The Way Of Myth

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Welcome to TheWayOfMyth.com!

The word "myth" in translation literally means "sacred story". History is often interpreted in terms of war and economics, but at the most fundamental level all of human history is driven by inspiration. Our sacred stories provide our most primary inspirations by offering up heroes with god-like features; heroes that inspire us, ennoble us, and give us purpose in our daily lives.

Myth has fallen from fashion in an increasingly secular world in which science continuously reveals the flaws in our old sacred stories. Unfortunately, many of us turn away from science in our daily lives because we think it can only harm our inspiration and our sense of purpose. This denial weakens us inside because we see the fruits of science everywhere and doubt stirs in us.

A society lacking a truly viable myth will surely fall into moral and intellectual decay. We need inspiration again. We need new, adaptive myths that show us how to transcend the old ways of thinking and living. We need exciting, imaginative stories that embrace the scientific method. Sure, the old sacred stories have magic, gods, and talking snakes, but, if we require such things, we can set our myths in imaginary worlds where advanced technology substitutes for magic; where wise, extraordinarily powerful beings represent gods.

Literal interpretations of mythologies only breed fundamentalist lunatics one religious experience away from flying jet planes into buildings and other such faith-based initiatives. You never see people killing other people because they think the ethics of Spiderman are better than the ethics of Star Wars. Metaphor, not absolute belief, is all we need to interpret our stories without prejudice, and it will make us more likely to change when something better comes along.

Many of us in modern society do not have a deep, meaningful, credible, viable worldview, and the collective human spirit suffers as a result leading to a society of self-destruction, wreckless consumerism, and other nihilistic behaviors. We cling to our Stone/Iron/Dark Age philosophies that no longer satisfy in light of what we now know. The old religions, taken as a whole, offend our modern sense of decency, civics, scientific understanding, aesthetics, lucidity, and spirituality. There are better alternatives in terms of understanding one's place in the universe and in guiding moral/social behavior in a positive way - for example: the scientific worldview and humanism, respectively.

Mythology has a powerful affect on worldviews, and worldviews are vitally important to us. Our wordview affects and involves the way we treat and view other people and ourselves, how we treat and view science and nature, how we spend our life, and how we vote. Should we not care about whether or not there are better alternatives? Should we not care about whether our wordview is closer to the truth than others and worthy of our respect and admiration? It is one of the most important questions a person can ask, and anyone can ask it. "Is my worldview the best of all possible worldviews? If not, can I change it?"

The Way Of Myth is dedicated to the pursuit of the best of all possible worldviews and the new generation of mythic storytellers and creators, who will inspire us and show us new ways to live, grow, and transcend in a global, technological society.

"A religion old or new, that stressed the magnificence of the universe as revealed by modern science, might be able to draw forth reserves of reverence and awe hardly tapped by the conventional faiths. Sooner or later, such a religion will emerge." - Carl Sagan

This is the main character from a book series I have been writing.

Tentative Title for Book One: Will of the Birds - Secrets of the Ancients

Book One Description:
Several citizens of Necropolis, the capital city of the Osirian Empire, have been swallowed by the dark of night never to be seen again. Many blame the Rotting Reaper, a local urban legend, and a host of unfortunate townspeople for the rash of disappearances. Amid the superstitious frenzy, irrational fears, and the growing threat of a full-scale religious war, a clever, young orphan, Will, and his unusual friends stumble upon the horrible, discomforting truth and might, perhaps, solve the greatest mystery in all the land: What became of the Forerunners, the Ancients, who at the height of their mysterious powers vanished from the world leaving only the enigmatic glyphs and massive, indestructible ruins of their powerful civilization? Enter a vast world of giant creatures, forbidden books, hidden passages, lost treasures, clever inventions, dank catacombs, heretics and madmen, dark witches, haunted ruins, an army of archers and samurai, the brutal games of The Amphitheatre, and roaring airships in an epic clash between the worldviews of science and superstition.