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 by Harold Curtis II October 28, 2000 Among many scholars of myth and folklore, there has been a growing concern for some time concerning the absence of myths in our present society, and the impact it is having. The emergence of movements such as "The Women's Spirituality Movement" and others underscores the growing realization of many something has been lost by not having access to the wisdom of our ancestors. Some criticze such searches for meaning, stating the guiding spiritual tradition which has been with us since about 30 A.D. gives us all the answers we need, and to pursue other avenues of meaning will result in experiences such as those we witnessed with such groups as "Heaven's Gate" and in Waco, Tx. However, it is also argued that such groups as mentioned above have come about because the present spiritual traditions have failed us in some way. Authors such as Thomas Moore speak increasingly about "Soul Loss", and if we look at the suicide rates among young people, many of whom have a spiritual community in which to participate, we find a very high number of both deaths and attempts. Is the cry from the magician in Aladian's Lamp, "New lamps for old." Still being responded to? I think one of the ways to find a solution to this question, is first to explore briefly the 4 ways in which myth functions. The first function of Myth is to convey the Awe one feels as they see the world around them. The example of this I use is when I was younger and used to lay on my back in my front yard as a child. With a pair of binoculars with a zoom lens, I would look into the sky and with the zoom lens bring the stars rushing toward me. The sense of awe and unspeakable power was almost overwhelming. The second function of Myth is to explain the world around us(Science)and still convey the sense of awe and mystery. The Jesuit Colleges are the example I use for this. Science and Religion were not different entities, they were one. Galileo was not arrested because his works were scientificly flawed or unrecognized as valid, but rather his findings were independently arrived at without the Jesuit Colleges and Pope's approval. I suspect another example I could use would be the libraries at Alexandria which were destroyed in the holy wars, but unfortunately the crusaders did their work well and we are left with only echos of the extent of scientific and spiritual writings which are no more. The third function of Myth is what we are perhaps more aware of. This function establishes set of appropriate behaviors. When we stop at a red light, we are responding to a myth. Far fetched? Possibly, but then again, possibly not. Why do we stop at a red light? Why can't the light be blue, or green or orange? If we believe our environment shapes our myths, we arrive at the answer via the natural world. In the natural world, red is used as a warning. The red hourglass on the belly of a black widow spider warns us to back off. Red markings on insects and plants could indicate poison and are meant to warn away predators. Blood is red, and if you cross against the red light or drive through it, blood will most likely be spilled. This function also tells how/what to eat, who to love, etc... The fourth function of myth is one, according to scholars, which has not reached us yet. That is the development of a global myth/consciousness. A myth, or set of myths, which will create a global consciousness allowing people to interact and live in a productive fashion. This could be considered a Utopia, New Heaven and New Earth, The Colonization of Space, etc... Do our myths today give us the answers we need to live life under any circumstances? The stories of the Bible, Bran the Blessed, Thor and Loki do not speak to us about the increasing technology which shortens the boundaries of our world and makes available all the possible information(and more)to us in such short amounts of times. There is a debate among some spiritual communities regarding the use of technology in ritual. Many gatherings ask celebrants to removes watches, switch off pagers and cell phones completely. Other gatherings are held online, via chat functions or even web-cams, often the celebrants never meeting in person. Science has offered many interesting avenues into the realm of spirituality. With Quantum Physics and the discovery of the exsitence of at least fifteen dimensions, where are the realms of the God/Goddess..Heaven, The Summerlands, etc...? Robots, once thought to be fantasy, have now established themselves in many of the workplaces. Once the boundaries of our world were surpassed and we walked upon the soil of a different world, even though it be a moon, such events surely impacted our lives but our myths did not change. Is it because we found our myths were adequate, or was it because our myths could not change because they no longer provided an adequate framework in which to live? Did technology become the new myth? What does the old lamp hold for us? Most spiritual traditions, from whatever culture, concern themselves not only with the relationship between ourselves and the God/Goddess, but between each other as well. The basic themes found in any myth/spiritual tradition, will touch upon aspects of our lives which are universal. We were taught that this world we live in is sacred and the God/Goddess take an interest in it and in us. The metaphor of Mother Earth was a living metaphor. In that light we have failed the myth, for we have poisoned it in many, many ways. Regardless of the warnings about what such neglect and abuse will result in. Joseph Campbell felt society was operating under an outdated system of myths. However, I think I would disagree with him on this point. I think our "Old Lamps" still hold emense power and meaning for us, and that their particular metaphors can be utilized in our "modern world". The term New Age itself is misleading, for there is no new material, just a newer group of celebrants. One of the set backs of our age is it has become too fast paced, out of synch with the world around us. The Norse belief of Ragnarok very easily can occur in our modern day age of computers. The singing birds of Rhiannon speak to us of paradise, until we open doors which have been forbidden to us and the singing turns to mourning. How many times has the science fiction warned us against approaching space with the concept of manifest destiny as our guiding principal? Seasons will pass independently of our computers being on or off. The heavens will continue to shine without us, regardless of if we stand upon a mountain top in North America, or upon the cliffs of a planet we have just stepped upon. If it is the Mass we celebrate, or the Sabbat of the first harvest, the universe which hatched us(in whatever version of spirituality) will continue to exist. The implication of this is staggering, for it puts us at the point of polishing our old lamps while utilizing new methods. It also calls us to utilize what we have available, including other "old lamps" to create a world in which the light of not just our own, but other lamps flourish and grow.
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