Myth Matters
Welcome to Myth Matters, a thought-provoking exploration of myth in contemporary life and the intersection of myth, creativity, and consciousness. Host Catherine Svehla PhD. shares her knowledge of mythology and depth psychology to find insight and explore possibilities. Member of the Joseph Campbell Foundation MythMaker℠ Podcast Network.
Learn more at www.mythicmojo.com and keep the mystery in your life alive.
- Update frequency
- every 16 days
- Average duration
- 35 minutes
- Episodes
- 136
- Years Active
- 2019 - 2025
Creativity: An Inner Alchemy of feathers and toads
“We would do well… to think of the creative process as a living thing implanted in the human psyche.” --- C.G. Jung (1922) Collected Works 15
We often say that every pers…
Myth and Images of Creativity (Beginning with the new Apple ad)
Apple's ad for the new iPad has evoked some very strong reactions, reactions that illuminate old links between image, metaphor, myth, and our collective notions about cre…
National Poetry Month: Humor and the unexpected turn
"Well, that's the trick: the sudden unexpectedness inside the over-known."
--- Heather McHugh
What type of mood does the word "poetry" evoke for you? Do you associate poet…
Fate, free will, and 3 Swords
Fate and free will, and the longing for purpose and prospect of destiny that hangs somewhere in-between. How do these forces shape our lives? Do we play assigned roles in…
The Bhagavad-Gita and yoga of awareness with Gabriella Nagy
“A yogi sees Me in all things and all things within Me.” Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita
The Bhagavad-Gita is an important Hindu teaching story embedded in the Mahabharata, …
Fee-fi-fo-fum: Outwitting the Ogres in Life
Last Monday, February 26th was Tell a Fairy Tale Day. I began preparation for this episode with the intention of telling you a fairy tale, perhaps one that was connected…
The Problem of the Return and the End of the Hero's Adventure
We have an ever- increasing wealth of myths and stories, fueled by new discoveries and ongoing mythmaking. There are also dominant myths and stories, and dominant ideas a…
Answering the Call of 2024
It's only January and 2024 already feels like a year of consequence. Crazy weather and climate change, war, elections, ideological, religious, and cultural conflicts, and…
Endings and Beginnings: Odin's Quest for Wisdom
The solstice will soon be upon us, followed by the arrival of a new year. A time of endings and beginnings. Reckoning. This passage through winter darkness here the in n…
Living your heart's desire: The Tale of the Doomed Prince
"I am destined to die either by a crocodile, a serpent, or a dog; it is the will of the gods. Then let me go forth and follow my heart's desire while I live.".
2023 is dra…
Beowulf and why we need Monsters
The existence of monsters, alongside gods and goddesses, is a distinguishing feature of myths, fairy tales, and legends. Defeating a monster is often the test of the hero…
Mythic Sensibility: The Enchanted Cave of Cesh Corran
The season around Halloween and Samhain is a liminal time when shadows grow and lengthen in the world and psyche. The old Celtic stories of poet warriors and fairies feel…
"Those Who Live Beneath Us": Sedna the Inuit Woman of the Sea
Sedna is the goddess mother of the sea, marine animals, and the underworld in the myths of the Inuit people, an indigenous Arctic culture. This episode is an exploration …
The Story of Tuan Mac Cairill and the Salmon of Knowledge
"I went out to the hazel wood,
Because a fire was in my head,
And cut and peeled a hazel wand,
And hooked a berry to a thread.."
---from "The Song of Wandering Aengus" by W.…
Mythical Bonds: Dogs, Kinship, and the Irish tale of Fionn and the Birth of Bran
“Dogs are our link to paradise.” -- Milan Kundera
Sometimes a "little" detail in my day triggers thoughts about my mythic orientation and brings stories to mind.
This episo…
Churning the Cosmic sea: Joseph Campbell, meaning, and the rapture of being alive
"I don’t think the meaning of life is what we’re seeking. I think it’s an experience of being alive, so that our life experiences on the purely physical plane will have r…
Myth, science, and the creation story: Mr. g by Alan Lightman
"Rationality and logic can be spiritual." -- Alan Lightman, Mr. g
The antagonism between Western science and myth/religion has shaped human history and continues to obstru…
Gates of Babylon: The Enduring Legacy of Ancient Creation Myths
The Babylonian Enuma Elish, also known as The Seven Tablets of Creation, is one of the oldest surviving creation myths. The story narrates the epic battle between the god…
Creation Myths: In the beginning
How did all of this-- what we call reality, the universe, the earth, life, begin? What do you think? This question is a primary motivation for our ongoing myth-making. De…
Myths of the Father
The proper way to be a father or mother, questions about who can father or mother, and what these parental roles mean are contentious topics, ripe for creative reflection…