Why Myth?

Why should any intelligent person living amidst the complexities of the information-age, global-corporate-culture, and special-interest-politics, find any practical value in the archaic and primitive imagery of world mythology? To begin with, consider that myth entails a prehistoric consciousness and creativity; if we then, add the fact that over the last three hundred thousand years, or so, the human animal has not changed in any significant way, we might conclude that reaching back to myth will bring us in-touch with a primary way-of-knowing and our own deeper nature.

I like this answer a lot, and I would not wish to diminish its importance, however, as perceptive as it may be, it remains a detached, objective, and somewhat scientific view—it doesn't go far enough because it fails to value myth in a mythological way. If we consider that, at its extreme, such an aloof objectivity stands at the root of modern alienation and the current destruction of the earth, for those of us concerned with the abuses of an indifferent and exploitative mind-set, the mythic world-view may provide a holistic remedy.

I believe, along with many others, that by exploring the various world mythologies (especially the sensibilities of mythmaking and mythic expression) we gain the chance to interpret life and the world in a different, more inclusive, way. Moreover, it seems to me that mythic-consciousness offers humanity's best chance at finding a balance for living in accord with the forces which surround us. As Joseph Campbell told us: "Myth is the secret opening through which the inexhaustible energies of the cosmos pour into human manifestation." That is to say, in myth the cosmic energies and human life are intentionally (and artfully) interwoven. Thus, it may become possible to enter into the Mythic Reality and so participate in the living relatedness of all things.

So again, why myth? well, there are certain experiences confirmed in myth which simply cannot be confirmed in any other way, and which are vital to healing, creativity, and community: 1) the ever-present existence of an extra-ordinary, invisible, Otherworld—heavenly realms and an Underworld; 2) the existence of uncontrollable forces and energies, extra-human and sub-human creatures, totems, ancestors, spirits, divinities, and gods, which interact with, and influence human life; 3) that all things have souls, and the sovereign reality of "the sacred" dimension; 4) that such mythic realities are disclosed through visions, dreams, and initiatory ordeals; and finally, 5) the ultimate reality of creation—of matter and consciousness—is a hidden background of unknowable flux, out of which all apparent forms unfold and into which they return and are enfolded.

To choose ignorance and denial of such profound forces is a deliberate and arrogant refusal to honor the sacred life of the universe. I am convinced that investigating, contemplating, working and playing with myth can help us realize and apply such "unknowable" energies in our daily lives. How very different the human world would be if our technologies, economies, and politics were informed by such mythological intelligence. I pray we are granted the wisdom and the courage to find out.