Mythologium 2023 welcomes Dr. Tracy Marrs

Dr. Marrs’s presentation is called “Reclaiming Medusa: A Look at Otherness in Storytelling”

Reading Greek mythology, we are given the perspective of the gods or mortals that worship them. Chimera, Medusa, Cerberus, the Minotaur – all of these creatures share a common trait – they are “monsters,” and they share a common fate – they are killed by heroes proving themselves to please the gods. The Greeks told the stories honestly, they did not want to insult or displease the gods; it would not occur to them to write the story from the perspective of the Minotaur as it knows it is being hunted by a hero trying to prove himself. His crime was being born different.

Perspective is everything in a story, the words we use to describe our characters create empathy or hatred in the heart of the reader. As an educator, I have watched our nation’s focus on inclusiveness change dramatically in just under twenty years of teaching and even more since I was an elementary student. Where we once understood that history is written by the winners, we now know the importance of including the story of the others, even the “villain.” The more we can understand the villain, the victim, the hero, and the bystander; the more we can understand ourselves, our motives, and strive to be better to others.

In mythology, it is hard to find a perspective as overlooked as the story of the monsters. We have encountered figurative monsters in our lives and some of us have been monsters in our own stories. Working with Medusa and her family has opened my eyes to how much changing the storyteller transforms my understanding of myself and humanity in general. Ladon is not just a serpent, he is Medusa’s tender nephew, her sister’s son. Each being has their own story and perspective.

Changing the roles in the story, making Medusa my hero, has empowered me to change my own story. Before I started working with the gorgon, I thought of the monsters in the myths like the common Greek citizen thought of them – as creatures to be disposed of because they were dangerous. This mindset seems to have carried over into Western civilization’s treatment of “the other” – whether it was another race, another species, or even our own environment. By reclaiming our monsters can we also learn to reclaim some balance – if not in nature, at least in our hearts?

About Dr. Marrs

Professionally, Dr. Tracy Marrs is an educator, a teller of stories, and an inspirer of creativity. Some teachers are known for their great knowledge in their field, others may be known for their ability to manage even the toughest classes; Dr. Tracy is known for loving her students and making them feel seen, heard, and respected. In addition to working in the K12 classroom, she often shares her depth of knowledge and skills in literature with community members by weaving literature and archetypal stories with art and creativity. She excels at distilling esoteric concepts and stories into modern-day understanding and integration. Dr. Marrs has hosted many gatherings for adults in her community interested in art, mythology, and psychology. Her work at the local schools has led her to community-wide creative workshops at the community center and at the schools in her neighboring community. She recently spoke at “The Creative Psyche and Arts-Based Research” Conference in London on the connection between art and critical thinking. She loves her family, her life in the mountains, and their menagerie of animals. She is planning to continue to bring critical thinking, culture, and her unique love of learning to the members of her community and beyond. In her “spare time,” Dr. Marrs has been researching and writing a book based on Medusa and her family. The work was the inspiration for the presentation for our wonderful Mythologuim this year.

Mythologium 2023 welcomes Abigail Nelson

Abigail’s presentation is called “Medusa: Shadow to Shield — The Dramatherapeutic Use of the Mythical Dark Feminine for Modern Female Empowerment”

When we picture Medusa, we see the monstrous, deadly creature with snakes for hair. The vicious killer who could turn even the strongest of heroes to stone with just a look. But who was the women behind the monster? Listen to her tale then decide for yourself, Medusa – villain or victim? Monstrous or misunderstood?

Dramatherapy uses myth as a powerful therapeutic tool. By engaging with myths in an embodied way, dramatherapy allows individuals to explore universal themes and archetypal characters, both at a conscious and unconscious level. At the same time, myths offer a safe and imaginative space where individuals can project their own deeply personal struggles, conflicts, and desires onto the characters and events, gaining new perspectives and insights. Furthermore, myths often contain transformative journeys, symbolic rites of passage, and powerful metaphors that parallel the psychological processes individuals undergo during therapy. By immersing themselves in the mythic realm, participants in dramatherapy can tap into their inner resources, access buried emotions, and discover hidden strengths. The use of myth in dramatherapy, therefore, serves as a bridge between the personal and the collective, enabling individuals to connect with universal human experiences, find meaning in their struggles, and embark on a path of healing and personal transformation.

Medusa: Shadow to Shield, was a women’s circle and dramatherapy workshop which used storytelling, embodiment and art-making to explore the myth, focusing on self-understanding and female empowerment. Following this workshop’s structure and using its content, this presentation will allow you to explore the myth for yourself, whilst giving you an insight into the broader use of myth in dramatherapy.

About Abigail

Abigail Nelson is a dramatherapist and creative wellness facilitator in Edinburgh, Scotland. Abigail attained an MA in Dramatherapy from Roehampton University in 2022 and is now registered with the UK’s Health and Care Professions Council and a member of the British Association for Dramatherapists (of which she is currently the Executive Intern). Abigail provides one-to-one and group dramatherapy in a community therapeutic arts and mental health charity, The Alma Project. She also works freelance, facilitating creative wellness workshops, events and retreats (where she works therapeutically with nature). You can see her previous and upcoming events, plus more information, on her website at www.abigailnelson.co.uk.

Mythologium 2020 welcomes Rev. Pamela Dawn Hancock

Pamela’s presentation is called, “Birth Trauma, Medusa & Me: Soul-Healing and the Poetics of Mind”

My revolutionary presentation will dream the Medusa myth onward, by examining, “On the Medusa of Leonardo Da Vinci in the Florentine Gallery” by Percy B. Shelley, through the lens of depth psychology.  My story starts in the Spring of 2018 when Medusa charted her course for me.  Although I had planned every detail of the birth of my son, his cesarean delivery abolished an old way of being.  From that moment on I became a new alchemical being—born in the nigredo of one of the darkest moments of my life.  Albeit feeling emotionally and psychically beheaded by the process, it was looking towards the works of James Hillman, C. G. Jung, and James Hollis that brought me back to life once again.  This presentation will examine my imaginal “dismemberment” by way of the poem in which I found a mirror to my pain.  By reflecting on the tragedies and following the synchronicities presented to me I was led to a cure for my aching heart.  I will show how following the archetypal thread that led me into the center of a serpentine goddess’ puzzle, provided me with soul-healing and the opportunity to illuminate the dark recesses of birth trauma through myth and metaphor. 

About Pamela

I was born and raised in Southern California where I currently reside with my husband and children. As a child I found the Sacred at the lake near my parents’ cabin. The big pine trees surrounding it were my sacred space—my church. It was there that I began to understand that we are all part of the Divine Web of All Creation. At the age of twelve I sought comprehension of that Web by starting my study of the World’s Religions. While obtaining my B.A. from the University of Redlands, Johnston Center, I delved into Feminist Spirituality, Hinduism, Taoism and Buddhism. I moved in and out of different spiritual practices after College, weaving together the energies of all of the Archetypal-Forces with whom I entwine. In 2011 in ritual with the group I led, I heard the call: Nourish others’ understanding of their connection to the Sacred in all things! So off I went to Starr King School for the Ministry (a Unitarian Universalist Seminary) where I received my Master of Divinity, and the Chaplaincy Institute for Ordination as an Interfaith Minister. Having battled a long-time kidney illness, I almost died of an infection after completing Seminary–but found solace in finding my true path of Alchemy and Depth Psychology during this difficult ordeal. After a full recovery I began the adventure to obtain my PhD. in Depth Psychology with a specialization in Jungian & Archetypal Studies, from Pacifica Graduate Institute—where I am now dedicating my dissertation work towards designing a program for Trauma Survivors to embark on an individuation quest. I am dedicated to building bridges between communities, bringing people together to honor the sacred in all things, supporting environmental advocacy, and helping women embody all parts of their true selves. 

Visit my website at www.revpameladawn.com.

Mythologium 2020 welcomes Dr. John Bonaduce

John’s presentation is titled “Mythobiogenesis: The Cellular Origin of Myth, Religion, and Ritual”

Mythobiogenesis seeks the origin of myth, religion, and ritual not only in the vastness of human history, but in the confining nucleus of a human cell. This place of origin is by no means obvious and we refer to it simply as a “trysting place,” the secret rendezvous of mind and body. Data in support of the existence of such a trysting place abound. These data exist in the forms of our most transcendent myths, our most sacred scriptures, and even in our most cherished bedtime stories. Such is the production line of psyche and soma. It is a fruitful collaboration: Psyche (which is the totality of human consciousness) and soma (that is the human body as defined by its elements) are partners in a seamless division of labor. The human psyche donates lavishly from her store of culturally-conditioned imagery ranging from pretty portraits to terrifying monstrosities. But the story structure is lifted straight from the human body. Those step-outlines which govern the cell cycle turn out to be very fine narrative formats as well. Larger-scale cellular processes, like the struggle of male gametes to survive in their advance toward an egg, also make fine story templates, structurally complete with beginning, middle, and end.

Mythobiogenesis presupposes a powerful interpenetration of mind and body in an intimate collaboration of psyche and soma. Biological events too small for the unaided eye are translated into the greatest of epics and the most compelling of our rituals. The results include the sacrament you received at Mass last week and the fairy tale you will tell to your daughter this evening.

About John

For twenty years, John Bonaduce has served as choirmaster in several Los Angeles Parishes. His contemporary ensemble, Shantigarh, can be heard in various platforms including Spotify and iTunes. John graduated with a degree in history from UCLA, obtained his masters in conducting at CSULA and, realizing he needed something practical to fall back on, pursued mythological studies at Pacifica Graduate Institute, receiving his PhD this year.