Sunday 23 June 2013

June Newsletter 2013 - Personal Mythology - Treasures and Burdens


June Newsletter 2013
personal mythology - treasures and burdens

I was indulging in one of my favourite treats, a cup of tea and the weekend paper.  In The Age’s Good Weekend on June 15, I came across an article called “Memory Games” by Claire Messud in which she talked about her memories of living for five years from the age of four in a big, old house in Sydney.  She described the house now as “ inevitably smaller....than in my memory” and said that it was “a crucial site in my personal mythology”.  The term personal mythology immediately resonated with me and stirred up my own memories and feelings associated with my time living in different houses as a child.  Messud’s article highlighted how strongly we can feel about our own stories and memories but also how this memory can grow more inaccurate with the years.  I am struck by how these stories inform our reactions, beliefs and behaviours and yet are ever changing and unstable.  Wikipedia says “Myth is a sacred narrative” and “grounded in the quintessential human ability to address the large questions of existence using symbolism, metaphor, and narrative.”  The Oxford Dictionary defines myth as: “a traditional story, especially one concerning the early history of a people or explaining a natural or social phenomenon, and typically involving supernatural beings or events.”  As we struggle to understand life, we make stories.
In her story Messud also lamented that as we get older we become aware of the “profound incommunicability of life’s experiences”. It was nice to be reminded that other’s also feel the chasm between what we express and what can be understood.  I believe that we all have a drive to be known, to be heard and to connect.  It is often stated as one of our strongest human needs.  For me, it manifested as a child in singing, everywhere, any time, to everyone.  As an artist, and we are all artists in some way, the drive never ends because communication is never complete, our work is only able to approximate what we wish to share.  One of the beautiful things about music, singing and songwriting is that they are art forms that can help us to communicate that which is beyond words.
In my songwriting classes I often speak about the sub-conscious soup we carry  in our minds, full of our stories and experiences, images, feelings and beliefs, stored away and fuelling our reactions and behaviours.  These individual mixtures and the symbols and ideas in our dreams are wonderful sources of creative work.  But sometimes these stories no longer serve us well and can begin to hold us back.  We may see ourselves or the world in ways that limit our ability to grow and adapt.  Recognising this is no easy task however because often we are emotionally attached to our personal mythologies and may even have built our lives around them.  Our stories can be rich in metaphor and drama and we can get so caught up in them that we mistake them for the truth.  Looking at them objectively can be painful. Taking a step back, telling our stories, analysing them, looking for evidence for their validity - these actions can help us to recognise when our stories are no longer useful and allow us to cherish them but also let them to change.  Michael White’s wonderful work on narrative therapy ( see his book Maps of Narrative Therapy, or see more at www.dulwichcentre.com.au/michael-white-archive) gives us great tools to unlock, explore and change our personal mythologies, enabling us to grow and forge positive paths.
As well as our personal mythologies, in this highly communicative age we must contend with the pressure of huge global narratives, coming to us continually via different levels of media.  In their article Mythic Perspectives for a World in Distress (published on www.innersource.net), Feinstein, Mortifee and Krippner state “Unless we can begin to discern what is life-affirming and what is life-denying in what the media feeds us, we are in danger of being psychically annihilated by one of our most auspicious tools.”  We need to search for what is meaningful for ourselves and strengthen our authentic values in order to avoid being overwhelmed by this continual bombardment.  
Once again creativity is an excellent way to become aware of our own stories and values, to change them if need be and to strengthen our authentic selves.  Eric Maisel’s inspiring works  ( The Van Gogh Blues , Mastering Creative Anxiety www.ericmaisel.com/books/) discuss the importance of making our own meaning as well as the courage required and the joy this journey can bring us.
In my work, exploring, harnessing, adapting and cherishing personal mythologies is an ongoing passion.  Ever curious about the human condition and our imaginations, I am honoured to guide clients through their own internal landscapes and excited when shadows are given light and values and ideas are unearthed.  For my own songwriting and story telling I go an adventures through the stories of my past, inevitably bringing them to the light of day and changing them in the process.  Our stories are never finished or static, but they are always interesting and worth sharing.
Below is a picture I took recently on a country drive.  Some scenery caught my attention and I headed off the main road to explore.  To me it's evocative of the search for home.
What stories are you making today?

Regards, 
Fiona Claire.

Work with me: Individual Counselling, Creativity and Therapeutic Singing and Songwriting Sessions by appointment. Email: fionaclaire@optusnet.com.au or call 0437 985 132