9 May 2012
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Be warned! There is too much good stuff in this lecture to write in one
sitting or to really even absorb in one hearing of the lecture. This is
of course to be expected with great things. With that in mind I proceed.
The first story tellers where occupied with man’s mortality
Cambpell explains that the first story teller experiences the death of a
close friend whom he had been talking to by suddenly seeing his state
change to a cold, pale one. The first story tellers of course wondered
what happened when a person died and there was the beginning of myth. I
would not go so far as to say that they were PREoccupied, but they had
the same questions we all have about death about life. That there are no
definite answers to the deep mysteries of the universe should not stop
our searching. Rather we should be more apt to see this endless search
for answers as proof that each world, each culture, each individual must
find their own answers to the mysteries.
The first story tellers knew innately that there was life after death,
or rather that this plane was not the only plane. I find it interesting
that with their loved ones they buried articles from this world for them
to take to the next. I wonder if as we ascended the planes which
brought us to this one, if we took articles with us. If so, we have only
the articles on this physical plane to take any reference from, but we
must consider what articles in tombs represent. These articles represent
a means of survival in the next plane and also give us an idea of what
sort of person an individual was in life. These qualities must be
brought forth to the next plane. Here I am reminded of the first lecture
when Campbell explained that in the midst of the hero’s journey, in the
belly of the whale, confronting the unconscious, the hero finds in
himself a quality he did not know he possessed. Perhaps these hidden
qualities are attributes we possessed on another plane.
We have lost our necessary reverence for animals
What does it say about the personality of a people who imprison animals?
It’s very unfortunate since during ancient times we seemed to revere
and respect animals as sustainers of life; especially since they are the
sustainers of life. We seem to treat animals as if they are an infinite
resource. We have no rituals for the departed spirit and therefore no
reverence. The consequence of this is that the environment is being
destroyed. And for what? Surplus resources?
We need reverence for the living and the dead to be brought back into
civilization. I use the word civilization in a tone of mockery. To be
truly civilized we need to adopt a better standard of living that is not
so intent on gaining and consumption.
We do not have any more rites of passage that require a real obvious change
Because the idea of the rite of passage has fallen out of favor with
most of society, we have forgotten how to truly live and be mature men
and women in harmony with nature and the earth. But, I have seen a small
shift of people searching for something more as life goes on. We as a
people WANT to know what it means to live in our society, in our world,
of the world. Awakened souls are taking pages from eastern religion and
ways of life to help us discover and re-discover what it means to live.
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