Round the Herne

 My version of the graphic and ghastly Greek myth of Polyphonte who made the fatal mistake of trying to exclude Aphrodite from her life (a lesson to everyone - let love in!). This is one of the more eye-watering myths and definitely not safe for work. There are a number of Greek myths in which people scorn Aphrodite and are cursed with various revolting forms of sexual obsession that invariably lead to carnage and suffering, which provides both a mythical and a Jungian explanation for deviant sexual fixations. There's probably a paper in that notion.

 At a memorial service to a long time friend, Adam, I was asked to read a poem by Eugene Field in honour of Pan which my friend had liked. With this in my thoughts I decided to record it here, as I do not think it is that widely known, and to add in a couple of extra poems on the same topic, one by Elizabeth Barratt Browning and the other by Robert Frost in which the Greek deity appears in America.

  My version of the story of Adonis' birth (be warned, it involves very adult themes and might upset some people) and the conflict between Persephone and Aphrodite over him. Persephone herself is the subject of near identical dispute between her mother and husband and to who she spends time with, and becomes a possessive (adoptive) mother in her turn, resentful of what loosely be called her daughter-in-law. The Adonia festival was held for three days at the summer solstice, marking the death, funeral, and hoped-for resurrection of the handsome god. The lengthening nights are the time spent with his adoptive mother Persephone but could also be considered indicative of the sadness felt by Aphrodite when he is no longer in her bed. The winter solstice marks Adonis' return to her Olympian boudoir. The Greeks described him as androgynous, a word whose meaning has somewhat shifted over the centuries. Back in the day, it meant that he took the macho, manly role when with Aphrodite (an...

 All five parts of my reading of Forrest Reid's supernatural teen romance "The Garden God" (1905). This is a somewhat controversial work, when it was published same-sex romances were illegal and, whilst there is no sex and it is all sighing and gazing rather than anything else, it was still incendiary ground for any author to tread upon. Even today the work is challenging, given that the main characters in the flashback sequences are about 16-years old. Teen romance novels have become very popular of late, but some of us are sufficiently old and crusty that we would sooner ignore adolescent crushes! However, this work follows the same intensely lyrical style that Oscar Wilde adopted, including the same great love of Greek mythology that weaves throughout this short story, and the vivid embrace of nature imagery. Reid, like his fellow Irishman Wilde, was clearly deeply wedded to the countryside. The supernatural elements are low-key, mostly centred around the possibility t...

 It was International Dog Day recently (who on earth actually decides these things?) and I was going to record a story, but work got in the way. So here is a belated account, my version of the final Labour of Herakles where he must acquire the giant dog Cerberus and bring him to the court of his mealy-mouthed cousin King Eurystheus. For the literary among you this is a katabasis tale (the journey into Hades) followed by an anabasis one (the return to the living). I'm sure you are glad to know that.

 This is my version of the Greek myth of Perdix and his uncle Daedalus the inventor. This story reminds me of the Irish myth of Dian Cecht and his son Miach whose skill (in medicine rather than engineering) threatens to outstrip the master. Whilst both stories can be read as straightforward warnings about the dangers of envy, the Irish tale has subtext about the dangers of immortality which the Greek story does not have. 

 A short-ish philosophical musing on the Ancient Greek understanding of time and how it relates to two deities, Kronos and Caerus. It would be interesting to hear people's views about the nature of time and particularly the issue about whether brief good times can outweigh long bad times in the qualitative Caerus-sense.

 It is harvest time in Britain, so thought I would record a story connected to agriculture. This is part of the myth cycle of Demeter and how she forms an association with the kingdom of Eleusis and the birth of the Eleusinian Mysteries. Disguised as a mortal woman, Doso, she looks after the baby Demophon and his older brother Triptolemus, There are close parallels between this story and one told of Aset (Isis) when she too is wandering the land in search of a lost loved one and ends up taking care of a royal baby. One story may have inspired the other, or both may reflect a universal truth.

 A ramble about how different philosophies conceptualise the root and nature of human worth. This was partly sparked off by researching the story of Prometheus stealing fire from Olympos and giving it to humanity to bring them out of their previous leaden state. This meander skirts around issues of what the basis of human worth is, how it relates to legal personhood, and whether there is a sense in which all people are of equal value, what that actually means, and to what extent such notions are universal. Avoided talking about Kant and Burke, but if this generates a discussion I might do a follow-up going more into their ideas.

 A recording for the Suffolk Jungian Circle about Eric Berne's notion of Life Scripts (part of his practice of Transactional Analysis) and how it relates to Jung - and to Greek mythology. This got cut short by a few minutes due to someone knocking ta the door (and me not knowing how to pause a recording).In the last few minutes I was going to add that Berne argued that not only did individual people have scripts but that organisations, communities, even entire nations could have scripts that they played out (though it is much less obvious how they develop scripts). At the national level the transmission route for the script is partially via the mass media. From a Jungian stance the scripts tie in to an idea that was partially discussed at the June meeting, around individuation being the path (a positive script, if you like) of the Self archetype and James Hillman arguing that other archetypes had their own trajectories or paths which might be followed instead - we spoke about this ...

 Earlier this month we had the third annual Suffolk Jungian Symposium at West Suffolk College. My contribution to the day was a talk applying Jungian principles to Oscar Wilde's novel "The Picture of Dorian Gray" (which also has plenty to say about the human psyche in general and not just as a bit of pretentious lit-crit. The recording of the original event did not come out at all well, so this is a slightly more rambling version of the same thing.

 What started off as some research for a lecture (around male friendship) took me off down various mythological tangents, including into the daimona/goddess/spirit Philotes from Ancient Greece who formed and sustained friendships between people (and sometimes also sexual relationships, but that is a side issue). The work-related research has been looking at the connection between social isolation and what are euphemistically called negative life outcomes - ill health, mental problems, increased chances of suicide etc.). While friendship may not get anywhere near the modern cultural coverage of romance (thinking about all those soppy songs, films, Mills & Boon novels etc.), in ancient times there were plenty of tales about friends going off on adventures together.

 I gave this talk at a college event in December 2024, recording it now on the off-chance that it might eb of interest to some followers on YouTube or this Blog. The talk interprets some of the ghost stories written by E F Benson, Saki, M R James, and Forrest Reid in the light of sexuality and social isolation. If nothing else, I rather hope that this talk will inspire listeners to want to read the works of the respective authors.

 My telling of one of the stories about Melampos, an Ancient Greek healer who was almost as famous as Asclepios. The physician is summonsed to treat the son of King Phylacus of Argos to treat his son who has seemingly incurable impotence which even his beautiful wife has been unable to overcome. The treatment involves a consultation with the celestial realm and with a tree spirit who also requires healing. I like the underlying themes that the illness of one person can easily lead to health problems in others and that treatment can necessitate putting wrongs (however unintentional0 to right rather than just medication alone. As well as giving insight into animist notions of healing and illness, this tale also provides an account of the unusual rulership of Argos.

 A reflection on Jung's notions around the Dark Mother archetype and the ideas added by those who came after him (such as Marie-Louise von France, Dorothy Bloch, and Daniella Sieff). This is chiefly for the Suffolk Jungian Circle, who are discussing the topic at the end of the month, but it may well also interest a wider audience.

 The River Styx of Greek mythology is referred to by some ancient writers as the "Dread River of Oath", a suitably poetic image to inspire a few thoughts on the symbolism of both goddess and river within Greek religion and the nature of oath making.

 This is my telling of part of the longer myth about the young Theseus' journey to Athens to meet with King Aegeus. In this part of the story he encounters the brigand Sciron who has a rather murderous foot fetish. At some point I might try recording the entire story of the journey as a single piece. Might be a useful performance piece for any large gathering with very patient audiences. If there is a moral to this traveller's tale it is "do unto others what they try to do unto you"! 

 A Greek myth about the invention of the aulos (two-reeded flute) and the subsequent fate of the satyr Marsyas, whom the Romans considered to be a great exponent of, possibly even inventor of, parrhesia (free speech). This myth, a bit like the one involving Apollo and Pan, can also be understood as a clash of musical cultures: the high classical lyre music of Apollo, versus the bawdy, rural, flute music of the satyrs (and to some extent the labouring classes). The fate of Marsyas is a tad grim, but (if you want to put a more positive spin on it) think of it as being akin to a snake sloughing to become a fresh, new form.  

 The video is a reflection on the story of Demeter and her daughter Kore (later Persephone) from a Jungian point of view. This is primarily as a basis for discussion in the Suffolk Jungian Circle at the end of the month but, as ever, it might be of some interest to others as well. I have included reflections on how the myth can be understood and applied in psychological contexts from the viewpoints of Kore, her mother Demeter, and her eventual husband Hades.

 Recorded this spiel partially in response to a question asked about the Suffolk Jungian Circle recording on alchemy and partly because of various other things going on. Greek mythology has two related concepts for stories (or subsections of larger stories) of katabasis and anabasis - respectively the journey into the Underworld and the return to the land of the living. This is paralleled in the Christian tradition by notions of the Harrowing of Hell, in both versions a key feature is that the traveller is going into the Dark Place in order to retrieve something - a lost loved one, a treasure of some sort etc. As the recording hopefully emphasises, there are lots of different ways to understand what the Dark Place is and the nature of the voluntary journey there. A lot of people end up in Dark Places, but they rarely go there willingly so it is debatable whether the notion of katabasis applies to all such terrible experiences or only to ones of a voluntary nature (and ones with an ...