mythic meanderings:
chaos, cosmos, and creativity
October 24, 2022
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 to a
December 6, 2021
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 professional coaching
October 20, 2021
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 had heard
October 17, 2021
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 had been
September 26, 2021
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 and mechanical.
February 10, 2021
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 and Persephone…
August 11, 2020
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 of time
July 20, 2020
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 to think
July 9, 2020
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 of "Eros
July 1, 2020
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 simply a
June 24, 2020
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 personality type
June 22, 2020
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 had a
June 7, 2020
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, as she
June 6, 2020
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 Diana dons
June 5, 2020
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 is less
June 4, 2020
“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 scene permanently
June 2, 2020
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 by a
June 1, 2020
The Amazons were not the first women created by the gods. That distinction belongs to Pandora, the first woman, the “Eve” of Greek mythology. Unlike Diana and Galatea, who were rewards from the Goddess of Love for her worshippers’ devotion, Pandora was created as a punishment. The Titan Prometheus had defied Zeus, stealing fire from Olympus and giving it to mankind. For
May 31, 2020
In Wonder Woman #1, Marston compared Diana’s birth to the myth, “Pygmalion and Galatea,” in which a sculptor became so enamored of his creation that Aphrodite brought the statue to life to become his bride. As presented in Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Pygmalion dismissed women as shameless prostitutes and committed himself to bachelorhood. However, he loved the idea of women, even if he found the flesh-and-blood variety