Myth and Reality Chapter 7

"This is why, in so far as it is 'forgotten,' the 'past'--historical or primordial--is homologized with death. The fountain Lethe, 'forgetfulness,' is a necessary part of the realm of Death. The dead are those who have lost their memories."  (M&R pg. 121)



* This is a picture of The Awakening, a statue in Washington, D.C. most definitely related to a mythological event! *


In class, as well as the earlier chapters of M&R, the most important part of mythologies is to know the origin. If we remember (remember being the key word because we were there to witness it in illo tempore and the rest of history is just a repetitious cycle) the origins of the earth and of the things of the earth then we can hold power over these things and control them. Examples are of the many Rain Dances, or Harvest Ceremonies (mythologically based to honor Ceres).  These origins are the primordial past that we should not forget. By respecting our history we can change our future.


Historical past is remembering transmigrations, or former lives. These people like Pythagoras or Empedocles are said to overcome death by anamnesis, literally translated on dictionary.com as "Platonism . recollection of the Ideas, which the soul had known in a previous existence, esp. by means of reasoning." This reasoning, this truth, this wakefulness is what keeps us from dying.


This quote never relates this forgetfulness to sleep or being blinded by ignorance, but those are key synonyms for "death" in this chapter. "Waking" implies re-cognition of the celestial origin. So everyone Wake Up! Take those espresso shots or straight adrenaline injections and shed the veil or ignorance that we have all acquired in our slumber. Our history and therefore the key to our futures are waiting!