Ancient cultures provided individuals with myths which infused every aspect of private and public life with meaning. Today, when cultural and religious myths have for the most part broken down, people must find their own sources of personal renewal and purpose through the quickening of imagination.
This book examines ways of caring for the soul in a time when withdrawal, depression, and addiction are so rampant. Unlike other academic tomes, the author fleshes out his ideas with accessible illustrative material from W. P. Kinsella's novel Shoeless Joe, Black Elk, J.R.R. Tolkien, C. J. Jung, and the dreams and fantasies of ordinary people.
According to Bond, myth and meaning are kept alive by engaging ourselves with images that arouse our intensity. Dreams are another way of connecting with the process of our own development. The author also affirms the soul-enhancing dimensions of expressive therapies using a sandtray, journal writing, and other artistic means.
In the closing chapter on myth and psychotherapy Bond points out that the reclamation of meaning in our lives is wedded to the restoration of imagination. He sees reverence, devotion, and sacraments as pathways which strengthen, nourish, and exercise the soul. Living Myth offers a deft balance of psychological insight and spiritual wisdom.