When I first arrived in San Francisco in 1996, the city welcomed me with open arms, immediately providing me with a job, a place to live, and most importantly, a tribe. It’s a city for artists, counter-culture, and performance—a place where diversity is not just tolerated, but celebrated. I love it here.In a Mythic interview, depth psychologist Craig Chalquist introduced me ...
Artwork by Phil Jimenez Over the past few months, I’ve been studying two subjects simultaneously. The first is Greek and Roman Mythology with Professor Peter Struck. The second is Co-Active Coaching at CTI. Co-Active Coaching provides the foundation for all professional coaching recognized by the International Coaching Federation (which I proudly joined last month.) The connection between classical mythology and ...
Danae was the beautiful daughter and only child of King Acrisius of Argos.One day, King Acrisius set off for Delphi, seeking a prophecy from the Oracle. Danae loved her father and missed him terribly.Upon his return, Danae ran to him with the delight and adoration only a child can muster. But her warm welcome was met with an icy stare. The king ...
This weekend, I had the pleasure of visiting Boston for the first time ever! After 46 years of sharing a name with the East Coast’s iconic Bean Town, Boston finally went to Boston.The reason? Mythology--naturally!A few months ago, I read this article in the New York Times. Six paintings by the 16th Century master painter Titian based on Roman mythology ...
A common theme in this time defined by COVID-19 is that no one seems to be able to track what day it is. Facebook and Twitter are awash with memes saying something like “I don’t know who needs to hear this, but today is Monday.” This is isn’t surprising, given that our current relationship to time is one of industry ...
The Greek goddesses may have been incredibly powerful feminine forces -- but generally, they were terrible mothers. Enjoy this ten-minute journey into primordial motherhood and feel better about your own perfectly human parenting skills. ...
Every year, when January rolls around, my interest in the history and mythology of our calendar peaks. After 300 days of March, I was particularly glad for this January to arise. And since we’re already well into February, it seems our cultural clock is ticking again. To mix myths, it’s a bit like springtime starting with the reunification of Demeter ...
Seizing Opportunity by the Hair"You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment. Fools stand on their island of opportunities and look toward another land. There is no other land; there is no other life but this." — Henry David Thoreau Father TimeDid you know the Greeks had two gods of time?Generally, we think ...
Who is she? Where did she come from and what can she teach us? Chances are that when you hear the word “coffee,” a particular green and white logo comes to mind, the image of a mysterious star-crowned woman with wavy locks flowing over her breasts and two fishtails encircling her body. For many of us today, it’s nearly impossible ...
The Four Functions of Myth "Myth is much more important and true than history. History is just journalism, and you know how reliable that is." — Joseph Campbell In my coaching, I lean heavily on myth and metaphor because it is the fastest way I know to get to the root of any pattern. That doesn't mean I launch into the story ...
What it means to Cross the Threshold on the Hero’s Journey Crossing the Threshold is a symbolic act of commitment and transformation. In the West, it’s traditional for a new groom to carry the bride across through the doorway of their home or bedroom, signifying the adventure of facing life’s challenges together. In the mundane world, a threshold is ...
When humanity began to adapt to the spread of the novel coronavirus, it caused interesting psychological reactions. Isolation means different things to different people. In terms of productivity, I noticed two basic responses. Some people (like myself) trumpeted seizing the day. Write your novel! Start a blog! Declutter your homes! Finally, there was time to tackle the big projects. Another ...
The more you give, the more you have. One rainy San Francisco afternoon, I was enjoying a glass of wine with someone I’d met through a mutual friend. When he mentioned that person, warmth filled my chest, and a feeling of affinity and kinship quickened in me. “I love that guy,” I said. The two of them ...
The original Wonder Woman was a circular story of re-education, whirling through lessons on gender and power dynamics. One recurrent teaching was mastery over one’s drive to dominate, and choosing submission to the greater good instead. In Wonder Woman #8 (Spring 1944), the Atlantean Princess Octavia petitioned Wonder Woman to be her mentor. Octavia was unusually tall, strong, and hot-tempered. In their first meeting, ...
Centuries after the Amazons landed on Paradise Island, Diana was born. On her fifteenth birthday, she pledged herself to Aphrodite’s service and received her Bracelets of Submission, made from the indestructible metal, Amazonium, found only on Paradise Island. It seems safe to infer that the Amazons have all adopted such ceremonial bracelets made from this mighty metal by the time ...
Fun Fact: Wonder Woman's Magic Lasso was not part of the character's original design. Her creator, William Moulton Marston (aka Charles Moulton) added it as a story element to solve a problem—excessive force.The lasso is well known for its power to compel its captives to tell the truth, forcing them to confess their crimes and reveal embarrassing private thoughts. What ...
“What’s this?” I asked my mom, my eyes riveted to the TV screen. A beauty queen wrapped in an American flag tossed a rope around two criminals who seemingly had tried to kill her boyfriend. “That’s Wonder Woman.” Her nonchalant answer made it clear she’d completely missed the fact that my world had just exploded. At three years old, the ...
I once read that Marston wrote every single Wonder Woman story during his lifetime, including four stories in each issue of Wonder Woman, single episodes Sensation Comics and Comic Cavalcade, and the syndicated newspaper strip, plus a few odds and ends. That makes a whopping 211 tales in just six years–an astounding accomplishment, especially when you consider that nearly all superhero comics at the time were written ...