Tag: Mythology

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Mythologium 2023 welcomes Carole Wallencheck

Carole’s presentation is called “Valentines and Inner Shrines: The Visual and Linguistic Mythology of the Heart”

As we set out on a quest to encounter and explore the heart’s musicality and muscularity, as well as its appearance in myths old and new, we will discover that the heart has a mythos all its own. Although the anatomical organ is hidden away, it nevertheless shines forth like the gods of old in their glory. From ancient Egyptian amulets to medieval manuscripts, from iconic paintings to the ubiquitous love emoji, recurring images of the heart are always on display. Our everyday conversations are replete with words and phrases that act as oracles for the heart’s deeper mysteries. We’ll follow the pathways, clues, and guideposts of signs and symbols, and like many of our heroes and wanderers, from Odysseus to Mulan to Bilbo, we’ll return home, which (as we know) is where the heart is.

About Carole

Carole Wallencheck is a Certified Life-cycle Celebrant® (Celebrant Foundation and Institute), a Certified Group Eco-Therapy Guide (Lake Erie Institute), and a Poetry as Healer Guide (Institute for Poetic Medicine). Often seen exploring the museums, wooded parks, and cemeteries of Northeast Ohio, watching the waves of Lake Erie, or with a gothic novel in one hand and a cup of English Breakfast tea in the other (and possibly a chocolate croissant at her side), Carole has been called “a great heart detector,” “our resident soul poet,” “The Heart-keeper,” and “deliciously mischievous.” She sees the Pattern beneath, behind, and beyond the pattern, and always, always, seeks the Source, the Story, the Soul.

2023 Mythologium program
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Mythologium 2021 welcomes Dr. Edward M. Smink

Edward’s talk is called “What Have I Done to Deserve This? Are the Gods or God Punishing Me?”

My intention in this discussion is not to go into a psychospiritual or philosophical discussion about the meaning of suffering. Rather, I want to focus on the fact that this question still resonates to this day, a question steeped in the human experience of the ancients and in their mythology. Somehow, we inherited the notion that only the gods or God heals. No wonder we ask the above question. I want to explore with you these ancient mythologies and how they affect us centuries later. I will also bring into perspective some of the depth psychologists that have addressed these issues.

About Edward

Edward M. Smink, PhD defended his doctoral thesis, “Thresholds of Afflictions: The Heroic Journey of Healing,” at Pacifica in May of 2010 and graduated with a PhD in Depth Psychology. He has over forty years of experience in healthcare as a nurse, crisis and pastoral counselor, executive leader, facilitator of mission, ethics, value and leadership formation and community health. Since his last presentation at the Mythologium in 2019, titled “Who Hugs the Hugger, A Mythology of Self-Care,” Edward has reached out to caregivers suffering from compassion fatigue as a life coach, presenter, and speaker, and promoted his book The Soul of Caregiving, A Caregiver’s Guide to Healing and Transformation. He has been a guest on several bogs on Caregiving and is in the process of coming out with a revised edition of his book and creating an on-line webinar course. More about him and his work can be found on his website.

2021 Mythologium program
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Mythologium 2020 welcomes the Joseph Campbell Foundation

Opportunities for mythologists to get involved

Leaders from the Joseph Campbell Foundation will offer a presentation outlining a brief history of the work of the organization, exciting future endeavors, and how Mythologium attendees can be a part of collaborating with JCF. The panel will include Bradley Olson, JCF MythBlast Editor; John Bucher, JCF Content Curator; and Joanna Gardner, JCF Senior Editor.

The Foundation’s mission revolves around preserving, protecting, and perpetuating Joseph Campbell’s mythic vision. A global community of artists, scholars, writers, educators, and questers, the organization endeavors to create and promote conversations and work in mythology and comparative religion.

About Bradley

Bradley Olson, Ph.D., is a former police officer who returned to school to earn a Bachelor’s degree in psychology and literature, two Master’s degrees in psychology, and a Ph.D. in Cultural Mythology. Dr. Olson is currently a psychotherapist in private practice at Mountain Waves Healing Arts in Flagstaff, Arizona; his work with clients is heavily influenced by his interest in Jungian Analytical Psychology and Mythological Studies. Brad is also the author of the acclaimed Falstaff Was My Tutor blog, which has earned him a nomination for the 2012 Pushcart Prize in nonfiction.

About John

John Bucher, PhD. is the Content Curator for the Joseph Campbell Foundation. He is a strategist, communicator, and cultural mythologist based out of Hollywood, California. He is also an author, podcaster, and speaker.

He is the author of six books including the best-selling Storytelling for Virtual Reality, named by BookAuthority as one of the best storytelling books of all time. Disruptor named him one of the top 25 influencers in Virtual Reality in 2018. John has worked with companies including HBO, DC Comics, The History Channel, A24 Films, The John Maxwell Leadership Foundation and served as a consultant and writer for numerous film, television, and Virtual Reality projects. He teaches writing and story courses at the LA Film Studies Center and holds a PhD in Mythology and Depth Psychology. John has spoken on 5 continents about using the power of story and myth to reframe how products, individuals, organizations, cultures, and nations are viewed.

About Joanna

Joanna Gardner, PhD is a writer, mythologist, and magical realist. She is a founder of the Fates and Graces Mythologium. Joanna serves as Senior Editor on the Educational Task Force of the Joseph Campbell Foundation, and as a thought leader with the think tank iRewild, where she works on the Healing Stories initiative. She completed her doctoral degree at Pacifica Graduate Institute in mythological studies with an emphasis in depth psychology. Her fiction, poetry, and nonfiction appear in a variety of venues, available at joannagardner.com/stories. To contact Joanna, email joanna at joannagardner dot com.

2020 Mythologium program
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The Mythologium welcomes Dr. Karin Zirk

Karin’s presentation is called, “Using Trickster Mythology to Create Change”

Tricksters change shape, cross boundaries, and shatter dysfunctional ideologies without intentionality. From traditional mythologies to modern characters we know and love, tricksters occupy a liminal space. However, tricksters are unique beings with their own needs and wants. Karin’s talk will dig into the subtle distinctions between specific trickster characters—past and present—from a mythographic perspective and empower trickster energy to create new paradigms both in our personal lives and our culture. A handout will be provided with trickster information and journaling prompts conference attendees can utilize to engage their inner trickster at a later date.

View Karin’s presentationDownload

About Karin:

Karin Zirk, Ph.D. completed her doctorate in Mythological Studies with an Emphasis in Depth Psychology at Pacifica Graduate Institute where her dissertation focused on using mythic artifacts and journal writing to enhance well-being in family caregivers. She has taught Humanities courses in the San Diego Community College District and she facilities workshops that incorporate mythic narratives, active imagination, and journal writing to animate human connections to the natural world. She will be presenting, “We Already Have a Border Wall: The US/Mexican Border as Cultural Complex” on a panel for the Psychology, Culture and Religion panel at the American Academy of Religion conference in November 2019. Her novel, Falling From The Moon, will be released later this year from Talk Story Publishing. She lives in San Diego, California and is deeply involved in protecting and restoring her local creek.

You can connect with Karin through her website.