Your Mythic Journey: Finding Meaning in Your Life Through Writing and Storytelling

If you are willing to actually stop, and think through the action steps and ideas, you will be rewarded with far more insight into what makes you tick.

I have long been familiar with Joseph Campbell, but Sam Keen's name is new to me. It is a serendipitous internet event that took me to his book, Mythic Journey: Finding Meaning in Your Life through Writing and Storytelling, which is based on workshops he did with Campbell in the 70's. The value of this slim volume is in the sub-title. In these days of worshipping celebrities (apparently we have no heroes to idolize!), we are somehow lulled into thinking that our own journey is not made up of the same mythic journey as the hero. Somehow our sense of celebrity has warped our sense of self. As Keen succinctly says, "To be a person is to have a story." We are urged by Keen to tell our story and to discover our own mythic journey. This puts the value of your own life into perspective. From the easily accessible explanation of the power of myth and their place in our lives to the suggested writing prompts to the beautiful examples taken from the workshops themselves, we are encouraged to see that the fabric of our lives comes from the same fabric as the hero. Take the time to explore your story. Take time to reflect, reveal, and record your uniqueness derived from the universal. To do so is not self-indulgent; in fact, Keen claims, to do so is to respond to "a call to revolution; seize the authority to create your story." From this journey comes real change because as Keen brilliantly reminds us: "Whoever authors your story authorizes your actions."

This book is a guide to self-discovery through crafting the stories that make up one's personal mythology. It was developed as a written version of some of the material that Sam Keen developed in workshops on personal mythology that he conducted for many years with Joseph Campbell. Each chapter contains a short set of readings around a philosophical theme, a set of questions and suggestions for writing, and some samples of other people's writing on these topics, all supplemented by quotations in the margins by well-known authors, especially Joseph Campbell. The reading material is organized chronologically, starting with the present, then looking back into the past, forward into the future, and out into "cosmic time". This book could be used either for personal exploration, or as a guide for a writing group. It's not ideal for memoir writing, since the prompts tend to elicit individual stories rather than a long view that would encompass an entire life. On the other hand, some readers may find it quite useful for exploring the experiences that have played a large role in shaping the emotional aspects of their lives. One piece of advice the authors share with readers is, "The past is open to revision because memory is a function of present intention. History is always constructed to prove some point." Thus, the approach is not only to help readers develop their stories, but to become aware of why these stories have the personal import that they do.

I have read a few of Sam Keens books up to now and I am always amazed that he can write about philosophy, psychology or mythology with such compassion. "Your Mythic Journey", on the other hand, is not so much a book, rather a guided tour. Originally published in 1973 under a different title, "Telling Your Story: A Guide to Who You Are and Who You Can Be," was changed later when mythology became the buzzword for intellectuals. Sam Keen has worked closely with mythologist Joseph Campbell in his later years in which modern psychology was married with mythology. Keen realized the power of storytelling, not just in a mythological approach, but also in telling the stories of our own lives how we are all living the lives of the great heroes. "Your Mythic Journey" helps you to discover the story in your own life and understand it mythologically as well as practically. The book is not one to be read, but to be written. This is done through a series of writing and drawing exercises facilitated through a series of deep probing questions. These questions are designed to challenge yourself, your beliefs, your values and your identity where you plunge the depths of your unconscious and swim the currents of time past, present and future. When you finally come to the shores of waking reality, you soon have a new understanding of yourself and the world you live in. There are a number of ways to utilize this book. The first is you can do it by yourself, and go through and answer the questions. The second is to do it with a group of friends, family or your lover. The latter approach can also be done on a silent level, where one reads the questions for all to answer, or you can read each other your answers, which I found adds a whole new dimension to the process. It can become very emotional for some, shameful for others, enlightening to most, and discouraging to few. Regardless of your response, no doubt it will be revealing. The trick is to be honest with yourself and not hide behind that social mask thinking people will look down on your for having "other" thoughts. When you do this in a group session, you realize your "other" thoughts are not so different. The aim of "Your Mythic Journey" is to be revealing about yourself, but also to know and tell the story of your life. What Mr. Keen has always expressed in his lectures and readings is that people tend to get stuck on various stories and end up repeating them over and over like a broken record. He remarks this with the example of recovering alcoholics who continue to tell their story of being addicted and how they went to AA meetings for recovery. They go on telling the story to everyone as if they are always at a meeting. This book challenges those that are repeating stories to begin to tell new stories of their lives and experiences. We all have them it's just a matter of beginning to share them with others.

This is a brilliant book for those who believe in journalling as a therapeutic path. The authors adress life's main conflicts, and structure the basic questions to be answered by the reader in terms of Joseph Campbell's work. This book combines intellectual rigor with heartfelt warmth, in a combination so rarely seen in similar books. I love this subject and own a lot of material on it, but I find that many other volumes either fall in the sirupy, newagey category or are dry and academic. This a slim book, but it is worth every cent if you actually work with it.