Gerald is a retired army veteran. His traumatic and heroic experiences have deeply shaped his subconscious with stories about what life is…
Gerald is a retired army veteran. His traumatic and heroic experiences have deeply shaped his subconscious with stories about what life is, who/what to trust, what matters most, and many other things. In his case he has turned to nature and gardening because being in the green wilderness during his deployment was one of the only peaceful experiences in his life. His favorite color is green and he loves giving away his home grown produce to neighbors who will put up with a bit of his chatter. But one thing never changed for him and that is that he is a warrior. This role he has played is so deeply embedded in him and yet is so fraught with negativity that it often eats away at him.
One day he is sitting in his garden, questioning his life choices. He’s seen death and destruction first hand and played his role in it. Now who is he? Just a forgotten soldier playing in the dirt? He keeps exploring this world of stories and meanings inside himself, his personal mythology about how his life brought him to where he is today. He realizes that he still sees himself as a warrior…but no, not just a warrior anymore, not like before. A “green warrior”, for peace. “I might always be a warrior but I don’t destroy anymore.”.
Rendering down his place in the world to this mythological label gives him great comfort and a deep sense of meaning — “this is who I am and it took my life experiences to get me here”. Toiling in the garden, he picks a single strawberry, a symbol of life and nurturing to him, and remembers finding a patch of strawberries with his friend on deployment. One of the only good times he can remember of those days before his friend was gone forever. He sees this strawberry as something productive he can give back to the world. His tears are bittersweet as he clutches it in his hand, but this is Gerald’s romance with life. It’s what gives him reason and a place in the world. It’s a lot easier to know what to do with your life and how to feel about it when you know who you are. To know who you are you must understand the stories you’ve been subconsciously telling yourself.
To everyone else he’s just a nice (but slightly scary?) old man with some mental scars. But to Gerald, he’s The Green Warrior now. His suffering earned him this mythology. Suddenly it’s a lot easier for you to sympathize with Gerald when you can see the old scary warrior within him or when he shares his values with you that you aren’t sure you agree with. You know his mythos, and a person’s mythos is the deepest thing you can know about them.
Gerald’s story includes a few extremes to help illustrate an example, but everyone’s life is just as meaningful to them, and just as fraught with suffering and joy. Whether your daily life is simply that of a parent, working class citizen, or any other role, we all have had heroes, villains, blessings, and curses that shape us. But without understanding your mythos you can become lost in yourself and your life, just like Gerald if he never discovered his title and calling as The Green Warrior. The meaning of your life can only be found in your stories.
How Personal Mythology works
Classic mythology is full of archetypal characters, objects, and events, because your life is full of these things. Stories like mythology and fairytale speak the language of your subconscious — metaphor.
From your subconscious stories and meanings about your life arise your thoughts, feelings, and actions.
Most of us live very disconnected from our subconscious stories. This results in meaninglessness, having no direction, inability to endure life issues, and ultimately an unromantic life experience.
The practice of Personal Mythology connects you to the universe within you, Inner Space, in order to unearth your stories and connect them to your daily life.
It’s not just an activity, it’s a lifestyle.
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