Living Myth

Michael Meade

Mosaic presents Living Myth, a podcast with Michael Meade, renowned mythologist and storyteller. Meade presents mythic stories that offer uniquely insightful and wise ways of understanding the current dilemmas of the world we live in. Living Myth proposes that genuine solutions to the complex and intractable problems of our world require both transcendent imagination and cohering, transformative narratives.

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Wednesday · 27 min
Ep. 505 - AI, Mythology and the Edge of Existence
This episode begins with the increasing fears that the rapid development of AI might lead to the extinction of humanity. As the dangers posed by AI agents coincide with end-time fears, Michael Meade turns to an old myth that shows that humans have always been a great risk taken by the forces of creation. As creatures capable of conscious awareness, humans can become the enemy as well as the friends of creation. In the old creation myth, mistakes made at the beginning caused human prototypes to be short-sighted and blindly self-interested and that led to the fashioning tools and technologies that caused trouble at all levels of existence. Eventually, the animals rebelled against these narrow-minded figures, everything in creation began to speak out against them and they were destroyed in a great flood. The next kind of humans created had a greater capacity for imagination and genuine vision because their hearts as well as their minds remained open. They had enough insight to recognize the gift of life and be conscious witnesses to the wonder and the beauty of creation. They thrived because they understood the interconnectedness of all of life and accepted the necessity of change. Like the vestigial tale that reminds people that they are connected to animals at one end, the capacity for great imagination connects people at the other end to the divine. When people can hold those extremes together, they become genuine agents of creation, companions to the animals, and vehicles of the kind of consciousness that can help sustain nature and enhance life on Earth. Thank you for listening to and supporting Living Myth. You can preorder Michael's new book The Heart of Transformation and join him beginning on October 1 for a series of online and in-person events that bring to life key themes from this book. Pre-order New Book Event Registration + Info You can further support this podcast by becoming a member of Living Myth Premium. Members receive bonus episodes each month, access to the full archives of over 740 episodes and a 30% discount on all events, courses and book and audio titles. Learn more and join this community of listeners at patreon.com/livingmyth Along with these free weekly podcasts, you can now read free weekly essays and long form posts by Michael Meade on Substack. Learn more and subscribe at michaeljmeade.substack.com If you enjoy this podcast, we appreciate you leaving a review wherever you listen and sharing it with your friends. On behalf of Michael Meade and the whole Mosaic staff, we wish you well and thank you for your support of our work.
September 9 · 26 min
Ep. 504 - What the Heart Knows
In this episode of Living Myth, Michael Meade talks about the "inner initiate," the part of us that is ever willing to take a new step that can lead to a transformation of our life. After connecting the inner initiate to the Muses, Meade reveals how the ideas and images that he finds most compelling come from the Otherworld as the primary source of inspiration. Following the thread of inspiration leads to a description of liminal space as the betwixt and between realm where both awakening and transformation can occur. Liminality appears as "a betwixt and between place of radical uncertainty and not knowing; but also as being on the edge of becoming." Not knowing where the world is going, not knowing what the future will be like, can be troubling and even defeating. Yet, the place of great uncertainty can also be seen as the edge of becoming where a genuine transformation of life becomes more possible. It was while realizing that the heart is the most liminal of all places that the title of the new book appeared as The Heart of Transformation. "The heart I'm referring to used to be known as the heart within the heart; not the heart as a physical organ, but the age-old sense of the spiritual heart, the mystical heart that burns with the flames of passion, that lights up with the spark of inspiration, but that is also the heart as center, as the place where the opposites meet; the heart as the place of illumination and as the dwelling place of inner unity." Secretly, our own hearts are continually incubating and imagining a greater sense of life. When the heart within our heart finds ways to open, we become more capable of love and more able to act as vessels through which creative and healing energies can enter this time-bound world. The subtitle of the new book, Personal and Cultural Renewal on Earth leads directly to the sense that in transforming our own lives we join nature, which is always in the process of transformation and renewal. In awakening to this deeper, inner, more genuine sense of self, we help awaken something in the world as well. Thank you for listening to and supporting Living Myth. You can preorder Michael's new book "The Heart of Transformation" and join him on October 1 for a free online event that brings to life key themes from this book. Pre-Order Book Register for Free Online Event You can further support this podcast by becoming a member of Living Myth Premium. Members receive bonus episodes each month, access to the full archives of over 735 episodes and a 30% discount on all events, courses and book and audio titles. Learn more and join this community of listeners at patreon.com/livingmyth Along with these free weekly podcasts, you can now read free weekly essays and long form posts by Michael Meade on Substack. Learn more and subscribe at michaeljmeade.substack.com If you enjoy this podcast, we appreciate you leaving a review wherever you listen and sharing it with your friends. On behalf of Michael Meade and the whole Mosaic staff, we wish you well and thank you for your support of our work.
September 2 · 29 min
Ep. 503 - Rites of Transformation
This episode connects ancient ideas of rites of passage with the need for both transformation and healing on many levels of life. An old idea from the process of initiation states that before the journey begins, you own the journey. But, once the journey has begun, the journey owns you. Both collectively and individually we are in the midst of a journey that we don't own. Ancient wisdom and initiation practices involved the secret of letting go of what holds us back, even if it protected us early in life. Like a long-lived snake, we grow by letting go of who we thought we were and by shedding skins imposed upon us as well as those we choose to hide within. We are being called to understand a radical mode of transformation in which letting go of old forms and old attitudes becomes necessary both for psychological growth and for reimagining cultural life. Thank you for listening to and supporting Living Myth. You can learn more about the theme of transformation in Michael Meade's new book "The Heart of Transformation" that is available now to pre-order. Learn more and purchase at store.mosaicvoices.org You can further support this podcast by becoming a member of Living Myth Premium. Members receive bonus episodes each month, access to the full archives of over 730 episodes and a 30% discount on all events, courses and book and audio titles. Learn more and join this community of listeners at patreon.com/livingmyth Along with these free weekly podcasts, you can now read free weekly essays and long form posts by Michael Meade on Substack. Learn more and subscribe at michaeljmeade.substack.com If you enjoy this podcast, we appreciate you leaving a review wherever you listen and sharing it with your friends. On behalf of Michael Meade and the whole Mosaic staff, we wish you well and thank you for your support of our work.
August 26 · 25 min
Ep. 502 - Mythic Imagination and Climate Change
In this episode, Michael Meade explores how when the world seems to make no sense, myth can make the most sense. Stories of renewal of the Earth can help us see the world with different eyes and create new contexts for facing the threats of climate change and stopping ecological degradation. Myth has a redeeming function as stories become vessels of imagination and inspiration that can open new ways to see the world. Imagination has a way of lighting on truths that reason cannot find. Imagination can reveal inner dimensions and hidden resources in our individual and collective lives and in the world. Mythic narratives can inspire greater imagination and creativity in all fields of endeavor while helping to heal the gaps between nature and culture. Thank you for listening to and supporting Living Myth. You can further support this podcast by becoming a member of Living Myth Premium. Members receive bonus episodes each month, access to the full archives of over 730 episodes and a 30% discount on all events, courses and book and audio titles. Learn more and join this community of listeners at patreon.com/livingmyth Along with these free weekly podcasts, you can now read free weekly essays and long form posts by Michael Meade on Substack. Learn more and subscribe at michaeljmeade.substack.com If you enjoy this podcast, we appreciate you leaving a review wherever you listen and sharing it with your friends. On behalf of Michael Meade and the whole Mosaic staff, we wish you well and thank you for your support of our work.
August 19 · 20 min
Ep. 501 - The Path of the Soul
In this episode, Michael Meade talks about the second adventure in life and the challenges of following the path of the soul in the modern world. Touching on themes of gratitude, joy and the genius of the soul, and weaving together poetry and psychology, Meade suggests that we have little choice in the end; either we follow the dream that calls us to a greater life and become bigger and enter life more fully, or else we accept a diminished life and resign ourselves to a smaller way of being. Thank you for listening to and supporting Living Myth. You can further support this podcast by becoming a member of Living Myth Premium. Members receive bonus episodes each month, access to the full archives of over 725 episodes and a 30% discount on all events, courses and book and audio titles. Learn more and join this community of listeners at patreon.com/livingmyth Along with these free weekly podcasts, you can now read free weekly essays and long form posts by Michael Meade on Substack. Learn more and subscribe at michaeljmeade.substack.com If you enjoy this podcast, we appreciate you leaving a review wherever you listen and sharing it with your friends. On behalf of Michael Meade and the whole Mosaic staff, we wish you well and thank you for your support of our work.
August 12 · 27 min
Ep. 500 - Mythic by Nature
"When the world seems to lose all sense and meaning, it is usually 'mythic sense' that is missing," says Michael Meade in talking about the vital language of myth. Without a sense of mythic imagination, the world can seem more random and be more overwhelming. Myth is not about the facts of the matter, but about what matters most to us. He suggests that myth is the inside story of the world we live in, and we are each and all mythic by nature. Hearing a story awakens the mythic story living in each of us and places us in a "mythic condition" that reconnects us to the core imagination and living story at the center of our soul. Meade shows that being touched by myth carries us to the center where the world is always ending and always beginning again. Thank you for listening to and supporting Living Myth. You can further support this podcast by becoming a member of Living Myth Premium. Members receive bonus episodes each month, access to the full archives of over 720 episodes and a 30% discount on all events, courses and book and audio titles. Learn more and join this community of listeners at patreon.com/livingmyth Along with these free weekly podcasts, you can now read free weekly essays and long form posts by Michael Meade on Substack. Learn more and subscribe at michaeljmeade.substack.com If you enjoy this podcast, we appreciate you leaving a review wherever you listen and sharing it with your friends. On behalf of Michael Meade and the whole Mosaic staff, we wish you well and thank you for your support of our work.
August 5 · 20 min
Ep. 499 - Agents of Creation
The world is so flooded with change, it becomes difficult to keep abreast of radical climate changes, shifts in technology, and all the scandals and revelations of politics. In this episode of Living Myth, Michael Meade suggests that being an "agent of change" may not be enough to affect life in meaningful ways. He proposes becoming "agents of creation" who can help tip the scales away from destruction and towards ongoing creation. Following a teaching story in which an old man reviews his life, the point becomes that genuine transformation must begin in the depths of our individual souls, for what truly changes the soul, also changes the world. Thank you for listening to and supporting Living Myth. You can further support this podcast by becoming a member of Living Myth Premium. Members receive bonus episodes each month, access to the full archives of over 750 episodes and a 30% discount on all events, courses and book and audio titles. Learn more and join this community of listeners at patreon.com/livingmyth Along with these free weekly podcasts, you can now read free weekly essays and long form posts by Michael Meade on Substack. Learn more and subscribe at michaeljmeade.substack.com If you enjoy this podcast, we appreciate you leaving a review wherever you listen and sharing it with your friends. On behalf of Michael Meade and the whole Mosaic staff, we wish you well and thank you for your support of our work.
July 29 · 26 min
Ep. 498 - The Troubled World Outside and the Knowing Self Within Us
The fragmentation and polarization that trouble the outside world is also felt deeply within us. Since the world will not settle soon, the unity and wholeness so sorely missing in the outer world must be found within us as well. As things fall apart the "knowing self" within moves closer to the surface, seeking to become more conscious to us. The greater the distance between the little-self and the deep self within us, the more anxiety and fear we will feel. For our lives to grow from within the fears of the ego must be faced and its spell must be broken. In order to avoid overwhelm and find meaningful life paths, we must tap the deep resources of our self and soul which connect us to the timeless roots of imagination and to the endless energies of creation. Critical turning points in life intend to change us from within, giving us access to imagination and wisdom from the deeper self while also learning to deliver something of our true self to a troubled world. Thank you for listening to and supporting Living Myth. You can further support this podcast by becoming a member of Living Myth Premium. Members receive bonus episodes each month, access to the full archives of over 750 episodes and a 30% discount on all events, courses and book and audio titles. Learn more and join this community of listeners at patreon.com/livingmyth Along with these free weekly podcasts, you can now read free weekly essays and long form posts by Michael Meade on Substack. Learn more and subscribe at michaeljmeade.substack.com If you enjoy this podcast, we appreciate you leaving a review wherever you listen and sharing it with your friends. On behalf of Michael Meade and the whole Mosaic staff, we wish you well and thank you for your support of our work.
July 22 · 27 min
Ep. 497 - Finding Unity in a Divided World
As tensions and conflicts in the outer world continue to escalate, fears and anxieties intensify inside each of us. Increasing polarization leaves us deeply uncertain about the future as well as increasingly disoriented and further divided against each other. While the poles of a polarity appear to be irreconcilable opposites, they can also be seen as parts of a hidden unity waiting to be found. The true aim of oppositions is the revelation of a "hidden third" that not only relieves tension, but also renews the spirit of life. Thus, the unity missing in the outer world must be sought within ourselves. Michael Meade tells an ancient myth from Iran which depicts how the medicine we are looking for is to be found inside us. In this old understanding, the secret aim of the tension of opposites is not simply to divide and destroy, but to awaken a deeper sense of wisdom and imagination that can reconnect us to the process of ongoing creation. Creativity is the only outcome of conflict that can satisfy the soul. Thank you for listening to and supporting Living Myth. You can further support this podcast by becoming a member of Living Myth Premium. Members receive bonus episodes each month, access to the full archives of over 750 episodes and a 30% discount on all events, courses and book and audio titles. Learn more and join this community of listeners at patreon.com/livingmyth Along with these free weekly podcasts, you can now read free weekly essays and long form posts by Michael Meade on Substack. Learn more and subscribe at michaeljmeade.substack.com If you enjoy this podcast, we appreciate you leaving a review wherever you listen and sharing it with your friends. On behalf of Michael Meade and the whole Mosaic staff, we wish you well and thank you for your support of our work.
July 15 · 25 min
Ep. 496 - A Feather from the Golden Self
This episode begins with a fairy tale in which a wondrous tree grows in a palace garden at the center of a realm. The tree at the center produces golden fruit; but each night a golden apple mysteriously vanishes. The culprit turns out to be a golden bird that drops a shining feather before also disappearing. The rest of the tale involves searching for various elements that represent the golden self within us that is the natural inheritance of the human psyche. In the story, the connection to the golden bird appears as light as a feather. Yet, if we do not pick up the feather of our own lives, we can miss our calling and fall out of the story of our own soul. What was once as light as a feather can become a heavy psychic load, leaving us stuck in depression, in self-rejection or feeling lost. Yet again, the idea of an inner alchemy depends upon the potential for human transformation, which is symbolized by turning the lead in our lives into gold. Thank you for listening to and supporting Living Myth. You can further support this podcast by becoming a member of Living Myth Premium. Members receive bonus episodes each month, access to the full archives of over 750 episodes and a 30% discount on all events, courses and book and audio titles. Learn more and join this community of listeners at patreon.com/livingmyth Along with these free weekly podcasts, you can now read free weekly essays and long form posts by Michael Meade on Substack. Learn more and subscribe at michaeljmeade.substack.com If you enjoy this podcast, we appreciate you leaving a review wherever you listen and sharing it with your friends. On behalf of Michael Meade and the whole Mosaic staff, we wish you well and thank you for your support of our work.
July 8 · 37 min
Ep. 495 - Creativity, the Muse and the Dark Times
In this episode, Michael Meade talks about the various ways we can find and connect with our creative muse. He brings surprising insights into practical ways of being creative and the good news that everyone, artists and non-artists alike, has a muse. Creativity is a force larger than ourselves that wants to flow through us, be expressed by us and be given to the community around us. Meade shares myths and rituals that show how creativity is present and in abundance during the dark times of trouble and despair. Times of chaos and dissolution can also birth creativity that leads us to the next phase of life or of the world, in the never-ending dance of chaos and ongoing creation and creativity. This episode is edited from an interview on a Jung Platform Summit on creativity. Thank you for listening to and supporting Living Myth. You can further support this podcast by becoming a member of Living Myth Premium. Members receive bonus episodes each month, access to the full archives of over 750 episodes and a 30% discount on all events, courses and book and audio titles. Learn more and join this community of listeners at: patreon.com/livingmyth Along with these free weekly podcasts, you can now read free weekly essays and long form posts by Michael Meade on Substack. Learn more and subscribe at: michaeljmeade.substack.com If you enjoy this podcast, we appreciate you leaving a review wherever you listen and sharing it with your friends. On behalf of Michael Meade and the whole Mosaic staff, we wish you well and thank you for your support of our work.
July 1 · 26 min
Ep. 494 - The Treasure Hard to Attain
In this episode, Michael Meade tells an old story about a man whose dreams call for him to go on a long, challenging journey to find a hidden treasure of gold. The story suggests that the treasure we desire most hides where we would never choose to go on our own. Bringing a dream to life requires that we truly change and that can awaken our deepest fears and strongest resistance. Symbolically, gold represents all that is noble, valuable and unique in each soul. On the other hand, lead is an inert metal that represents all that is base, dense and resistant in life. Meaningful change involves transforming areas of our lives that have become stuck and undermining so as to release innate gifts and talents that have been held back or denied. The psychological and spiritual process of changing lead into gold is part of the alchemy of the soul. In neglected or rejected areas of our lives buried spiritual ideas and feelings wait to be unearthed, creative instincts wait to be stirred, and greater capacities of love seek to be embraced. They are all part of the living gold of the self and the inner alchemy of the soul. Some redemption occurs each time we become conscious of the contents of our souls, as creative expression and increased vitality transform our individual lives as well as the world. Thank you for listening to and supporting Living Myth. You can further support this podcast by becoming a member of Living Myth Premium. Members receive bonus episodes each month, access to the full archives of over 750 episodes and a 30% discount on all events, courses and book and audio titles. Learn more and join this community of listeners at: patreon.com/livingmyth Along with these free weekly podcasts, you can now read free weekly essays and long form posts by Michael Meade on Substack. Learn more and subscribe at: michaeljmeade.substack.com If you enjoy this podcast, we appreciate you leaving a review wherever you listen and sharing it with your friends. On behalf of Michael Meade and the whole Mosaic staff, we wish you well and thank you for your support of our work.
June 24 · 26 min
Ep. 493 - Following Pathless Paths
This episode begins with the idea that each person has a unique story that seeks to unfold from within their soul. If a person is lucky or adventurous or devoted, they will typically find a path that aligns with their inside story. If they follow that path far enough, they will come to a place where there are no footsteps and the only way forward involves what is called the pathless path. Taking up the notion of a pathless path, Michael Meade follows the trail that leads to an array of dynamic energies that include various kinds of vision quests, the nature of being a wounded healer and variations of shamanic initiations. Eventually, the pathless path leads to the ancient idea of the Outsider, which turns out to be the archetypal image for people who become capable of receiving direct messages from the otherworld of great imagination and inspired spirit. The surprising trail of the pathless path eventually reveals that the knowledge, wisdom and healing energies missing in modern life can only enter the world through those who connect to the archetype of the outsider. Thank you for listening to and supporting Living Myth. You can further support this podcast by becoming a member of Living Myth Premium. Members receive bonus episodes each month, access to the full archives of over 750 episodes and a 30% discount on all events, courses and book and audio titles. Learn more and join this community of listeners at: patreon.com/livingmyth Along with these free weekly podcasts, you can now read free weekly essays and long form posts by Michael Meade on Substack. Learn more and subscribe at: michaeljmeade.substack.com If you enjoy this podcast, we appreciate you leaving a review wherever you listen and sharing it with your friends. On behalf of Michael Meade and the whole Mosaic staff, we wish you well and thank you for your support of our work.
June 23 · 13 min
Premium Episode 180 Excerpt - Stories of Healing and Renewal
On this excerpt from a Living Myth Premium episode, Michael Meade looks at the growing polarization, conflict and uncertainty in the world and considers how we are living within a "re-creation myth," a period resembling ancient creation stories in which darkness, division, and chaos precede renewal. Creation myths from many cultures describe the world emerging from darkness and separation, implying that periods of crisis can become opportunities for transformation. You can hear the full episode and receive additional podcast content by becoming a member of Living Myth Premium. Members receive bonus episodes each month, access to the full archives of over 750 episodes and a 30% discount on all events, courses and book and audio titles. Learn more and join this community of listeners at: patreon.com/livingmyth
June 17 · 32 min
Ep. 492 - Tigers Medicine and the Soul
"Regardless of the conditions of the outside world, we are each here to transform our own lives from the inside and become a full expression of our unique soul." So says Michael Meade when he talks about one of his favorite stories, The Tiger's Whisker. This episode of Living Myth includes a full telling of the famous tale of a woman who must face a living tiger in order to cure what ails her soul. What begins as a small village tale opens up to become the endless territory of the human heart that harbors an old sage, a fierce tiger and the need to find a cure for alienation and the lack of love. Ancient stories depict how each person born carries a precise medicine in their soul. In order to find and activate the inner medicine we need to face and even embrace our inner wounds. Genius is said to hide behind the wound and accepting our early life traumas opens the path to finding our greatest gifts. Our psychic wounds secretly connect us to the transcendent function in the soul, so that what wounds us also initiates and transforms us. In that sense, the inner wound can be seen as a womb. In going through the wound, we become reborn as an initiate on the path of healing. In a world troubled with collective anxiety and growing fears, it is helpful to know that on a path with heart, fear is the guide and what you truly love is the cure. Thank you for listening to and supporting Living Myth. You can hear Michael Meade live by joining his free online event "Kairos Time" on Thursday, June 18. Register and learn more at: mosaicvoices.org/events You can further support this podcast by becoming a member of Living Myth Premium. Members receive bonus episodes each month, access to the full archives of over 750 episodes and a 30% discount on all events, courses and book and audio titles. Learn more and join this community of listeners at: patreon.com/livingmyth Along with these free weekly podcasts, you can now read free weekly essays and long form posts by Michael Meade on Substack. Learn more and subscribe at: michaeljmeade.substack.com If you enjoy this podcast, we appreciate you leaving a review wherever you listen and sharing it with your friends. On behalf of Michael Meade and the whole Mosaic staff, we wish you well and thank you for your support of our work.
June 10 · 26 min
Ep. 491 - Two Stories that Change the World
In this episode, Michael Meade considers how there are always two stories going on in life. The ongoing drama of what we call the world and the story of the individual soul trying to awaken to a life of meaning and purpose. The two stories are secretly related and become more intensely connected and dramatic during times of upheaval and radical change. When the way we have been taught to view life no longer explains the world in which we live, we are being called to awaken to a greater imagination and deeper understanding of the world around us. In mythological terms, while one world is collapsing another is secretly forming and waiting to become known. And because we are involved in both stories, we become witnesses to the collapse and potential contributors to the renewal. That kind of imagination does not align with most modern science, which believes that entropy will simply drag us all down in the end anyway; nor does it fit with religious ideas that declare that the end might be near. In times of chaos what we need to recall and better understand is that the mystery behind it all is the story of collapse and renewal. Mythological stories offer a framework for the essential and necessary process of re-creation. Just as a forest renews when the great trees fall and decompose before the next version can grow. Knowing about this process of collapse and renewal does not make experiencing it less painful or even less confusing. It does give us a mythic and imaginative framework that can help us cope with a world gone wrong, while also developing practices for assisting in the process of rejuvenation and renewal of life on Earth. Thank you for listening to and supporting Living Myth. You can hear Michael Meade live by joining his free online event "Kairos Time" on Thursday, June 18. Register and learn more at: mosaicvoices.org/events You can further support this podcast by becoming a member of Living Myth Premium. Members receive bonus episodes each month, access to the full archives of over 750 episodes and a 30% discount on all events, courses and book and audio titles. Learn more and join this community of listeners at: patreon.com/livingmyth Along with these free weekly podcasts, you can now read free weekly essays and long form posts by Michael Meade on Substack. Learn more and subscribe at: michaeljmeade.substack.com If you enjoy this podcast, we appreciate you leaving a review wherever you listen and sharing it with your friends. On behalf of Michael Meade and the whole Mosaic staff, we wish you well and thank you for your support of our work.
June 3 · 27 min
Ep. 490 - Facing Fate, Finding Destiny
In this episode, Michael Meade explores how each soul born bears a personal story that involves natural gifts intended to be given and an original agreement of the soul that includes an inherent sense of purpose in life. At the same time, each family has fateful issues and inherited plotlines that strongly affect the dependent and defenseless child. The good news is that at each critical time in our lives, we have opportunities to awaken to the original agreement of our soul. The more difficult issue is that we must untangle ourselves from the limits of our family fate. While all agreements and entanglements with our families can be made more conscious and can be renegotiated; the original agreements of our souls involve the threads of our destiny and are therefore non-negotiable. When the outside world becomes increasingly conflicted and chaotic, we are thrown back upon ourselves. If we are willing to face the fateful elements and early wounds of our life, we find the twist of fate that reveals the destiny that our souls were aimed at all along. Thank you for listening to and supporting Living Myth. You can hear Michael Meade live by joining his free online event "Kairos Time" on Thursday, June 18. Register and learn more at mosaicvoices.org/events You can further support this podcast by becoming a member of Living Myth Premium. Members receive bonus episodes each month, access to the full archives of over 750 episodes and a 30% discount on all events, courses and book and audio titles. Learn more and join this community of listeners at patreon.com/livingmyth Along with these free weekly podcasts, you can now read free weekly essays and long form posts by Michael Meade on Substack. Learn more and subscribe at michaeljmeade.substack.com If you enjoy this podcast, we appreciate you leaving a review wherever you listen and sharing it with your friends. On behalf of Michael Meade and the whole Mosaic staff, we wish you well and thank you for your support of our work.
May 27 · 29 min
Ep. 489 - Rituals to Transform and Renew
This episode considers how until modern times, people have relied on ritual practices to heal the wounds of culture, draw upon the renewing energies of nature and rejuvenate the life of both individuals and the community. Ritual gives a place for constricting attitudes to loosen, for emotions to flow and for the reservoir of genuine hope to renew. Creative rituals can help release the burdens of our lives and can remove ego attitudes that block the flow of feelings and vital energy. Transformative rituals have the capacity to reconnect our minds and hearts in ways that reduce fear and anxiety and ease the grief of isolation. On the ground of ritual, undiscovered parts of ourselves can awaken and strengthen our sense of meaning and purpose in life. All the arts were originally used as vehicles of vision and aspects of ritual and ritual is its own expressive art. In drawing upon the primal elements of nature and the inspiration of spirit, we can access spontaneous sources of healing, vision and renewal for both the individual and the community. Thank you for listening to and supporting Living Myth. You can hear Michael Meade live by joining his free online event "Kairos Time" on Thursday, June 18. Register and learn more at mosaicvoices.org/events You can further support this podcast by becoming a member of Living Myth Premium. Members receive bonus episodes each month, access to the full archives of over 750 episodes and a 30% discount on all events, courses and book and audio titles. Learn more and join this community of listeners at patreon.com/livingmyth Along with these free weekly podcasts, you can now read free weekly essays and long form posts by Michael Meade on Substack. Learn more and subscribe at michaeljmeade.substack.com If you enjoy this podcast, we appreciate you leaving a review wherever you listen and sharing it with your friends. On behalf of Michael Meade and the whole Mosaic staff, we wish you well and thank you for your support of our work.
May 20 · 29 min
Ep. 488 - Finding Hope in Times of Despair
People increasingly question whether there is any hope for the world at this time. In this episode of Living Myth, Meade suggests that it is the nature of hope to become lost, before being found at another level of life. In the myth of Pandora, hope only appears after all possible troubles have been unleashed upon the world. There is a deeper sense of hope that can arise when "all hope is lost." At critical times things must seem hopeless before the "second level of hope" can be found again in the depths of the human heart and soul. This sense of "active hope" depends upon the power of the soul to imagine meaningful changes that can help renew the force of life on earth. The underlying spirit of life and the true resiliency of the soul are connected to the power of vertical imagination that rises from the original ground of being. In the dark times, when it seems that Pandora's Box is open 24 hours a day, it is a deeper sense of hope and a greater sense of imagination that we long for and that the world needs in order to transform and become renewed. Thank you for listening to and supporting Living Myth. You can hear Michael Meade live by joining his free online event "Kairos Time" on Thursday, June 18. Register and learn more at mosaicvoices.org/events You can further support this podcast by becoming a member of Living Myth Premium. Members receive bonus episodes each month, access to the full archives of over 750 episodes and a 30% discount on all events, courses and book and audio titles. Learn more and join this community of listeners at patreon.com/livingmyth Along with these free weekly podcasts, you can now read free weekly essays and long form posts by Michael Meade on Substack. Learn more and subscribe at michaeljmeade.substack.com If you enjoy this podcast, we appreciate you leaving a review wherever you listen and sharing it with your friends. On behalf of Michael Meade and the whole Mosaic staff, we wish you well and thank you for your support of our work.
May 13 · 27 min
Ep. 487 - Creativity and Resiliency in Times of Chaos
This episode of explores how as the world becomes a more chaotic and conflicted place, turning to creative practices can help us find ways to settle and center and grow a greater sense of self and soul. Throughout the ages, meaningful practices have served as primary pathways for psychological and spiritual growth, as well as for finding moments of wholeness and inner unity. Traditional roads of practice typically appear as the inward path of meditation and deep reflection and the expressive path of creative arts such as music and dance, painting and writing. Both primary pathways can help us become more vital and resilient and be more able to "spring back" no matter what befalls us. Whether through creative arts, contemplative practices or a combination of both, we need ways to keep renewing our spirit, opening our hearts and finding inner coherence. A heartfelt practice can help inspire, heal and transform our lives; it can also help us contribute to a world in need of healing and renewal. Thank you for listening to and supporting Living Myth. You can further support this podcast by becoming a member of Living Myth Premium. Members receive bonus episodes each month, access to the full archives of over 750 episodes and a 30% discount on all events, courses and book and audio titles. Learn more and join this community of listeners at patreon.com/livingmyth Along with these free weekly podcasts, you can now read free weekly essays and long form posts by Michael Meade on Substack. Learn more and subscribe at michaeljmeade.substack.com If you enjoy this podcast, we appreciate you leaving a review wherever you listen and sharing it with your friends. On behalf of Michael Meade and the whole Mosaic staff, we wish you well and thank you for your support of our work.

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