Here we are, on the cusp on the new year, 2022.
Around the world, throughout history, this is a time to rest. To pause and take stock. To restore dreams of harmony. To hope.
To begin again.
In this episode, I offer a few thoughts on the ancient ritual of this sacred pause, the role of myth, and our need for “happily ever after.”
Thank you for listening and warm wishes for a very happy New Year.
Transcript of The New Year and happily ever after
Hello, and welcome to Myth Matters, storytelling and conversation about mythology and why myth matters to your life today. I’m your host and personal mythologist Dr. Catherine Svehla. Wherever you may be in this wide, beautiful, crazy world of ours, you are part of this story circle.
Well, here we are, on the cusp on the new year, 2022. I hope that you’re having a good holiday season and finding time for rest and reflection. Today I want to pause on the threshold for a few minutes of reflection together on this ancient, annual ritual of the new year and the hope for renewal.
The calendar date that marks the beginning of a new year is and has been, different at different times and in different parts of the world, and yet reflection, rest, and renewal are shared, and enduring themes. The old year ends and a new one begins, offering the opportunity for us to begin again, to evaluate the past and recommit to our highest aspirations as individuals and communities, to restore harmony and goodwill.
The emphasis on human action, aspiration, and intention is important to this time. The New Year is a civil holiday and it has been from the earliest known celebrations in Babylonia, about 4000 years ago. The rites of the New Year involve the renewal of the social contract between leaders and followers, rulers and subjects, and between neighbors in the broadest sense of the word, as well as the cyclical, more- than-human earthly and cosmic order.
This ancient ritual, the pause to take stock, is behind the compilation of all of the “best of” lists that are assembled this time of year, the best books and movies, best photos, best moments, and the surveys of the high and low lights of the year that will soon end.
Some of these seem more significant or meaningful than others and yet taken together, all of these acts of evaluation and remembrance are a response to a deep psychic impulse, to pause, look back, and take heart before stepping over the threshold. Together and alone, we try to capture the essential spirit or flavor of the year that we’re leaving behind, in words and pictures and stories, and decide what to carry with us.
One thing that I notice about these end of year retrospectives– and you’ve probably noticed this too- is the note of hope. The task, out of habit or necessity, of evaluating, critiquing, judging, and ideally learning from events, is something that people do all of the time. The conclusions are often dark or challenging to some degree. But end of year reflections must encourage us, after all is said and done. This is their power to renew.
Whatever the conditions, this inventory of the good and the bad in a year unites them. It reveals them to be part of one pattern. All part of life. In her short poem, Izumi Shikibu, a Japanese poet from the 10th century writes,
“Although the wind
blows terrible here,
the moonlight also leaks
between the roof planks
of this ruined house.”
There it is. The truth of life, and the perspective necessary to embrace that truth and its mysterious beauty.
The old myths and stories have this power as well. When you survey the canon, you find a view of life in which change is the norm, the source of vitality. The stories say that character matters and goodness will prevail. There are allies. And there is the “X factor;” call it magic, grace, God, synchronicity, luck, the mystery. Terrible things happen in these stories. And yet people survive and thrive. The maiden or youngest son, the prince, the lonely queen, the huntsman, each lives a “happily ever after.”
We live these stories, through these patterns and characters. Many of them end on this joyful note because we need this message, and because it is true. This possibility exists when the story ends, and if that seems pie in the sky, it’s because you are in the middle of the story, wandering the dark woods or persecuted by the evil stepmother or the vengeful king, or maybe you’re still waiting for the call…. the call to your adventure, the one that will draw from you, your greatest potential.
I did a little reflecting on the past year of Myth Matters and the mythological territory that we traversed together. Last January, we started with the final episode in a series on the Sumerian myth of the goddess Inanna and her descent to the underworld. The story was the song of Dumuzi, Inanna’s husband, who was also called to a profound transformation. Then we dipped into stories from the Sufi tradition and meditated on the nature of foolishness and holy fools, and the importance of beginner’s mind.
A number of wonderful poets and listeners who love poetry helped us celebrate National Poetry month in April.
Over the summer we thought about the way that meanings shift and how these shifts contribute to radical cultural change– and many other things. We did this through the mythic lens of Zeus, Dionysus, and Hermes from Greek mythology. This thread took us to Ariadne and Arachne, also figures in Greek mythology, that raised questions about the ways that misogyny has shaped these tales and the preconceptions that we bring to them. Preconceptions that limit the possibilities that we find in these myths, and so in ourselves.
Here and there, throughout the year, we sat with European fairy tales, some well-known like “Iron John,” others relatively obscure like ” The Lass Who Went Out at the Cry of Dawn,” and much more. I noticed that two of the most popular episodes were “Cerridwen’s cauldron of inspiration” (episode 20) and “Make room for magic” (episode 12).
There are so many weird, wise, beautiful stories. I love creating the Myth Matters podcast for you because I love the stories and sharing them. And I learn so much from you, from your comments and questions. The comment that I hear most frequently is “wow, I can’t believe how much can be found in a simple story!” And after all of these years, I still feel that surprise too.
In the last episode, I talked about regeneration and how this might be different from the notion of “rebirth.” I’m still grappling with the distinctions and their importance, which I think revolve around the need for a base, the restoration of foundations, and the recognition that future possibilities are linked to the past. Nothing is disposable or completely disposed of, so to speak. And recovery is possible if the tiniest fragment remains.
I’ve been thinking about how myths and stories are important to the regeneration of a culture. They are the material, the web, the fabric spun from human existence on this wonderous planet since our species began. The question is, what do we want to regenerate through them? What do we want to recover or to foster? My personal mission here at Myth Matters, is the regeneration of the soul life and appreciation for the power of imagination.
The storied imagination is creative. It is also compassionate, empathetic, and courageously hopeful.
I’m stepping into the new year with a poem that I want to share with you but first, a warm welcome to new subscribers Amy, Thomas, Abigail, Tom, Matthew, Tahverlee, and Christine. Welcome and thank you for subscribing for email announcements about Myth Matters and my other programs.
Heartfelt thanks to the patrons and supporters of this podcast whose financial contributions keep it all going. I want to specifically mention and thank long-time patrons, Lydia, Rags, Cynthia, and Mark, and also thank you to Kris, who joined me on patreon this month. Thank you Kris!
Now here is the poem that I’m carrying into 2022. It’s by “Anonymous,” who has composed so many of the beautiful and wise poems, myths, and stories that inform and inspire us today.
“I think over again my small adventures,
My fears,
Those small ones that seemed so big,
For all the vital things
I had to get and to reach;
And yet there is only one great thing.
The only thing,
To live to see the great day that dawns
And the light that fills the world.”
“To live to see the great day that dawns, and the light that fills the world.”
Life is an adventure my friend. I hope Myth Matters is a worthy companion as you make your path through the woods and into the palace halls that comprise your journey. Thank you so much for listening, for your questions and comments, for your support in all of its myriad forms, and the community we share in the space of this podcast story circle.
I’m wishing you a very, very Happy New Year! Take good care of yourself, and until next time, happy mythmaking and keep the mystery in your life alive.
