Poetry by the Iguana, and Other Stories

Many people have unexpected gifts, and the Iguana surprised everyone by telling his view of the galaxy in poetry. Everyone but me, that is. I've always known he speaks in lyrics!

Hi! Zantippy Skiphop here! I tell the tales of my adventures in the galaxy with my friends! Iguana likes to stay in his Earth swamp, so his book got written while I was trapped in an extraterrestrial jail. Don't worry, I escaped, so we are all about to tell you lots more stories!
Love,
Zantippy

Saturday, May 5, 2012

Mythologist Joseph Campbell



I love Joseph Campbell! He brought mythology to people's understanding, and gave the generations after him a widespread appreciation for his beloved inner spaces of myth. It is kind of...ironic...because he used to say that as soon as you start to analyze mythology, you've lost the meaning of it. The elements in myth are something our souls feel and understand just by knowing, wherever they appear in various stories. Look at some of the most well-known science fiction and fantasy: Star Wars, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings. They appeal to so many people probably because our brains respond to mythic archetypes. It's a way we can explore the unseen.

He said the same thing about people who take myths literally. Taking the happenings in myth and turning them into literal actions drains the deeper meaning right out of them. Religious and legend fundamentalism may simply be about attempting to understand the world in an effort to feel safe, not as a way to explore.

I'm very inspired by this quote of his!

"Writer's block results from too much head. Cut off your head. Pegasus, poetry, was born of Medusa when her head was cut off. You have to be reckless when writing. Be as crazy as your conscience allows"

*Taken from the Facebook page of Joseph Campbell, quoting A Joseph Campbell Companion: Relections on the Art of Living.

Picture of Fenrir from :  freewebs.com

3 comments:

  1. Wow, I hate admitting this, but I am currently reading The Hobbit for the first time. I have not even touched Lord of the Rings. Me, a HUGE fan of fantasy/scifi!!! I am ashamed...BUT...I have read the Dune Chronicles at least once every few years or so since I was a kid, and I get more out of it with every read. As a kid, not so much...
    I just finished a book "The Fellowship of the Talisman" by Clifford D. Simak. It is a hard copy from 1978 or so. It was in box of books at my favorite used book store that had not been "processed" yet. It was a good find.
    One genre I ABSOLUTELY HATE is Templar ANYTHING. I hate the following:
    Templar fiction
    Templar alternate history fiction
    Templars in space
    Templars and aliens
    Templars and Big Bad Jesus
    Templars and Crime
    Templars and the mafia
    Templars and secret coded mission impossibles
    Templars and treasure hunts
    Templars and anything gnostic
    Templars and atheism
    Templars and the supernatural
    Templars and secret societies
    Templars and coded messages
    Templars and medical mysteries
    Templars in modern society
    Templars and dinosaurs
    Templars and masons
    Templars and the Illuminati
    Templars in Atlantis
    Templars immortal
    As you can plainly see, I do not like any Templar subject. They make me want to scream.
    I don't like romanticised vampires, either. But I love vampires in general. I also do not like erotica. I like books I can share with people without feeling weird. I also do not like that kind of psycho-sexual manipulation, so I am not fond at all of romance novels. However, I can tolerate sex as a subject as long as there is no intended manipulation of my sexual self. For example, the sex in the Game of Thrones series does not bother me at all because it is just cold, mechanical, impersonal sex. There is nothing glorifying or poetic AT ALL about that authors sex scenes.
    I love literature meant for children and teens, like the Harry Potter series. I was miserable knowing there was never going to be another Harry Potter novel.

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