Gifts of Our Mythological Mind
Among the many lenses through which we see the world, one is the lens of stories and myth. While our linear mind can best serve us with getting things done, sometimes our mythological mind is best equipped to relating to issues in our life that our ego does not like at all. The mythological part of the mind sees the rise and falls of the tides of love, even as the ego is fixated on creating a continuous high tide. The mythological part of our mind understands that part of the hero’s journey involves days of failure and wandering lost in the dark wood, while we seek continued success.When our ego is not equipped to face the hard lines of truth, particularly in matters of the heart, our mythological mind can support us by speaking its language of rhythms and tides. Mythologizing our reality is a fun and extremely powerful tool. It allows deeper parts of us than we know to process information in an indirect and artistic form. Bringing this into your relationship can bring gifts of play, healing and gentleness. I recently went through a period where my mind was completely preoccupied and I had no patience or attention for my partner. It felt very much to me that I was on an intense assignment at work and needed all my concentration to deal with a work crisis. In my outer world I was spending most of the days at home reading and writing and had could hardly imagine a more relaxed lifestyle. My outer reality was out of synch with what most people would imagine as the corresponding inner experience.If I had been under intense pressure from worldly circumstances, it would have been easy for my partner to understand and empathize with my lack of patience and attention. Sharing that I was impatient with her when I was doing nothing but reading my fantasy novels and writing is something that she was likely to take personally. Because I knew my state of mind had nothing to do with her, I decided to introduce mythology to give us a story to tell ourselves that would help me judge myself less and help her understand that I loved her and it was not personal. Letting her know that I was using myth, I asked her to join me in pretending that I was working really long hours for an important project. I was really looking forward to seeing her and visiting together once the project was over but I had a deadline to meet. As the days became weeks I would send her “postcards” by e-mail saying how much I was looking forward to seeing her when my assignment was over and I was back in the country. I thanked her for her understanding and support of my business. Even though both of us understood that this was not the outer reality, it was the best metaphor that explained how I was feeling, in a way that neither of us judged. It told a story that made sense of the temporary distance. The feelings of distance did not have to do with her, so the story did not have to do with her either. Action: Notice a memory that in it's outer form is harsh and painful for you. Now weave a myth around it that tells a story of loving your self and being loved.
Cresting the Waves:
A guide to sailing through life on
Relation-Ships
Dane E. Rose
