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PART FOUR – THE PARADOX OF THE OUTSIDER

The redemption hero, like the Christ, always comes from outside the community. And like the Christ, he leaves once his work is done. He must leave; redemption mythology requires that since he came from somewhere else, he must return. But this leads to a paradox. The innocent community defines itself by what it is not – the external Other of terrorism, and the internal Other of race. We know who we are because we are not them, the others. The Other is the ev

PART THREE – THE PRESIDENTIAL HERO

Enter George W. Bush the Cowboy, as he often did in public appearances. We saw him staged, the first President to appear this way (and each of his successors has retained this public style), typically striding out onto a great stage,
with a crowd of supporters or soldiers sitting behind him. A huge American flag or patriotic motto typically loomed above them, completing the scene that had been carefully composed for television.

https://madnessatthegates.files.word

PART TWO – THE REDEMPTION HERO

Joseph Campbell found his three-phase “monomyth” of the hero in almost all cultures; everywhere, that is, except in America. Why is this so? America lacks its own indigenous myths, except of course for the Native American myths that were actually nurtured by this land. But European conquerors and settlers, long alienated from their own indigenous roots, brought only the stories of Puritanism, materialism, progress, chosen people and hatred of the “Other” with them.

PART ONE – THE AMERICAN HERO

In the 1950s the birth of the national security state coincided precisely with the peak of cinematic and television westerns, which have been America’s primary image to itself and the world. Westerns had been central to the movies from the beginning. In 1910, they comprised more than 20% of American movies, and the trend continued well into the second half of the century. As late as 1959, westerns comprised a quarter of all prime-time network hours.

Who is the western

Most of the evil in this world is done by people with good intentions. ― T.S. Eliot

Hell is paved with good intentions. ― Samuel Johnson

We’re on a mission from God. – The Blues Brothers

My wife and I spent some time in Austria and the Czech Republic last summer. It was a delightful vacation, with great food and art and fabulous scenery. Still, as Jews, we both had the odd sensation (in Austria) of seeing those blond, Aryan faces and hearing German spoken all day. Although we knew very well that it

When yoga teacher Britta Bushnell first became pregnant, it was natural for her to add prenatal yoga to the yoga classes she was already teaching. This move eventually led to her training with childbirth specialist, Pam England, the author of the classic birth book, Birthing from Within[1]. England had already formulated a remarkable method that integrated mythology to help parents prepare for birth as a rite of passage. 

The archetypal idea of a “rite of passage” is an overarching piece of how B

When people are ready to launch something new (…a workshop, a business, a creative work of art), they’ll sometimes take steps that are too small for them. This often stems from a fear of expressing their true vision. It also happens when they’re concerned about spending money on something that has an unknown outcome (…when we launch something new, we are by definition stepping into unknown territory).

For example, my client Mary wrote up a workshop description that she’d been talking about for mo

Chinese medicine is a system that's rooted in nature. Using primary treatment tools like acupuncture, herbal medicine, massage, and cupping, the practice focuses on maintaining health and preventing illness.

As a doctor of Chinese medicine for over six years, Brian Falk has nearly completed his Ph.D. in Depth Psychology with Specialization in Somatic Studies, and he has had a chance to experience a multitude of correlations between Chinese medicine and depth psychology.

Since studying depth psycho

Perhaps you’ve heard of a mysterious tribe of Native Indians who live high in the mountains of Colombia, speaking only their own original language, and having little contact with the outside world. These people, the Kogi Indians, have long referred to themselves as the “Elder Brothers,” as they carry the responsibility of being caretakers of the world, helping to maintain a balance of harmony and creativity in the world. (Photo at right courtesy of Lisa Maroski).

In recent years, the Kogi have be

I once had a well-known psychic tell me, “your life is like a quilt with many different pieces. It will come together a piece at a time.” 

That image has been helpful. I often get confused when I’ve finished a piece of the quilt (it’s been stitched in and there’s no more stitching to do…), and the next piece isn’t within sight.

And even though there surely must be a grand design of some sort, it often seems that when the next piece shows up, it doesn’t look like the rest of the pieces I’ve already

I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism…I could have given Al Capone a few hints. The best he could do was to operate his racket in three districts. I operated on three continents. – General Smedley Butler

I laughed to myself… “Here we go. I’m starting a war under false pretenses.” – Admiral James Stockdale, on the Gulf of Tonkin incident          

I will never apologize for the United States of America. I don’t care what the facts are. – George H.W. Bush

We are grateful to the Washington Post

The psyche is primed with an innate, organic wish to connect with something spiritual, something beyond the ordinary—something “numinous,” suggests Dr. Lionel Corbett, who is a psychiatrist, Jungian analyst, and professor, as well as the author of “Psyche and the Sacred,” among other works.

Corbett’s interest in transpersonal, numinous experiences came from growing up with a strong personal sense of connection to something larger that he could never quite articulate. Our religious traditions have

In the wilderness, Michael Benanav, a critically-acclaimed writer and photographer, often runs into nomads. Their profoundly archetypal lifestyles inevitably appear in Benanav’s work which features archetypal themes of home, ancestors, and tradition.

After writing about his experiences with one of the last working camel caravans in the world, which runs an ancient salt trading route in the Sahara desert, and penning a poignant story of how his own grandparents survived the Holocaust during World

It’s one thing to get well; it’s quite another to stay well and thrive. The psyche is such a confluence of negative and positive dynamics. One day we’re set on healing, the next instant we’re working against ourselves.Self care, its stabilization and furtherance, I’ve come to believe after nearly forty years as a depth psychologist, is the most challenging aspect of psychotherapy and personal healing and growth.

Dream images play out the necessity of self care especially when the dynamic has been

The heroine in “Beauty and the Beast” could have easily believed she was a victim. Beauty’s mother died when she was young. When her father lost all of his fortune they left the city, where she was free to read and do as she pleased all day, and moved to the country. Beauty then had to do all of the housework, cooking, and cleaning, while her sisters did nothing, but torment her. Then, her father sacrificed her to the Beast to save his own neck and for financial gain. It would be easy for us to

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Daniel Foor, PhD, is a teacher and practitioner of practical animism who specializes in ancestral and family healing and is helping make humans relate well to the rest of the natural world and in helping humans relate well to the rest of the natural world.

As a licensed marriage and family therapist, Foor’s doctoral research in psychology focused on the use of shamanic healing practices like clinical mental health professionals. He has trained and lived in other soci

When I was growing up, my mother frequently said that I was “accident prone.” Perhaps it’s because I broke my leg when I was two by “putting my foot down” when the neighbor kid was pushing four of us on a carriage swing. I wanted him to stop pushing so hard and when screaming didn’t work, I tried another tactic.

My mother was probably right, I think I’ve had more than my share of injuries and broken bones.

When I think about all the desires I have in life, having peace of mind and feeling good in

Follow the yellow brick road… This phrase is so familiar that it’s become a part of our modern day conversation. We all know what it means. All we need to do is follow the obvious path, which will lead to the desired destination.

The Wizard of Oz story is about following the yellow brick road home. It’s a symbolic map of an unfamiliar inner terrain. The destination is the heart. This old story provides fresh opportunities to generate new insights and to help us navigate challenges with greater ea