Welcome to a special episode of the Mythic Christ Podcast with your host, Matt Syrdal. Today, is an experiential introduction to the enchanting world of myth, story work, and deep nature connection. Inspired by the rich teachings of Julian of Norwich, we explore the profound significance of a tiny hazelnut, revealing the divine love in all creation. Embark on a personal journey where myths find you and stories from ancestral, sacred, or childhood ties surface, inviting you to engage with their mysteries.

Matt offers you an invitation to wander through semi-wild spaces and connect deeply with the more-than-human sounds of nature. Listen to the land and its inhabitants, past and present, and allow one particular being to tell you its story. Experience a sacred journey with that being, feeling, sensing, and opening yourself to profound wisdom.

Through a deep connection journaling exercise, Matt guides you to explore what this being might reveal about you, transforming your finding into a living poem. As you read it aloud, notice the shifts and emotions, and reflect on your newfound connection with the earth, the divine, and yourself. Let's embark together on this soulful journey of myth, wander, and deep connection.

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Here's a sequence of topics covered in the transcript from the podcast episode "Myth, Wander, Deep Connection":

1. Julian of Norwich's Vision

   • The hazelnut representation

   • Understanding of creation's endurance due to divine attention and holy imagination

2. An Introduction to Myth Work

   • Discovering or allowing a myth to find you

   • Connection to personal stories and ancestral stories from the land in which you live

   • Sourcing from various mythologies (e.g., Celtic, Hebrew, Norse) that have a resonance or charge for you

3. Sacred Story Wander Exercise

   • Choosing a semi-wild location for solitude

   • The logistical requirements for a wander

   • Emotional and sensory engagement during the process

4. Engagement with Nature

   • Connecting with the environment through senses and intuition

   • Encountering and communicating with a 'being' in nature

   • Bringing a natural object back with permission and gratitude

5. Deep Connection Journaling Exercise

   • Utilizing the found object from nature in journaling

   • Descriptive writing and poetic creation using sensory detail

   • Transitioning the description from 'This is' to 'I am'

6. Reflection and Sharing

   • Reading the poem aloud with the new 'I am' perspective

   • Journaling the experience and its impact on self and divine connection

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If you like what you heard and experienced, find out more about the upcoming "Awakening Mythic Imagination: Eco-Depth Yearlong Program" beginning August 1st. The Yearlong Program is filling up, so register soon, or schedule a 30 minute call with Matt for more questions.

Or, visit our website: Mythic Christ Mystery School to learn more.

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CREDITS:

The Deep Connection Journaling exercise was adapted from Michael Cohen, in "Reconnecting with Nature".

Musical credit:

Istvan Sky, "Love of Mauritius" from Voice of Avatar, 2016

"Tibetan Chant" from Pulse of the Planet Audio Journeys: Extraordinary Sounds from the Natural World, 1994

Friends, It is my pleasure to introduce our next Awakening Mythic Imagination: Eco-Depth Yearlong program coming August, 2025. This worldview shifting and life-changing certificate course is back with some new changes to content platform and practices rooted in my upcoming book.

The introductory online intensive that begins the yearlong is August 1st thru 3rd, 2025. Registration will close in June of 2025, and there are limited spots available. This short episode is a brief introduction to the yearlong course. Enjoy!

For more information visit: www.mythicchrist.com/yearlong

There is a 25% off holiday promotion now thru December 31st. If you are interested in payment options, scholarships, or have logistic questions please RSVP to the free online webinar "Awakening Mythic Imagination Q & A"

To register you simply fill out the yearlong application and pay a $350 deposit to reserve your spot. If you register before Dec 31st, 2024, the promotion discount will automatically be applied to the total program cost. Visit website for details.

A Mythic Meditation - The Water of Life

It is possible that the next story that finds you might just be more than a story. The emergent edge of myth touches the creative powers of the cosmos, for mythtelling at its root is about world-making. We have been story-tellers for hundreds of thousands of years. In the Awakening Mythic Imagination Eco-Depth Yearlong program we inhabit the world of dreaming, while cultivating our capacity for perception and attention to archetypes and mythic themes as they arise in the field. This mythic meditation is a kind of introductory invitation to consider ways you might grow your own capacity to perceive the world around you, and the stories that weave you into the world. I invite you to listen from a relaxed posture in place of stillness and quiet.

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References:

Genesis chs. 1, 2; Ezekiel; Revelation; The Gospel of John; the Gospel of Thomas; The Hindu myth of Ganga

Special Credits for this podcast episode:

“Down the River”, Tibetan Singing Bowl Meditation (feat. Sounds of Nature)

“Impossible Shamanic Voice”, Voice of Avatar by Istvan Sky

“Tibetan Chant” Extraordinary Sounds from the Natural World: Pulse of the Planet Audio Journeys (1994)