Myth

It may seem strange to consider myth as a tool for transformation. Yet, within these ancient narratives, we encounter the universal themes that reflect the human experience, even in modern times.

Myths serve as mirrors, maps, and meaning-makers. Across cultures and throughout history, they have illuminated the trials and triumphs of life, offering us role models and guiding us through the complexities of existence.

Myths provide blueprints for change and self-discovery. Whether through the trials of Hercules, the wisdom-seeking journey of Odysseus, or the death and rebirth cycle of Persephone, these narratives echo our inner struggles, helping us confront fears, endure loss, and embrace transformation. They teach resilience, self-acceptance, and the cyclical nature of personal growth.

Beyond personal development, myths shape and reveal collective values. Ancient myths explain the forces of nature and lay down the moral foundations of societies.

While many myths emphasize the hero’s journey—a perspective rooted in masculine ideals—goddess myths and feminine narratives offer alternative models of strength, wisdom, and transformation. These ancient representations of the feminine are especially vital today, as modern culture struggles to reclaim and honor its lost dimensions of feminine power.

Greek goddess myths can help us to re-discover the feminine both individually and culturally.  Persephone, Demeter, Aphrodite, Ariadne, Artemis, Athena, and Hestia are just a few of the goddesses whose presence has been diminished in our culture, but whose stories provide us with visions of how we can re-embrace the feminine in a powerful way.

My presentation at the Jungian Society for Scholarly Studies (JSSS) conference about Earth and Psyche considered the role of the feminine and the underworld in the process of transformation through the ancient Greek myth about Theseus and Peirithoos. The myth also illuminates the consequences of the masculine’s attempt at dominating the feminine.

The relief depicted here portrays the myth of Persephone and Demeter, which reflects the cycles of psychological death and rebirth and the necessity of engaging with the unconscious for true wholeness. In this image, Persephone, Demeter, and Athena—each embodying distinct aspects of the feminine—guide an initiate through the Eleusinian Mysteries, the most revered of ancient Greek rites and a profound process of psychological transformation.