{"id":229,"date":"2016-12-03T16:02:19","date_gmt":"2016-12-04T00:02:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/tempest\/?p=229"},"modified":"2016-12-03T16:02:19","modified_gmt":"2016-12-04T00:02:19","slug":"whats-mything","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tempest\/2016\/12\/whats-mything.html","title":{"rendered":"What’s Mything in Your Life?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>
As much as one may be inclined to slag off on Catholicism (and really, we ALL\u00a0could do without the negativity of slagging off on any path that works for its followers)<\/em>, Catholic school is where I really learned about myth.<\/p>\n
During 7th or 8th grade religion class, a priest (Father Vaughan) took the time to carefully explain the meaning of myth and metaphor in regards to holy texts and doctrines. \u00a0He explained that the stories in the bible were not meant to be taken as factual, straightly-read accounts. \u00a0Rather they should be interpreted as steeped in symbolism and layers of meaning beyond the words themselves. \u00a0He encouraged us to find the message in each story, and consider how it applied to our own lives.<\/p>\nDetails from 4 mythic paintings by the author<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
These are wise words we can all benefit from. \u00a0In more ways than you can imagine. \u00a0How do your myths work for you? What are the myths present in your life?<\/p>\n
We tend to think of myth as something that was forged long ago \u2013 and unchanging through time. \u00a0Myths are fluid, changing with the cultures that tell them, constantly being created and recreated. \u00a0Our ancestors have edited and altered myths per their experiences. \u00a0They eliminated or added characters, empowering or minimizing certain aspects, changing, adding, or erasing details to fit their modern-day narrative.<\/p>\n
Similarly, some people may equate myths with fiction, but all myths have a root in reality. \u00a0They explain our relationship with the universe, both the natural and unnatural world around us \u2013 from creation and the nuances of life, to the mysteries of death. \u00a0Mythology imparts upon us history, morals, ethics, protocol, and viewpoints.<\/p>\n
Myths are forged in the heart of storytelling, the mind and body of defining and forming culture, and in the spirit of imagination. They\u00a0are not just stories of the gods \u2013 such as Persephone\u2019s Journey to the Underworld<\/em> or Coyote Brings Fire To The People<\/em>, but the rise and fall of religions, cultures, governments, and plain old human beings. \u00a0These are all myths: \n\u2013 Your great-great grandfather\u2019s trek to the new world and building a new legacy for his descendants in Pittsburgh \n\u2013 Gerald Gardner\u2019s founding of Wicca \n\u2013 Sibyl Leek\u2019s occult heritage and orientation into Witchcraft \n\u2013 Your interaction with that rude person in the grocery store yesterday that got applause from your fellow shoppers \n\u2013 The surprising and uplifting encounter\u00a0your friend just had with someone on the subway<\/p>\n
They all combine elements of truth and real experiences, rolled up into something that is passed on verbally or in printed form.<\/p>\n
We take in details through all of our senses, our minds unconsciously form versions of what we experience. \u00a0That also means that the person sitting next to us could see the same scene play out, and remember it in a completely different way. \u00a0Others purposely manipulate myths to recreate experiences in their own and other memories. \u00a0Sometimes it\u2019s done with the best of intentions, and sometimes it\u2019s forged under a veil of manipulation.<\/p>\npainting by the author, circa 2000<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
It is VITAL that we are constantly investigating and reconsidering not only the myths of ancient times, but those of the generation ahead of us, and that of those behind us. \u00a0Persephone\u2019s story can indeed change its meaning and relevance depending on how our own lives go. \u00a0How you saw the myth when you were 8 should be different than when you were 16, 32, 48,or 70 \u2013 because of your own experiences.<\/p>\n
Similarly, \u00a0as history uncovers new facts and other variations of myths, we must allow ourselves to be fluid enough to move with the myth, to see and accept (or reject) new versions. \u00a0We should question what we think and what we believe \u2013 and why we think\/believe that way. \nFor example, so much information has been brought to light about how Wicca as a religion came to be (and continues to come into being via Ronald Hutton, letters from Doreen Valiente, conjecture on Margaret Murray\u2019s work, etc and so forth)<\/em> or similar P-word paths claiming long lineages and fantastic associations with occult celebrities \u2013 \u00a0yet some folks are latched on to the idea of it being \u201cthe ancient ways\u201d despite the proof, or logic. \u00a0That connection to pre-Christian times, during the last several decades gave a sense of validation and history<\/em><\/strong> to a budding movement.<\/p>\n
But age doesn\u2019t grant validity to a path \u2013 practice does. \u00a0It doesn\u2019t matter how recently your spiritual path got pinned on the map, or how it compares to someone else\u2019s \u2013 what matters is that it works for you.<\/strong><\/em> \u00a0Ask yourself, what does the myth do for you? \u00a0What do you lose in releasing it?<\/p>\n
And what are the myths that society is feeding you right now?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n
In the spirit of mythmaking, I\u2019m\u00a0feeling that we definitely need to build a new myth for our times, and lay some others to rest. \u00a0I\u2019d like to see more of the p-word community release their mental hold on some of the myths of persecution tied to hundreds of years ago. \u00a0Then trade them in for stories of empowerment and vigilance to get us through the trials of our modern culture.<\/p>\n
Considering my own background and various descriptors, I could be fearing for my own neck. Instead I\u2019m thinking about ALL of the others. \u00a0The others who need a voice \u2013 those who may not look, believe, fuck, or think like me \u2013 or even accept my ways or beliefs, but are in need of help, support, and protection. \u00a0In my myth, the Witch is revolutionary, a fighter, protector, guide, and healer in one. \u00a0And the only thing that\u2019s going to be burning in my myth is the passion of the spirit to prevail. \u00a0The only things that will be set aflame will be hate, ignorance, greed, and injustice.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s your myth?<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
As much as one may be inclined to slag off on Catholicism (and really, we ALL\u00a0could do without the negativity of slagging off on any path that works for its followers), Catholic school is where I really learned about myth. During 7th or 8th grade religion class, a priest (Father Vaughan) took the time to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2676,"featured_media":230,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,13,14],"tags":[119,135,136,101,26,134,7,4],"class_list":["post-229","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-modernpractice","category-myth-and-folklore","category-tradition","tag-myth","tag-mythology","tag-mythos","tag-p-word","tag-pagan","tag-wicca","tag-witch","tag-witchcraft"],"yoast_head":"\n
What's Mything in Your Life?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In the spirit of mythmaking, I'm feeling that we definitely need to build a new myth for our times, and lay others to rest.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tempest\/2016\/12\/whats-mything.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What's Mything in Your Life?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In the spirit of mythmaking, I'm feeling that we definitely need to build a new myth for our times, and lay others to rest.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tempest\/2016\/12\/whats-mything.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"A Modern Traditional Witch\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/LauraTempestZakroff\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-12-04T00:02:19+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/654\/2016\/12\/mything.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"400\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Laura Tempest Zakroff\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@LTempestZ\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Laura Tempest Zakroff\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tempest\/2016\/12\/whats-mything.html\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tempest\/2016\/12\/whats-mything.html\",\"name\":\"What's Mything in Your Life?\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tempest\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2016-12-04T00:02:19+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2016-12-04T00:02:19+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tempest\/#\/schema\/person\/4b27926466da8da8d2f065b017f61b72\"},\"description\":\"In the spirit of mythmaking, I'm feeling that we definitely need to build a new myth for our times, and lay others to rest.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tempest\/2016\/12\/whats-mything.html#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tempest\/2016\/12\/whats-mything.html\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tempest\/2016\/12\/whats-mything.html#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tempest\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"What’s Mything in Your Life?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tempest\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tempest\/\",\"name\":\"A Modern Traditional Witch\",\"description\":\"Weaving the Realms of Tradition, Folklore, and Modern Practice\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tempest\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tempest\/#\/schema\/person\/4b27926466da8da8d2f065b017f61b72\",\"name\":\"Laura Tempest Zakroff\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tempest\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/acc3ea529c8d56233a639e2fc69121da?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/acc3ea529c8d56233a639e2fc69121da?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Laura Tempest Zakroff\"},\"description\":\"Laura Tempest Zakroff is a professional artist, author, performer, and Modern Traditional Witch based in New England. She holds a BFA from RISD (the Rhode Island School of Design), and her artwork has received awards and honors worldwide. Her work embodies myth and the esoteric through her drawings and paintings, jewelry, talismans, and other designs. Laura is the author of the bestselling Llewellyn books Weave the Liminal, Sigil Witchery, and Anatomy of a Witch, as well as the Liminal Spirits Oracle (artist\/author), The Witch\u2019s Cauldron, and co-author of The Witch\u2019s Altar with Jason Mankey. Laura edited The New Aradia: A Witch\u2019s Handbook to Magical Resistance (Revelore Press). She is the creative force behind several community events and teaches workshops online and worldwide.\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/www.lauratempestzakroff.com\",\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/LauraTempestZakroff\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/owlkeyme.arts\/\",\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/LTempestZ\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tempest\/author\/ltzakroff\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"What's Mything in Your Life?","description":"In the spirit of mythmaking, I'm feeling that we definitely need to build a new myth for our times, and lay others to rest.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tempest\/2016\/12\/whats-mything.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"What's Mything in Your Life?","og_description":"In the spirit of mythmaking, I'm feeling that we definitely need to build a new myth for our times, and lay others to rest.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tempest\/2016\/12\/whats-mything.html","og_site_name":"A Modern Traditional Witch","article_author":"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/LauraTempestZakroff","article_published_time":"2016-12-04T00:02:19+00:00","og_image":[{"width":600,"height":400,"url":"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/654\/2016\/12\/mything.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Laura Tempest Zakroff","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@LTempestZ","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Laura Tempest Zakroff","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tempest\/2016\/12\/whats-mything.html","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tempest\/2016\/12\/whats-mything.html","name":"What's Mything in Your Life?","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tempest\/#website"},"datePublished":"2016-12-04T00:02:19+00:00","dateModified":"2016-12-04T00:02:19+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tempest\/#\/schema\/person\/4b27926466da8da8d2f065b017f61b72"},"description":"In the spirit of mythmaking, I'm feeling that we definitely need to build a new myth for our times, and lay others to rest.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tempest\/2016\/12\/whats-mything.html#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tempest\/2016\/12\/whats-mything.html"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tempest\/2016\/12\/whats-mything.html#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tempest"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"What’s Mything in Your Life?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tempest\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tempest\/","name":"A Modern Traditional Witch","description":"Weaving the Realms of Tradition, Folklore, and Modern Practice","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tempest\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tempest\/#\/schema\/person\/4b27926466da8da8d2f065b017f61b72","name":"Laura Tempest Zakroff","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tempest\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/acc3ea529c8d56233a639e2fc69121da?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/acc3ea529c8d56233a639e2fc69121da?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","caption":"Laura Tempest Zakroff"},"description":"Laura Tempest Zakroff is a professional artist, author, performer, and Modern Traditional Witch based in New England. She holds a BFA from RISD (the Rhode Island School of Design), and her artwork has received awards and honors worldwide. Her work embodies myth and the esoteric through her drawings and paintings, jewelry, talismans, and other designs. Laura is the author of the bestselling Llewellyn books Weave the Liminal, Sigil Witchery, and Anatomy of a Witch, as well as the Liminal Spirits Oracle (artist\/author), The Witch\u2019s Cauldron, and co-author of The Witch\u2019s Altar with Jason Mankey. Laura edited The New Aradia: A Witch\u2019s Handbook to Magical Resistance (Revelore Press). She is the creative force behind several community events and teaches workshops online and worldwide.","sameAs":["http:\/\/www.lauratempestzakroff.com","http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/LauraTempestZakroff","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/owlkeyme.arts\/","https:\/\/twitter.com\/LTempestZ"],"url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tempest\/author\/ltzakroff"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tempest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/229","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tempest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tempest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tempest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2676"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tempest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=229"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tempest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/229\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tempest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/230"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tempest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=229"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tempest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=229"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tempest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=229"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"Details](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/654\/2016\/12\/mything.jpg\")
![\"painting](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/654\/2016\/12\/tbt-weaver-683x1024.jpg\")