Mythopoiesis
Encyclopedia
The mythopoetic men's movement (sometimes mistakenly referred to simply as the men's movement) refers to a loose collection of organizations active in men's work since the early 1980s. While in the public eye in the early 1990s, the movement carries on more quietly in The ManKind Project and independent psychologico-spiritual practitioners. Mythopoets adopted a general style of psychological
self-help
inspired by the work of Robert Bly
, Robert A. Johnson, Joseph Campbell
, and other Jungian authors.
as a tool for personal insight. Using frequent references to archetype
s as drawn from Jungian
analytical psychology
, the movement focused on issues of gender role
, gender identity
and wellness
for modern men and women. Advocates would often engage in storytelling
with music, these acts being seen as a modern extension to a form of "new age shamanism" popularized by Michael Harner
at approximately the same time.
Among its most famous advocates were the poet Robert Bly
, whose book Iron John: A Book About Men
was a best-seller, being an exegesis
of the fairy tale
"Iron John
" by the Brothers Grimm
.
The mythopoetic men's movement spawned a variety of self-help
groups and workshops, led by authors such as Bly, Michael J. Meade
and Robert L. Moore
. The self-help aspect of this movement was portrayed by the popular media as something of a fad
, but it continues to this day. Some academic
work came from the movement, as well as the creation of various magazines, continuing annual conferences such as Minnesota Men's Conference and The Great Mother and New Father Conference, and non-profit organizations, such as The Mankind Project, which is still active. Mythopoetic practices among women's groups and feminists were more commonly seen as a portion of a more general "women's spirituality."
As a self-help
movement the mythopoetic movement tends not to take explicit stances on political issues such as feminism
, gay rights or family law
(such as the issues of divorce, domestic violence
or child custody) preferring instead to stay focused on emotion
al and psychological well-being.
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
self-help
Self-help
Self-help, or self-improvement, is a self-guided improvement—economically, intellectually, or emotionally—often with a substantial psychological basis. There are many different self-help movements and each has its own focus, techniques, associated beliefs, proponents and in some cases, leaders...
inspired by the work of Robert Bly
Robert Bly
Robert Bly is an American poet, author, activist and leader of the Mythopoetic Men's Movement.-Life:Bly was born in Lac qui Parle County, Minnesota, to Jacob and Alice Bly, who were of Norwegian ancestry. Following graduation from high school in 1944, he enlisted in the United States Navy, serving...
, Robert A. Johnson, Joseph Campbell
Joseph Campbell
Joseph John Campbell was an American mythologist, writer and lecturer, best known for his work in comparative mythology and comparative religion. His work is vast, covering many aspects of the human experience...
, and other Jungian authors.
Tenets
Characteristic of the early mythopoetic movement was a tendency to retell fairy tales and engage in their exegesisExegesis
Exegesis is a critical explanation or interpretation of a text, especially a religious text. Traditionally the term was used primarily for exegesis of the Bible; however, in contemporary usage it has broadened to mean a critical explanation of any text, and the term "Biblical exegesis" is used...
as a tool for personal insight. Using frequent references to archetype
Archetype
An archetype is a universally understood symbol or term or pattern of behavior, a prototype upon which others are copied, patterned, or emulated...
s as drawn from Jungian
Carl Jung
Carl Gustav Jung was a Swiss psychiatrist and the founder of Analytical Psychology. Jung is considered the first modern psychiatrist to view the human psyche as "by nature religious" and make it the focus of exploration. Jung is one of the best known researchers in the field of dream analysis and...
analytical psychology
Analytical psychology
Analytical psychology is the school of psychology originating from the ideas of Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung. His theoretical orientation has been advanced by his students and other thinkers who followed in his tradition. Though they share similarities, analytical psychology is distinct from...
, the movement focused on issues of gender role
Gender role
Gender roles refer to the set of social and behavioral norms that are considered to be socially appropriate for individuals of a specific sex in the context of a specific culture, which differ widely between cultures and over time...
, gender identity
Gender identity
A gender identity is the way in which an individual self-identifies with a gender category, for example, as being either a man or a woman, or in some cases being neither, which can be distinct from biological sex. Basic gender identity is usually formed by age three and is extremely difficult to...
and wellness
Wellness (alternative medicine)
Wellness is generally used to mean a healthy balance of the mind, body and spirit that results in an overall feeling of well-being. It has been used in the context of alternative medicine since Halbert L. Dunn, M.D., began using the phrase high level wellness in the 1950s...
for modern men and women. Advocates would often engage in storytelling
Storytelling
Storytelling is the conveying of events in words, images and sounds, often by improvisation or embellishment. Stories or narratives have been shared in every culture as a means of entertainment, education, cultural preservation and in order to instill moral values...
with music, these acts being seen as a modern extension to a form of "new age shamanism" popularized by Michael Harner
Michael Harner
Michael Harner is the founder of the and the formulator of "core shamanism." Harner is known for bringing shamanism and shamanic healing to the contemporary Western world...
at approximately the same time.
Among its most famous advocates were the poet Robert Bly
Robert Bly
Robert Bly is an American poet, author, activist and leader of the Mythopoetic Men's Movement.-Life:Bly was born in Lac qui Parle County, Minnesota, to Jacob and Alice Bly, who were of Norwegian ancestry. Following graduation from high school in 1944, he enlisted in the United States Navy, serving...
, whose book Iron John: A Book About Men
Iron John: A Book About Men
Iron John: A Book About Men is a book by American poet Robert Bly published in 1990 by Addison-Wesley.It analyzes Iron John, a Brothers Grimm fairy tale, in Joseph Campbell fashion, to find lessons especially meaningful to men...
was a best-seller, being an exegesis
Exegesis
Exegesis is a critical explanation or interpretation of a text, especially a religious text. Traditionally the term was used primarily for exegesis of the Bible; however, in contemporary usage it has broadened to mean a critical explanation of any text, and the term "Biblical exegesis" is used...
of the fairy tale
Fairy tale
A fairy tale is a type of short story that typically features such folkloric characters, such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, dwarves, giants or gnomes, and usually magic or enchantments. However, only a small number of the stories refer to fairies...
"Iron John
Iron John
"Iron John" is a German fairy tale found in the collections of the Brothers Grimm, tale number 136, about a wild man and a prince...
" by the Brothers Grimm
Brothers Grimm
The Brothers Grimm , Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm , were German academics, linguists, cultural researchers, and authors who collected folklore and published several collections of it as Grimm's Fairy Tales, which became very popular...
.
The mythopoetic men's movement spawned a variety of self-help
Self-help
Self-help, or self-improvement, is a self-guided improvement—economically, intellectually, or emotionally—often with a substantial psychological basis. There are many different self-help movements and each has its own focus, techniques, associated beliefs, proponents and in some cases, leaders...
groups and workshops, led by authors such as Bly, Michael J. Meade
Michael J. Meade
Michael J. Meade was a figure in the Men's Movement of the 1980s and 1990s.His essays have appeared in To Be A Man, Tending the Fire, Wingspan, Walking Swiftly, and The Rag and Bone Shop of the Heart. The latter is an anthology of poetry, which he edited with Robert Bly and James Hillman...
and Robert L. Moore
Robert L. Moore
Robert L. Moore, Ph.D., is an internationally recognized Jungian psychoanalyst and consultant in private practice in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He is: the Distinguished Service Professor of Psychology, Psychoanalysis and Spirituality in the Chicago Theological Seminary; a Training Analyst at the C.G...
. The self-help aspect of this movement was portrayed by the popular media as something of a fad
FAD
In biochemistry, flavin adenine dinucleotide is a redox cofactor involved in several important reactions in metabolism. FAD can exist in two different redox states, which it converts between by accepting or donating electrons. The molecule consists of a riboflavin moiety bound to the phosphate...
, but it continues to this day. Some academic
Academia
Academia is the community of students and scholars engaged in higher education and research.-Etymology:The word comes from the akademeia in ancient Greece. Outside the city walls of Athens, the gymnasium was made famous by Plato as a center of learning...
work came from the movement, as well as the creation of various magazines, continuing annual conferences such as Minnesota Men's Conference and The Great Mother and New Father Conference, and non-profit organizations, such as The Mankind Project, which is still active. Mythopoetic practices among women's groups and feminists were more commonly seen as a portion of a more general "women's spirituality."
As a self-help
Self-help
Self-help, or self-improvement, is a self-guided improvement—economically, intellectually, or emotionally—often with a substantial psychological basis. There are many different self-help movements and each has its own focus, techniques, associated beliefs, proponents and in some cases, leaders...
movement the mythopoetic movement tends not to take explicit stances on political issues such as feminism
Feminism
Feminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women. Its concepts overlap with those of women's rights...
, gay rights or family law
Family law
Family law is an area of the law that deals with family-related issues and domestic relations including:*the nature of marriage, civil unions, and domestic partnerships;...
(such as the issues of divorce, domestic violence
Domestic violence
Domestic violence, also known as domestic abuse, spousal abuse, battering, family violence, and intimate partner violence , is broadly defined as a pattern of abusive behaviors by one or both partners in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, family, or cohabitation...
or child custody) preferring instead to stay focused on emotion
Emotion
Emotion is a complex psychophysiological experience of an individual's state of mind as interacting with biochemical and environmental influences. In humans, emotion fundamentally involves "physiological arousal, expressive behaviors, and conscious experience." Emotion is associated with mood,...
al and psychological well-being.
Further reading
- Women Who Run with the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype, by Clarissa Pinkola EstesClarissa Pinkola EstésClarissa Pinkola Estés is an American poet, post-trauma specialist and Jungian psychoanalyst.-Biography:Similar to William Carlos Williams and other poets who also worked in the health or other professions in tandem, Estés is a poet who uses her poems throughout her psychoanalytic books,...
(1992)
External links
- The ManKind Project of Chicago, supporting men in leading meaningful lives of integrity, accountability, responsibility, and emotional intelligence.
- Everyman Magazine
- Minnesota Men's Conference with Robert Bly & many others. Sept. 13th-18th, 2011
- The Mankind Project, a non-profit educational group focused on masculinity
- Mythopoetic men's movement
- Mosaic Multicultural Foundation, Founder: Michael Meade. Mosaic seeks to create cross-cultural alliances and mentoring relationships.
- The Great Mother and New Father Conference, May 29th-June 5th, 2011
- http://www.thenomc.org/, mythopoetic men's group organized in 1990.