Of Castles in the Sky and Katusha Rockets:
the Journey Continues
By Michael Karlin
Co-President — Mythic Imagination Institute
Photo by Anne Parke Photography

As I listen to the news coming out of the Middle East — the vivid images of innocent people huddled in bomb shelters, the horror of children murdered, families torn apart, the rhetoric of fear and hate — Mythic Journeys '06 seems like a distant, surreal dream, a "castle in the sky" that was only imagined, but never attained. But we did attain it, if only briefly. We experienced together the beauty, joy, unity, and bliss that is possible in the world when we see our common humanity, hear each other's stories, and find our destiny together. While the atrocities going on all over the world continue to sadden and discourage us and challenge our hope, we realize that our work is now more important than ever. I cannot think of one of the more than 35 wars going on in the world today that is not the result of some form of literalism and ideological fundamentalism. No one goes to war thinking, "I think my metaphor is more valid than your metaphor!" No, they go to war saying, my Truth is right and yours is wrong! I will impose mine on you." We are all stuck in nationalistic stories, religious stories, economic stories, but we can't see that they are stories! Like a fish who is asked to describe the ocean, we can't see that we are swimming in it, and we think it is Reality. More than ever, it is time to help people loosen their grip on the Truth!

Mythic Journeys was beyond all of our wildest expectations. It not only refueled our personal fires, but it gave us renewed hope in our ability to carry on. As I announced at the conference, we came very, very close to canceling the conference. We struggled with tremendous financial challenges, but we somehow made it work, and were able to host the event. On the eve of the conference, I wrote the following letter to be published in our event program book describing this struggle:

In this culture of easy religion, cheaply achieved, it seems to me we've forgotten that all three of the great religions teach that the trials of the hero journey are a significant part of life, that there's no rewards without renunciation, without paying the price. The Koran says, "Do you think that you shall enter the Garden of Bliss without such trials as came to those who passed before you?"

— Bill Moyers, from The Power of Myth with Joseph Campbell

Dear Friends,

I have been thinking of that quote a lot lately. I have never been involved in any organization that has been more rewarding or more challenging. In the last four years, the gifts that have entered my life as a result of this work have been immense. The people who work relentlessly, passionately, and creatively, fueled solely by the love in their hearts, to make these events happen have touched my life so deeply and have become my extended family. The lessons that I have learned about myself, my family and my life have transformed me and the way in which I see the world and live within it. The opportunities to have real impact in the world have increased exponentially. In short it has given my life greater purpose, passion, and meaning. This organization and these people give me hope and faith in humanity and our future.

At the same time, I often feel like Sisyphus endlessly pushing a boulder up a hill. Our attendance was lower than expected in 2004 and, surprisingly, is even lower still in 2006. This has put significant pressure on the organization to remain solvent and intense personal pressure on me for the last few years. Self-doubt and insecurity frequently plague me. I often times wonder why I must struggle like this? Why am I going through this abyss? Am I not following my bliss? Am I not following my calling? Why should I face such challenges?

Then I think about the quote above and the divine irony that is playing out before me. At Mythic Imagination, through connecting people to the great stories, we try to help people understand the abyss. That hell can exist on Earth, and when you are in that personal abyss, that is exactly where you need to be. Every hero goes through the abyss on his or her way to achieving the boon, enlightenment, the magical elixir that will heal society. In fact, it is the trials themselves that provide the necessary growth and maturation to achieving success. Unfortunately, in our Western culture we have been so inundated by false myths of success and the ease of attaining it, that we quickly head to the medicine cabinet, liquor cabinet, or self-help aisles when we feel our own pain or depression. We want easy answers or to be numb to it, instead of embracing it. That is why we have over 300,000 self-help titles on the shelves, sell ¾ of the world's anti-depressants and write 42 million prescriptions for sleep pills each year.

The supreme irony of this lesson is that you cannot avoid the abyss by following your bliss. In fact, as Joseph Campbell teaches us, when you follow your calling, synchronicities will begin to occur and it will be as if invisible hands are guiding you. This remains true into and through the depths of the abyss, if you are open to it.

As a dear friend told me once, "God is kissing you on the lips." Even though I feel the work we are doing is to benefit many people, why shouldn't I also have to go through the abyss in order to bring these stories to the world? When I embrace it in this way, walking the talk, it all makes perfect sense, and I know I am exactly where I need to be, and am overcome by joy, gratitude, and humility.

I want to thank you deeply for joining us on this journey. I also want to thank my family, Ann, Benjamin, Rose, and Dov for infusing my life with joy and love and for giving me a daily reminder of why we are working so hard to try and make the world more peaceful, just, and compassionate.

In gratitude,

Michael

Mythic Journeys '06 was so much more powerful, joyous, and real than I could have ever expected. As one person who has attended both 2004 and 2006 described it to me, "On a scale of 1 to 10, Mythic Journeys 2004 was a 10, but if it was put on the same scale as Mythic Journeys '06, it would fall to a 1 and 2006 would be a 10!" It was as if it was meant to be so great, so we would know that we have to continue. Somehow, someway we have to figure out how to make this work. I now feel like the news of the world is saying the same thing: "continue the struggle, continue to work hard for your dreams, you will see glimpses of what is possible, and you must keep working towards it."

We are going to keep going, and we will need your help. We are already working on the Human Forum: The Faces of Courage on behalf of the Alliance for a New Humanity (registration is available online at www.anhglobal.org). We are still working out the details of Mythic Journeys: Guatemala with the Guatemalan government, and we are figuring out how to make another Mythic Journeys: Atlanta work in 2008. We need you to support us. This means reading this e-zine and sharing it with your friends. It means listening to our podcasts. It means attending these events. It means volunteering to help, and it means writing a check to support our work. It means spreading the importance of myth and metaphor to your family, neighbors, co-workers, and friends. It means spreading the message that "every life is a story, and a story can change the world."

We have to change our story. Thank you for your help.

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