Tag: love

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Mythologium 2023 welcomes Dr. Sunil Parab

Dr. Parab’s presentation is called “Stories of Love & Lust in Indian Mythology”

Love and Lust are two closely associated emotions of heart. Even today it is very difficult for an individual to rightly classify his / her emotion either as Love or Lust. This quest of understanding and differentiating Love from Lust and to put it in social context of morality has continued for thousands of years. How then has India being one of the most ancient civilizations and a rich storehouse of literature stay aloof from this quest? Also, what can be a better way to narrate these complicated human emotions with social moral context other than the mythical stories? Thus we find the stories of Love and Lust in Indian Mythology from Vedic Literature to Puranic Literature. Though these are human emotions; Gods also get entangled in them and thus face the consequences. This narration is so humane to understand that since even Gods can get entangled in Love and Lust; so can humans, and since even Gods have to face the consequences, so do humans.

About Dr. Parab

Dr. Sunil Parab is an Ayurveda Doctor and an Indologist by qualification. He is working as Associate Professor in Doon Institute of Medical Sciences; Dehradun. His research in Indology mainly revolves around Comparative Mythology and Folklore in regions of Maharashtra and Uttarakhand. He is associated with Sindhu Veda Research Institute as Indology Academician and Researcher. His expertise is in Classical Texts of Ayurveda, Sanskrit Language, Indian Mythology, Indian Philosophy and Indian Folk Deities.

2023 Mythologium program
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Mythologium 2023 welcomes Latonia “Hummingbird” Dixon

Latonia’s presentation is called “African Goddess Osun: The Heart of the Community”

In the African Ifa tradition, the orisa Osun, the Spirit of the River, represents all the facets of a loving heart. Her symbol is the heart, and she also represents the essence of fresh water, which makes all life possible. Osun’s divine feminine power encompasses the entire community: spouses, families, villages, nations. Her powers guide and govern what we call the social contract, the kinds of interactions that bring relationships and communities together. Osun is the living heart of her people. I will discuss how her sacred odus’ [stories] include lessons for gratitude, mutual understanding, selfless aid, courage, forgiveness, and balance. Feminist theorists have long taught that we must restore the divine feminine to the governance of our communities, so actions are based on love, compassion, and empathy. Osun offers all of us her guidance.

About Latonia

Latonia “Hummingbird” Dixon is a visionary, poet, artist, spiritual teacher, a retired registered nurse, and a United States Army veteran. She is also a doctoral candidate in Pacifica’s mythological studies with an emphasis in depth psychology. Latonia continues to think from the heart and speak from the soul.

2023 Mythologium program
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Mythologium 2023 welcomes Johanna Fisher

Johanna’s presentation is called “Three Faces of Love”

The heart is a biological organ and metaphorical receptacle of love. It has inspired great art, great music, great poetry, stories, great passion, and at times, responses to suffering. The heart is a great mystery, however, it is the center of what it means to be human, to be alive, or to be a god. There are many myths of creation, marriage, and revenge that suggest how we might understand this organ, this
receptacle of love. Myths that tell us that goddesses and gods “so loved the world” they created the earth and all that sustains us. These are acts of love. Yet, the heart that is violated or hurt could be motivation to destroy the world, humankind. The myths tell us this as well. In reading myths, we come to see the complex and universal expressions of love, heart-center expressions that point to rapture, agape, eros, and sometimes redemption.

This paper will trace these expressions of love in three powerful myths, the myth of Isis, the great Mother Goddess of the Universe, Aphrodite, the queen of heaven and earth, and Freyja, the Germanic goddess of love and war.

About Johanna

Johanna Fisher is professor of English at Canisius University. She also serves as co-director of Women and Gender Studies. Johanna lives in both U.S. and Germany. She writes extensively for Europeana, an online repository for digital images from leading museums in Europe. Currently, she is writing a series of articles about the place of public memorials and art with a focus on the work of German public artist, Gunter Demnig. Johanna is also a poet and dancer who has taught ballet to young adults for many years.

2023 Mythologium program