Dear friends:
Recently I re-watched Sharon Blackie’s wonderful TED Talk on the Mythic Imagination. In human societies across the ages, stories have shaped our understanding of the world. As Blackie says, they are like the stars we navigate by.
Rich with enchantment, they offer transcendent meaning as well as practical wisdom - often with an unexpected twist, or a good dose of juicy, wicked humour thrown in!
Love one another. Be generous. Tell the truth. Have courage, and keep going when the going gets tough. Be wary of tricksters!
Myths are the stories that explain the world to us, Blackie says. Every civilisation and culture throughout history has invented its own myths. These myths have shaped how humans across the ages both made sense of and constructed their realities. Myths go deep in their quest for meaning - straight to the ultimate questions: Who are we? Why are we here, and where do we belong in life’s tapestry? What should we do with our time here on Earth?
Every bit as much today as in the past, myths provide the guiding narratives that underpin the values of our civilization, and how we live as a society, Blackie says.
Much like the air we breathe, however, our myths are often invisible to us. We aren’t always quite conscious of their power in our lives.
In her talk, Blackie makes explicit two guiding myths of the modern contemporary ‘western’ world: the myth of more, and the myth of the hero. These myths are driving the patterns of ecological and social destruction so familiar to many of us, she says.
The myth of more is essentially the narrative of consumerism. You know the one: it tells you that you need more stuff in order to be happier and healthier. It stands for bigger cars, smarter phones, endless economic growth and ‘progress.’
Bolstering this, the myth of the hero pays homage to individual greatness. It is the narrative of competition and supremacy that we see in all of our cultural stories about superheroes, celebrities and sports figures. The shining hero who steps up and single handedly performs incredible feats. The special one who stands above the rest - with all the trappings to prove their greatness.
These myths reinforce the individualism and greed of our society, telling us that this is what it means to be human. As Blackie observes, the myth of more, and the myth of the hero, are not presented as stories we choose to believe in or not, but as how the world truly is.
Yet if science and history tell us anything, it is that our species - the storytelling animal - is an extraordinarily flexible and adaptable one. One that possesses the will, and the tools, to change the face, and fate, of the world. As the ecologist Stephan Harding writes, our levels of consciousness and our freedom of choice give us the power to shape the world according to our own ideas. As we have done through the ages.
Stories, of course, are one of our most powerful tools for bending reality towards our own visions. And so, when we learn to see our civilisation’s myths for what they really are, we become free to dream of and choose other stories. We can choose more supportive and regenerative narratives to live by. Stories that nourish us and bring deeper meaning to our lives.
The stories we need now, says Sharon Blackie, are not about strength, but compassion. They are about re-enchantment with the living world, and coming together to serve and heal her, as well as ourselves. They are about honoring the web of life and integrating humanity more fully within that web - even as (I would only add) we exercise and contribute our human gifts for imagination and story, consciousness and willed activity.
In my own story work lately, I have been drawn to those humble figures found in ancient mythology and in real life, who carry a deep sense of service to the world, and orient their lives to the greater good.
Robin Wall Kimmerer, for example, in her magnificent book Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teaching of Plants, tells the story of Skywoman Falling. (Listen to a reading of the story here.)
Skywoman is the first human ancestor who falls from the sky world above, and in mutuality with the animals creates a bountiful new home for all beings - people, animals and plants - on the land named Turtle Island by some first peoples of the Americas.
Kimmerer tells a beautiful story of generosity, reciprocity and care, but it is not without sadness. The humble muskrat sacrifices his life to bring up from the watery depths a tiny handful of mud that provides the land from which Turtle Island is formed. Through this selfless act, and the ‘alchemy of all the animals’ gifts coupled with (Skywoman’s) deep gratitude,’ the possibilities of a rich and abundant living world are realised.
Wangari Maathai, the Nobel laureate and founder of the Green Belt Movement in Kenya, tells the story of a tiny hummingbird who brings water drop by drop in her beak to extinguish a massive and destructive forest fire. She too is a humble creature. But this does not stop her from trying to save the forest as it burns. No matter how great the odds appear to be against her, she says, ‘I will do what I can.’
Such stories honor the diverse beings who collectively shape the possibilities of life on the Earth - each one offering its own unique gifts to the greater whole. Just think of the bacteria that compose much of your own body, living and co-creating in communities that are highly attuned and responsive to the whole. Everywhere you look across the living world, the possibilities of life are shaped and upheld through the sympoetic dances of such unsung ‘heroes’. The fungi that connect the roots of trees in the wood-wide-web. The bacteria in the soils and in our guts, collectively working those powerful transformations that fuel our digestion, power our movements through the world, and produce the food that sustains us.
I wonder, can we - as humans, the storytelling animals - create a mythology that truly celebrates all these different beings and their complex relationships through which life is sustained? How can we humans tell this story, and weave ourselves into it, in a more healing and generative way?
Stories such as ‘Skywoman Falling’ and ‘I Will be the Hummingbird’ remind us of our extraordinary capacity to live with a deeper sense of compassion, care, awareness and responsibility, and with a deeper sense of joy and belonging - because we too are part of the greater whole and have our own unique gifts to bring.
I’ll have a lot more to say about these themes in the weeks and months to come. And I’d also love to hear from you! Do you have a story that has shifted the way you see yourself in the web of life?
Write and let me know! I’d also love to hear your feedback, or ideas of topics you would like to see written about here.
Until next time, fellow story animals - may you be inspired by the stories of humble creatures living in service to the greater whole.
With love,
Megan
Hi Megs - have had a quick skim through as clients await, but was immediately reminded of a quote by Helen Keller which I love - “I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty to accomplish humble tasks as though they were great and noble. The world is moved along, not only by the mighty shoves of its heroes, but also by the aggregate of the tiny pushes of each honest worker.” (So even while she accepts the notion of the heroes, my belief is that her hero profile is characterised by e.g. Malala Yousafzai and not those stacking material wealth for self-gain rather than global benefit. Looking forward to watching the links and going deeper! xx