Making the Journey
Andrew Greenberg
Chairman — Mythic Journeys '06
For many of us, Mythic Journeys '04 has already attained its own mythic status. It was a week of incredible stories, wonderful encounters,
deep conversations, moving performances and great sacrifices — and this proved equally true for the presenters, the attendees, and
even us organizers behind the scenes.
Poetry duets by Michael Meade and
Robert Bly. Grieving with the help of Sobonfu Somé. Beautiful music from
Janis Ian, Heather Dale and
Michaela Foster Marsh. Impromptu jam sessions with
Charles de Lint and Peter Beagle.
Making masks with Brian Froud and
Wendy Froud. Singing, dancing, crying... by the end of the weekend, the adjectives I heard being thrown around ranged from
"transformative" to "life-altering," with person after person asking me if we could do it again the next year.
Well, we couldn't. Not if we wanted to recapture (and, we hope, surpass) the energy and magic of the first one. The first one took
several years to put together, and we had little already in place for the second — just more hopes and dreams. What we did know,
however, was that things had to keep moving. A Mythic Journey can have pauses and breaks, watering holes and taverns, but it
does not stop. Even if we wanted to get off the road, it would not let us.
So the only real option was to keep going, waving a fond farewell to our first city of gold and making preparations for the next. And, as
we hope you know by now, the next one is this year. We hope to build on those things you told us worked so well.
- We are looking to make it even more interdisciplinary, engaging some of the most interesting thinkers we could find. A number of presenters
from '04 will rejoin us, like Michael Meade,
Jean Shinoda Bolen and Robert Bly, as will a number of new ones, including
Deepak Chopra, Tom Blue Wolf
and Julia Tsitsi Chigamba.
- We are creating even more spaces and opportunities for meaningful conversations, with more opportunities for people to meet and talk.
- Participants can do even more creating of their own, as we'll be setting up Imagination Stations where anyone inspired can write, draw or
perform as they feel so moved.
- We are adding more participatory activities, designed to get you creating, moving, dancing, singing, talking, kissing...okay, maybe not kissing,
but I won't complain if they make you do that, too.
- New partners have come on board to bolster our efforts, including the
Alliance for a New Humanity, the National Black Arts Festival, and
Collective Works. Our old partners are becoming even more involved with the conference, and the
Joseph Campbell Foundation is even hosting special events at the conference
for its members.
- In the past year, several of our participants began dialogues on war and imagination, dialogues they intend to continue at Mythic Journeys.
Old topics will enjoy new exploration, and new ones will open for all to enjoy.
- Educators are coming out in force, attracted to special pre- and post-conference Education Sessions.
Mythic Journeys and the Mythic Imagination Institute are especially committed to seeing the role of myths grow and expand in schools around
the world.
- The Mythic Journeys leadership team has also grown and expanded, adding more talented and enthusiastic volunteers. Of course, we can always
use more help, so feel free to contact us about putting your specific skills to use.
As for the things we did wrong, well, let's not talk about them. Because we already have. Over and over again. ‘Course, if we do them wrong
again, you're welcome to tell us all about it.
We'll be putting out more updates as the convention grows closer. You can see our guest list and
get registration information. Please feel free to let us know what you would like to see or do at the
conference, and we'll see if we can make that happen.
It has been a long trek to Mythic Journeys '06, but this time we have a few more guides and a better idea of the route. We still have a
few months before the big event, and even though there is a lot to do in that time, we're looking forward to it. After all, it's all about the journey.
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