Symbols and Myth-Making in Modernity: Deep Culture in Art and Action

Cover Page
Cover
Half Title
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Contents
Acknowledgments
1. Introduction: Culture Is Deep
Myth and Modernity: Toward a Deeper View of Culture
Popular/Culture
Mything the World and the Self
“Action!”: Ritual and Art
Symbol
Statement
Method
Structure of the Book
2. Complex Transformations of the Self: The Hero as a Symbol
Revisiting Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces
Brains, brawn, and break-up: Odysseus’s transformative return
Psyche and the journey of the soul
Modern Masks: Vogler’s Journey
Star Wars: Rey and her (incomplete) journey
Transformation, Complexity, and Gender: Heroes Ancient and Modern
Discussion: Living the Hero
3. The Uncanny: Monsters, Blood, and Other 3: A.M. Horrors
Introduction to the Self
The Uncanny
Shake Us to Wake Us
Here there be monsters
Ghosts and demons: “Please allow me to introduce myself”
Threatening aliens and artificial intelligence
The Uncanny in Myth: Death, Dismemberment, and Rebirth
Blood and Wine: The Uncanny in Ritual
Blood and wine in Eastern Orthodox Christianity
Wine and blood in qawwali music
Discussion: Disquiet in the Cultural Operating System
4. The Feminine: Citadel of Metaphors
The Symbolic Feminine
Polarity
Birthing and containing
Containing and devouring
Modern expressions
Many Shades of Gray
Old witch
Young witch and Sophia
Medusa
Singularity versus Multiplicity
Artemis: goddess of modernity
Demeter and Persephone
The Matrix and Pirates of the Caribbean
Discussion: The Symbolic Feminine in Deep Culture
5. It’s culture all the way down
Introduction
Intercultural and Interreligious Dialogue: The Symbolic Dimension
Fish
Chalice
Toward imaginal dialogue
The Veil: Politics, Poetics, and Play of Religious Symbols
Mona Lisa
Mary
Play: Facing the veil
Conclusion
Mythical truths
Deep culture
Culture All the Way …
Bibliography
Index