Initiation programme

The other week while listening to Lesson 1 Part 1 while I was deep in thought I decided to ask "Who is your hero?", I didn't receive that many responses but I think I would like to ask a question regarding Lesson 1 Part 2 "Which mythology do you believe in?"

Sorry I missed the other thread about heroes. A good question. In regards to historical heroes, there are scores of them that I appreciate for one reason or another, but often it is less about the person than their actions. I intentionally overlook personalities and focus on the action. In regards to mythological heroes (some of whom started out as historical personages), again, there are many worthy of honoring and emulating. It depends on what aspect of their heroism that coincides with my particular sensibilities or interests at that particular time. Historical persons: Beethoven, Gandhi, Herodotus, and many more, but it is the case that I may admire something very specific and overlooking their personal shortcomings. Some I admire but don't want to be them. I'm neither ascetic nor a saint. Mythic or fictional heroes include Judah ben Hur, Frodo, Sherlock Holmes, as well as, Buddha and Jesus. Myths that appeal to me then would relate to the heroes in them or the idea that is symbolized in the narrative. My syncretic Jediism can, and does, include a wide variety of myths from which, for example, I glean lessons that enable and support ethical action.

I love stories without nescessarily believing in all of them , i learn and take from the stories what i need, a favourite of mine is an old story about the kid crying wolf , i used to whine a lot and seek a lot of attention at some point as a teenager , my dad then told me this story and it made a huge impression on me ! Another story is by Grimm , it makes you think about the answers you want in life and see , its about the questions

The shepherd boy

A fairy tale of the Brothers Grimm
There was once on a time a shepherd boy whose fame spread far and wide because of the wise answers which he gave to every question. The King of the country heard of it likewise, but did not believe it, and sent for the boy. Then he said to him: "If thou canst give me an answer to three questions which I will ask thee, I will look on thee as my own child, and thou shall dwell with me in my royal palace." The boy said: "What are the three questions?" The King said: "The first is, how many drops of water are there in the ocean?" The shepherd boy answered: "Lord King, if you will have all the rivers on earth dammed up so that not a single drop runs from them into the sea until I have counted it, I will tell you how many drops there are in the sea." The King said: "The next question is, how many stars are there in the sky?" The shepherd boy said: "Give me a great sheet of white paper," and then he made so many fine points on it with a pen that they could scarcely be seen, and it was all but impossible to count them; any one who looked at them would have lost his sight. Then he said: "There are as many stars in the sky as there are points on the paper; just count them." But no one was able to do it. The King said: "The third question is, how many seconds of time are there in eternity." Then said the shepherd boy: "In Lower Pomerania is the Diamond Mountain, which is two miles and a half high, two miles and a half wide, and two miles and a half in depth; every hundred years a little bird comes and sharpens its beak on it, and when the whole mountain is worn away by this, then the first second of eternity will be over."

The King said: "Thou hast answered the three questions like a wise man, and shalt henceforth dwell with me in my royal palace, and I will regard thee as my own child."

Prelalo wrote: "Which mythology do you believe in?"

To an extent, all of them. Sorry if that sounds like a cheating answer but it's true. I believe that they are all a metaphor for more or less the same thing. They are each shaped by the culture in which they arose, but they are generally meant to cover the same things. Death, afterlife, some code of behavior during life, the origins of the world and universe, etc. That's not to say that when I hear thunder I believe that Thor is wielding Mjolnir, and that Apollo makes the sun rise, and that when good or bad things happen that The One True God did it. Just that they each are meant to help bring an understanding of the deeper meanings of the universe. Some handle certain parts better than others, hence, all of them.

Plus, different culture's religions can be really cool.

Do i believe in? I....don't have any one that I believe in - in particular.

Growing up though i did love the Greek Mythologies quite alot though

Prelalo wrote: "Which mythology do you believe in?"

All of them. I agree with Goken in a way, but in my own path, I've spoken with several gods across several mythologies (Egyptian, Christian, and Norse that I can remember off hand) In one way, the mythologies are as real to me as the computer I'm typing on.

As Goken said, I don't believe that Thor causes thunder. But he is the power of thunder. He's one place I can look to to find resolve in myself. To borrow that power (if he'll lend it).

I think this is why the sermons I share are first shared with me in the form of stories. My spirit teacher knows that's what'll catch my attention

Prelalo wrote: "Which mythology do you believe in?"

Personally, My Jedi ism allows me to give value where I choose. I personally choose to give ALL stories the same amount of value which in turn makes em , for me, less religious... minus man so to speak and more WHY the stories being told. The reason.
No matter why and how The "Gods " were tortured, by birds made to eat at them at when they clearly wont die or what ever the case, my own personal view is there was pain and torture for their decision and how they figured how to get out of it, or at least endure it. I often find the connections to the characters in each subject in a story and think of them as my own, takes me a bit longer to read that way too. I meditate on the old stories. This not only gives me mythological wisdom but any other I choose to add.

Changes the meanings a bit when you look thru things in that sense...lol
Prometheus

The Titan...who fought with Zeus ...then won with Zeus, created a many versions and mans best and some times only friend on Olympus.
His idea is one I love dearly. His determination and different type of love is a great example of what could come when similar choices are made and how they build him.

Goken has said it better than I can. but, my go-to mythology is Norse.

"A mythological canon is an organization of symbols, ineffable in import, by which the energies of aspiration are evoked and gathered toward a focus. The message leaps from heart to heart by way of the brain, and where the brain is unpersuaded, the message cannot pass. The life, then, is untouched. For those in whom a local mythology still works, there is an experience both of accord with the social order, and of harmony with the universe. For those, however, in whom the authorized signs no longer work––or, if working, produce deviant effects––there follows inevitably a sense both of dissociation from the local social nexus and of quest, within and without, for life, which the brain takes to be for 'meaning.' "

Joseph Campbell, The Masks of God, Vol. IV: Creative Mythology

i've never really had a "hero"....i've always gravitated towards the "anti-hero" type....wolverine being at the top of the list...it's easy for me to associate with the suffering endured by anti heroes...people that are cast out or exiled, yet still do the right thing because it's what they feel to be right even when they have every reason not to get involved...

what mythology do i believe?....none of them, i accept all of them for what they are, a collection of morals and ethics. i study and admire things from all of them regardless of their cultural origins....