Myth in the Mojave
Do you like to hear a good story? Are you interested in learning how the old myths and stories shape contemporary life? Myth in the Mojave was created and hosted by cultural mythologist, storyteller, teacher, and activist Dr. Catherine Svehla. Find new content under the new name, "Myth Matters." Thanks for listening and keep the mystery in your life alive.
Episodes
135 episodes
Afflatus: Greg Gilbert’s Poetry for the Love of All
“Writing is a way of thinking. When I compose poetry, the refining of language, the rhythms and compacted structures and the resultant shaped and cadenced language is a still life that captures an instant of ongoing discovery.” Greg Gi...
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Season 7
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Episode 7
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51:31
Curiosity, Presence, & Poetry: An Interview with Caryn Davidson
“Nothing is in the intellect that was not first in the senses.” AristotleWe celebrate National Poetry month with this special edition interview with high desert poet and writer, Caryn Davidson. Caryn shared the quote (above), wh...
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Season 7
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Episode 6
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53:27
To Hell and Back: The Greek Myth of Orpheus and Eurydice
“It was an adventure much could be made of: a walkOn the shores of the darkest known river…” ---Mark Strand, from “Orpheus Alone”The Greek myth of Orpheus, singer of sweet songs, and his beloved Eurydice, has inspired co...
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Season 7
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Episode 5
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30:44
Love for the Underworld Journey
“Everything changes and no thing abides.” HeraclitusI’ve devoted the last two podcasts to the Greek myth of Demeter and Persephone, and the connection between the life of the soul and the underworld initiation.These podca...
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Season 7
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Episode 4
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25:02
Initiation, Innocence, and Soul
In this podcast, I return to the Greek myth of Demeter and Persephone to reflect on the soul’s longing for depth, meaning, and experience, and the violence that may perpetrate on the sunny side ego and the innocent personality. Thes...
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Season 7
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Episode 3
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32:35
Demeter and the Groundhog
How can one summarize a myth as profound as the one I offer you this week? The Homeric Hymn to Demeter gave rise to the Eleusinian mysteries, a potent, secret ritual that was performed for millennia, to liberate men and women from t...
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Season 7
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Episode 2
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29:16
Leaving Home and Letting Go
“A myth is an image in terms which we try to make sense of the world.” Alan WattsMany stories, old and new, begin with someone leaving home. This leave taking comes in many forms, from answering the call of destiny to running away or bei...
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Season 7
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Episode 1
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30:08
Siblings and the Seven Ravens
“I had no idea that the gate I would step through to finally enter this world would be the space my brother’s body made.”From “The Gate” by Marie Howe Many of the most familiar fairytales, and the i...
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Season 6
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Episode 127
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28:14
The Twelve Brothers and Threads of Destiny
The fairy tale “The Twelve Brothers,” collected by the Brothers Grimm is the story of brothers and sisters, murderous kings, evil queens, and enchantment in various forms. It’s also an interesting meditation on the need for psychic renewal and ...
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Season 6
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Episode 126
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29:15
Six Swans and the Power of Silence
Seasonal darkness is an invitation to move inward, to do the deep soul work that proceeds all meaningful outer action or personal growth. The holiday culture urges social interaction, busyness and brightness and yet, you may feel the warmth of ...
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Season 6
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Episode 125
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36:32
Nothing is Wasted: Fatima, the Spinner, and the Tent
“It takes a long time to learn that nothing is wasted. It takes a long time, and a lot of suffering usually, to understand that there is more to life and to poetry than our conscious purposes.” M.C. Richards Is there va...
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Season 6
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Episode 124
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25:18
Tasting the Honey
Outrage can be valuable spark for action in these trying times and yet there is another beautiful resource available to us as we endure the collective and personal trials—joy. Joy is not denial or looking away. Joy is found in mindf...
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Season 6
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Episode 123
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28:06
Practice In the Real World: The Gentle Heart Jataka
“Flying has it uses but walking on the ground is not as easy as it looks from up here.” Rafe Martin, from “The Gentle Heart Jataka”Some days, the boundaries between the turbulence and change in the outside world, and what’s taking place ...
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Season 6
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Episode 122
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30:36
Life Path Mysteries and Meeting Baba Yaga
“Life can only be understood backward; but it must be lived forward.” Soren Kierkegaard.How do we become who we are meant to be? What lends a life its integrity and coherence? How does meeting the Baba Yaga help us along the way? A few ...
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Season 6
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Episode 121
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34:12
Homer's Odyssey: Book 11 the Underworld Journey
In Book 11 of The Odyssey, Odysseus tells the Phaeacians how he followed the strong advice of the goddess/sorceress Circe and made a journey to the underworld to consult with the dead seer Tiresias. The ghosts that he meets there remin...
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Season 6
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Episode 120
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31:42
Homer’s Odyssey: Book 10 & Circe
At the turning point in his journey, Odysseus and his men land on the island of Aeaea and meet the enchantress Circe. This is my paraphrase of Book 10 of the Odyssey, based on Robert Fagles translation.“They found Circe’s polish...
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Season 6
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Episode 119
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27:47
Circe: Witches, Power, Heroes, and Braids
Circe, a secondary goddess in ancient Greek mythology, is best known as the sorceress in Homer’s Odyssey who turned the men into swine and later helped the hero Odysseus make a required trip into the underworld. Circe’s powers of se...
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Season 6
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Episode 118
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33:51
Looking Foolish & Percival’s Quest
What if looking foolish, mistakes and regret are essential to living your purpose?This famous Arthurian tale provides an interesting backdrop to questions of seeking, destiny, and character.
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Season 6
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Episode 117
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36:14
Not Your Little Mermaid Part 2 of 2
This is the 2nd of two podcasts devoted to telling and exploring the fairy tale of "The Little Mermaid" by Hans Christian Andersen. We reach the end of the story with lots of questions and possibilities to consider, questions and possibilities ...
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Season 6
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Episode 116
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32:37
Not Your Little Mermaid Part 1 of 2
Millions of little girls (and many boys and adults), fell in love with Ariel, the mermaid in Disney’s popular movie, based on a fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen. As is often the case, Disney’s version differs significantly from its source....
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Season 6
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Episode 115
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34:13
Moon of Many Petals: A Conversation with Artist Poet Cindy Rinne
“Sometimes I dream of hearing the wind.” From "Edges," Cindy RinneWhen the figures in a series of images that she was creating asked Cindy to tell their story, she listened. The result is Moon of Many Petals, a novel in verse th...
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Season 6
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Episode 114
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34:42
Dian Sousa on Poetry, Truth, Marvels, & Praise
“Pay attention to what rises up in you.” Ranier Marie RilkeDian is a former Poet Laureate of San Luis Obispo and co-founder of SLO Code Pink. She was introduced to me as “a poet who could start the revolution” and I’m thrilled that she a...
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Season 6
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Episode 113
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46:23
Hera, Greek Goddess of Marriage
Marriage is a tricky proposition. Many of us long to be part of the “perfect couple” at the same time we fear such a union. In his essay, “Hera, Goddess of Marriage,” James Hillman writes; “Marriage involves two worlds—a world of huge ideals an...
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Season 6
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Episode 112
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29:52
The (Mythopoetic) Power
"Electrifying! Shocking! Will knock your socks off! Then you'll think twice, about everything." ―Margaret AtwoodCan a novel about women with electrifying power help us create new myths about gender?The Power by Nao...
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Season 6
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Episode 111
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25:42
As Above, So Below: The Big Dipper & the Greek Myth of Callisto
The Big Dipper is part of the constellation commonly known as Ursa Major, the Great Bear. In this program I tell the Greek myth of Callisto (who is the Bear) and talk about the meaning our ancestors found in these celestial patterns. What signi...
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Season 6
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Episode 110
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28:32