Living Myth
Mosaic presents Living Myth, a podcast with Michael Meade, renowned mythologist and storyteller. Meade presents mythic stories that offer uniquely insightful and wise ways of understanding the current dilemmas of the world we live in. Living Myth proposes that genuine solutions to the complex and intractable problems of our world require both transcendent imagination and cohering, transformative narratives.
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Episode 482 - To Not Abandon Ourself
04/08/2026
Episode 482 - To Not Abandon Ourself
Clearly, we are living in radical times when almost everything can be taken to the extreme. We find ourselves in uncharted waters when it comes to the future of the planet and in unmapped territories in terms of human culture. In the midst of great uncertainty any moment can lead us to feel anxious, isolated and abandoned. Life must be lived forward, but often can only be understood in looking back. Looking back far enough reveals that everyone has abandonment issues from early life fears of being left isolated and alone. As if insisting upon being faced, our core fears and anxieties intensify whenever we face the need to change or grow. Early in life we were vulnerable and easily overwhelmed. Eventually, the issue becomes not just who abandoned us and why, but how we avoid abandoning ourselves when faced with fears and the uncertainty of life again. In times of overwhelm, the deep self and soul within us also seeks to become more conscious to us. In the essential work of changing from within, each occasion of not abandoning ourselves liberates more of the divine spark that was sewn in our souls to begin with. The light we liberate within our souls also adds some life to a world in the process of transforming itself. Thank you for listening to and supporting Living Myth. You can hear Michael Meade live by joining his free online event “The Soul of Change” on Thursday, April 30. Register and learn more at mosaicvoices.org/events You can further support this podcast by becoming a member of Living Myth Premium. Members receive bonus episodes each month, access to the full archives of over 750 episodes and a 30% discount on all events, courses and book and audio titles. Learn more and join this community of listeners at patreon.com/livingmyth Along with these free weekly podcasts, you can now read free weekly essays and long form posts by Michael Meade on Substack. Learn more and subscribe at michaeljmeade.substack.com If you enjoy this podcast, we appreciate you leaving a review wherever you listen and sharing it with your friends. On behalf of Michael Meade and the whole Mosaic staff, we wish you well and thank you for your support of our work.
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Premium Episode 175 Excerpt - The Redemptive Power of Soul
04/02/2026
Premium Episode 175 Excerpt - The Redemptive Power of Soul
On this excerpt from a Living Myth Premium episode, Michael Meade discusses the inherent longing for redemption and how it can be experienced as a life-seeking process rather than an end-of-life event. He explores the archetypes of creation and apocalypse, reframing the latter as an expression of the dynamic of collapse and renewal. Part of renewal involves connecting to vertical imagination, that goes deep into the unconscious, and can reveal the unique map of each soul's journey and help us become instruments for transformation and awakening. You can hear the full episode and receive additional podcast content by becoming a member of Living Myth Premium. Learn more and join this community of listeners at patreon.com/livingmyth. Members receive bonus episodes each month, access to the full archives of over 750 episodes and a 30% discount on all events, courses and book and audio titles. Learn more and join this community of listeners at patreon.com/livingmyth.
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Episode 481 - The Path of Dreams
04/01/2026
Episode 481 - The Path of Dreams
In this episode, Michael Meade tells an old story of someone who follows a dream that leads to being stripped down and stuck, before it unfolds a path to healing and wholeness. Bringing a dream to life means changing everything and change is most often accompanied by fear and resistance. Meade suggests that living a dream requires the courage to cross not only where others fear to go, but also to enter where we fear to tread. Stories and dreams are about the mysteries of life. And penetrating the mysteries requires a different kind of vision and a different understanding than what we use to negotiate the common world. The dream that calls us to a greater life is also a bridge between worlds, and the depths of one’s soul must first be plumbed if the gold would be found. The world needs healing on so many levels, that there cannot be a single idea, simple process or common belief that ends all the conflicts and begins the healing. The missing ingredient, the deep medicine, the inner gold is hidden in our own hearts. Until we can loosen the stones that we have constructed to protect our vulnerable selves, we cannot find the inner medicine or the inner wisdom of the soul. Thank you for listening to and supporting Living Myth. You can hear Michael Meade live by joining his free online event “The Soul of Change” on Thursday, April 30. Register and learn more at mosaicvoices.org/events You can further support this podcast by becoming a member of Living Myth Premium. Members receive bonus episodes each month, access to the full archives of over 750 episodes and a 30% discount on all events, courses and book and audio titles. Learn more and join this community of listeners at patreon.com/livingmyth Along with these free weekly podcasts, you can now read free weekly essays and long form posts by Michael Meade on Substack. Learn more and subscribe at michaeljmeade.substack.com If you enjoy this podcast, we appreciate you leaving a review wherever you listen and sharing it with your friends. On behalf of Michael Meade and the whole Mosaic staff, we wish you well and thank you for your support of our work.
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Episode 480 - A Reminiscence Bump vs. the Eternal Youth Within
03/25/2026
Episode 480 - A Reminiscence Bump vs. the Eternal Youth Within
This episode begins with the contemporary psychological theory of a “reminiscence bump” which attempts to explain why we remember certain songs and events from our youth, while forgetting most other things. The theory includes the idea that our sense of identity comes from an internalized story that we construct to make sense of our life. Michael Meade contrasts this kind of mainstream psychology with the ancient idea that youth is not simply a stage or a phase in life, but more of a meaningful, symbolic condition connected to something eternal and enduring in our souls. In ancient myths and fairy tales it is the youngest sister or youngest brother who represents the eternal youth that is part of the natural inheritance of each person’s psyche. Although considered too slow or weird or dreamy to begin with, the youngest part of the psyche carries the dream of one’s life as well as our innate connection to the roots of nature and the realm of spirit. In terms of myth and depth psychology, the eternal youth of the soul turns out to be the only one able to find a way forward when everyone else has become fearful, discouraged and stuck in life. The old idea of “coming of age” involved coming in contact with the inner dream of one’s life and the enduring passions and unique inner story already seeded in one’s soul. Ultimately, the thing we are secretly trying to save is our own authentic lives. And at each critical turning point in life it is this youngest inner sister or brother that tries to awaken further and connect us with what has been long forgotten and what is being newly imagined. When the future of the world is in question, it is the youngest part of the psyche that knows what people have forgotten and what human culture most needs in order to heal, transform and reconnect to the dream of life. Thank you for listening to and supporting Living Myth. You can further support this podcast by becoming a member of Living Myth Premium. Members receive bonus episodes each month, access to the full archives of over 750 episodes and a 30% discount on all events, courses and book and audio titles. Learn more and join this community of listeners at patreon.com/livingmyth Along with these free weekly podcasts, you can now read free weekly essays and long form posts by Michael Meade on Substack. Learn more and subscribe at: michaeljmeade.substack.com If you enjoy this podcast, we appreciate you leaving a review wherever you listen and sharing it with your friends. On behalf of Michael Meade and the whole Mosaic staff, we wish you well and thank you for your support of our work.
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Episode 479 - Living with Emotional Upheaval
03/18/2026
Episode 479 - Living with Emotional Upheaval
This episode of Living Myth focuses upon the extreme emotions generated by the war in Iran and the many other conflicts and divisions in the current world. Michael Meade addresses the increasing flood of raw emotions that we are all subjected to and what psychologists are now calling “political depression.” Although political depression can present the same sense of hopelessness and despair as traditional depression, its source is different. It does not simply come from within; but rather from the violence and upheaval, the corruption and unjustness in the world around us. According to recent studies, this sense of political depression has affected the psyches of most people, and along with issues of anger and outrage, increasingly appears in the offices of therapists and counselors. The human psyche cannot simply be separated from the conditions of the world. Whereas emotional responses can be eruptive and disruptive, emotions are also “the necessary and mysterious turbulence without which we cannot truly tell if we are alive or not.” Emotions move us because they carry massive amounts of energy that can be used to change life from within. The natural inheritance of the human soul includes an ability to “feel the feelings” and shift raw emotions to being sources of increased vitality and creativity. Ultimately, emotions are intended to connect us to our deeper sense of self and to the world as it is. In that sense, emotions would have us engage life more fully and live life more meaningfully, especially in times of crisis when a transformation of life actually becomes more possible. Thank you for listening to and supporting Living Myth. You can learn more about connecting to the deep self by taking Michael Meade's new course "Rites of Passage" that explores how timely and timeless practices of rites of passage can help us navigate a changing world and connect more deeply to inner wisdom and our unique genius. Purchase and learn more at: store.mosaicvoices.org You can further support this podcast by becoming a member of Living Myth Premium. Members receive bonus episodes each month, access to the full archives of over 750 episodes and a 30% discount on all events, courses and book and audio titles. Learn more and join this community of listeners at: patreon.com/livingmyth Along with these free weekly podcasts, you can now read free weekly essays and long form posts by Michael Meade on Substack. Learn more and subscribe at: michaeljmeade.substack.com If you enjoy this podcast, we appreciate you leaving a review wherever you listen and sharing it with your friends. On behalf of Michael Meade and the whole Mosaic staff, we wish you well and thank you for your support of our work.
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Episode 478 - Medicine of the Deep Self
03/11/2026
Episode 478 - Medicine of the Deep Self
In this episode, Michael Meade examines how collective fear and overwhelm can knock the ego off balance and lead to stress and despair. Since the world will not settle soon, the unity and wholeness so sorely missing in the outer world must be found within us. As things fall apart the “knowing self” within moves closer to the surface, seeking to become more conscious to us. Despite the troubles they cause, critical turning points in life intend to change us from within, giving us access to imagination and wisdom from the deeper self while also learning to deliver something of our true self to a troubled world. The centering and guiding power of the deep self gives us our innate sense of meaning, a true source of coherence and a instinctive sense of purpose. Thank you for listening to and supporting Living Myth. You can learn more about connecting to the deep self by taking Michael Meade's new course "Rites of Passage" that explores how timely and timeless practices of rites of passage can help us navigate a changing world and connect more deeply to inner wisdom and our unique genius Purchase and learn more at: store.mosaicvoices.org You can further support this podcast by becoming a member of Living Myth Premium. Members receive bonus episodes each month, access to the full archives of over 750 episodes and a 30% discount on all events, courses and book and audio titles. Learn more and join this community of listeners at patreon.com/livingmyth Along with these free weekly podcasts, you can now read free weekly essays and long form posts by Michael Meade on Substack. Learn more and subscribe at michaeljmeade.substack.com If you enjoy this podcast, we appreciate you leaving a review wherever you listen and sharing it with your friends. On behalf of Michael Meade and the whole Mosaic staff, we wish you well and thank you for your support of our work.
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Episode 477 - Living with a Whole Heart
03/04/2026
Episode 477 - Living with a Whole Heart
In this episode of Living Myth, Michael Meade considers the current global challenges and emphasizes the importance of living from a place of wholeheartedness. He reflects on the symbolism of an open heart and how facing personal fears contributes to living a life of meaning and purpose. Woven through this episode are poems from Rumi and William Stafford about the need for transformation and the unique role each soul plays in the world's drama. Like the Earth, the human heart bears an inner flame that can burn with intense passions and deep longings, but can also illuminate paths of compassion, healing and renewal. Our greatest obstacles and sufferings aim at a revelation of the heart within our heart. For, what the heart loves is the cure and what cures the human heart can help heal a broken world. Thank you for listening to and supporting Living Myth. You can hear Michael Meade live by joining his free online event “Finding Ways to Make a Change” on Thursday, March 5. Register and learn more at mosaicvoices.org/events You can further support this podcast by becoming a member of Living Myth Premium. Members receive bonus episodes each month, access to the full archives of over 740 episodes and a 30% discount on all events, courses and book and audio titles. Learn more and join this community of listeners at patreon.com/livingmyth Along with these free weekly podcasts, you can now read free weekly essays and long form posts by Michael Meade on Substack. Learn more and subscribe at michaeljmeade.substack.com If you enjoy this podcast, we appreciate you leaving a review wherever you listen and sharing it with your friends. On behalf of Michael Meade and the whole Mosaic staff, we wish you well and thank you for your support of our work.
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Episode 476 - Resistance to Change
02/25/2026
Episode 476 - Resistance to Change
This episode considers the problem of resistance to change from psychological and mythological viewpoints. While we are facing radical changes that threaten both nature and culture, we are also challenged by the dilemma of human resistance to change at both personal and collective levels. The issue is not simply a lack of commitment to change. Rather, resistance arises precisely where we have the best intentions to change. The problem becomes all the more difficult as we may not be aware of our resistance because it occurs at an unconscious level. Attempts to meaningfully change can feel like an internal struggle between opposing parts of ourselves; one part that overtly wants change and another part that covertly works against it. What some psychologists call an internal “competing commitment” or a subconscious “immunity to change” was once known as the fatal flaw that leads us away from our soul's natural goal of transformation and spiritual realization. In terms of mythic imagination, each soul has an original intention waiting to be found and a life dream waiting to awaken. And each soul also has its fatal flaw, a kind of reverse attitude that works against that original intention. Genuine transformation develops from the inside out. Thus, when change becomes essential, not just for ourselves, but also for life on earth, we are called to awaken to the true aims of our authentic selves as well as to the fatal flaws that work against meaningful change, both personally and collectively. Thank you for listening to and supporting Living Myth. You can hear Michael Meade live by joining his free online event “Finding Ways to Make a Change” on Thursday, March 5. Register and learn more at mosaicvoices.org/events. You can further support this podcast by becoming a member of Living Myth Premium. Members receive bonus episodes each month, access to the full archives of over 740 episodes and a 30% discount on all events, courses and book and audio titles. Learn more and join this community of listeners at patreon.com/livingmyth Along with these free weekly podcasts, you can now read free weekly essays and long form posts by Michael Meade on Substack. Learn more and subscribe at michaeljmeade.substack.com If you enjoy this podcast, we appreciate you leaving a review wherever you listen and sharing it with your friends. On behalf of Michael Meade and the whole Mosaic staff, we wish you well and thank you for your support of our work.
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Episode 475 - How Stories Heal and Make Us Whole
02/18/2026
Episode 475 - How Stories Heal and Make Us Whole
Michael Meade explores how stories enable us to understand the world and our place in it. Mythic narratives weave the divine and natural realms together in ways that become antidotes for our anxieties and fears. To be modern can mean to have fallen out of story or to be living in opposing stories as many people believe at this time. Yet, stories are how we understand our lives and how we make meaning of even the most overwhelming and tragic aspects of life. At each critical juncture or time of change, the story of our soul tries to break through and become more conscious. Since myths speak to each soul differently, they can deliver to each listener the psychic facts and healing factors they most need. In that sense, stories are a form of medicine that can operate at the deepest levels of self and soul. Thank you for listening to and supporting Living Myth. You can hear Michael Meade live by joining his free online event “Finding Ways to Make a Change” on Thursday, March 5. Register and learn more at mosaicvoices.org/events. You can further support this podcast by becoming a member of Living Myth Premium. Members receive bonus episodes each month, access to the full archives of over 740 episodes and a 30% discount on all events, courses and book and audio titles. Learn more and join this community of listeners at patreon.com/livingmyth Along with these free weekly podcasts, you can now read free weekly essays and long form posts by Michael Meade on Substack. Learn more and subscribe at michaeljmeade.substack.com If you enjoy this podcast, we appreciate you leaving a review wherever you listen and sharing it with your friends. On behalf of Michael Meade and the whole Mosaic staff, we wish you well and thank you for your support of our work.
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Episode 474 - Fear of Change
02/11/2026
Episode 474 - Fear of Change
There are certain, critical moments that say directly to us: You must change your life. Collectively, we are in a time when great changes are necessary; yet the idea of truly changing is too fearful for most people. On this episode of Living Myth, Michael Meade tells a surprising story from ancient India in which a fearful tiger suddenly awakens to its true inner nature and becomes transformed. It turns out that learning about one's true self can be like approaching a tiger. The authentic self has beauty and unique markings. It has power and an intensity of presence similar to the fierce brightness of a tiger. Awakening the deeper self also reveals an inner sense of nobility that can shift fear to awareness and replace uncertainty with a living sense of purpose. In mythological terms, the less people awaken to who they are in essence, the greater the amount of fear in the world becomes. If we are to find some way through the cascade of crises that currently threaten the world, we must face our deepest fears, open our hearts and begin to see with the visionary eyes of our tiger self. When the inner eyes of our hearts and souls open, we begin to see the world as we were intended to see it, and in so doing, find ways of transforming our lives that also help to transform this troubled world. Thank you for listening to and supporting Living Myth. You can hear Michael Meade live by joining his free online event “Finding Ways to Make a Change” on Thursday, March 5. Register and learn more at mosaicvoices.org/events. You can further support this podcast by becoming a member of Living Myth Premium. Members receive bonus episodes each month, access to the full archives of over 740 episodes and a 30% discount on all events, courses and book and audio titles. Learn more and join this community of listeners at patreon.com/livingmyth Along with these free weekly podcasts, you can now read free weekly essays and long form posts by Michael Meade on Substack. Learn more and subscribe at michaeljmeade.substack.com If you enjoy this podcast, we appreciate you leaving a review wherever you listen and sharing it with your friends. On behalf of Michael Meade and the whole Mosaic staff, we wish you well and thank you for your support of our work.
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Episode 473 - Finding Guidance in Your Life
02/04/2026
Episode 473 - Finding Guidance in Your Life
Michael Meade reflects on how, if we are able to stop and listen more deeply, we can connect with subtle sources of wisdom and guidance. He shares his experiences of receiving guidance that has taken the form of dreams, birds and animals, an inner voice and the realm of myth and story. Essential to the practice of hearing these vital messages is both an embrace of humility and a willingness to stand in the place of not knowing. During this time of upheaval in both culture and nature, when we collectively stand in a greater period of uncertainty, being able to hear the guiding messengers all around us can bring us closer to the call of our deeper self. The centering and guiding power of the deep self gives us our innate sense of meaning and instinctive sense of purpose. Without this inner, unifying factor, any meaningful sense of change can become fraught with excess fears and anxiety. Since the world will not quickly settle, we have to look deep inside for a true source of coherence, for meaningful guidance and for finding our true aims in life, which are not deterred by the troubles of the world. Thank you for listening to and supporting Living Myth. You can hear Michael Meade live by joining his free online event “Finding Ways to Make a Change” on Thursday, March 5. Register and learn more at mosaicvoices.org/events. You can further support this podcast by becoming a member of Living Myth Premium. Members receive bonus episodes each month, access to the full archives of over 740 episodes and a 30% discount on all events, courses and book and audio titles. Learn more and join this community of listeners at patreon.com/livingmyth Along with these free weekly podcasts, you can now read free weekly essays and long form posts by Michael Meade on Substack. Learn more and subscribe at: michaeljmeade.substack.com If you enjoy this podcast, we appreciate you leaving a review wherever you listen and sharing it with your friends. On behalf of Michael Meade and the whole Mosaic staff, we wish you well and thank you for your support of our work.
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Episode 472 - Moments of Truth
01/28/2026
Episode 472 - Moments of Truth
This episode begins with the recent shooting in Minneapolis in which an intensive care nurse named Alex Pretti was shot ten times by ICE and border patrol agents. There are fateful occasions when a tragic event becomes a moment of truth for both individual life and the collective meaning and core values of a culture. Michael Meade suggests that: “We are now, and may be for some time, in a collective tragedy that involves a battle for truth and meaning, but also the need for a transformation of culture that is aimed not only at the need for political change, but also at a transformation of the quality of human life at this time.” Meade turns back to Plato’s Republic, one of the foundational works of Western philosophy, that explores the meaning of justice and the struggle between “lies of the soul” and the need to “live in truth.” Because the current administration is captive to its own lies, it must falsify everything. It must falsify the past by trying to rewrite history. It must falsify the present by telling people not to believe their own eyes and it must seek to falsify the future by blatantly denying the truth and avoiding accountability. In the end, it comes down to the people, as “living the lie” must be confronted with living in truth. The point becomes not only the exposure of all the false poses and hollow pretenses that living in lies requires; but also the ancient and immediate revelation that it is not only possible, but truly essential that people who seek freedom and human dignity find ways to live within truth when faced with an administration of lies. Thank you for listening to and supporting Living Myth. You can further support this podcast by becoming a member of Living Myth Premium. Members receive bonus episodes each month, access to the full archives of over 740 episodes and a 30% discount on all events, courses and book and audio titles. Learn more and join this community of listeners at patreon.com/livingmyth Along with these free weekly podcasts, you can now read free weekly essays and long form posts by Michael Meade on Substack. Learn more and subscribe at: michaeljmeade.substack.com If you enjoy this podcast, we appreciate you leaving a review wherever you listen and sharing it with your friends. On behalf of Michael Meade and the whole Mosaic staff, we wish you well and thank you for your support of our work.
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Episode 471 - The Importance of Creative Practice
01/21/2026
Episode 471 - The Importance of Creative Practice
On this episode of Living Myth, Michael Meade turns to the realms of art and practice as ways to avoid overwhelm and find coherence in an increasingly chaotic world. Since the world will not settle soon, the unity and wholeness so sorely missing must be found within us. Fortunately, as fears and uncertainty grow, a balancing imagination and healing energy tries to awaken within our souls. The creative arts and spiritual practices are the traditional paths that can lead us to the deep resources and inner resiliency of our self and soul. The two traditional roads of practice appear as the inward path of contemplation, meditation and deep reflection and the expressive path of creative arts, such as music and dance, painting and writing. Some people are more drawn to one than the other; others go back and forth or mix the two. They each have their value, and each can connect us to the ground of being and the ever-resilient core of life. Whether it be through meditation and introspection or art and creative expression, a practice helps us gain an emotional seating and a place of refuge to return to again and again. Having a meaningful practice can give us ways to awaken further and grow within ourselves, while also becoming more able to contribute to the healing and restoration of the world. Thank you for listening to and supporting Living Myth. You can further support this podcast by becoming a member of Living Myth Premium. Members receive bonus episodes each month, access to the full archives of over 740 episodes and a 30% discount on all events, courses and book and audio titles. Learn more and join this community of listeners at patreon.com/livingmyth If you enjoy this podcast, we appreciate you leaving a review wherever you listen and sharing it with your friends. On behalf of Michael Meade and the whole Mosaic staff, we wish you well and thank you for your support of our work.
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Episode 470 - Lifting the Veil
01/14/2026
Episode 470 - Lifting the Veil
This episode begins with the differences between paradigm shifts that replace old theories with new ones and a shifting of the archetypes that can transform all levels of life. The origins of apocalypse involve an archetypal shift that begins with a period of chaos and collapse before it leads to creation and a renewal of life. The initial phase of an apocalyptic period also involves a “lifting of the veil” that reveals what has been concealed behind closed doors and uncovers what has long been covered up. The United States, in particular, has entered a stage where the veil lifts and ideas and motivations normally uttered in the back rooms of power become stated out loud, in public. Wildly divisive ideas and brutal practices that other regimes would try to cover over become boldly declared and are doubled down on when challenged. Whether it is the incursion into Venezuela, threats to acquire Greenland by military force or the rush to condemn an unarmed mother of three recklessly killed by a masked “federal officer,” the point is to make each tragedy a polarizing and dehumanizing event that further divides people, not just from each other, but also internally, so that the lack of empathy and loss of our shared sense of humanity becomes diminished and is replaced with a fear of living fully and freely and standing for the deeper truths of the human soul. At a time when political and cultural divisions are intentionally driven deeper, what we need are not just better politics and policies, but also a greater psychological sense and deeper understanding of the sanctity of life and the importance of the individual soul. For, the original meaning of the archetype of apocalypse includes an awakening of the individual soul that can initiate a process of renewal of human society based upon the core values of meaning and truth, justice and inclusion and love over fear. Thank you for listening to and supporting Living Myth. You can further support this podcast by becoming a member of Living Myth Premium. Members receive bonus episodes each month, access to the full archives of over 740 episodes and a 30% discount on all events, courses and book and audio titles. Learn more and join this community of listeners at patreon.com/livingmyth. If you find this podcast meaningful, we appreciate you leaving a review wherever you listen and sharing it with your friends. On behalf of Michael Meade and the whole Mosaic staff, we wish you well and thank you for your support of our work.
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Episode 469 - World Upside Down
01/07/2026
Episode 469 - World Upside Down
This episode looks at the shocking beginning of the new year in which the U.S. government invades Venezuela, extracts the sitting president and announces that it will be “running the country” that has the largest reserve of oil in the world. A dream that follows what appears to be the dissolution of the international order, that has mostly prevailed for the past eighty years, depicts the confusions and fears of a world turned upside down. It also shows how in the maelstrom of reckless conflicts and cultural betrayals, something ancient and enduring about the world is trying to be remembered and be rediscovered, and it seems to take some big trouble to awaken to it. Thank you for listening to and supporting Living Myth. You can further support this podcast by becoming a member of Living Myth Premium. Members receive bonus episodes each month, access to the full archives of over 740 episodes and a 30% discount on all events, courses and book and audio titles. Learn more and join this community of listeners at patreon.com/livingmyth. If you find this podcast meaningful, we appreciate you leaving a review wherever you listen and sharing it with your friends. On behalf of Michael Meade and the whole Mosaic staff, we wish you well and thank you for your support of our work.
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Episode 468 - The Soul's Great Adventure
01/02/2026
Episode 468 - The Soul's Great Adventure
Michael Meade explores how the soul’s great adventure tries to surface throughout life, so that any moment can become a true turning point if we leave the maps that others have made, follow the soul’s original calling and enter life more fully and more meaningfully. He suggests that ultimately it involves a “gnosis,” a deeper way of knowing that uncovers our inner resources and reveals the unique powers and gifts of our soul. We are repeatedly asked to choose: either we accept the life that has been given to us or we undertake the greater adventure of the soul. Thank you for listening to and supporting Living Myth. You can further support this podcast by becoming a member of Living Myth Premium. Members receive bonus episodes each month, access to the full archives of over 725 episodes and a 30% discount on all events, courses and book and audio titles. Learn more and join this community of listeners at patreon.com/livingmyth If you enjoy this podcast, we appreciate you leaving a review wherever you listen and sharing it with your friends. On behalf of Michael Meade and the whole Mosaic staff, we wish you well in this new year and thank you for your support of our work.
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Episode 467 - How Healing Songs Began
12/24/2025
Episode 467 - How Healing Songs Began
This episode of Living Myth begins with a Native American story of the origin of healing rituals. In telling the tale Michael Meade emphasizes a remarkable point in the story when knowledge, healing and songs all enter the world at the same time. The songs become central elements in the original healing ritual which brings those that are sick or wounded to the center of the community. Having established the importance of healing songs, Meade introduces an excerpt from Mosaic’s recording . Thank you for listening to and supporting Living Myth. You can further support this podcast by becoming a member of Living Myth Premium. Members receive bonus episodes each month, access to the full archives of over 725 episodes and a 30% discount on all events, courses and book and audio titles. Learn more and join this community of listeners at patreon.com/livingmyth If you enjoy this podcast, we appreciate you leaving a review wherever you listen and sharing it with your friends. On behalf of Michael Meade and the whole Mosaic staff, we wish you well and thank you for your support of our work.
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Episode 466 - Bringing Back the Light
12/17/2025
Episode 466 - Bringing Back the Light
This episode of Living Myth begins with a review of how cosmology used to refer to all of the ways that humans could imagine the creation of the world and the subtle connections of the human soul to the living cosmos. “As above, so below” is the ancient mantra that places humankind in the middle of the cosmic story as an essential link in the chain of being. As individuals we may properly feel frail and small; yet we belong to more than one dimension of life. And the dark time of the year is the traditional time to recall the interconnection between each of our souls and the starry universe around us. The word solstice means the “sun stands still” and ancient people imagined that the extremes of darkness harbored a timeless moment of stillness as the sun seems to stop just in time before the gloom becomes too great to recover from. Traditional cultures all over the world imagined that the midwinter sun needed conscious help from human beings in order to turn things around and bring back the light. These are not simply the dark days of winter; but the dark times for everyone; especially for those who truly care for the souls of other people, and for the well-being of the sacred earth we all live upon. Even as we can feel more physically separated from each other, and just when we can feel even more frail and small in the face of all the worldwide troubles we face, there may be no better time to light a candle, make a prayer, find a song to sing in the midst of the darkness, in order to help bring the light back. In facing the darkness together in a spiritual sense and in the ancient way, we can also find again and realign with the divine spark of life we each carry. For the soul has its own inner light and each soul is secretly connected to the song of the earth, to the Soul of the World, and to the indelible spark of life and light that can only be found in the darkest hours and the darkest times. Thank you for listening to and supporting Living Myth. You can hear Michael Meade live by joining his free online Solstice ritual “In This Darkness Singing” on Saturday, December 20. Register and learn more at mosaicvoices.org/events You can further support this podcast by becoming a member of Living Myth Premium. Members receive bonus episodes each month, access to the full archives of over 725 episodes and a 30% discount on all events, courses and book and audio titles. Learn more and join this community of listeners at patreon.com/livingmyth If you enjoy this podcast, we appreciate you leaving a review wherever you listen and sharing it with your friends. On behalf of Michael Meade and the whole Mosaic staff, we wish you well and thank you for your support of our work.
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Episode 465 - The Spell of Perfectionism
12/10/2025
Episode 465 - The Spell of Perfectionism
This episode brings a focus to the problem of perfectionism and how it can silence our natural spontaneity, turn our innate passions into stone and cancel the imagination and creativity that are natural to our souls. Perfectionism can be paradoxical in the sense that it can foster an egotistical sense that we are better than others or plunge us into feelings of inferiority and inadequacy. Michael Meade uses an old tale to show how the quest for perfection is a hopeless endeavor that operates as a kind of spell that continuously leads us away from our deeper sense of self and soul and prevents us from finding a genuine sense of self-worth. Rather than trying to be perfect, the true aim of life is to become a whole person. Becoming whole involves making mistakes and having faults, but also finding forgiveness and healing. No one is perfect, yet each soul is unique, having true self-worth within and a genuine aim in life that waits to be discovered. In the end, it is not perfection, but the uniqueness of the individual soul that makes each person meaningful, purposeful and innately valuable. Thank you for listening to and supporting Living Myth. You can hear Michael Meade live by joining his free online Solstice ritual “In This Darkness Singing” on Saturday, December 20. Register and learn more at mosaicvoices.org/events. You can further support this podcast by becoming a member of Living Myth Premium. Members receive bonus episodes each month, access to the full archives of over 725 episodes and a 30% discount on all events, courses and book and audio titles. Learn more and join this community of listeners at patreon.com/livingmyth If you enjoy this podcast, we appreciate you leaving a review wherever you listen and sharing it with your friends. On behalf of Michael Meade and the whole Mosaic staff, we wish you well and thank you for your support of our work.
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Episode 464 - The Importance of the Otherworld
12/03/2025
Episode 464 - The Importance of the Otherworld
This episode brings a focus to the importance of recognizing that we live in more than one world. Before modern times, it was commonly understood that there was another world next to the daily domain of facts and figures and that this other world is real in its own way. What traditional societies called the Otherworld turns out to be the primordial center, the place of origins and the essential source for changing and healing the daily world. Thus, the problem is not simply that damaging things have been done in the course of history. Rather, the greater issue is the fact that so much has been lost and forgotten over time. By insisting on seeing reality as only those things that are measurable and provable, modern societies have lost the subtle connections and hidden threads that secretly tie the time-bound world to all that remains immeasurable, timeless and capable of renewing life. The sense of the Otherworld as the endless source of imagination and ongoing creation allowed ancient people to accept the fact that things do fall apart, but also have the understanding that life can be renewed by being in touch with the sacred center and secret source of all existence. The Otherworld, that keeps being lost but can be found again, has always been the source of the unity that is lacking in the common world. It cannot be scientifically proved, but can intuitively become known, that what we most need when everything is falling apart and time is running out on us is not simply more time, but importantly, more timelessness and the redeeming touch of the eternal. We may increasingly feel that we are but tiny, frail beings who are insignificant in the great expanse of an accidental universe. Yet, we have always lived in two worlds and as the fabric of life loosens, the veil between this world and the Otherworld thins and we are called to be witnesses of the collapse, but can also become again the soulful vessels through which the daily world of the time bound and the redeeming realm of the eternal can meet. Thank you for listening to and supporting Living Myth. You can hear Michael Meade live by joining him for two online events: “Your Genius is Calling”, an in-depth workshop on December 6 and “In This Darkness Singing”, a free solstice ritual on December 20. Register and learn more at mosaicvoices.org/events. You can further support this podcast by becoming a member of Living Myth Premium. Members receive bonus episodes each month, access to the full archives of over 725 episodes and a 30% discount on all events, courses and book and audio titles. Learn more and join this community of listeners at patreon.com/livingmyth If you enjoy this podcast and find it meaningful, we appreciate you leaving a review wherever you listen and sharing it with your friends. On behalf of Michael Meade and the whole Mosaic staff, we wish you well and thank you for your support of our work.
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Episode 463 - Gratitude and Grace
11/25/2025
Episode 463 - Gratitude and Grace
On this episode, Michael Meade considers the sources and meanings of grace and gratitude, two words that are connected and come from the same ancient roots. Gratitude is like a flower rooted in the heart that seeks to blossom from within us. Grace is a state of awe that can fall upon us unexpectedly and reveal the hidden beauty and wonder of creation. The instinct to give thanks seeks moments of wholeness that help bring a sense of grace back to the world. The presence of grace brings mercy and forgiveness that can reconnect us to the underlying wholeness of life, even when everything seems to be falling apart. Thus, a genuine sense of gratitude can make things feel holy again, if only for a moment. We are most human when we allow ourselves to be touched by the wonder of the world and when we feel gratitude for the life we have been given. Thank you for listening to and supporting Living Myth. You can hear Michael Meade live by joining him for two online events: “Your Genius is Calling”, an in-depth workshop on December 6 and “In This Darkness Singing”, a free solstice ritual on December 20. Register and learn more at mosaicvoices.org/events. You can further support this podcast by becoming a member of Living Myth Premium. Members receive bonus episodes each month, access to the full archives of over 725 episodes and a 30% discount on all events, courses and book and audio titles. Learn more and join this community of listeners at patreon.com/livingmyth If you enjoy this podcast and find it meaningful, we appreciate you leaving a review wherever you listen and sharing it with your friends. On behalf of Michael Meade and the whole Mosaic staff, we wish you well and thank you for your support of our work.
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Episode 462 - The Child of Joy
11/19/2025
Episode 462 - The Child of Joy
This episode begins with the idea that all the troubles in the world at this time bring a great weight and pressure down upon, not just humanity as a whole, but also each individual soul. Since our souls are secretly tuned to the world, the widening divisions outside us tend to activate inner splits within us, specifically in the form of early life feelings of being abandoned, rejected and overwhelmed. Fears of abandonment and overwhelm return each time we face great obstacles or the need to truly change, not because we are inherently bad or simply ill-fated. Rather, a genuine crisis will activate our early life experiences of rejection and loss in order that we find ways to heal our inner wounds and at the same time reveal our deepest gifts. Part of what seeks to become reclaimed as part of our natural inheritance used to be known as the child of joy, the source of natural buoyancy as well as inner resiliency. Our innate connection to joy can be a meaningful antidote to the weight of the world and the increasing anxieties that entrap us. However, finding again this kind of soul connection requires that we work through the exact wounds that keep us from feeling fully alive to begin with. The problem turns out to be not simply that there was an original betrayal that leaves us wounded, but also that we keep betraying ourselves in the same way. Eventually, the issue is not simply who did what to us and why, but rather how we manage to stop abandoning ourselves each time we feel fearful, on the edge of overwhelm or stuck in life again. Genuine change and renewal, on both individual and collective levels, require that we touch the original splits again and heal the wounds that separate us from the inner source of existence and the innate sense of joy that naturally attends the gift of life. For it is this soul connection and inner resilience that seeks to be found, that waits to be felt again and that wishes to be nourished, despite and because of the troubles that now plague the world. Thank you for listening to and supporting Living Myth. You can hear Michael Meade live by joining him for three online events: “Living with Awe, Joy and Gratitude”, a free event on November 20 and “Your Genius is Calling”, an in-depth workshop on December 6 and “In This Darkness Singing” a free Solstice ritual on December 20. Register and learn more at mosaicvoices.org/events. You can further support this podcast by becoming a member of Living Myth Premium. Members receive bonus episodes each month, access to the full archives of over 725 episodes and a 30% discount on all events, courses and book and audio titles. Learn more and join this community of listeners at patreon.com/livingmyth If you enjoy this podcast, we appreciate you leaving a review wherever you listen and sharing it with your friends. On behalf of Michael Meade and the whole Mosaic staff, we wish you well and thank you for your support of our work.
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Episode 461 - The Golden Self Within
11/12/2025
Episode 461 - The Golden Self Within
As the world around us becomes increasingly divided into opposing forces, the tensions and conflicts within us also intensify. In psychological terms, the division most in need of being healed is the split between the ego or “little self” and the deeper, knowing self within us. In fairy tales a golden ball often appears as a symbol of the inner unity and wholeness we felt, at least for a moment, as children. The old rule is that everyone has at least one experience of the presence of the deep self, typically felt as something golden within us. This deeper self within knows why we are here on earth and what we are intended to do. Yet, the ego, with its fixed attitudes and pretensions of being at the center of life, stands in the way. At each turning point in life this golden self within tries to become more conscious as a source of grounding and centering, but also as a resource of genuine visions, big dreams and vital energies. In a world filled with conflicts and great uncertainty, the guidance and centering power of the deeper self can save us from feeling anxious and overwhelmed. In order for both individual and collective awakening and meaningful change to occur, a deeper sense of self and soul must become more conscious and available to us. Thank you for listening to and supporting Living Myth. You can hear Michael Meade live by joining him for two online events: “Living with Awe, Joy and Gratitude”, a free event on November 20 and “Your Genius is Calling”, an in-depth workshop on December 6. Register and learn more at mosaicvoices.org/events. You can further support this podcast by becoming a member of Living Myth Premium. Members receive bonus episodes each month, access to the full archives of over 725 episodes and a 30% discount on all events, courses and book and audio titles. Learn more and join this community of listeners at patreon.com/livingmyth If you enjoy this podcast and find it meaningful, we appreciate you leaving a review wherever you listen and sharing it with your community. On behalf of Michael Meade and the whole Mosaic staff, we wish you well and thank you for your support of our work.
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Episode 460 - From Blindness to Renewed Vision
11/05/2025
Episode 460 - From Blindness to Renewed Vision
This episode of Living Myth is about blindness, both individual and collective, and about the need for genuine visions and visionaries. Western culture, enthralled with the heroic and trapped in the limits of egotism, continues to turn a blind eye to the deeper sense of self and soul that alone can give a renewed sense of vision that can see beyond modern ideas that have come to threaten the future of the Earth. As long as we see through the lens of the heroic ego, we are likely to remain stuck in the territory of the same old willfulness and predictable blindness that cannot see ways to arrive at a deeper ground of understanding or a greater way to envision the living world. As the philosopher and humanist Erasmus said: “In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.” As the naturalist and poet Thoreau once stated: “I would give all the wealth of the world and all the deeds of all the heroes for one genuine vision.” Genuine change requires that we open our inner eyes and see from a deeper place. For, the new shape of the world only comes into view and becomes conscious to us when a vision arises from the darkness around us and from the unseen depths of our own unconscious. It is this kind of transformative vision that breaks through the blindness that both binds and polarizes us. Something ancient and knowing is trying to catch up to us. And if our souls can stand deeply enough in the river of time, we can receive lost truths and wisdom from the deep well of memory as well as visions of the mostly unseen future. This combination of imaginative vision and deep memory has been the ongoing source of vitality and renewal that visionaries, seers and wounded healers throughout time have drawn upon to give us our true bearings even when the world itself seems to have lost its way. Thank you for listening to and supporting Living Myth. You can hear Michael Meade live by joining him for two online events: “Living with Awe, Joy and Gratitude”, a free event on November 20 and “Awakening Genius, Living with Purpose”, an in-depth workshop on December 6. Register and learn more at mosaicvoices.org/events. You can further support this podcast by becoming a member of Living Myth Premium. Members receive bonus episodes each month, access to the full archives of over 725 episodes and a 30% discount on all events, courses and book and audio titles. Learn more and join this community of listeners at patreon.com/livingmyth If you enjoy this podcast, we appreciate you leaving a review wherever you listen and sharing it with your friends. On behalf of Michael Meade and the whole Mosaic staff, we wish you well and thank you for your support of our work.
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Episode 459 - The War on Empathy and Vertical Imagination in the Soul
10/29/2025
Episode 459 - The War on Empathy and Vertical Imagination in the Soul
This episode begins by examining the rise of “vertical morality” that appears in both Christian communities and conservative politics and has given rise to a “war on empathy.” Whereas Jesus famously preached love, mercy and care for the oppressed, vertical morality measures righteousness, not by goodness to others, but rather by something more simplistic and more divisive. Vertical morality declares that human behaviors are right or wrong based upon what the higher power says. As proponents put it: "Our ethics and behaviors have a duty to please God alone. We must obey by furthering the will of God, no matter the cost to other people." In a religious context, the higher power is God, in politics, it can become an authoritarian leader. As this viewpoint desensitizes people, true believers can justify demonizing all immigrants as criminals, defaming gay and trans people as predators, and condemning political opponents as, not just wrong, but evil. In direct contrast to vertical morality, Michael Meade proposes vertical imagination as a mostly lost quality of the human soul that would reconnect us to the heights of inspiration, but also keep us connected to the depths of genuine feeling. For the issue is not simply making a steady ascent on the ladder of morality. Rather, the point is for the soul to fully awaken to the process of ascent and descent that keeps Heaven and Earth connected, while it also connects us to the suffering souls of other people and to the all-embracing Soul of the World. When oriented from the deep sense of self and soul within us, our choices can become truly meaningful and our experiences genuinely unifying, rather than be divisive and traumatizing. In extraordinary times the soul expects to find extraordinary and enlivening experiences, not some final salvation based upon the ladders of morality, but rather many little redemptions found in moments when Heaven and Earth, the eternal and the time bound meet in the wisdom of our waking souls and merciful hearts. Thank you for listening to and supporting Living Myth. You can hear Michael Meade live by joining his free online events “The Heart Within the Heart” on October 30 and “Living with Awe, Joy and Gratitude” on November 20. Register and learn more at mosaicvoices.org/events You can support this podcast by becoming a member of Living Myth Premium. Members receive bonus episodes each month, access to the full archives of over 700 episodes and a 30% discount on all events, courses and book and audio titles. Learn more and join this community of listeners at patreon.com/livingmyth If you enjoy this podcast and find it meaningful, we appreciate you leaving a review wherever you listen and sharing it with your friends. On behalf of Michael Meade and the whole Mosaic staff, we wish you well and thank you for your support of our work.
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Episode 458 - From Chaos and Trauma to Cosmos and Renewal
10/22/2025
Episode 458 - From Chaos and Trauma to Cosmos and Renewal
The episode of Living Myth begins with a study on how our brains and our bodies respond to traumatic events. Apparently, our brains do not fully distinguish between something traumatic happening to us directly or something we observe that is harmful to someone else. To our brains a threat is a threat, whether we are actually experiencing it personally or are witnessing it on a personal device. Because humans are essentially social and typically empathic creatures, the same instincts that help connect us to each other can cause us to feel stress and pain by watching almost any kind of traumatic event. A key issue is that in consuming mass media coverage of the flood of traumatic events that now plague the world, we cannot simply resolve the sense of threat and fear of harm that penetrates us and causes our brains to trigger our fight or flight responses. Our body remains convinced that we are in some kind of danger, yet we can neither completely escape by flight nor effectively engage with fight. As the world becomes more and more chaotic and this process repeats, we become intensely activated, but with nowhere for all the energy to go. We can feel increasingly on the verge of overwhelm as well as physically and emotionally worn down. Psychologists who were consulted offered helpful suggestions such as setting boundaries on news consumption, calling friends or family members who can have a settling effect on us or spending more time in nature. However, the report also included the statement that under the pressure of repetitive traumatic stress a person's worldview might radically change. This greater fear involved the sense that in the midst of all the chaos people would conclude that life has no real meaning or purpose. However, the idea of an altered worldview can also be seen as our psyche’s instinctive way of seeking genuine healing and finding meaningful ways to change the course of both our personal and collective lives. Ancient wisdom along with ideas of depth psychology suggest that in order to truly change we must start right where we are and accept the mess we are in if we would find deeper understandings and wiser ways of being. For it is precisely in the dark nights of the soul that we can experience revelations of both our deeper sense of self and the regenerative energies that are essential aspects of both nature and the cosmos. Chaos as disorder and cosmos as regenerative order are the two huge energies that continuously make, unmake and remake the world. As things fall apart, the knowing self within us moves closer to the surface and seeks to become more conscious to us. Seen through the lens of the deeper sense of self and soul, the traumatic events that we experience and/or witness are not simply intended to defeat us or overwhelm us or make us numb, but rather, they are secretly intended to awaken us to a greater understanding of our own inner capacity to change and be part of the life-enhancing, life-creating dynamic through which chaos turns into cosmos, through which we can individually be redeemed from our own darkness and also find ways to contribute to a re-imagination and re-creation of a more coherent, inspired and interconnected sense of human culture. Thank you for listening to and supporting Living Myth. You can hear Michael Meade live by joining his free online event “The Heart Within the Heart” on Thursday, October 30. Register and learn more at: mosaicvoices.org/events. You can further support this podcast by becoming a member of Living Myth Premium. Members receive bonus episodes each month, access to the full archives of over 700 episodes and a 30% discount on all events, courses and book and audio titles. Learn more and join this community of listeners at: patreon.com/livingmyth If you enjoy this podcast, we appreciate you leaving a review wherever you listen and sharing it with your friends. On behalf of Michael Meade and the whole Mosaic staff, we wish you well and thank you for your support of our work.
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Episode 457 - Open Moments in the Heart
10/15/2025
Episode 457 - Open Moments in the Heart
The theme on this episode is the loss of eros and a sense of interconnectedness in the contemporary world. Eros is the elemental principle of connection, the touch of soul that binds us to this world but also connects us to our own essence. The feeling of eros or love is the soul's inner verification of its own genuine existence. When this elemental sense of eros and connectedness is lost, people can more easily be turned against each other, because inside they are turned against themselves. In Greek myths, Eros is the original, archetypal source of all attractions and all connections, an essential opposing energy to Thanatos, the god of death. In that sense, each loss of eros in the world is a kind of death in life. The more disconnected we are from our own sense of Eros, the closer we are to the realm of death. Thus, this loss of the felt sense of interconnection is at the root of the current crises that can leave us feeling isolated and alone, but also feeling helpless and hopeless, not just about our own lives, but also about the future of life on Earth. The loss of eros is at the heart of both the mistreatment of the Earth and the extremes of hatred, fear and division that now permeate human culture. The wisdom of the ancient myths also included the radical idea of “kairos,” meaning moments in which time breaks open and the original potentials of life become more available, just as familiar patterns and conventional systems are breaking down. In the dark times in which we live, kairos moments become awakened time in which we reconnect to a greater sense of the world, but also to our place in it. If we fully enter the moment when time opens, we experience an intensification of being that changes the quality of time as well as the direction of our lives. Kairos represents the opportune moment in which everything can change, the primordial tipping point in which there is a reversal of time and a reconnection to things that are eternal. In kairos moments time breaks open and timelessness reenters the world and can pour into our hearts and minds. And it is that blessed incursion of timelessness that is needed to reconnect us to the innate sense of eros and the hidden unity and interconnectedness of all of life. Thank you for listening to and supporting Living Myth. You can hear Michael Meade live by joining his free online event “The Heart Within the Heart” on Thursday, October 30. Register and learn more at mosaicvoices.org/events. You can further support this podcast by becoming a member of Living Myth Premium. Members receive bonus episodes each month, access to the full archives of over 700 episodes and a 30% discount on all events, courses and book and audio titles. Learn more and join this community of listeners at patreon.com/livingmyth If you enjoy this podcast, we appreciate you leaving a review wherever you listen and sharing it with your friends. On behalf of Michael Meade and the whole Mosaic staff, we wish you well and thank you for your support of our work.
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Episode 456 - The Real Enemy Within
10/08/2025
Episode 456 - The Real Enemy Within
This episode begins with the old psychological idea that warns that when the conflicts inside us are not made conscious, they must be experienced outside us as fate. It has become our mutual fate to live at a time when it is not just that nations attack each other with obliterating force, but also that people within nations become increasingly divided and see each other as the enemy. Each day brings another twist or turn in the increasingly tragic story of humanity becoming divided against itself. Throughout history there have been people in positions of power who seek to gain more power and control by using every issue to divide people into increasingly polarized states of “us vs them.” When Donald Trump told an assembly of all military generals and admirals that the primary threat to the United States is the “enemy within,” he was echoing the dehumanizing rhetoric used throughout history, not only to turn people against each other, but also to justify state violence against its own citizens. Besides its dark history as a tool of autocrats, the term “the enemy within” is also used in psychology to indicate the shadow side of each person. This personal shadow includes the denied, repressed or rejected aspects of our personality that are mostly hidden in our unconscious mind. Failure to recognize and become more conscious of our shadow aspects leads to projecting them onto those we deem to be “other” than us. Not only that, but when we allow the shadow side to operate unconsciously, it will, at critical points in life, manifest in self-destructive ways. In that sense, Donald Trump, who projects all of his shadow issues and inner conflicts on others, can be seen as a psychological lightning rod that requires us to become more conscious of what can divide us from within and turn us against our own best interests. Ultimately, our greatest enemy is within, but not in the cowardly sense of projecting our own faults on those we deem “others” in order to deny our own inner fears and hateful feelings. But rather, our greatest enemy is the fear that we do not have, already woven within us, an authentic way of seeing and being that can allow us to stand up to the troubles we face and find meaningful ways to contribute to a renewal of the core values and underlying unity of humanity that is also an inheritance of our souls. Thank you for listening to and supporting Living Myth. You can hear Michael Meade live by joining his free online event “The Heart Within the Heart” on Thursday, October 30. Register and learn more at mosaicvoices.org/events. You can further support this podcast by becoming a member of Living Myth Premium. Members receive bonus episodes each month, access to the full archives of over 700 episodes and a 30% discount on all events, courses and book and audio titles. Learn more and join this community of listeners at patreon.com/livingmyth. If you enjoy this podcast, we appreciate you leaving a review wherever you listen and sharing it with your friends. On behalf of Michael Meade and the whole Mosaic staff, we wish you well and thank you for your support of our work.
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Episode 455 - A Mythic Inoculation
10/01/2025
Episode 455 - A Mythic Inoculation
This episode begins with the idea that myths of creation are also intended to be understood as re-creation tales that reveal the world’s capacity to renew itself. Critical to this old understanding of the potential for a renewal of life on Earth is the primordial idea that humans are mythic by nature. It is our mutual fate to be denizens of history and be limited by the restrictions of time and place; it is also our destiny to be tied to eternal things. By virtue of being human we live in two worlds and at critical times we can become vessels through which the eternal seeks to enter the daily world and bring a renewal of life on Earth. Seen in this old way, the mystery of creation is not a problem to be solved through logic or evolutionary theory or religious doctrines. Rather, it may best be apprehended through deeper levels of consciousness, as presented in myths which speak directly to a person's imagination through primordial images and life-changing, life-affirming, life-awakening narratives. Mythic stories depict universal patterns and symbolic codes that continue to speak to the deepest levels of the human soul and that also can inspire the highest levels of spiritual imagination. Through myths of creation, we can touch again the timeless images and archetypes from which the living world first arose. In doing that, we can find inspirations for our own lives, as well as insights into how the world might be renewed precisely during the time when it is most divided and out of balance. The hidden aim of a dark period on Earth, like a dark night of the soul, is to dissolve our assumptions about ourselves and about the world around us, so that we might find our way back to the origins of life. For, in the age-old dynamic of chaos and creation, humans are revealed to be the missing link between heaven and earth, between the eternal and the time bound. In the dark times, when all else seems lost, what we secretly seek is a connection to the deeper self within us that is, on one hand, truly personal and unique and on the other hand is transpersonal and touched by the divine. Surprising as it may seem in this time of fixed ideologies and systems of blind belief, what can truly change the course of history, in ways that heal divisions rather than deepen them, is an awakening of the deeper sense of self and soul in each of us that is secretly connected to the origins of life and to the powers of re-creation. Thank you for listening to and supporting Living Myth. You can further support this podcast by becoming a member of Living Myth Premium. Members receive bonus episodes each month, access to the full archives of over 700 episodes and a 30% discount on all events, courses and book and audio titles. Learn more and join this community of listeners at patreon.com/livingmyth. If you enjoy this podcast, we appreciate you leaving a review wherever you listen and sharing it with your friends. On behalf of Michael Meade and the whole Mosaic staff, we wish you well and thank you for your support of our work.
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Episode 454 - We Are All Called To Stand For Something
09/24/2025
Episode 454 - We Are All Called To Stand For Something
This episode takes us back to the origins of the theater in ancient Greece where many of the ideas of democracy also originated. Tragedy began with a lament for the fatal flaws in human character, while comedy used the cutting edge of humor to expose the hypocrisy of those who misuse power. Throughout history, satire has served as an instrument of the powerless against the powerful and as a necessary expression of freedom of both imagination and speech. The term stage comes from roots that mean “to stand or to take a stand;” not to simply be a stand-in, but to play a major role in the essential drama of living out the inner character and living truth of our soul. For, life requires that we stand for something meaningful, something beautiful, something enduring, especially during tragic times. Psychological maturity, whether in a person, a political party or a nation depends upon the ability to stand in the tension of opposites long enough for an unexpected third way to arise. By contrast, seeing life simply as a zero sum game of winners and losers can only lead to those in power demonizing others in order to sustain a false sense of superiority. While the two poles of a polarity may seem to be irreconcilable opposites, they are secretly part of a hidden unity, for existence itself is an essential unity appearing as a de facto duality. In times of polarization, the real point of meaningful discussions and debates is not simply to prove one side to be right or be superior to the other, but rather to seek to a “catharsis,” an emotional and mental release that clears both the mind and the heart and can lead to a genuine sense of healing and wholeness. The healing effects of a catharsis were considered to be an essential part of both tragedy and comedy. The point would not be to simply provoke strong emotions in the audience, but rather to create ways in which the expression of strong feelings could lead to new insights and greater realizations about life and how people, though we may disagree, each and all suffer both the inevitable conflicts of life and a deep longing for a sense of unity. As has been said, all the world is but a stage and we, by virtue of being alive at this critical time, are the only players available to take a stand for the essential freedom and life changing imagination of the human soul. And surprising as it may seem, each soul born bears a genius self, that should it become conscious, can reveal layers of understanding and ways of healing and creating that can help change the course of the world. Thank you for listening to and supporting Living Myth. You can further support this podcast by becoming a member of Living Myth Premium. Members receive bonus episodes each month, access to the full archives of over 700 episodes and a 30% discount on all events, courses and book and audio titles. Learn more and join this community of listeners at patreon.com/livingmyth. If you enjoy this podcast, we appreciate you leaving a review wherever you listen and sharing it with your friends. On behalf of Michael Meade and the whole Mosaic staff, we wish you well and thank you for your support of our work.
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