Mythology

The central and hidden truth behind all World religion, namely the idea that a persons real identity is God, is also the key that unlocks the higher meaning behind Mythology, particularly those Myths which concern the timeless Hero Quest.

Firstly we ask 'what is Mythology?'. The word mythology derives from the Greek word 'mythos', which means story. Therefore myths are stories but at the same time not all stories are myths, so what then are these stories that comprise the body of literature called World mythology. It has been said that "Myths are things that never happened but always are." This quote is attributed to the 4th century Roman historian and mystic Sallustius. It describes the allegorical nature of mythology and suggests that they contain behind their often fairy tale and fantastical nature, hidden truths and higher meanings. In a sense they represent humankind's first attempts to try to understand and articulate spiritual and transcendent truths and as such may be seen as proto-religion or an early forerunner of religion as we know it today. Indeed many of the stories contained in the more ancient literature of the earlier religions may be regarded as mythology. Likewise some ancient myths found themselves incorporated into the holy texts of the major world religions. So for instance, much of the Bible may correctly be viewed as a collection of myths. A similar situation existed in early Hinduism which produced an extensive and elaborate collection of myths.So mythology blends into and is incorporated into religion and vice versa, certain religious ideas are best represented as myths. Seen in this light, mythology is a medium which was developed in order to communicate eternal truths. They derive from humankinds quest to answer the big questions concerning the nature of the divine, the nature of reality, the human condition, higher powers and our relationship to those higher powers.

It is an unfortunate aspect of contemporaneous times that in the minds of many people the word myth has become synonymous with a falsehood or something that is untrue. Or else to many other people, mythology is just a sort of phantasmagorical fairytale with no real purpose or inherent meaning; a form of children's entertainment. But a little investigation suggests that in many ways the ancients were very sophisticated in their understanding of spiritual matters, and also understood that certain truths needed to be presented in a veiled or allegorical form. Hence we have the very dramatic and colourful stories that make up the world's greatest myths.

Myths are usually divided into several broad categories. For instance there are cosmogonic myths which describe in allegorical or picture language, how the Universe, the Earth, plants, animal and people came in being. Then there are those myths which are morality tales and which are formulated to aid the process of moral instruction. Also there are hero quest myths describing an adventure, undertaken by a mortal i.e. the hero, which leads to some special goal or realization at the end. This category of myth is particularly interesting because it is widely understood that these tales of mythological quest are really stories about spiritual journeys; though in allegorical form. And therefore the endings of these stories are in turn about the realization of some mystical goal or the attainment some sort of spiritual understanding. So for instance, given this interpretation of the hero myth, the quest for the holy grail is therefore really about the quest for enlightenment. And the same for the myth of Odysseus. In both these examples, the trials and tribulations faced by the Grail Knights and also by Odysseus and his sailors, are representative of the challenges and obstacles that face any spiritual aspirant. Seen in this light the hero myths are really about the spiritual evolution of everyman and everywoman, and hidden within these timeless tales are guides, sign posts and also warnings which are relevant and meaningful even in modern times, for the contemporary seeker of the transcendent. It is this type of myth which this current section of the website will be focusing on.

In modern times, this idea that stories about mythological quest are really coded allegories representing a person's spiritual evolution and journey, was initially best elaborated upon by the renowned explorer of human psychology Carl Gustav Jung. His one time friend and mentor the equally well known Sigmund Freud, also explored the themes of mythology in relation to the human mind and behaviour. However it was Jung who saw myths as representing a spiritual and transcendent dimension. During the course of Jung's life, he was always something of a mystic. Later on he became very interested in Gnosticism and other ancient mystical ideas. Another related thread in the development of our modern understanding of mythology has been the work of the scholar and great popularizer of myth Joseph Campbell. Partly influenced by the ideas of Jung, Joseph Campbell synthesized a concept know as the Monomyth which he described in his influential work 'The hero with a thousand faces'. Essentially what he did, was to survey a vast array of World mythology from many of the major ancient cultures of this planet. As a result of this study he identified certain themes and central storylines which occured in these myths again and again. It is this distilled recurring story that he called the Monomyth. It is as if a common template was being used to produce most of the World's great myths, even though there would be various variations in the main storyline and differences in their details or specifics. This Monomyth was about the mythological quest and involved a central character whose purpose was to realize some spiritual goal. So even though there is a huge variety among all the different stories about mythological quest from all the cultures of the World; what the concept of the monomyth is saying is that there is a universal story underlying all these different myths. So in a sense these tales are really about the same character in different guises, inhabiting various contexts and epochs. But all the while playing out the same drama and encountering recurring situations and circumstances. Hence 'The hero with a thousand faces'. We'll be exploring the Monomyth in more detail later on but next we'll examine the importance of mythology and the influence they effect on the modern mind and comptemporary culture.

I recollect that personally my first memorable encounter with mythology occured when I was 7 or 8 years old. It was while I was in infant school in the late 70s that the teacher decided that we should all watch a serialization of the ancient Greek myth Odysseus which was shown in the afternoon on children's school television. The format of these shows was very simple reflecting the state of much of children's television in the UK back in the 1970s. The story was read out by an actor and what was shown on the TV screen was a slow succession of artwork which illustrated the narrative. Even so, I remember I was totally captivated by the things I heard and the pictures that I saw. The story was about the sea voyage of Odysseus and his men as they try to make their way, back from the Trojan war, to their homes. During this arduous trip they visit various islands along the way. On each island they would come across some strange mythological character, creature or creatures and some sort of challenge would be posed by each of these encounters. The tale of Odysseus is so well known that many of the characters featured in the story are a part of the common vernacular, for instance the one eyed Cyclops, the Sirens and the Lotus eaters. In the unfolding of the myth, as Odysseus and his sailors overcome each challenge they meet on the various islands they get slowly closer to their homeward destination. However along the way Odysseus' travelling companions are gradually either lost of killed until finally only Odysseus is left. He eventually arrives back at his own house, there is one final battle at the end with rivals who would take for themselves what is rightfully his. Then at last he is reunited with his wife and the story ends.

A year or so later on in my life another story would have an even greater influence on my life. This came in the form of the film Star Wars. As an eight year old the effect that this film had on me was tremendous. Not only did it excite my imagination, it seemed to awaken in me a whole new way of looking at myself and my world. Much of childhood was already ** imbued with a sense of the magical and spiritual. After seeing the film Star Wars and becoming absorbed in its world through the related toys, comics and bubble gum cards, it is as if my life became touched with a sense of things epic and indeed things mythological.

Just as in the ancient myth of Odysseus, the storyline of Star Wars involves a journey, a succession of challenges, a final struggle at the end and victorious outcome at the end. The main differences being that the story in Star wars unfolds at a much faster pace and unlike in Odysseus instead of happening in this world then events in Star wars transpire in outer space in a galaxy far far away. But reflecting upon the two stories now, the similarities between them are remarkable. We've already mentioned the same underlying storylines but they also share a fantastical nature that though far removed from normal day to day existence, still somehow resonate with the problems and aspirations of everyday life. That is, it is not only the over dramatic, over the top and surreal character of these two stories which give them their power but it is also the essential underlying narrative which is able to communicate something deep but at the same time quite simple. And there is a reason for this close relationship between the ancient myth of Odysseus and the modern science fiction film Star wars which we'll be discussing next.

We have already mentioned Joseph Campbell and his concept of the Monomyth in which he distilled the central and recurring underlying narrative that seems common to many of the hero quest myths of the world. He included the myth of Odysseus in his survey. As mentioned earlier his ideas were quite widely read and significantly one of the people who was heavily influenced by Joseph Campbell's idea of the Monomyth, happened to be the creator of Star wars. George Lucas conceived, wrote the story for and directed the film Star wars. He is fond of mentioning that while he was writing the storyline for the film, he would often refer to the work of Joseph Campbell to make sure he was on track and that there would be close correspondence between the outline of the monomyth and Star Wars. So In a definite sense, it can be said that Star Wars is a modern myth. A re-telling of a timeless story though set in a technological science fiction context and communicated using the modern medium of film. It is natural therefore that there should be correspondence between the story in the film Star wars and the ancient myth of Odysseus. Also indeed by the same token, some meaningful correspondence between Star wars and many of the ancient hero quest myths of the world. For it is the monomyth which lies at the core of all these mythological hero quest tales and it is something about the essential elements of this monomyth which gives the stories which derive from it their power. In fact in ancient times these hero quest myths were so important that they were central features of their respective cultures. For example the ancient Hellenistic culture the tale of Odysseus would have been known by most greeks of the time. Likewise the ancient hero quest myth called Gilgamesh was similarly a central aspect of ancient Sumerian culture. And so for contemporary times where together with Star Wars, we also have hero quest myths such as 'The Lord of the Rings', 'The Dune trilogy' and the Matrix movies. All hugely influential on the modern mind and especially the young. So what is it about these stories which gives them their power to influence, effect and inspire? What are they telling us that causes these myths to resonate so deeply within us? To answer these questions we'll now discuss in more detail the concepts which are behind the idea of the monomyth.

Diagram representing the various stages of the process described by the idea of the monomyth which captures the recurring and essential underlying storyline is common to many of the worlds hero quest myths.

The diagram above encapsulates the general ideas behind the concept of the monomyth. The idea that there exists a common underlying storyline behind many of the hero quest myths found various cultures and times from around the world. In this depiction, the hero's journey is mapped out on a circle which is meant to convey the idea that the mythological quest is a recurring undertaking. That is it is a process and happens periodically over the course of succeeding generations or epochs. It is as if it is a necessary quest that is essential for the maintainance of the life of a culture. So cyclically, every so often in the course of history of a civilization, a person or group of people will embark on the mythological hero quest in order to find some prize that is neccesary for the life of the culture to carry on and thrive. Hence we have the concept of the myth cycle inherent to the idea of the monomyth. It is important to point out at this stage that this myth cycle and monomyth idea act as a sort of complete template from which mythological hero quest stories may be created, as in the case of the Star wars discussed early. Also vice versa, existing hero quest myths found in the ancient cultures of the world may also be mapped to this monomyth template and corresponding stages or features identified. However it will not always be the case that a complete mapping can be made. That is, though just about all the worlds hero quest myths are made up of central elements contained in the monomyth, not all these myths will necessarily contain all the concepts and stages outlined in the monomyth. With this qualification in place we'll summarize the different stages of the monomyth.

The myth cycle starts with things in a state of equilibrium or place of peace and this is represented by the topmost point of our myth cycle diagram. The mythological hero and adventurer to be found in a state of relative inexperience and perhaps even one of naivity. The setting here may be the homestead, perhaps a village, farm or palace. But then something happens which upsets this equilibrium. For instance a princess may be abducted or some precious item may be stolen. Another example would be that perhaps the society or home in which the hero lives falls into disarray for some reason such as a sudden of death of some person, or else a natural disaster. After this perturbation occurs then the goal of the mythological quest is understood and taken up by the hero. This goal may come in the form of a princess or some other beautiful woman who needs to be rescued or found. Or else some precious item such as a holy grail or perhaps a magic sword needs to be recovered that will restore things to the tranquil way things were before the upheaval. This stage is labelled the 'call to adventure'.

So events transpire that cause the hero or heroine to leave his or her natural context and embark on a perilous journey in search of some goal. Once the hero is determined to pursue his goal then he is said to be crossing over the 'threshold of adventure'. This step may involve defeating the 'Guardians of the threshold. These obstacles initially facing the mythological hero may be internal, i.e. self doubt or fear of the unknown. They may come in the form of friends or familiy members who try to persuade against pursuing the quest. Or else they can be physical adversaries. Once this threshold is crossed then the mythic adventurer is at the start of his journey.

Having crossed over the threshold of adventure the quest begins in earnest. The hero enters into another world quite different from whence he come. He enters into the realm of the mythic quest and somewhere within it lies his sought after prize. This 'other world' may be represented in the myth as a labyrinth, a cave, a dark forest, a sea voyage of exploration or some other environment that is far removed from the hero's natural context. In this alien land the mythic hero will encounter all sorts of trails, obstacle, tribulations and challenges. All sorts of adversaries will confront our intrepid seeker coming in the form of strange humans or weird beasts. A necessary part of the journey is that the hero must finds ways of somehow overcoming them, perhaps winning them over or else destroying them. Also along the way friends and helpers will be encountered who may offer guidance or provide the hero with useful tools and magical talismans. Some of these characters may may even join up with the hero and become travelling companions helping our central character to complete his or her journey of mythological quest. As the journey progresses and the challenges are met, then all the while the hero becomes more experienced, grows in knowledge and develops special abilities. This prepares the hero for one last struggle before the ultimate prize is reached. This final conflict may come in the form of a dragon, a master sorcerer or some other potent adversary. After a great battle or else some cunning trick that the hero employs, the last adversary is defeated and the prize is attained, i.e. the princess is saved or the holy grail found. This is represented by the bottom most point of the circle on our myth cycle diagram.

The hero having achieved his goal, then has to bring his prize back from the perilous realm of adventure and this involves a process of escape where a few more obstacles may present themselves. After overcoming these last challenges the hero crosses another threshold that separates the realm of the quest from the more mundane reality from which the hero emerged at the start of the tale. After this we arrive at the penultimate stage of the myth cycle which is called the return journey. It involves a triumphant homeward course to the ending of the story and the last stage of the myth cycle. Here the initial equilibrium is restored, the hero's world is restored to its previous tranquil state and mythological quest has served its purpose. So in the end we arrive at the point in the circle of our myth cycle diagram which also represents the beginning of the cycle. This represents the fact that this happy ending and harmonious state of affairs is only transitory. That is at some point in the future, perhaps many generations on, the tranquility is perturbed and the myth cycle begins all over again.

So in abbreviated form this is the essence of the myth cycle that is described by the concept of the monomyth. It is a stereotypical sequence of events and actions that seem to be recurring themes in many of the worlds great hero quest myths. We know ask and try to answer the question of why it is that these hero quest myths are such powerfully captivating and inspiring tales. One answer is that even though these myths are highly fantastical and far removed from our day to day existence, they serve as a mirror which reflects the concerns and problems of real life. That is in a sense we are all on our personal quests to realize some dream or to fulfill some aspiration, no matter how mundane. In this way we are all able to identify fully with the mythological hero and relate to his difficult journey. For the simple reason that we see in his problems our own. In fact we can go much furthur and draw direct parallels between the stages of the myth cycle, described by the monomyth, and the life cycle of a normal human being. The following diagram illustrates this relationship.

Diagram representing the normal course of events in the life of everyday people. It is meant to show an ideal and prototypical situation only.

In the above diagram, which follows exactly the same format as the myth cycle diagram shown earlier, is depicted the major stages of a typical person's life. It represents a common norm and of course the lives of many individuals will be different from this generalization in varying degrees. However the diagram does portray a pattern of existence that has been found throughout the world and throughout human history. The important thing about this diagram of the human life cycle, in regard to present discussion, is that a meaningful correspondence can be made between each of its stages and each of the stages of the myth cycle diagram. Once this connection is made then we start to see that everybody is like the mythological hero and that we're all on our own intrepid adventures. We'll go through the various stages of a typical person's life to elaborate upon this idea.

Beginning at the top of the diagram we find the beginning of the cycle which is the idyllic and uncomplicated happiness of childhood and the family home. We start in state where things are alright, good and as they should be. This corresponds to the peaceful homestead or palace in myth. But then we enter into puberty and adolescence. The harmony we had in our infancy vanishes and our sexual awakening is accompanied with a sense of incompleteness and insecurity. We endeavour to become adequate in our own eyes and in relation to others. We set out on the long journey of sexual discovery and the quest for love. This stage of life is correspondent with the call to adventure in the mythological hero quest with its concommitant perturbation and precipitating factor i.e. sexual awakening. And so we venture out into the world, typically leaving home and setting out to make something of ourselves. We try to become the perfect image that we have of our future selves, that we think will enable us to achieve our goals, gain status and win love. We pursue our ambitions, work, study, explore and compete. We are engaged in the adventure that is life and this is correspondent with the dark forest, labyrinth or perilous sea journey of mythology. Within this stage we face the trials and tribulations of life, the pleasure, the pain, the successes, the setbacks, the rewards and the disappointments. And on we go until the primary goal for most people is finally achieved, we meet our chosen partner, fall in love, have sex and raise children(perhaps not always in this order). This for a lot of people is like finding the holy grail or of course like finding the princess or prince. The rest of the life cycle involves setting up the conditions that we started with in the first place, i.e. setting up a home, having children and creating a situation of domestic bliss. And so like the return journey in mythology we have a reinstatement of the original state of equilibrium and tranquility. Also in the same way that the myth cycle repeats itself, so it is in our human life cycles. That is once we have completed our life's adventure, found a partner, set up a home and produced offspring, then so in turn our children grow into adolescence, sexually awaken and likewise set off on their own life quests. And so the human life cycle repeats itself again further mirroring the myth cycle with its own recurrent nature.

So on one level of interpretation myths can be seen as stories that encapsulate within themselves the most significant and overriding concerns of living, to do with growth, sexual awakening, reaching maturity, the conflicts of life, finding love and having children. There is also a whole other dimension behind the hero myth tales and therefore also behind the monomyth concept. It seems that these myths, more often than not, also allude towards spiritual and transcendent realities. Beyond merely reflecting the course of normal life, albeit in highly dramatized form, these hero myths are also allegories pointing towards hidden metaphysical meanings. Without this important and key ingredient then indeed the hero quest myths would be nothing much more than very elaborate adventure tales. However it is this added component, which may involve experiences of the numinous, encounters with the divine or the notion of eternal life, that gives these hero quest myths their quite distinctive character. So for instance in many renderings of the holy grail myths from medieval Europe, the grail is not some physical object but a rarefied state of being that is achieved by certain chosen knights who are endowed with certain virtues. In one version of the grail myth at the end the knight Galahad is lifted up in into Heaven. In this way the grail is used as a metaphor for spiritual perfection. In the myths of Gilgamesh and Hercules the idea of eternal life and the quest for or attainment of it, is found. Hercules earns eternal life from the Gods and Gilgamesh they still a mortal at the end of his tale, nonetheless has come out wiser and more enlightened. Often hero quest myths will also contain encounters with gods or other divine beings and as a result return with miraculous powers or divine gifts, for instance Prometheus steals the potential of fire from the gods. etc. These allusions to the transcendent and mystical are also found in the contemporary modern myths. For instance at the end of the third installment of the Star Wars myth called 'Revenge of the Jedi', some of the main characters who had died earlier return as immortal beings. In the Lord of the Rings story, the main character Frodo Baggins goes off to live with the elves and earns immortality for himself. In both the Dune trilogy and the Matrix myths, the central characters of the two tales Paul Artreides and Neo respectively, both become Messianic figures with superhuman powers. Furthermore in the case of Neo in the Matrix, he plays the role of the dying godman who sacrifices himself to save the world and to give others life. So we therefore see a pattern behind all these different hero quest myths both ancient and modern. They allude to themes normally associated with religion and the world of mysticism. We'll now put forward an idea that explains what is the meaning between this relationship that the hero quest myth has with the spiritual dimension.

We have just explored the close correspondence that the myth cycle has with the typical human life cycle. We'll now introduce another perspective that casts light on the connection that the hero quest myths have with ideas about the divine. In other sections of this website I explain and discuss at length the idea that a person's real identity is God and that the final destination of the spiritual journey is ultimately to become God or awaken to our try nature. And I show systematically that the notion everyone is God is the truth that lies at the heart of all world religion. With these considerations in place it is reasonable to conjecture that this idea that a person's real identity is God is also something related to our hero myth tales. This is particularly so when we understand mythology in general to be intimately related to religion, with the ancient myths existing at the heart of mankinds earliest spiritual traditions. Seen in this light it makes sense to think of the hero quest myths as allegories that are really about a person's spiritual evolution towards, potentially, the ultimate goal of becoming God.

To further support this notion I'd like to introduce another way of understanding the myth cycle and also the related human life cycle, both discussed earlier. And the idea is this. Many people are familiar with the idea that everyone is made in the image of God, an often quoted phrase from the Bible. It is the idea that somehow we in our daily lives and in our ordinary existence, reflect the nature of God. This same notion is expressed in many other ways, for instance the mystical text the Corpus Hermeticum we find the often quoted passage 'As above so below'. In Taoism there is the Triad symbol which reflects the essential unity between man, Heaven and earth. In the Western occult and Kabbalistic traditions this concept is called 'correspondence', which states that for every essential element of the person, there is a correspondent aspect of the divine. Finally in the Upanishads, a revered set of Hindu texts, there is the beautiful passage:

'As is the human body so is the Cosmic body. As is the human mind so is the Cosmic mind. As is the microcosm so is the Macrocosm. And as is the atom so is the Universe.'

So if we are made in the image of God and there is something of the divine in our normal existence, then how does this notion relate to the hero quest myths we have been discussing earlier. The answer is that as has already been established we reflect the nature of God in our lives. If we now put forward the idea that God is not some static state of cosmic oneness but is instead a dynamic process that is happening everywhere in the Universe; **then the proposal is that the hero quest myths, and their distilled essence the monomyth, capture allegorically in their narratives some of the significant stages of this divine process called God. So the mythological hero's journey therefore contains within it, in symbolic form, references to the metaphysical and transcendent. I will now show that the Myth Cycle described by the monomyth is a reflection of an all encompassing Cosmic cycle that is itself the divine process and evolution of the divine.

What we understand of the nature of God has mainly been acquired through the visions of mystics, saints and the founders of world religion. Though the modern scientific would dispute the validity of these insights, there does however seem to be an uncanny convergence between some of the latest discoveries in science, particularly in the field of quantum physics, and the pronouncements of these sages. For instance in quantum mechanics certain results have forced us to challenge our assumptions about the nature of the physical world. The late great physicist John Wheeler, who worked with Albert Einstein, said that according to quantum physics 'there's no our there out there!' This points towards the idea that physical reality is illusory, which corresponds with the doctrine of 'Maya' in Hinduism and Buddha's doctrine of Sanyatta. Also modern physicists are accustomed to the idea that the nature of the universe, as described by quantum mechanics, is an inseperable and indivisible oneness. This reflects a recurring doctrine that is found in just about all the World's great faith traditions and an idea that has been reiterated by countless mystics, i.e. the oneness of all things and the essential unity of all existence. Now if we explore more in depth the mystical and esoteric traditions of the major religions and some of the ideas about the nature of God contained within them, then we can form a composite picture that aids our understanding of the divine process. Also where we find recurring ideas that several different spiritual traditions confirm then we can be confident in their authenticity. So by combining all these separate ideas about the nature of God we can construct a definite picture of the divine. Furthurmore this composite vision of the process of God is best expressed as a cycle and this Cosmic and Divine cycle can be seen to have a close correspondence with the myth cycle. To each each stage of the Cosmic cycle there is a corresponding stage of the Myth cycle. We'll now examine this Cosmic Cycle in some more detail highlighting some of the parallels with the myth cycle along the way. The following diagram will aid us in our discussion.

This diagram represents the stages of the Cosmic cycle or the divine process. From a state of perfect peace, the physical Universe arises, this stage corresponds to what scientists refer to as the big bang. The Universe then eventually evolves to become an embodied Cosmic God, an entity that is God and whose body is also the entire physical Universe. This final manifestation of God or Avatar then recreates the Universe through a process of emanation and time reversal, writing the script of another creation back to front from the end to the beginning. Once so created, the new creation wraps itself up into a seed, lies dormant in a state of perfect tranquility. From there the cycle begins again, a new Universe and a new creation unfolds.

The Cosmic cycle starts at a state of absolute peace and unity. Physical existence has not yet come into being and therefore there is separation between the transcendent and the material. We have here the state of Non-duality or perfect unity that is the transcendent God, without form and without attributes. This initial stage is correspondent with the opening circumstances of the prototypical hero quest myth as outlined by the monomyth concept, i.e. the tranquil homestead, village or palace.

However, this perfect unity is broken up into a separation between something that seems distinct from the God transcendent. Or put another way something breaks away that no longer knows that it is the transcendent and limitless God. So we have now entered into the realm of duality and the beginning of the physical Universe has come into being. In Jewish mysticism this process is called 'Zim zum' or the Contraction. This is the creation of the Demiurge in Gnostism and in Hinduism this is the coming into being of the Cosmic egg. Corresponding in the myth cycle this part of the cycle would be the call to adventure where the hero quest begins.

Next from this first separation and initial opening stage in the emergence of physical existence, the Universe expands out while at the same time matter, space and time come into being. This stage would be what scientists would label the big bang. And so from this state of emergent physical chaos and formlessness, slowly matter organizes itself into atoms, molecules, planets, suns and galaxy. Further down the line, life emerges and matter continues it evolution from formless matter to states of ever increasing intelligence and complexity. Starting from replicating molecular structures, to single cellular animals, to multicellular animals and so on to herds of complex creatures, societies and planetary wide organisms whose bodies extend over the surface of entire planets. All the while throughout the evolution of life, this cumulative process is characterized by conflict and competition. The fit survive and thrive, the weak are eliminated. At the same time there is a complementary force at work involving cooperation, love and trust where separate entities, animals or organisms come together to form larger conglomerations which then co-operate as a cohesive unity. However, these larger and more complex entities then go on to compete and get into conflict with other larger and more complex entities. So multi-cellular animal will compete with other multi-cellular animals, Herds and tribes will compete with other herds and tribe, city states and countries will compete with other city states and countries. And so on. But then we can extrapolate this process from the planetary realm out into the wider galactic and ultimately cosmic context. That is matter will continue to organize itself beyond the confines of individual planets. The process continues whereby star sysems will link up into unified entities and then whole galaxies will be brought together to form galactic organisms whose bodies span and are constituted by entire galaxies. The process of conflict and coming togetherness continues to permeate and characterize the rest of this cosmic evolution. So we might envisage another sort of Star Wars between different star systems and even conflict between entire galaxies. Finally after a grand conflict at the end there is a final coming together and integration of the entire Universe where the ultimate purpose of the evolutionary process is realized. We arrive at a point where the entire Cosmos becomes a single conscious organism. This entity then becomes enlightened, realizes it's God and also that its body is the entire universe. This then is the ultimate purpose of the Universe, that is the emergence of the Cosmic embodied God.

Shifting our perspective back to the Myth Cycle, we find correspondence between the evolution of the mythic hero, as he journeys through the road of trials, and the process of cosmic evolution just described. The mythic quester is on an spiritual adventure with the final goal is to realize the God within, whereby the hero becomes man as God. Whereas in the process of cosmic evolution the Universe is on a path of progression to become the Universe as God. Indeed as is the macrocosm, so is the microcosm in all its intermediate levels and scales of consideration. The Universe becomes God, people become God, planets become God and galaxies become God, but only one God and the same God. The parts in the all become the all in the part, for the all in the all is God. So the mythic hero is living out to the full the cosmic process within the life of a human being.

Once the Universe has become God fully manifest at the end of time then the ultimate conclusion of the evolution of the cosmos has been fullfilled. At this point the Universe is remade anew in a process of time reversal and emanation. The completed and whole body of the divine is broken up again in a recursive process of dissolution, whereby the pieces of the shattered Godhead are thrown back in time and split apart until no form or order remains. In this way the body of God has been sacrificed to bring into being a new creation and another round of the Cosmic cycle. A new script and ordained history for the next cosmic drama has been written. Through this story the finely disintegrated fragments of the Godhead will be rediscovered and reassembled to make whole the Godhead once again. But before the drama recommences, the curtain comes down. There is a period of rest and total tranquility. All the divided and dissolved emanations of the Godhead are collected together into a point, a dormant seed laid to rest. All manifest existence is gathered up into an egg that is placed in a womb which is pregnant with a new creation and another round of the Cosmic Cycle.

This last stage of the Cosmic Cycle is equivalent to the return journey of the Myth Cycle. Where the mythic hero has already achieved his ultimate goal and then sets out to return homeward and recreate conditions as they were at the beginning of the Myth Cycle.

So we see then a correspondence between the Myth Cycle, describing the prototypical hero quest myth, and the Cosmic Cycle describing the dynamic evolution of the Universe towards becoming God. Earlier we also highlighted the correspondence that exists between the Myth Cycle and the Human Life Cycle that describes a typical person's life, from infancy and sexual awakening to adulthood and child rearing. The important point to make here is that all three cycles the Cosmic Cycle, Myth Cycle and Human Life Cycle are totally correspondent with each other. This derives from the idea that image of God is manifested throughout the Universe in an all pervasive way and with the process of the divine being all pervading. ** So all the facets of the Cosmic cycle will be manifested throughout the Universe in all places, all processes and at all scales of consideration, from the atomic, human, planetary scales to the interstellar, galactic and cosmic. In this way the Myth Cycles and Human Life Cycles are really instances of the Cosmic Cycle manifested in the lives of human beings.

Now both the mythic hero and the everyday human being are reflections of the image of God and are partaking of the divine process but does this mean that the mythic hero is an everyday human being or that all normal people are mythic heroes? Earlier we discussed how many of the aspects of the mythological hero quest seem to have their parallels in lives of ordinary people, when we explored why these myths resonated with some many of us. However, the difference between the hero and lives of most people is that the goal of the mythic quester is to find eternal life and become united with God; whereas the goal of most people is to find a partner and have children. So the difference is between a spiritual prize versus a set of more earthly rewards. So this is the distinction between the journey of the mythic hero and that of everyday people. However this separation becomes blurred when we realize that everyday people sometimes take it upon themselves, when the circumstances are in place, to pursue for themselves the mythic hero quest. Even though hero quest myths are invented stories communicating hidden metaphysical truths, they also inspire actual people to undertake the spiritual hero quest in their real lives. So then the mythological hero emerges out of the realm of fantasy into the real world. The hero quest myth has then become not merely a inspiring tale but also a call to action for us to realize our greatest potential as human beings, that is the ultimate goal of spiritual awakening and becoming God. This is really the purpose of the hero quest myth and mythology in general, to orient our minds and lives towards the transcendent. They tell us of life's spiritual dimension and remind us that the ultimate purpose of life is to realize our true nature as God.

So Myths though far removed from everyday life are about real lives and their settings though fantastical are a mirror of the real world. And vice versa the real world can seem myth like. Indeed the boundries between myth and real life are indefinite and in the life of certain people, these two realms merge together. Furthermore at certain times during human history and in certain places in this world, events and circumstances come into being that are like the storylines from mythology. Times of transition, conflict and upheaval which necessitate the quest for some spiritual revelation or change of political organization that will allow the societies caught up in these periods to adapt and survive. I believe that the times in which we live today and the world we find ourselves in are exactly equivalent to those conditions found in some of the epic hero quest myth. Those circumstances that precipitate the undertaking of the mythic hero quest in the first place.

This is a world on the brink of calamity and disaster. Truly like no time before in human history, the planet as a whole is in a state of peril. The ecological and environmental systems which support life itself are in a state of such stress and perturbation that the very future of civilization as we know it is being threatened. All the while the myriad and seemly intractable conflicts of this world are diverting our focus away from these global problems making their solution impossible. On a worldwide scale, in mythic terms Camelot is in disarray. The equilibrium of the mythic palace or village has been upset and the Myth Cycle has come into play. So in the real world there is a feeling of unease that things are not right. There exists today that unless there is some drastic intervention then humanity will continue to get closer to the abyss.

It is in these times of crisis that the hero quest myth plays another role. That is they serve the purpose of acting as a call to action and for people to take on the role of the mythic hero. I believe that modern myths such as Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, The Dune Trilogy and the Matrix films act as a powerful catalyst and have prepared certain people to take on the role of the mythological hero in real life. These tales have helped to inspire people toward the selfless and heroic. There is a suggestion in these epic stories for people to take it upon themselves to save the World. By including pointers to the transcendent, they allude to the spiritual and lead people towards the mystery that is God. Thereby mythology precipitates and makes sense our quest for spiritual awakening and helps the spiritual revival of the world.