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© 2024 Catherine Svehla, PhD
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Welcome to Myth Matters, a thought-provoking exploration of myth in contemporary life and the intersection of myth, creativity, and consciousness. Host Catherine Svehla PhD. shares her knowledge of mythology and depth psychology to find insight and explore possibilities. Member of the Joseph Campbell Foundation MythMaker℠ Podcast Network.
Learn more at www.mythicmojo.com and keep the mystery in your life alive.
122 Episodes
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Send Catherine a text Message"It is above all by the imagination that we achieve perception and compassion and hope." –Ursula K. LeGuin This episode revolves around the Welsh myth of Cerridwen and the Birth of Taliesin. I've worked with this story a number of times. It comes to mind this time of year because Cerridwen is both a goddess and a witch, and this story includes potions, cauldrons, shapeshifting, and poetry. A different theme emerged for me this time in response to our col...
Send Catherine a text MessageTo what do we owe greater allegiance, our outer life in the material world of human conventions, or our inner life and the requirements of soul? I explore this question through the lens of a fairy tale called "The Nixie in the Mill Pond," collected by the Brothers Grimm. This is a big topic and a fascinating story with many twists and turns so I'm devoting to episodes to it. This is part 1." Sometimes a man stands up during supperand walks outdoors, and...
Send Catherine a text MessageHow we imagine our lives is how we live our lives, and mythologies provide the images and ideas in this process. But images of the human in the dominant myths-- as sinner, dominator, or world destroyer-- aren't guiding us toward a bright future. What are the alternatives?How about an ingenious, improvising jack-of-all-trades, the "bricoleur"?There is no "Myth of the Bricoleur" as far as I know and yet, the bricoleur and the act of bricolage can be found in myths a...
Send Catherine a text MessageHow we imagine ourselves is how we'll be. And where do we receive these images of the human? They're in our myths.In this episode, I take a look at three images in the myths of the dominant culture that determine how many of us see ourselves and how we live: the sinner, the king of the animal kingdom, and the world destroyer/ parasite. Are these images useful today? How do we find and live into alternatives?I'm joined by the insightful Dr. Craig Chalquis...
Send Catherine a text MessageSifting through options to make a decision is something that each of us has to do at some point. When our choice is part of a creative process in work or life, in the arts or our psychic terrain, it can be very difficult. Something new will come into the world. Some type of transformation will take place. We're deeply invested in the outcome and there may be consequences.The dilemma posed by the need to make a choice is a common feature in the tests and tasks face...
Send Catherine a text Message“We would do well… to think of the creative process as a living thing implanted in the human psyche.” --- C.G. Jung (1922) Collected Works 15We often say that every person is inherently creative and yet doubts and fears of inadequacy are common. Many of us hesitate to make any claims to creativity and feel it is lacking in our lives, or question the value of our creative processes and the outcomes.In this episode I offer a perspective on this dilemma with th...
Send Catherine a text MessageApple's ad for the new iPad has evoked some very strong reactions, reactions that illuminate old links between image, metaphor, myth, and our collective notions about creativity and the creative process. The current cultural conversation is a good starting point for reflection on some commonly held images of creativity and the way these images shape our creative process and the value we place upon it.This is the first in a series of episodes that will explor...
Send Catherine a text Message"Well, that's the trick: the sudden unexpectedness inside the over-known." --- Heather McHughWhat type of mood does the word "poetry" evoke for you? Do you associate poetry with the profound and weighty? The concerns of the soul and the seriously sacred? I rarely look to poetry for a laugh and I wonder why, when there are many brilliant moments of humor to be found there. In celebration of National Poetry month, here are ten or so humorous poems from Roald Da...
Send Catherine a text MessageFate and free will, and the longing for purpose and prospect of destiny that hangs somewhere in-between. How do these forces shape our lives? Do we play assigned roles in a cosmic plan or make it all up as we go?These questions weave through many myths and stories. What answers do we find and how can we live with the questions?Support the showEmail Catherine at drcsvehla@mythicmojo.comPost a positive review on apple podcasts! Learn how you can work with Catherine ...
Send Catherine a text Message “A yogi sees Me in all things and all things within Me.” Krishna in the Bhagavad GitaThe Bhagavad-Gita is an important Hindu teaching story embedded in the Mahabharata, an astonishing epic poem. Astonishing for its length- 100,000 verses-- and for its beauty. Astonishing for the complexity of the social and spiritual world constructed in the poem and the exploration of the moral dilemmas we face while attempting to live our lives correctly. In this epis...
Send Catherine a text MessageLast Monday, February 26th was Tell a Fairy Tale Day. I began preparation for this episode with the intention of telling you a fairy tale, perhaps one that was connected to the holiday. This process opened up reflection on the necessity of a well-developed imagination to meet life challenges in a creative and satisfying way, and the role fairy tales play in cultivating this capacity. In fairy tale language, some of these life challenges could be called ...
Send Catherine a text MessageWe have an ever- increasing wealth of myths and stories, fueled by new discoveries and ongoing mythmaking. There are also dominant myths and stories, and dominant ideas about myths and stories, that limit the usefulness of this inheritance and the possibilities we entertain. In the last episode, I turned to the Hero's Adventure, a mythic pattern articulated by Joseph Campbell, to reflect on some of the many ways that we can hear a call to a new life. A ...
Send Catherine a text MessageIt's only January and 2024 already feels like a year of consequence. Crazy weather and climate change, war, elections, ideological, religious, and cultural conflicts, and Pluto's move into Aquarius, heralding a long underworld journey of transformation in our communities, social contracts, technology, idea of service, and visions of freedom.What role might mythology and myth-making play in the cultural and personal changes underway? Are our inherited narratives an...
Send Catherine a text MessageThe solstice will soon be upon us, followed by the arrival of a new year. A time of endings and beginnings. Reckoning. This passage through winter darkness here the in northern hemisphere leads me to Norse mythology and my fascination with the god Odin.Odin is a god who lives with the prophecy that his world will end and he will die. This is an unusual combination of themes, one that imbues Odin with an approachable humanness and sparks my curiosity about th...
Send Catherine a text Message"I am destined to die either by a crocodile, a serpent, or a dog; it is the will of the gods. Then let me go forth and follow my heart's desire while I live.".2023 is drawing to a close. "The Tale of the Doomed Prince," a fairy tale found in ancient Egyptian papyri from 1550 BCE or so, is an interesting companion to year end (year round?) reflections on what you're doing with your life. Are you following your heart's desire?Support the showEmail Catherine at...
Send Catherine a text MessageThe existence of monsters, alongside gods and goddesses, is a distinguishing feature of myths, fairy tales, and legends. Defeating a monster is often the test of the hero, the act that makes that individual a hero. And yet, life is full of challenges and dangers. There are plenty of opportunities for various forms of heroism in this everyday world and ordinary reality, right? Do we need monsters? Or, are monsters relics of an archaic world view, evidence of a...
Send Catherine a text MessageThe season around Halloween and Samhain is a liminal time when shadows grow and lengthen in the world and psyche. The old Celtic stories of poet warriors and fairies feel especially potent to me right now, so I'm dipping back into the collection Irish Fairy Tales by James Stephens for this story offering. "The Enchanted Cave of Cesh Corran" is rich in metaphor, humor, and insight, and also provides a launching point for reflection on the different types of in...
Send Catherine a text MessageSedna is the goddess mother of the sea, marine animals, and the underworld in the myths of the Inuit people, an indigenous Arctic culture. This episode is an exploration of variations on her origin story, and some of the questions and possibilities Sedna raises in this time of climate change and fundamentalism.Support the showEmail Catherine at drcsvehla@mythicmojo.comPost a positive review on apple podcasts! Learn how you can work with Catherine at https://mythic...
Send Catherine a text Message"I went out to the hazel wood,Because a fire was in my head,And cut and peeled a hazel wand,And hooked a berry to a thread.." ---from "The Song of Wandering Aengus" by W.B. Yeats The Salmon of Knowledge is a mythical creature in Irish folklore associated with poetry and knowledge of deep truths. Any person who ate a bit of the fish would become wise and know the essence of all things. Which leads one to wonder: what is the nature of this wisdom?&nbs...
Send Catherine a text Message“Dogs are our link to paradise.” -- Milan KunderaSometimes a "little" detail in my day triggers thoughts about my mythic orientation and brings stories to mind.This episode began with a short news story about a dog. Which led me to a Jicarilla Apache creation myth and an Irish legend about Fionn MacCool.These stories remind us of the enduring bond between humans and dogs, and what they teach us about loyalty, empathy, and joy. How they help us be better humans. An...
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It was my first time with this podcast and I can't say how excited I am. Btw, there are numerous similarities between this story and a folktale we have in Persian called "band anghoshti" meaning someone as big as a knuckle bone. And it's a about a little boy as well who brings justice for his old parents. But your analysis was so stirring that I must listen to this episode multiple times.😍