
I was struck by the fact that one Minister would
vehemently contradict another in a service. It was only after reflecting on the
talk that it became clear to me the vehemence was justified. There is a common
misconception that Unitarians can believe whatever they wish and that ‘anything
goes’. This is due to the acceptance that Unitarians have that there is Truth
and wisdome to be found in all spiritual paths. There is indeed great truths in
all the major religions. From all the great religions Unitarians take the
wisdom and Truths found in their scripture and their teachings. However the
Minister pointed out that unless the teachings and the path taken are in
harmony with the Unitarian seven principles then they cannot be followed and
are not Unitarian valid so to speak. The principles are:
• The inherent worth and dignity of every person;
• Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;
• Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our
congregations;
• A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;
• The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our
congregations and in society at large;
• The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all;
• Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.
The point is that fundamentalists who proport to follow one of the great
religions cannot be called Christian or Jew or Muslim or whatever because they
violate the tenets of their own faith. Neither can they be considered Unitarian
bcause they do not meet any of the priciples Unitarians try to live by.
Unitarian cannot “do whatever they want,” but they can follow any path they
wish providing they attempt to adhere to the seven principles.
Posted by Nikos at 9:10 p.m. No comments:
THURSDAY, JUNE 3, 2010
During a recient meditation the leader stated that
we often have many thoughts few of which are actually deep and that the same is
true of emotions. It is not that other’s are smarter or brighter than us
because the ability to have real depth of thoughts and feelings is what makes
us human. I know what he means sort of. The committee is always rehearsing or
rehashing what to do or what has been done. And the full brain supresses the
awareness of feelings, which are a body not a head thing. By stilling the mind
we can eventually achieve a real deep feeling. Eventually we even get below the
feelings to an awareness of life that is impossible to describe but whish is
filled with real joy. I have been lucky to have reached that once. It is what
keeps me trying to meditate. I would like to know why it is easier to meditate
with others than alone however. Maybe one day I will find that out.
Posted by Nikos at 10:50 a.m. No comments:
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2010
Recently at a spiritual cinema we watched a film
from one of the new age gurus. The film was ok and the message was that we do
not need the same spiritual directions in later years as we do in our youth. No
argument there. One person who I respect as a spiritual leader has problems
with the “New Age” books, lectures, films etc. After the after film chat I
thought about what he had to say trying to make what was said easier to
understand and assimilate it. Essentially the problem with the new age stuff is
it simplifies the complex too much. While there is truth at the core of the
arguments the main flaw is that it tends to be formulistic. If you do this then
you will be happy. While the various things the movement says you should do
will make you happier, there is still the chaos that life can give you. One
film I found sufficiently annoying to actually comment on much to the dismay of
some of the films supporters said, if we eat healthy we will be healthy.
Removing the toxins from our food would help us live longer more fulfilled
lives. I agree removing toxins from the food we eat is important. I also think
eating better reduces illness. Now there are diseases that are inherited, and
eating well will not prevent them. Some diseases are more a result of the overall
environment than what we eat. Does that mean the ill person did not eat well
and should be blamed for the disease they ‘caught’. Some types of flu strike
people who are very health conscious and who make a point of living well,
eating wholesome foods, and exercise regularly. It is as if this disease
targets the very people who are working hard to be healthy. The problem with
the generalization of and formalistic approach of the new age is that life is
chaotic, and bad stuff happens to good people without them looking for trouble.
The formula of just do this and all will be well is nonsensical. The underlying
truth in the New Age movement should not be ignored, but then neither should
life.
Posted by Nikos at 4:07 p.m. No comments:
Labels: chaos, culture myth religion, New Age, philosophy
WEDNESDAY, MAY 6, 2009
I believe, and many priests, ministers, rabbis and
imams have told me, that we are given free will by God. Ted Scott former
Primate of the Anglican church in a conversation with me once said that God
made the rules and free will was one of them. God will not interfere in what
people do bad or good because that would be breaking his rule of free will. Now
all of these religious leaders also say, and there is scientific proof of this
as well, that prayer works. And this makes me wonder about what “prayer works”
means. Not in the effectiveness of prayer but in the implication the impact God
answering prayer has on free will. If God or the Creator answerers prayer then
S/He is interfeering and fere will is compromised. I once heard an old Cree
medicine man tell a physician that “people are not machines, when the body is
hurt by disease the soul is also, by neglecting to heal the soul modern
medicine does only part of the job.” The physician eventually came to agree.
The argument was about what purpose if any the drumming and chanting had when
healig the sick. In an earlier blog i stated that prayer was directed energy. I
think also that the soul, which is the imortal part of our being, is energy and
linked directly to everything in the universe. Now I also stated that when we
pray we direct the healing thoughts and energies to the ones we are praying
for. Prayer works in my opinion because we direct some of our health to others
who need it. It does not work, in fact I believe cannot work because of the
rule of non interference giving us free will, because the Almighty Creator
heals. It is fairly well known that the attitude of the sick person is as much
a factor in the recuperative process as the medicines they are given. Knowing
someone cares enough to light a candle for you or to pray is often a boost we
need to feel better within ourselves. I think that the prayers of others, no
matter what form they take, help us heal both by giving us much neaded healing
energy and by making us feel more of our own self worth. Knowing you are loved
is as important as the pill the doctor gave you.
Posted by Nikos at 4:26 p.m. No comments:
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18, 2009
In my previous entry I talked about the five
aspects of some spiritual paths and how in some ways people are like the five
elements. The ending was unclear in my mind and required further comment so
here goes. We are all thought, cognition and ideas. What we think is a huge
part of us. We all feel emotion, fear, anger, joy and love. In my opinion our
spirit, lives below the emotions and thought. It is our motivator, the over all
love and awe we feel at being alive. The true appreciation of the creation
around us its beauty and terror shapes our spirit. The awe at the beauty of
nature like a sunset or a rainbow forms our spirit. Our underlying belief in
justice, freedom and what is right and wrong are from all three parts of us as
human beings. The foundation of how we act this reality is our spirit. But w
are more than this physical being. We’re connected to the greater whole in some
inexplicable way. Our soul is that part which connects us to the universe
around us. It is where we came from and where we go to. This part of us is
larger than us and yet defines our boundaries. It is the most difficult part of
us for us to understand. Our spirit emotions and thought make us act and our
soul reflects back the ripples in the universe our acts make. Our soul links us
to creation is an incomprehensible way. Difficult to grasp though this is the
fifth element is more so. This is to goal of all spiritual paths. A perfect
balance of all the elements we are. Perfect understanding of all the fours
aspects of what we are and making them balanced into something whole. Total
awareness of what we are and do. This makes eternity now present and complete.
The fifth element is often referred to as the temple or the circle or a unity
being or the holy. Such true self knowing is very difficult. Balancing the
awareness of what we think feel and the underlying motivation with the
understanding of how we are all connected to creation and each other, is very
difficult. I have seen some people obtain glimpses of this. They were all
remarkable people and fit many spiritual paths. They were Christians,
Buddhists, Jews and Muslims. They all said prayer or meditation was the main
thing that enabled them to touch briefly that unknown we call God. And this
fleeting touch of enlightenment helped them become better people helping
others. So it doesn’t matter what the path you prefer as long as you attempt
the journey.
Namaste
Posted by Nikos at 11:51 a.m. No comments:
Labels: pagan, philosophy, spiritual paths, spirituality, unity
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2009
It has struck me that in many spiritual paths there
are five elements. They are usually earth, fire, air, water, and spirit with
spirit being the unity of the other four. I find that people seem to be four
elements combined into a whole so this might be the reason for this
mythological spiritual construct. People are physical, and energy, it’s how we
move our muscle folks. Also we are mental or thinking beings and we have a
soul, whatever that is. I tend lately to think that our emotional being is our
spirit. All together this makes the soul that we are. The main problem we have
spiritually is that we think too much. Our mental state combined with our physical
bodies dominates our world. We all know there is more to us than that and that
it requires our attention. I think that our thinking about food, and what we’ll
do for fun, when do we get paid, does the laundry need doing, etc. all dominate
our lives so much that we neglect what we truly are. It is this neglect that
makes us unhappy. We are all souls. We are all united together in the greater
universe. I personally think our soul outlasts this lifetime. Our thoughts
crowd out what we feel because the brain is too busy to know to process what we
really feel. I find that by meditating I do get to know what I am feeling more
accurately. This is not always comfortable but it does help me grow. Lately I
am trying to figure out why I react a certain way. Is it because I am afraid of
something? I do not yet know but I will meditate and let what comes, come. Who
knows, I may actually find out in the stillness of my mind. Stillness of my
mind, oh if only… my committee in my head seems to want overtime.
I have found that if I make the meditation a ritual it is more effective. I
think this is because the repetitive actions for setup and the candles being
lit help the mind and body realizes what I am going to attempt to do. It also
makes the symbols of the elements more present in my awareness. Who knows maybe
one day I to will become enlightened. At least for now I become more aware of
what is around me and more aware of what I feel about things. It is funny how
unexpected emotions arise during a meditation. I find dealing with them by
recognizing them and then letting them go so they have less control over my
actions is very helpful to me being a better person. I truly believe only I can
make me a better person. This is frightening and liberating at the same time.
So balancing all four aspects of what I am is both very hard and very
rewarding.
Namaste
Posted by Nikos at 2:12 p.m. No comments:
Labels: enlightenment, pagan, philosophy, spirituality
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2008
I find it very interesting that the two churches
where I am involved are so different. The first church where I sing and get
paid is an Anglican church. They play politics, gripe, many are homophobic, and
unless you have been there for a long while you are not ‘one of the club’. It
is a sad place, because there can be and is a lot of good there. They,
unfortunately, undermine and bitch about everything, which makes it a very
difficult place. The other place is one of the most caring and accepting places
and communities. They welcome everyone and not only tolerate but encourage
differences. They thrive off one another. It was singing in the patronal feast
at the first church that made me realise what disturbed me most about the
Anglican Church in general, not specifically this one but in general. It is a
dictatorship, and while dictatorships are very efficient they are only as
tolerant and good as the dictator. When Ted Scott was Primate the Anglican
Church of Canada was definitely a much better place than it had been in the
past and is now. Individual churches are the same if the priest is mediocre
then the parish is either led unofficially by a parishioner or it becomes
mediocre. The other church is Unitarian and the autonomy each church has means
every church has its own personality. I have yet to be in a mediocre Unitarian
church. The point I am making is that when a bishop of the church is a bible
thumper and thinks it is not myth then you get institutional intolerance. None
of the Unitarian ministers I have met are bible thumpers. Openness to other
paths and the encouragement to follow them instead of some dogmatic faith in
something that is usually not explained properly, if at all is a Unitarian
tradition. Now I have not yet been to many Unitarian congregations nor have I
talked with many of the Unitarian ministers. The few I have met and interacted
with are unusually open, caring and intelligent people. I think the
effectiveness they have is due to the lack of restriction dogma places on them.
The nature of the Unitarian Church seems to force them to consider other ideas
and approaches to the ‘Great Unknown’. History will preclude the Anglican and
other denominational churches from being so open and avoid the dogmatic trap.
The challenge they must face is the need to rise above the dogma and, like Ted
Scott, tread a more tolerant road.
Posted by Nikos at 10:10 a.m. No comments:
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2008
When we seek, even when we seek the thing we do not
know or understand, even when we know deep down we can never know, we change.
When we change we seek even more. Over time a limited understanding of what we
are, our Self, and our place in creation begins to emerge. The real problem
with life long learning is that “We do not know what we don’t know.” but this
doesn’t make life long learning meaningless. What to learn next when we’re not
sure what we are learning is difficult but it is good. Dealing with life within
our limitations, despite how wonderful that limited being is, and trying to
comprehend what we are is a real struggle. But denying the struggle and sinking
into complacency is also to deny ourselves. More it is to deny the creator. We
are a part of the creator and as such we need to grow in understanding. So look
deeply as possible within. Meditate and learn that we are all, truly wonderful,
holy and unique beings.
Posted by Nikos at 10:13 a.m. No comments:
Labels: knowledge, meditation, self knowledge, spirituality
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2008
Recent reading of a book called “The Power of Myth”
by Joseph Campbell has added to my conviction that the real message of
everything being connected and sacred is true. His statement about shaman’s and
priests fascinated me. He states that a shaman is one who has a significant and
traumatic spiritual event; in fact the shaman seeks it. And from this event
discovers some truth. The priest learns this truth, ideally experiences it as
well and turns it into ritual so that the rest of us can learn this truth. I
recently talked about how words are a blunt instrument. How they are imprecise
at best. When trying to deal with things spiritual we, in using words, create
so many methods, rituals, ideas, of the transcendent that there are nearly as
many religious beliefs as there are people. The real problem arises when one
group says that they and only they have the “Truth”. A long time ago I met a
person who was being shunned by his friends, all because he didn’t adhere to
the religious beliefs his so called friends did and he dared to question.
Questioning in fundamentalist groups is seriously frowned upon. It was in
talking to him that I began to explore my own beliefs seriously. It has taken a
long time for me to create the methods I use for my spiritual growth. I still
struggle with the nonsensical things I had ingrained into me during my time as
a young person. I must hasten to add that not all of the stuff I was told was
completely nonsensical. Nor has every thing others from Islam, the Catholic
Church, some Baptists, Buddhists, Jews and Pagan faiths been totally silly.
What I have found is that a thinking approach taken by all of these people
creates an understanding that helps all of us grow. I prefer the Unitarian
Church, partly because all the religious paths walk through there at one time
or another, but mostly because I am accepted as me, warts and all. I am allowed
and encouraged to question, explore, and hopefully learn something that is
true. What I find is that they are all essentially saying the same thing and
that is, “Every thing, every person is sacred. There is a part of the Creator
in everyone, and the actions a person chooses either aids or suppresses the
understanding of this Holiness within.” What we choose to do helps us grow
spiritually or prevents that growth. It makes sense to treat everyone else with
the respect you want since they are as much the Creator’s child as you are.
There seems to be two approaches to religions observances. I am talking about
perception of the Creator not belief. The belief in something greater than ones
self “a Creator” of some sort seems to be almost universal. What I mean by two
approaches is the externalization of the mystery or the acceptance that the
Self is as much a part of this mystery as everything else and that it is not
just external to Self. Science tells us that everything essentially is energy
in some form or other. That there is little difference between solid objects,
electricity, sound, or light except the speed in which the various particles
move or their frequency to put the scientific word to it. I think that this is
in some way an observance that everything is one, connected in some mysterious
manner. Personally I take issue with the argument, by friends of mine, that
they do not believe in “God”. This is mostly because what they are usually
saying is that they do not believe that “God” is an old bearded individual in
the sky who watches everything and when you are judged to have made a mistake,
poof you’re a frog. This outmoded belief may have been active sometime in
history. I have my doubts that few other than children in their naiveté have
ever truly held this belief, and they normally grow beyond it. However on
closer examination of the topic these friends of mine who say they are Atheists
all state that they do believe in a ‘Force’ internal to or external to or a
combination of both of some sort. Sounds a bit like “Star Wars” but is in fact
a genuine spirituality. What they object to is the typical institutionalized
version of God. There is still language in many religious institutions that
suggest that “God” is separate from us. I don’t believe this at all and neither
do most of my friends. I think that we are all unique and part of the mystery
in some inexplicable manner. There is a saying that “Everyone is replaceable.”
I think that this saying is totally incorrect. I think and believe “Everyone is
irreplaceable.” We are all divine in some manner and we will all take knowledge
along our respective paths and teach others and learn as we go. I think that
the resurrection of the spirit within my Self is a requirement for me to grow
and live a good life. Trying to understand the Mystery of who I am helps me, in
part, understand the Mystery of who and what the Creator is. The fact that the
Creator is beyond comprehension is daunting but should not discourage seekers
from trying to understand who and what that One is.
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