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
Imagination and Hanging by a Thread
"Imagination is destiny." James Hillman
Your greatest gift in times of change is your imagination. What is your vision? Are you ready to live it?
In this episode, a story a…
The King and the Corpse
This Hindu story, "The King and the Corpse," is one of my favorites, rich in metaphor, humor, riddles, and insight.
A king spends a long night with a talking corpse and r…
How to escape the "nothing but"-- practices and gifts of the symbolic life with Rohini Walker
In the last podcast, we talked about the crisis of a life of "nothing but" and the inherent dangers in what C.G. Jung called "the one-sidedness" of Western consciousness.…
Once Upon a Time and the Crisis of "Nothing But"
"Everything is banal, everything is 'nothing but;' and that is the reason that people are neurotic. They are simply sick of the whole thing, sick of that banal life, and …
Mythic Animals: wonder and shadow in the Other
"Our identity is shaped not only by our differences from the Others but in the alchemy by which assimilating them informs the genesis of self. They are both the reciproca…
The Roaring in Your Ears
"I’ve been terrified every moment of my life—and I never let it keep me from doing a single thing I wanted to do." --Georgia O’Keefe
How do you find the courage and commit…
Two Jatakas: A thought experiment in bodhisattvas and heroes
The popular image of the hero is ripe for reflection. In this episode, I share two Buddhist teaching stories (jatakas) that offer an interesting perspective.
The Tigress …
Women, Power, and the Right to Speak Out
"We moms are often underestimated. But we're stronger than we're given credit for. So what do you say, will you stand with me?" Bev Barnum, catalyst for the Wall of Moms …
Heroes, Buddha, and How to Read a Myth
Cultural and personal transformation begins with conscious evaluation of value systems and the stories that express and perpetuate them. In the West, this includes the id…
Allies: Being One and Finding Them Through Soul
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…
Soul and Your New Story: Stepping Into the Fairy Glen
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 y…
A moment of respite: Clever Manka
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…
Creativity, Faith, and the Turning Tide
"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 m…
Meanwhile, The World Goes On
"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 thin…
Drinking the Waters of Life, and the five sons of King Eochaid
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…
Joyful Participation in the Sorrows of the World
“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 …
Loki and Chaos in a Quantum Cosmos
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 l…
Finding Perspective As Things Fall Apart
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…
The Valiant Horse and the Soul Life
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 s…
Thieves, Tricksters, and Golden Plums
In the last podcast I told you the fairy tale of “The Three Feathers” and talked about the connection between gratitude, imagination, and possibility. This was an invitat…