Myths & Universal Meanings

Michelle Marinello

Joseph Campbell believed mythologies of different cultures/religions reveal how humans

are united in fundamental ways. Each cultures’ stories have remarkably similar

underlying themes, but they are merely give different appearances by mythology and

metaphor.

Carl Jung

Jung’s divisions of the human psyche:

Ego- conscious mind, caught up in duality.

Personal Unconscious- anything that is not conscious in an individual, but can be tapped in to through hypnosis, meditation, dreams, etc.

Collective Unconscious- the “psychic inheritance” of every human. The collective human experience, knowledge that all humans are born with. While it drives us, it cannot be consciously tapped in to. Exemplified by paralleled human experiences (near death imagery, religious experience, dreams, fantasies, mythologies, literature).

Archetypes

• Archetypes are the contents of the collective unconscious.– They are unlearned tendencies humans have in ways to see

or experience things.– They are general, fundamental things humans need and

look for in existence.– We are not consciously aware or in control of them-- we only

know the exist because they influence our actions and impulses so strongly.

Jungian Archetypes

• Self: The Self represents the transcendence of all opposites in one’s personality, unifying opposites within a character.

• Shadow: The Shadow represents the opposites of the ego which must exist within a person in order for the ego to exist, despite the ego not identifying with it.

• Animus/Anima: The elements present within a person associated with the opposite of their gender, male or female.

• Persona: The way we present ourselves to others, protects ego. A mask.

Other Archetypes

These archetypes are common recurring themes in many stories. They are based on the meaning tied to common elements of human experience.

• Hero (The hero’s journey, the reluctant hero, etc.)

• Devil (evil forces, the shadow)• Mother (nurturing figure)• Wise Old Man(gives advice and guidance)• Trickster (setback to hero’s progress)• Child(innocence, rebirth, salvation, future)

Transcending Opposites

• Jung believed that both sides of a duality are present in every person’s potential, but societal values make one lean one way or another. In order for a person to have energy towards one side of a duality, there most be an opposing energy somewhere.

• Jung believed that earlier in human life (ex. adolescence), we strongly identify with our egos and try to polarize ourselves without acknowledging the other side of our psyche (ex: exaggerating our sexuality). In old age, we begin a process of self-transcendence, because we self-examine more and start to see ourselves as made up of both sides of a duality, and life becomes more balanced in energy. Only in death can we achieve the most perfect balance.

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Jung believed the unconscious mind needs to beexplored in order to better understand the conscious

mind. The ‘shadow’ part of oneself cannot be ignored.

Joseph CampbellMythologist

Spirituality

• Spirituality is born out of the wonder and mystery all humans experience. All humans sense the immense power of the world, and mysterious happenings in life, as well as mysterious forces within themselves (internal conflict, emotions, drives).

• Mystery can be tapped in to through dreams, meditation, shamanic ritual, or other such practices.

• Spirituality is the search for unknown forces:– Where does everything come from?

– Where does everything go?

“The image of death is the beginning of mythology.”

(death observed by the living epitomizes wonder and mystery. Also, more literally, the earliest historical evidence of mythology is traced back to burial.)

Spirituality

• While every human may have their own individual journey/search, there is only one universal truth we are all in pursuit of.

“Truth is one, sages speak

of it by many names.”

Spirituality

• All religious rituals link to the same transcendent state of consciousness (religious feeling), similar to Carl Jung’s idea of the collective unconscious.

• But every different story, dogma, set of values/rituals, or representation of spirituality as deity or deities, is just one of thousands of masks for the same god, similar to Carl Jung’s idea of the ego.

“God is a thought God is a name. God is an idea. But its

reference is to something that transcends thinking.The

ultimate mystery of being is beyond all thought. The thing in

itself is no thing. ”

Mythologies

• Each different representation of “god” is just a personification/metaphor of that transcendent thing in the form of a local myth.

– Religions are mythologies.

– Religious rituals are practiced myths.

– Art acts as mythology. (ex. Political cartoons, literature)

– All of these reflect specific, time-sensitive details of a culture.

• Similarly, stories across cultures reflect the same elementary ideas-- archetypes and motifs (patterns). All myths are metaphors for the same human experiences. The essence (character archetypes, events) stays more or less the same, the details change.

Raising Consciousness

• The purpose of myths, religious or not, is to transcend consciousness past the ego to give a person guidance in their daily life.

• For example, in most cultures (excluding China), the Dragon represents greed, and by representing greed it also represents the ego. The dragon guards gold and treasures even though it cannot enjoy them. Similarly, humans’ egos hold them back from the many potentials they can have past that ego. For example, if one is afraid, or sees themselves as only on one side of a duality, the ego is only holding the person back from experiences, only to the detriment of the person.

• In a heroic story, the hero starts out with a flaw, and by the end of the story that flaw is overcome after a feat (like slaying a dragon) is accomplished.

• When a hero is identified with by the person hearing a myth, that part of them is strengthened, and they can use example in myth to transcend ego.

The Circle

Circle

• Circle represents totality– The center from which one leaves and comes back

(time).– Birth and Death– Radiations from center are the different aspects of

the psyche, reconciled by the center.– No beginning or end-- infinite coming and going.– One needs to have a center in their life,

acknowledge a balance between two sides.

The Hero’s Journey

• Found in many narratives around the world. – Departure– Initiation– Return

The Monomyth:

Departure

• Call to adventure- Hero starts out in normal world. New information calls hero out to unknown land.

• Supernatural Aid- After conscious/unconscious acceptance of quest, hero is helped by magical being.

• First Threshold Crossed- Hero crosses in to adventure, leaves old world to land of new rules and unknown limits.

Initiation

• Road of Trials- series of tasks/ordeals hero goes through to start transforming. Often occurs in series of 3.

– (ex. Buddha and Jesus’ 3 temptations)

• Achieving Spiritual Enlightenment- transcending a duality, transforming as character.

• The Ultimate Boon- Achievement of goal in quest (slaying of dragon, finding elixir of life, atonement of mother and father, etc.) Tension of story resolved.

Return

• Refusal of Return- unwillingness to go back home.

• OR Magic Flight- escaping with boon.• OR Rescue from world• Crossing the Return Threshold- Retain

wisdom of journey, integrate it in to old life. Share wisdom with community.

• Master of Two Worlds- Balance between magical and normal world lessons and lifestyles.

• Freedom to Live- No longer fearing death.

Harry PotterCharacters

• Harry Potter Baby- future/rebirth/salvation

• Harry- Hero

• Slytherin/Malfoy/Voldemort- Devil/Shadow

• Dumbledore- Father, Wise Old Man

HP Symbols

• Magic- inner creativity

• Thunderbolt- inner power (comparable to Zeus, Christ’s Halo, etc.)

HP Departure

• Call to Journey- Owl letters, Harry called to unknown land.

• Supernatural Aid- Harry accepts going to school, aided by Hagrid’s magic.

• Crossing the threshold- Travel to Diagon Alley, Train to Hogwarts

HP Initiation

• Road of Trials- (In first book) Harry and his friends must make it through vines, grab the key in the broomstick challenge,win wizard’s chess, defeat an ogre, drink poisons, and pass challenge of the mirror of Erised. Fights Voldemort/Quirrel.

• Enlightenment- Resists temptation of joining Voldemort. Fights for the power of good.

• Boon- Successful in obtaining Philosopher’s stone from the mirror.

HP Departure

• Rescue from world- Rescued from fight with Voldemort by Dumbledore.

• Crossing return threshold- Acknowledges his unique power in fighting the dark lord, and realizes he is a person with significant responsibilities. Must integrate his adventures and responsible in to normal student and home life.

• Refusal of return- Does not want to go back to terrible muggle world, especially not after seeing the wonders of magic and his magical potential.

• Master of two worlds/Freedom to Live- This doesn’t really happen until after the HP series is complete and he is able to have a stable family and career, and the dark lord is dead.