“Almost all non-literate mythology has a trickster-hero of some kind. … And there’s a very special property in the trickster: he always breaks in, just as the unconscious does, to trip up the rational situation. He’s both a fool and someone who’s beyond the system. And the trickster represents all those possibilities of life that your mind hasn’t decided it wants to deal with. The mind structures a lifestyle, and the fool or trickster represents another whole range of possibilities. He doesn’t respect the values that you’ve set up for yourself, and smashes them.” –Joseph Campbell (1)
We variously despise, fear, laugh at, and are inspired by the tricksters, comedians and other wild and crazy people in our midst. They make us smile, they thumb their noses at gods and generals, they’re an amazing monkey wrench gang of folks turning the worst of the pompous and authoritarian groups and organizations upside down, they’re the sly criminal getting away with a crime, and quite often they are dangerous and uncaring and cruel.
For better or worse, they exhibit a spontaneous, born-of-the moment kind of creativity that many of us would exhibit more often in our lives if we could cast off the fetters of old habits, customs, peer pressure, and all the other brainwashing of our youth. We laugh at Br’er Rabbit, Bugs Bunny, Q, Loki, Coyote, and the rest of them because their antics free our spirits—if only for a moment—while pointing the way to great truths.
In Native American stories, Coyote plays the role of the court jester. As Richard Erdoes and Alfonso Ortiz, describe this joker in the deck of supernatural cards:
“Coyote and his kin represent the sheerly spontaneous in life, the pure creative spark that is our birthright as human beings, and that defies fixed roles of behavior. He not only represents some primordial creativity from our earlier days, but he reminds us that such celebration of life goes on today, and he calls us to join him in the frenzy. In an ordered world of objects and labels, he represents the potency of nothingness, of chaos, of freedom—a nothingness that makes something of itself. There is great power in such a being, and it has always been duly recognized and honored by Indian people.” (2)
For the trickster, every day is April Fool's Day. While it may not be wise to go and do likewise, our own hero paths and journeys will be enriched by a little lunacy.
DISCUSSION
The Sun Singer references the Nápi, the creator/trickster of Blackfoot cosmology; and some of the characters refer to Robert’s Grandfather Elliott as a trickster. In this role, how does he influence Robert’s search for himself and the truth?
NOTES:
(1) Campbell, Joseph, with Toms, Michael, John M. Maher and Dennis Biggs, editors, An Open Life: Joseph Campbell in Conversation with Michael Toms, New York, HarperCollins, 1990.
(2) Erdoes, Richard and Ortiz, Alfonso, American Indian Myths and Legends, New York, Pantheon Books, 1984.
Wednesday, April 27, 2005
Wednesday, April 20, 2005
'The Sun Singer' Named as Book of the Year Finalist
The Sun Singer has been named as a finalist in ForeWord Magazine’s 2004 Book of the Year Awards (BOTYA) in the juvenile/young adult fiction category.
According to the magazine, winners and finalists are selected “based on editorial excellence and professional production as well as the originality of the narrative and the value the book adds to its genre.”
ForeWord will announce Gold, Silver and Bronze winners in each category and the Editor’s Choice Prizes for fiction and nonfiction on June 3rd at Book Expo America in New York.
When hurricane Ivan roared through town during my North Georgia book signing last September, I wondered what kind of wildness could possibly top that. Hearing that The Sun Singer is a BOTYA finalist is definitely more unexpected than signing books on a dark and stormy night.
According to the magazine, winners and finalists are selected “based on editorial excellence and professional production as well as the originality of the narrative and the value the book adds to its genre.”
ForeWord will announce Gold, Silver and Bronze winners in each category and the Editor’s Choice Prizes for fiction and nonfiction on June 3rd at Book Expo America in New York.
When hurricane Ivan roared through town during my North Georgia book signing last September, I wondered what kind of wildness could possibly top that. Hearing that The Sun Singer is a BOTYA finalist is definitely more unexpected than signing books on a dark and stormy night.
Saturday, April 09, 2005
The Journey So Far
We began this web log journey last October, referencing a quotation from Joseph Campbell in The Hero With a Thousand Faces:
We have not even to risk the adventure alone; for the heroes of all time have gone before us; the labyrinth is thoroughly known; we have only to follow the thread of the heropath. And where we had thought to find an abomination, we shall find a god; where we had thought to slay another, we shall slay ourselves; where we had thought to travel outward, we shall come to the center of our own existence; where we had thought to be alone, we shall be with all the world.
The heropath is a blueprint for mythic journeys, tales or stories that describe quests for great rewards while simultaneously charting the inner transformational journey of the hero to the chaotic and frightening realm of the unconscious.
The journey begins with a “Call to Adventure,” an unusual event or apparent circumstance that attracts the hero’s attention and lures him toward the threshold of a magical realm willingly or otherwise.
The gate, or threshold, is frequently guarded by an individual, god, dragon, monster or other power of some kind. The hero usually defeats, slips past, or comes to an agreement with this power in some way before stepping into the unknown reality on the other side of the portal.
En route to the portal and/or after he successfully crosses the threshold, the hero may have magical help—an elixir, a map, a weapon, a shield, or helpful advice.
Death, dismemberment and crucifixion are common themes in many heroic journeys, variously signifying the death of old ways, old attitudes, or one’s self as it has been.
The hero may have many tests/ordeals to accomplish leading up to an almost impossible task that he must complete to receive his reward—knowledge, power, and other tangible benefits that will serve mankind. The hero’s journey may include a sacred marriage with the goddess, accommodation with the father-creator, or a supreme transcendence into the very center of the cosmos where all is one.
The hero’s return to everyday life may be supported or hindered by the powers of the magical realm depending on how he obtained his reward. As he crosses the threshold, he is forever changed and the world itself benefits from the gift he has won. His exploits are told far and wide, providing a roadmap to those who might follow in his footsteps.
DISCUSSION
(1) Discuss how (or if) the general themes surrounding the heropath resonate with you as you create your own dreams, story, and mission in the world.
(2) How does the hero’s journey, in the mythic sense, compare and contrast with our everyday use of the term “hero”?
(3) How do the spiritual implications of the inner journey associated with heroic stories relate to your religious beliefs: does myth enhance them, conflict with them, change them, or have no bearing on them one way or another?
We have not even to risk the adventure alone; for the heroes of all time have gone before us; the labyrinth is thoroughly known; we have only to follow the thread of the heropath. And where we had thought to find an abomination, we shall find a god; where we had thought to slay another, we shall slay ourselves; where we had thought to travel outward, we shall come to the center of our own existence; where we had thought to be alone, we shall be with all the world.
The heropath is a blueprint for mythic journeys, tales or stories that describe quests for great rewards while simultaneously charting the inner transformational journey of the hero to the chaotic and frightening realm of the unconscious.
The journey begins with a “Call to Adventure,” an unusual event or apparent circumstance that attracts the hero’s attention and lures him toward the threshold of a magical realm willingly or otherwise.
The gate, or threshold, is frequently guarded by an individual, god, dragon, monster or other power of some kind. The hero usually defeats, slips past, or comes to an agreement with this power in some way before stepping into the unknown reality on the other side of the portal.
En route to the portal and/or after he successfully crosses the threshold, the hero may have magical help—an elixir, a map, a weapon, a shield, or helpful advice.
Death, dismemberment and crucifixion are common themes in many heroic journeys, variously signifying the death of old ways, old attitudes, or one’s self as it has been.
The hero may have many tests/ordeals to accomplish leading up to an almost impossible task that he must complete to receive his reward—knowledge, power, and other tangible benefits that will serve mankind. The hero’s journey may include a sacred marriage with the goddess, accommodation with the father-creator, or a supreme transcendence into the very center of the cosmos where all is one.
The hero’s return to everyday life may be supported or hindered by the powers of the magical realm depending on how he obtained his reward. As he crosses the threshold, he is forever changed and the world itself benefits from the gift he has won. His exploits are told far and wide, providing a roadmap to those who might follow in his footsteps.
DISCUSSION
(1) Discuss how (or if) the general themes surrounding the heropath resonate with you as you create your own dreams, story, and mission in the world.
(2) How does the hero’s journey, in the mythic sense, compare and contrast with our everyday use of the term “hero”?
(3) How do the spiritual implications of the inner journey associated with heroic stories relate to your religious beliefs: does myth enhance them, conflict with them, change them, or have no bearing on them one way or another?
Friday, April 01, 2005
The Light Within
Hero myths are dramatizations of inner journeys.
The hero’s quest, usually in the service of others, is jam packed with larger-than-life adventures because extracting one’s potential from the depths of oneself is the most difficult challenge most of us will ever face. Whether the modern hero meets his or her challenge in the quiet of an outwardly average daily routine or through an extraordinary series of harrowing experiences, the journey within is the adventure of a lifetime.
The hero undertakes this journey because s/he is drawn to it willingly or unwillingly. Once the call of adventure is heard, the journey becomes a vital necessity. In The Gospel According to Thomas, Jesus said, “When you give rise to that which is within you, what you have will save you. If you do not give rise to it, what you do not have will destroy you.” (1)
When the hero leaves on the quest, the inner destination may be as yet unknown even though the outer task is well defined. S/he may follow the beat of a distant drummer, the song of a flute carried on the wind, dreams, visions, the voices of birds, the call of the wild, or an evolving trail of coincidences leading toward that which s/he needs above all else.
DISCUSSION
In The Sun Singer, Robert Adams’ gift of prophecy has brought him face to face with death. Subsequently, he uses medication, therapy, denial and a sarcastic and fatalistic sense of humor to cover up his talents. Ultimately, the call of adventure becomes too strong and he cannot resist the journey even though it appears—on the surface—to be much more dangerous than staying at home. What prompts each of us to variously deny our talents and goals one day and to pursue them aggressively on another?
NOTE
(1) The Gospel According to Thomas, saying 70, from Davies, Stevan, translator and annotator, The Gospel of Thomas, Woodstock, Vermont, SkyLight Paths Publishing, 2002. Alternately, this saying has been translated as, “If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you. If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you.”
The hero’s quest, usually in the service of others, is jam packed with larger-than-life adventures because extracting one’s potential from the depths of oneself is the most difficult challenge most of us will ever face. Whether the modern hero meets his or her challenge in the quiet of an outwardly average daily routine or through an extraordinary series of harrowing experiences, the journey within is the adventure of a lifetime.
The hero undertakes this journey because s/he is drawn to it willingly or unwillingly. Once the call of adventure is heard, the journey becomes a vital necessity. In The Gospel According to Thomas, Jesus said, “When you give rise to that which is within you, what you have will save you. If you do not give rise to it, what you do not have will destroy you.” (1)
When the hero leaves on the quest, the inner destination may be as yet unknown even though the outer task is well defined. S/he may follow the beat of a distant drummer, the song of a flute carried on the wind, dreams, visions, the voices of birds, the call of the wild, or an evolving trail of coincidences leading toward that which s/he needs above all else.
DISCUSSION
In The Sun Singer, Robert Adams’ gift of prophecy has brought him face to face with death. Subsequently, he uses medication, therapy, denial and a sarcastic and fatalistic sense of humor to cover up his talents. Ultimately, the call of adventure becomes too strong and he cannot resist the journey even though it appears—on the surface—to be much more dangerous than staying at home. What prompts each of us to variously deny our talents and goals one day and to pursue them aggressively on another?
NOTE
(1) The Gospel According to Thomas, saying 70, from Davies, Stevan, translator and annotator, The Gospel of Thomas, Woodstock, Vermont, SkyLight Paths Publishing, 2002. Alternately, this saying has been translated as, “If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you. If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you.”
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