Exploring Myths

Exploring Myths


Curious about the evolution of myth and its tie in to ritual, ceremony and celebration, I visited the University of Oregon campus to sit in on a few Classical Mythology lectures, with my daughter Devon.

She lent me her text book for the two weeks I was there: Classical Mythology written by Harris, Stephen L., and Gloria Platzner, and I was particularly struck by the section on Structuralism and Myth: “Most physiological theorists regard myths as a natural expression of the psyche - one that functions therapeutically to purge unacceptable desire, provide creative energy, reconcile individuals to their environment, and attribute moral order and meaning to the universe. Structuralism further refines this concept as viewing myth as a refinement of the minds binary organization.” This supports my views on the need for faith, spiritual beliefs, and the human condition without ritual or ceremony.

The text later goes on to say: “The newest approach to myths is not cultural but biological, experiments have revealed that when individuals were in an intense of prayer or meditation the neurons in a section of the brains parietal lobe (responsible for spatial orientation and awareness of one’s body) stop firing” … and even further, “ Not only do people who suffer temporal lobe seizures often have intense religious experiences, but stimulation of the temporal lobes in healthy subject also induce such experiences even if the subjects had no previous inclinations or beliefs”. I find this highly significant to our human experience and the unconscious rituals we sometimes create. These thoughts stayed with me as I continued to explore more every day experiences.

The class was instructed by Christina Calhoon, and the main lecture was about Dionysus. “The God of Enlightenment through Partying.” Later, Devon and I discussed its relevance and possible connections to my work. We were in the time of year filled with parties, celebrations and family traditions, one of which for some people is to drink too much to tolerate the stress that seems to accompany the family gatherings. Thanks Giving was only days away.

When I posed the question: what happens when an anticipated ceremony does not take place?” Devon responded from her own knowledge and notes, “The type of reaction depends on the type of ceremony or ritual that has not occurred, and the cultural myths surrounding that ceremony or ritual. Such as the Greeks sacrificing bulls, and giving them a reason to eat beef, even though cows were rare. Without the charter myths, eating beef becomes an occasional activity with no real meaning or purpose.”

Reenactment of heroic deeds, purification ceremonies, and historic events serve as ritualized reminders to people, for moral behavior, promise of a better future, or redemption. Rituals help control violent behavior and channel aggression in the populace. The baseball ritual is a prime example of a regular and important ritual. Watching it on television doesn’t have the ambiance and ritualized participation of being in the ball park, where one can smell the popcorn, sing the songs, and pay to much money for an old hot dog and half a cup of stale beer. These seemingly mundane things put together add to the joy of the ritualized experience. And if a game or sporting event were to be canceled or not occur, fans generally become angry, destructive and even violent, whether in their living rooms, or in the stadium parking lot.

Devon said, “It’s easy to see how the transfer of ritual was made from religious to secular activities. The Greeks held the Olympics to honor the Gods. Modern sports have their own "gods" and heroes and legends. Some sports were historically played to honor important events such as the death of Caesar, in ancient Rome. In roman history early history is closely tied to myth. After the death of Caesar, the brightest comet in history passed the earth, during the games held honoring his life. It was believed that this was his soul being taken to the heavens by Venus.”

So faith and religion and myth are closely bound together, across societies and cultures. Ceremonies, celebration and ritual are a frequent part of that. Myths explain the origins of things and set the stage for religion. So ritual is an activity that carries symbolism and meaning forward, to sanctify a course of action, decision, or promise for the individual or community.