[thoughts from ~burning woman~ by Sha’Tara]
Man is by all accounts a very strange being. What keeps the species going? Myth, pure and simple. Man’s social “glue” is made of myth, not stark reality. If man lived by his natural reality he would be without a civilization, another species of animals wandering the surface of the planet, sharing space and surviving off whatever nature provides.
Myth is man’s magic; his power; the reason behind his inordinate success and perhaps his ultimate demise.
That being said, what is myth? First, myth is something that is always bigger than whatever gave birth to it. A myth always outgrows its source. Heroes become gods. Powerful and dangerous natural events become the tools or weapons of those gods. On a smaller scale and drawing from my own experiences here, certain natural objects or certain birds or animals also become the basis for mythical encounters. Ordinary things at certain times of day or year, or under certain conditions, appear extraordinary. A dragonfly, damselfly or butterfly becomes a fairy. A shadow or a burned snag in a dried up swamp or on a high hillside becomes a Watcher. An eagle soaring the thermals; a vulture on a sand bar; a gull holding itself aloft in a west wind or a dove cooing from a cottonwood; a bear or a lynx in a tree: these become familiar spirits or totems. These are the more common myths that usually belong but to an individual observer. These provide insight into the spirit world but they never become power myths.
This is about power myths; the ones that give rise to, and move, nations and empires.
The most powerful myths are those that belong to, or develop within, certain groups, tribes or nations. Historical events have given rise to very powerful myths. For example, the rise of certain tribes that became the Hebrew race. Though they were once nomads without land, a power myth grew among them which they began to worship as a deity, a particular deity that would unite them and give them direction through judges, priestly and kingly rulers. From a mere local deity this myth became a god to be reckoned with as the Hebrew tribes calling themselves “Israel” poured into the land of Canaan and for a time decimated the inhabitants and took over their lands. Despite terrible set-backs, this particular myth survived, mostly due to written records and the severe institutionalizing of a worship system around these writings. This myth led to the creation of a nation and a specific people.
Historically the same pattern is observed in all parts of man’s world, heroes, charismatic leaders and teachers inspired other myths which became divinities or guiding precepts: Allah, Buddha, the Tao, the divinities of the Greek, Hindu and Germanic pantheons. Some rose and fell following the rise, decline and fall of their associated civilizations. Some survived to this day though bearing little resemblance to their root images. The vagaries of time and events affect all things, even those claimed to be outside the realms of the time-space continuum.
But successful myths need more than make-believe or imagination. They have to be mortared together using a quantity of smaller beliefs, symbols and slogans. If one studies the rather disjointed but extensive Christian religions (yes, plural), one sees that it isn’t a one male god, or one particular savior entity that holds this behemoth of a collective together. It is held together by countless smaller roots feeding from written manuscripts and their interpretation, local lore, popular beliefs, historical events and movements, monetary policies, national constitutions; basically an intricate web of political intrigues and what are essentially remnants of pagan traditions, mythical entities, symbolism and idols and let’s not forget wars of conquest. This is where a myth’s power comes from. Remove these myriads of small roots and the main myth implodes.
If you follow this argument you can readily see how a collective, powerful myth, is nothing of itself. The more the followers of the myth claim divine power for their myth, the less power it actually has. To empower their myth beyond the ostentatious empire building in its name, the followers have to embed their myth, their deity, within the powers it competes against. Myth-makers, or call them religion makers, are highly elitist. They are actively political and constantly seeking after higher payoffs to maintain their Great Myth, God, gods or idols – these terms obviously being readily interchangeable.
Now a word of warning: while religions obviously are myths, they are not the only ones. Politics and money are just as much mythical powers as are invisible sky deities. They too depend on support from followers and worshippers. They too need “churches” (capitols, banks) and various other institutions within which their symbols and slogans are manufactured then spread over the world as truths which people accept, either through coercion or because they benefit from it. What keeps money in power? A belief that without money man cannot survive, cannot produce anything, cannot consume anything. The same is true of politics: however corrupt and ineffectual political systems be, or become, people continue to serve them because they believe they cannot function without them.
That is the trick behind every power myth: they embody a set of beliefs a collective accepts and subsequently protects. They “force” people to believe in them; to have faith in them; to pay for them; to fight and die for them. And it is this faith, this belief, that has built up every civilization man has ever brought forth, as it is the excess of power that always follows a powerful myth that brings that civilization down. Thousands, millions, perhaps billions, die. Then another myth, or the same but greatly reinterpreted myth arises again and a new civilization begins designed solely to serve the “new” myth.
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"God does not exist. He is being itself, beyond essence and existence. Therefore to argue that God exists is to deny him." (Philosophical argument by Paul Tillich, Christian Existentialist Philosopher and Theologian)
"The true definition of genius is the ability to see the obvious." [David Brin]
End Quote: God Does Not Exist?
It Never Fails To Amaze Me That You Illiterate Humans
Think You Were Shit Into Frying Pan Came From
Somewheres Out Sky!
I Could Wish Death On All You Read This - But Crash
You Will (Die)Fall Into Your Sorry Ass' Religious Beliefs
And If He The Man (God) Lets You Come Back Into This Evil World!?
PLEASE DO TELL ME YOUR STORY...
That MYTH Is You Cannot Even Begin To Comprehend
Believe What I Just Typed Write,i.e.You Are Not
Dead As Yet-In End Your Own DEATH Is Inevitable!!
TRASK...
Considering the technology of the time, anything out of the ordinary would be considered God like. Maybe in the beginning of civilization, our creators, or Gods were not in reality, other worldly.
As far as the business world well, it's just business. No myth there, it is reality. The real myth is thinking we have any real control of our daily lives. Because now what we call Government is way more than legislators, and they have really big guns that are real. As a private citizen, do something the govt. any govt. city, county, state, or federal, and you will find out they don't like that.
They are ALL driven by power and money, and that again, is reality, and not a myth.
You write well, and everyone has an opinion.
Like Marilyn said...you are a deep thinker.
Walt
I have been watching the rash of "survivalist" reality shows and noticing how strongly myth rules the participants. Some are "vegetarians" who think they can survive as a hunter and gatherer without eating meat. Others fear food like snakes and predators that are not really dangerous if understood. Most 21st-century humans have literally no idea how to survive without the matrix. The few that do, live in cultures that are not considered "civilized" and have been doing so for thousands of years without the "convenience" of mythical technology like GPS and no inclination towards "growing" in numbers or importance.
Ron
Love ya!
Jane