“As the saying goes, myths are never recognized for what they are except when they belong to others.” – Falcon by Helen MacDonald

Well, if that’s true, then seeing where others are impacted by their myths can be a shortcut to finding our own. In my post Personal Myths, a few years ago, I described the difference between global myths (e.g., Greek myth of the beautiful Narcissus) versus personal myths (e.g., the story you’ve told yourself about people who go to Ivy League colleges like your high school friend Polly).

Note that I’m using the first definition of the word myth: “a traditional or legendary story, usually concerning some being or hero or event, with or without a determinable basis of fact or a natural explanation, esp. one that is concerned with deities or demigods and explains some practice, rite, or phenomenon of nature.”

Knowing our own myths and how they can influence our lives can quicken insights and shorten the more painful stages of the Hero’s Journey. But how do you find your own myths?

Here are some fun ways to explore your myths:

*Instead of tuning out, listen to family stories during the holidays as if you are a stranger or an ethnographer. “How Uncle Bob ran away from home and worked as a carney,” informs you by your reactions and beliefs about him, your family, and carnivals.

*Write a list of family stories where memory is misaligned. Your sister says, “Remember that time you threw Dad’s hammer into the woods, and he was so mad?” And you can’t remember that at all! Is memory fallible? Sure. But more importantly, why has your sister mythologized that incident, and you haven’t?

*Write a list of the stories you tell about your experiences. Why do you choose those stories? How do they showcase you? How do they denigrate or “humblebrag” you? Do your own stories follow the Journey’s path?

It will be interesting to see what you learn about yourself!

“It is always our own self that we find at the end of the journey. The sooner we face that self, the better.” – Ella Maillart

Photo by Plato Terentev: https://www.pexels.com/photo/ornamental-wall-with-weathered-hinduism-image-5910309/