Grofians Unauthorized
Discussion Group
Grofian Peyotists
Mythology, the Hero's Journey, and Ritual Madness - Part I
The following excerpt is from
THE STORMY SEARCH FOR THE SELF
(Grof, C. & Grof, S. 1990)
http://www.erowid.org/library/books/stormy.shtml
--excerpt from Chapter 6:
Nothing is higher than these mysteries. They have sweetened our character and softened our customs; they have made us pass from the condition of savages to true humanity. They have not only shown us the way to live joyfully, but they have taught us to die with hope. -- Cicero, "De Legibus"
"The ancient mysteries of death and rebirth provided another important social context for transformative experiences. In them, initiates identified with various mythological figures who had died and been brought back to life.
THE FUNCTION OF MYTHOLOGY IN THE PSYCHE AND SOCIETY
It is usually assumed that myths are products of human intellect and imagination. [The concepts presented here] have been strongly influenced by the work of Carl Gustav Jung and, more specifically, . . . mythologist Joseph Campbell. The work of these two seminal thinkers brought a conceptual revolution into the understanding of mythology. According to Jung and Campbell, myths are not fictitious stories about adventures of imaginary characters in nonexistent countries and thus arbitrary products of individual human fantasy. They originate in the collective unconscious of humanity and are manifestations of the primordial organizing principles of the psyche and the cosmos that Jung called archetypes.
Archetypes express themselves through the individual psyche and its deeper processes, but they do not originate in the human mind and are not its products. They are in a sense supraordinated to it and function as its governing principles. According to Jung, certain powerful archetypes can even influence historical events and the behavior of a particular culture. The 'collective unconscious,' Jung's name for the place where they reside, represents a shared cultural heritage of all humanity throughout the ages.
In mythology, the basic archetypal themes in their most general and abstract form show universal distribution. In different cultures and at various periods in history, one can find specific variations of these basic mythological motifs. A powerful universal archetype is, for example, the Great Mother Goddess; in various cultures, this figure takes the forms of a specific local mother goddess, such as Isis, the Virgin Mary, Kybele, or Kali. Similarly, the concept of heaven, paradise, and hell can be found in many cultures of the world but the specific form of these archetypal domains varies from one instance to another.
THE HERO WITH A THOUSAND FACES
In 1948, after many years of systematic study of the mythologies of various cultures of the world, Joseph Campbell published his ground-breaking book THE HERO WITH A THOUSAND FACES, a masterpiece that in the following decades had a profound influence on a large number of thinkers from different fields. Analyzing a broad spectrum of myths from various parts of the world, Campbell realized that they all seemed to contain variations of one universal archetypal formula, which he called the monomyth. This was the story of the hero, either male or female, who leaves his or her home ground and, after fantastic adventures, returns as a deified being. Campbell found that the archetype of the hero's journey typically has three stages, which are similar to those we described earlier as characteristic sequences in traditional rites of passage: separation, initiation, and return. The hero leaves the familiar ground or is forcefully separated from it by an external force, is transformed through a series of extraordinary ordeals and adventures, and finally is again incorporated into his or her original society in a new role.
In Campbell's own words, the basic formula for the hero's journey can be summarized as follows:
A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man.
Campbell's inquisitive and incisive intellect was not satisfied with the recognition of the universality of this myth over time and space. His curiosity drove him to ask what it is that makes this myth universal. Why does the theme of the hero's journey appeal to cultures of all times and countries, even if they differ in every other respect? And his answer has the simplicity and unrelenting logic of all brilliant insights: the monomyth of the hero's journey is a metaphor for the inner experiences during a transformative crisis, describing its experiential territories. As the transformative crisis is universally relevant, so is the myth.
SPIRITUAL EMERGENCY AS A HERO'S JOURNEY
Campbell himself was aware of the fact that the adventures of shamans during the initiatory crisis and those of neophytes during rites of passage were special examples of the heroic journey. In 1968 he met the Jungian analyst John Perry, who over the years had done extensive psychotherapeutic work with young clients who would traditionally be labelled as psychotic. In the course of his work, Perry had not used any suppressive medication. As a result of his contact with Perry and his material, Campbell recognized the deep similarities between the symbolism of the hero's journey and the imagery occurring in many spontaneously occurring nonordinary states of mind and extended his application of the monomyth to include certain forms of psychoses.
A typical myth of the heroic journey begins when the ordinary life of the protagonist is suddenly interrupted by the intrusion of elements that are magical in nature and belong to another order of reality. Campbell refers to this invitation to adventure as a call. In psychological terms, we can think of it as the emergence of elements from the deep unconscious, particularly from its archetypal levels, into everyday consciousness. If the hero responds to the invitation and accepts the challenge, he or she embarks on an adventure that involves visits to strange territories, encounters with fantastic animals and superhuman beings, and numerous ordeals. After the successful completion of the journey, the hero returns home and lives a full and rewarding life as a deified being--worldly leader, healer, seer, or spiritual teacher.
Like the hero of the monomyth, the person in a spiritual emergency receives a call. The subtle film that separates our everyday lives from the amazing world of our unconscious mind becomes transparent and finally breaks down. The deep contents of the psyche that we are ordinarily unaware of erupt into consciousness in the form of images, powerful emotions, and strange physical feelings. A dramatic visionary odyssey into the depths of the psyche has begun. Like the heroic stories that we know from mythology, it involves dark forces and terrifying monsters, dangers of all kinds, and encounters with supernatural beings as well as magical interventions.
When the challenges of this inner journey have been accepted and vicissitudes successfully overcome, the experiences become increasingly rewarding and reach a positive resolution. This often includes a recognition of one's own divine nature and insights into the universal order. Experiences of an encounter with the archetypes of the Great Mother Goddess and of the Divine Father can help one attain a better balance between the masculine and the feminine (yang and yin) aspects of the individual's personality. One can see clearly the misconceptions and erroneous strategies of the past and get a sense of how a more fulfilling and productive life might be possible in the future.
If the experience is allowed to reach a natural completion and adequate support and validation are available, such a person can return to ordinary life radically transformed. Many emotional and psychosomatic difficulties have been consumed and eliminated in the transformative process, self-image and self-acceptance are noticeably improved, and the ability to enjoy life is increased. There can be a significant enhancement of intuition and of the capacity to work with other people as a counselor or a guide in times of emotional crisis. All of this can lead to a strong need to include the element of service to others as an important component of one's own life. Although the results might not be as glorious as the outcome of the mythological hero's journey, they are of a similar kind, and the metaphor is quite appropriate.
However, there are many instances where something that began as a visionary adventure does not reach a successful completion. In some instances, one can refuse the call and manage to hold on to ordinary reality, with all its old problems and limitations. Another possibility is a failure to complete the journey; in that case, one delves deep into the abyss of the unconscious and is unable to return to full functioning in ordinary reality. This, unfortunately, is the fate of many people in our culture who have to face a spiritual emergency without proper understanding and support.
DEATH AND REBIRTH OF GODS AND HEROES
One theme that is particularly powerful and recurs with remarkable frequency in the mythology of the hero's journey is the encounter with death and subsequent rebirth. Mythologies of all times and countries include dramatic stories about heroes and heroines who have descended into the realm of the dead and, having overcome undreamed-of obstacles, have returned to earth endowed with special powers. The legendary shamans of various cultures, the twins from the Mayan epic Popol Vuh, and the Greek heroes Odysseus and Hercules are salient examples of such mythic personages.
Equally frequent are tales about gods, demigods, and heroes who have died or been killed and subsequently return to life in a new role, exalted and immortalized through the experience of death and rebirth. The central theme of the Judeo-Christian religion, the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, is just one example. In a less obvious symbolic form, the same motif is sometimes represented as the experience of being devoured by a terrifying monster and the regurgitated or making a miraculous escape. The examples here range from the Greek hero Jason and the biblical hero Jonah to Saint Margaret, who was allegedly swallowed by a dragon and saved by a miracle.
Considering how universal and important these themes are in world mythology, it is interesting to realize that sequences of psychological death and rebirth are also among the most frequent experiences observed in nonordinary states of consciousness induced by various means and occurring spontaneously. They play an extremely important role in the process of psychological transformation and spiritual opening. Many ancient cultures were well aware of this fact and developed initiation procedures that were closely linked to the myths of death and rebirth." (pp. 125-129)
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