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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English

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Wednesday · 24 min
Ep. 512 - The Second Arc of Life
This episode begins with a consideration of the old idea of two arcs that shape the course of human life. The first arc describes the process of growing up, stepping out and making a life in the common world. The second arc involves the inward path through which a person awakens to their inner life and develops a greater sense of both spirit and soul. Whereas the first arc has to do with external things, the second arc involves eternal matters. Humans have always been called to grow along both the outer and the inner arcs of life. Yet, there are times when the crises of the outer world make the inward arc of realization and great imagination more important to follow. Despite the modern obsessions with materialism, mass technology and narrow ideologies, a society can only heal and truly grow by tapping the deep feelings and creative energies of the inner arc of life. When everything seems to be falling apart, the inner arc of imagination and creativity is actually closer at hand and the second adventure of the soul is calling for our attention. Thank you for listening to and supporting Living Myth. Michael's new book The Heart of Transformation is now shipping and you can order signed copies through the Mosaic website at: mosaicvoices.org You can hear Michael live by joining his free online event "Living Authentically in Times of Uncertainty" on Wednesday, November 11. 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.
October 28 · 25 min
Ep. 511 - Paths to the Center
"Each soul is on a lifelong pilgrimage and the secret object of every pilgrimage is the center of the pilgrim", says Michael Meade on this episode of Living Myth. People set off to a famous shrine; they seek to enter a holy place or arrive at a natural wonder. The point seems to be to reach that distant destination and somehow be renewed and confirmed by the experience. Yet instead, Meade suggests, any renewal that happens must happen within the pilgrim and can only happen when the center of the self becomes awakened by the ardor of the effort or by the grace of the unseen. We may set out to reach a shrine or spiritual center, but we fully arrive only when we reach the center of ourselves. Thank you for listening to and supporting Living Myth. Michael's new book The Heart of Transformation is now shipping and you can order signed copies through the Mosaic website at: mosaicvoices.org You can hear Michael live by joining his free online event "Living Authentically in Times of Uncertainty" on Wednesday, November 11. 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.
October 21 · 26 min
Ep. 510 - Myths of Loss and Renewal
On this episode, Michael Meade answers the question, "Why do you turn to myth in times of loss or disorientation in life?" Meade begins by describing his search for answers when a community became broken apart because their at-risk young people were dying tragically. The search for answers leads to the ancient myth of Gilgamesh who desperately seeks for wisdom and renewal after a devastating loss. In response to the increasing sense of overwhelm and despair regarding the climate crisis and state of the world, Meade turns to myth again and the story of Vishnu finding wisdom and sacred knowledge from the depths of disorder in the world. Thank you for listening to and supporting Living Myth. Michael's new book The Heart of Transformation is now shipping and you can order signed copies through the Mosaic website at: mosaicvoices.org You can hear Michael live by joining his free online event "Living Authentically in Times of Uncertainty" on Wednesday, November 11. 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.
October 14 · 22 min
Ep. 509 - Uncovering and Discovering
We live in a time of the "lifting of the veil" that includes the uncovering of scandals as well as systematic abuses; but also the discovering of hidden truths that can reveal the way forward. On this episode of Living Myth, Michael Meade uses surprising elements of the uncovering of the famous Lascaux Caves to show how the dramas of history lead us to the haunts of mystery. Like the hidden treasures found in ancient caves, there are new forms of imagination and understanding waiting to be found in the depths of the human soul. Thank you for listening to and supporting Living Myth. Michael's new book "The Heart of Transformation" is now shipping and you can join him this fall for a series of online and in-person events that bring to life key themes from this book. Learn more at: 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 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.
October 7 · 21 min
Ep. 508 - A Liminal Time on Earth
On this episode, Michael Meade describes how "entering the modern world at this point is like entering a rite of passage that is already underway. In that sense, we are in a 'liminal phase' that requires a transition, not simply from one place to another, but from one way of seeing the world to another way of seeing and being in the world." Liminal refers to a betwixt and between period in which we become radically disoriented and repeatedly confused. Yet, in a liminal condition we can also find aspects of ourselves that are otherwise hidden. We can open our eyes and our hearts to the possibility of becoming not just a different person but a greater, more conscious, more creative person. Whether we call it the "bardo realm" that we fall into, or the liminal phase that we step into, at critical times in life we are called to encounter life's essential mysteries that wait to be found again, and need to be learned anew. If we frame the radical changes and deep uncertainties that we are all currently experiencing as a rite of passage, we may have a greater chance of finding and integrating a deeper sense of ourselves, as well as the greater values and true ideals of humanity. If we accept that we are in the liminal stage of a collective rite of passage, our fears and uncertainties can become doorways to meaningful callings and transcendent visions. We are being called to leave an old way of seeing the world behind in order to arrive at a new world view and a renewed sense of imagination that can realign human culture with great Nature and the living Earth. Thank you for listening to and supporting Living Myth. Michael's new book The Heart of Transformation is now shipping and you can join him this fall for a series of online and in-person events that bring to life key themes from this book. 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 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.
September 30 · 23 min
Ep. 507 - Transformation is the Essence of Life
This episode of Living Myth features a compelling and inspiring interview between Michael Meade and Robin Beck, the editor of The Artist of Possibility magazine, produced by Emergence Education. The conversation begins with the archetypal imagination of the eternal youth and wise old sage who dwell in each person's heart and soul and can be drawn upon in times of trouble and confusion. Michael tells an ancient story in which the youth and the elders reimagine and redeem a culture that had lost essential values and that leads to a discussion of Michael's new book, The Heart of Transformation. Turning to the metamorphosis in which the lowly caterpillar transfigures into a free-flying butterfly, transformation is seen as the essence of nature and also as the calling of the individual human soul. From there, the conversation expands to the polarization of society, the dangers of Artificial Intelligence and the capacity of the human soul to awaken to a new world view and find ways to participate in a renewal of life on Earth. Thank you for listening to and supporting Living Myth. You can order Michael's new book The Heart of Transformation and join him in October for a series of online and in-person events that bring to life key themes from this book. 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 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.
September 23 · 30 min
Ep. 506 - We Relate Through Stories
This episode focuses on the idea that sharing stories is at the heart of any relationship. The word relate comes from Latin roots meaning "to carry back, to report, to tell." From ancient times humans have related by carrying stories back to each other. When we stop sharing the heartfelt tales of our life experiences, we can lose the essence of our relationships. Through mythic stories we learn to relate to the deepest parts of ourselves, while also reconnecting to the realm of great imagination and universal truths. Mythic tales can release us from the prison of time and carry us all the way back, past invisible thresholds, to the creation of the world and the origins of human life. Ancient people used creation tales to stay in relationship to the mysteries of nature and the hidden potentials of life. If we forget our connection to mythic stories, we can lose essential understandings of how the world renews itself and how we can be agents of creation ongoing. 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 16 · 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.

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