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PODCAST

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.

society & culture philosophy

All Episodes

33:13

Episode 454 - We Are All Called To Stand For Something

Living Myth ·

2025/09/24

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

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28:06

Episode 453 - Violence, Despair and Young Men

Living Myth ·

2025/09/17

While often being considered the leading nation in the world, the United States increasingly finds itself on the cutting edge of cultural upheaval, political polarization and increasing violence that includes mass shootings and politically motivated killings. The recent tragedy of a political activist being shot and killed by a radicalized young man, while appearing distinct in the sense of being a political assassination, can also be seen as part of the larger tragedy of young men acting out

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29:06

Episode 452 - A Taste for Destruction

Living Myth ·

2025/09/10

This episode of Living Myth begins with a description of psychological projection as the necessary process through which people project their power on to others in order to see it and become more conscious of it. Modern mass media causes unprecedented amounts of power to be projected onto popular figures including political figures, tech leaders and “influencers.” Inevitably, the condensation of wealth and power causes an activation of their darker, shadow side which inevitably leads to misuses of

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38:37

Episode 451 - The Path of Genius and Calling

Living Myth ·

2025/09/03

Michael Meade talks about inner genius and how without a calling we can feel lost throughout our lives. Without a genuine purpose, we can turn bitter, drifting without genuine passion and withering without the blessing of the spirit of life. A true life purpose is not an optional choice or an outline of goals we might accomplish, but rather something inherent and expectant seeded within each heart and soul. In that sense, being purposeful does not simply mean being goal oriented, but being

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28:26

Episode 450 - Healing and Transformation

Living Myth ·

2025/08/27

On this episode of Living Myth, edited from an interview with Thomas Hubl for his Collective Healing Conference, Michael Meade considers transformation as an ongoing and natural dynamic of the universe. This core theme is woven through an in-depth conversation about finding deeper self-awareness by examining the ego’s resistance to change and how the wisdom of elders protects and guides us through transformative processes. As the inner dynamic of transformation, Meade considers how

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44:27

Episode 449 - Creative Paths in Chaotic Times

Living Myth ·

2025/08/20

On this episode, Meade considers how the specific struggles encountered in life can open pathways to the center of the self where purpose waits to be found, where vitality can ever be renewed and where spirit whispers its precise calling. Each personal crisis and life transition can evoke the esoteric pattern of the soul and the deep self waiting to awaken within us. The presence of the greater self is what shifts the ground of trauma and heals the aching soul. As things fall apart all

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26:09

Episode 448 - Be Your Note

Living Myth ·

2025/08/13

Beginning with the idea of “die before you die,” Michael Meade describes how a little-death can lead to a deeper sense of knowledge and a greater appreciation for life. Our encounters with sorrow, disappointment and loss can be revalued as ways in which the ego-self dies a little and the deeper self becomes more revealed. Sharing two powerful stories and a selection of poems, Meade shows how the more thoroughly we shed false aspects of ourselves, the more we can redeem our lives and sound our

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24:15

Premium Episode 163 Excerpt - Know Yourself, Change...

Living Myth ·

2025/08/10

On this excerpt from a Living Myth Premium episode, Michael Meade explores how resiliency amidst adversity is a hallmark of genius and an essential capacity for navigating a rapidly changing and confusing world. What we need now is the courage to follow our genius all the way to where it would lead us. When enough people awaken to the inner meaning and purpose in their lives, a collective shift of understanding can alter the course of history. You can hear the full episode and receive

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27:11

Episode 447 - Purpose and the Waking Soul

Living Myth ·

2025/08/06

Currently, we are experiencing the demise of a world view and the breakup of the symbols that once functioned within it. As a result, life has become more brittle, institutions have become more hollow, and the sense of collective ethics and ideals crumbles before our weary eyes. Amidst the current flood of troubling and unsettling events it is easy to feel lost in all the chaos and discouraged by all the conflicts. Yet, it is when we lose our sense of being ensouled that we can be said to be

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28:23

Episode 446 - On the Wings of Myth

Living Myth ·

2025/07/30

This episode begins with a description of the youngest sisters and youngest brothers in fairy tales. They seem out of place and behind everyone else, yet they are the only ones able to break the collective spells of materialism, resentment and despair. They represent the genuine dreamer inside all of us and they are deeply connected to the dream of life and the wisdom of mythology. As agents of myth they have exactly what this troubled world most needs. However, it is the attitudes of the older

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31:16

Episode 445 - The Spirit of Life

Living Myth ·

2025/07/23

This episode of Living Myth begins with the story of the Spirit in the Bottle in which a youth must confront a powerful and angry spirit in order to claim his own genius and natural gifts. One point of the tale is that we cannot become who we are intended to be unless our genius becomes conscious and is confirmed by someone other than our parents. If our inner spirit remains bottled up too long, it has no choice but to turn against us. Whereas the spirit in the old tale erupts with anger, in

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37:34

Episode 444 - An Act of Truth

Living Myth ·

2025/07/16

This episode of Living Myth addresses the rise of conspiracy theories and spread of falsehoods in conjunction with the phenomenon of a widespread loss of personal identity. Recent studies show that amidst radical social changes and growing levels of personal insecurity many people feel a greater need to feel part of a group. While being part of an in-group can relieve underlying feelings of insecurity, it can also involve a loss of true identity. As hostilities between polarized sides

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34:12

Episode 443 - Facing Inner Fears

Living Myth ·

2025/07/09

On this episode of Living Myth Michael Meade tells a fairy tale about a realm that is rapidly becoming a wasteland because its king has become seriously ill and there is no simple cure. The only way to heal the realm is to find the Water of Life. Doing that requires the seeker let go of all arrogance and accept the condition of not knowing. For only then will the mysterious dwarf provide the guidance and resources that are needed for the quest. Part of the essential guidance involves

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30:10

Episode 442 - Your Lot in Life

Living Myth ·

2025/07/02

This episode of Living Myth begins with the ancient idea of each soul receiving a “lot in life.” Lot basically means “a chip of wood,” but in this case, the chip comes from the roots of the World Tree, that also used to be known as the Tree of Destiny. Thus, each of our souls secretly carries a “divine word” or living symbol drawn from the Tree of Life that makes each person a divine experiment in life. We are human by lot, but we are divine by origin. We must begin life with the hand that fate

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27:41

Episode 441 - A Light Within Dark Times

Living Myth ·

2025/06/25

On this episode of Michael Meade recounts a myth from ancient Persia, the name by which Iran was known for centuries. The ancient tale predates all historical hostilities and battles in the Middle East and offers surprising insights into the origins and nature of the kind of conflict that can plunge whole peoples and entire epochs into darkness. Way back at the beginning, the original clash of opposite forces and the presence of great uncertainty about the future of life entered the world

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25:44

Episode 440 - The Orphan Boy and the Heedless King

Living Myth ·

2025/06/18

This episode begins with one of the great scenes in the mythologies of India. Indra had become King of the Earth by winning a great battle; he also became obsessed with power and increasingly demanding. Just when all the people were being reduced to dust and bones by the endless orders and sudden changes, the self-proclaimed lord of the earth has a surprising encounter with a ragged beggar boy. Although young and seemingly an outcast, the orphan boy knows more than the king about the use of power,

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32:04

Episode 439 - In a World Gone Wrong

Living Myth ·

2025/06/11

Increasingly, we are caught in the shattering of the world and in the broken heart of tragedy. The loss of soul in the world leaves people not only divided but turned against each other. The world we used to know is gone and we are suspended betwixt and between chaos and creation. We are in a series of crises and events that seem to turn the world upside down. For it is our mutual fate to be alive at a time of radical transformation that affects all levels of nature and all aspects of human

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34:32

Episode 438 - Heart Within the Heart

Living Myth ·

2025/06/04

As nature and culture rattle and old forms crumble, a crisis of imagination occurs and we are called to see the world with different eyes. Finding and following a genuine vision requires an open heart as well as an open mind. Thus, transforming our lives involves a genuine “change of heart.” While the heart fosters feelings and love, the heart within the heart is also the seat of imagination and the place of wisdom. What was known as the “eye of the heart” sees with a kind of vision that opens to

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31:45

Episode 437 - On the Road of Fate and Destiny

Living Myth ·

2025/05/28

On this episode, Michael Meade considers how finding and following the thread that connects our fate to our destiny ultimately involves a pilgrimage to the center of the Self where the dream of life speaks in mythical tones. Seen this way, fate and destiny form an essential arc of meaning that carries a person out into the world and back to the inner treasure of the human soul. Fate and destiny are the two great agreements that shape the core issues we struggle with throughout our lives

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22:43

Episode 436 - In the River of Time

Living Myth ·

2025/05/21

This episode of Living Myth begins with recent scientific reports which seek to explain why humans may be inclined to put their trust in leaders who claim to be strong and omniscient and will submit to those who are manipulative and deceitful. Studies in anthropology and psychology reveal age-old biases that lead people to believe what others believe in order to “fit in” and idealize and imitate those who appear to be highly successful. These “hardwired” biases become activated during times of

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