Pamela Jaye Smith & MYTHWORKS |
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In This Issue:
WHAT BETTER ANGELS?
Do Try This at Home!
How's It Going?
Articles/Books/Etc.
Coming Soon
Events
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Alpha Babe Academy
MYTHWORKS - Applied Mythology
Mythic Challenges - Create Stories that Change the World
Create Now - Empowering Youth through Arts Education & Mentoring
Center for Conscious Creativity - Creating a better future through Arts and Media
Entertainment Industries Council - Encouraging the Art of Making a Difference
BIRTH2WORK
RAISING FAMILIES
When Parents Lead, Children Succeed
Thriver Sisterhood - Helping Women Sexually Abused as Children Thrive through Drama Therapy
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FREE INITIAL CONSULTATION
Find out how Applied Mythology can work for you, your projects, your organization.
Free 20 minute consultation. Just mention this newsletter when you email to set up an appointment!
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"There's a conflict in every human heart between the rational and the irrational, between good and evil, and good does not always triumph. Sometimes the dark side overcomes what Lincoln called
'the better angels of our nature'. Every man has got a breaking point."
APOCALYPSE NOW – written by John Milius
What are those Better Angels of Our Nature? And how can we access them?
Partly they are our higher chakras focused on connectivity, aspiration, care for others, critical thinking, integration and balance.
In the last newsletter “They Did What?!” we looked at the lower chakras of the Root, Sacral, and Lower Solar Plexus and how they could be manipulated by others to drop us into fear, paralysis, and separatism, often to our own detriment.
Certainly there are upsides to each of these chakras as well. The Root Chakra, all about Survival, gives us Earth Mothers, agricultural goddesses with crucibles and horns-of-plenty, and individuals and organizations who help others with their basic survival needs like the Red Cross and the Red Crescent. We see a lot of that these days with so many people displaced by war and climate catastrophes.
The Sacral Chakra, centered on Sex-Fear-Money, is also about unconscious creativity. After all, it doesn’t take thought to create a baby. You needn’t calculate, “Hmmm, week sixteen, time to do toenails.” It just happens. And of course sensuality and sexuality and money can all be positive and enjoyable things.
The Lower Solar Plexus is the chakra of personal identity and once well developed gives us a sense of Self so essential to doing anything else in a conscious way.
But again, these lower chakras are prone to influence by others, be it advertisers, demagogues, or terrorists. Acts of Nature can also shunt us down to lower chakras as we struggle to survive fires, floods, earthquakes, tsunamis, famines, and the increasing challenges of climate catastrophes.
Seems pretty obvious it would behoove us to try to rise to and remain in the higher chakras as best we can. So how’s that work?
These days there is so much divisiveness in so many places around the world, it is definitely time to recall that the stated aim of the Wisdom Teachings from around the world is –
- Everyone Enlightened and Evolved
The latter often seems the easiest to do on a personal scale: sweep the floor, exercise, straighten a shelf, eat more nutritiously. Then on the larger scale it’s more about care for one’s surroundings, from a neighborhood to a city to an ecosystem, from the planet to the outer space around us [look into how much ‘space junk’ orbits above earth].
On our journey in raising and developing our consciousness, here’s some info about the higher chakras.
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Aspirational Solar Plexus – this chakra is about connectivity, inclusion, outreach, collaboration, aspiration toward our higher selves and what we can become, spirituality, transformation.
It’s also where some people encounter the “siddhi powers” of clairvoyance, clairaudience, prescience, and other ESP phenomena. It’s a stage in the rise up the chakras and responsible teachers warn us not to get seduced by the glamour of it all and get stuck there. It too can turn bad.
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The Throat Chakra is about Conscious Creativity. It’s art, architecture, science, music, media, finance, statecraft (as opposed to politics which is focused in the divisive Lower Solar Plexus), innovation and invention, critical thinking.
The downside can express as being too logical and eschewing emotions [Spock and Data from “Star Trek”], or being too mental and going know-it-all. Or often just nattering on and dominating conversations. There’s a joke about a support group for that, like Al-Anon and Nar-Anon. It’s called On-and-on-Anon.
“Most people don’t have thoughts.
What they have are opinions about their emotions.”
Georgia Lambert
Interestingly, most mythologies include Throat Chakra Teacher Gods who variously bring down information about architecture, brewing, navigation and even cosmetics.
A famous Throat Chakra maxim is from 17th century French philosopher Rene Descartes who struggled with the nature of existence and consciousness, then decided to put Reason over faith or revelation, and declared, “I think, therefore I am.”
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The Ajna Chakra is all about Balance and Integration. It is the symbol for the Pituitary Gland, the control center of all the other endocrine glands. This is where those siddhi powers left behind from the ASP come back, but at a higher turn of the spiral where they can really serve you to help you serve others.
The icon for the Ajna is Arjuna, a Hindu prince said to have been greatly troubled on the night before a battle against his uncle and cousins who were trying to take over the country.
Arjuna was torn between protecting his country and the dictum against shedding familial blood. What’s a guy to do? Fortunately for Arjuna, his charioteer was the blue-skinned god Krishna. [Always carefully select your chauffeurs.] Krishna said something to the effect of, “Dude, let’s walk and talk.” He explained to Prince Arjuna the difference between the greater good and the local traditions. Arjuna got the point. The next day he rode into battle with Krishna driving the chariot and defeated the usurpers.
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The icon for this shows Arjuna (our persona) in his war chariot with Krishna (our higher, spiritual self) driving the horses, all going in the same direction at the same speed. It’s about balance and integration.
What about the Heart and Crown Chakras, you may be asking.
Basically, the point is that they are not really chakras of our personas. They are so very much higher in frequency than most of us will reach except for moments of enlightenment. That’s fine, and fortunately we get the influence of those higher chakras that can positively affect our persona chakras.
Do keep in mind though, that when you’re striving to do better, there will be those who don’t want you to get there. They’ll try to bring you down, to oppress, suppress, and repress you. It’s Newton’s Third Law, “For every action there is an opposite and equal reaction”. Except sometimes the reaction is stronger than the action and that explains a lot of why we haven’t progressed as a species as well as we could have/might have done.
Yes, unfortunately, higher frequency does not mean stronger frequency. “Good does not always triumph.” It takes so much more focus and strength to be and do Good. The Dark Side is strong and heavy and has a gravitational pull that we need to recognize and resist.
It’s what brings a friend of mine to quip about the Bitter Angels.
So, those Better Angels?
They’re our tendencies, thoughts, feelings, and actions that are about connectivity, community, collaboration, assisting others, empowering others, developing critical thinking, creative thinking, visionary imagination, innovation, invention, exploration.
These are the chakras we want and need to better develop and use more often so that we can more effectively push back against the push-back.
And here are President Lincoln’s actual words:
"…We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature."
May we all be touched by the Better Angels of our nature.
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MYTH TIPS
What individuals or groups from current times, history, media or myth can you cite who’s on each of the three higher Chakras?
Here are some resources for more about these Chakras and how best to work with them.
Group Dynamics Course [This one’s really great.]
by/with Georgia Lambert
Aurora J. Miller is a Resilience Coach
She offers valuable insights and practices to reduce stress and thrive.
Inner Drives
Pamela Jaye Smith
My book about the Chakras, including examples from myth and media along with relevant foods, music, and more.
Historian’s Fallacies – Toward a Logic of Historical Thought
David Hackett Fischer
[This was required reading in my first class at American Military University post-grad studies in Military Intelligence. Helps us recognize flawed logic and make course corrections in our thinking, regardless of the subject or situation.]
The Watchman’s Rattle – Thinking Our Way Out of Extinction
Rebecca D. Costa
[Really excellent ideas on how to improve existing situations. Gives some hope and ideas/plans for action.]
The Price of Civilization – Reawakening American Virtue and Prosperity
Jeffrey D. Sachs
[Boy howdy, do we need this these days!]
His Dark Materials
Phillip Pullman
Interestingly, there are shades of Freemasonry in here, in that in the former there is the concept that in the War in Heaven, the Michaelan stream [Archangel Michael] of Emotions goes against the Luciferian stream [Lucifer means ‘Light Bringer’] of Thinking.
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“Everyone alive longs to wonder and to change.”
Richard Wagner,
Das Rheingold
The trick is to do it authentically. One of the best ways to do that is to do it with myth and archetypes.
Who do you want to be now?
VoyageLA features lively interviews with entrepreneurs, creatives, and others in the LA area.
I’m pleased to have been interviewed by them recently and given this is the time of new beginnings, you might want to check out the ArchePaths – Warrior, Scientist, Magician, Clergy, Lover -- and see how you can use them to further develop who and where you are, or to explore a different Path. Also, figure out which ones you’ve already done.
Learning about the 5 ArchePaths, the 3 levels and 3 approaches of each can be quite revelatory. Then using the specific tools for each as is appropriate can improve everything from your own creative process to dealing with friends and family, colleagues and co-workers, clients and customers. It can help you develop flexible leadership and communication skills.
It’s also an excellent tool for selecting teams. At the Mars Society 2019 Convention, I gave a presentation on “Applied Mythology for Space Exploration”, how to use the ArchePaths to select teams to go to Mars. I’ve also used it in consultation for such as writers, actors, directors, a medical practice, an aerospace event, and the US Army.
Here’s a fun thing you can do – think of times in your life when you seem to have been on or touched base with one of the 5 ArchePaths and find a photo or a saying or something that illustrates that.
You can read/see what I chose in this article.
And if you want to know more, visit our ArchePaths page. And maybe even do a consultation with your own Personal Mythologist.
We also offer a download of a seminar on the “ArchePaths for Art”.
All Good Fortune to you as you explore your own ArchePaths!
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Your Personal Astrophysicist – Neil deGrasse Tyson
His “Star Talk” shows are always amusing and informative; how great to get smarter and have fun doing it. Everything from black holes and gravity to quantum physics and egos in the space race.
And if you’re a Patreon member you can ask questions that he’ll answer on his shows.
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Want to develop out that great idea you've either come up with during Covid or have had for a long time now?
Our Brainstorming Session can help you solidify your inspiration and sort all those great ideas into workable form.
“Suffice it to say, if you’re on a quest to bring your work to the next level and then get it out to the world in the most appealing (buyable) way, make sure Pamela Jaye Smith is on your brainstorming team from the beginning!” Reece Michaelson
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Got a story almost ready to pitch?
Besides recent requests from a couple of well-known production companies for the proposal and scripts, we've recently submitted the Pilot Script to two companies for our TV series proposal "Operation Magic Fire", a limited series inspired by Norse myths, set in Afghanistan.
“This is fantastic, Pamela Jaye, and just the kind of guidance and insight I so need. You got this concept instantly, and I have a perfect path forward. I am excited to start putting the ideas to work. This all has been fun, and anything from here is gravy.” RC Long
We can craft Pitch Materials for your projects, too. Plus give you guidance on Target Acquisition and Pitch Coaching. Or do it for you if you like.
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LINKS TO SERVICES
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Here are some people and organizations who seem to be making effective use of those Better Angels for the betterment of all.
NatGeo PLANET POSSIBLE
REPAIRABILITY - the “right to repair” movement.
FOOD RECOVERY NETWORK
GIFT OF THE GIVERS
“Best Among People are those who Benefit Mankind”
BUY NOTHING PROJECT
Millionaires say “Tax us”.
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What groups do you see making positive changes for people and the planet?
How can you better spread the word about them?
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An optimist thinks that this is the best of all possible worlds.
A pessimist fears that this is so.
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Philosopher Rene Descartes was in a bar, finishing his first drink. The bartender asks, “Would you like another?” Descartes replies, “I think not”…and disappears.
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DEMOCRACY IN AMERICA
Alexis de Tocqueville
So free! So un-French!
We must learn from their ideas
but not their cuisine.
Haiku from “Haiku U. – From Aristotle to Zola, 100 Great Books in 17 Syllables” by David M. Bader
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If a person tries to fail and succeeds,
which did they do?
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Articles, Books, Podcasts, Etc. |
Make Matriarchy Great Again
Check out 34 Circe, an organization that uses story and XR to explore our future as well as our past. As a mythological consultant for them, I have always been impressed with what they’re doing and pleased to learn more from them about the hidden history of matriarchies.
Their podcasts feature experts from a number of disciplines and there’s always surprising and thought-provoking information in the interviews.
Here’s a relevant article and British utopias ruled by women.
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THE WAY OF STORY - Catherine Ann Jones
Author and story consultant Catherine Ann Jones has some most interesting and inspiring books on writing, mythology, Jung and Freud, as well as online courses and more.
When we’re at events together I’ve always appreciated her work and the way she engages with writers. Do check out her website for some writing and mythology treasures.
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Stressed out? Who isn't....
To find reliable relief from the stress, anxiety, and overwhelm that seem to be plaguing us all these days, check out Aurora J. Miller's neurophysiology hacks at Instagram.com/aurorajmiller and on her website https://aurorajmiller.com/
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MARTIN OLSON – Writer Extraordinaire
It’s hard to choose just one of Martin Olson’s many amazing, whip-smart, witty, insightful, humourous books to recommend. So just cruise through his opus and no doubt many will appeal to you. Have fun!
I got to meet Martin when we were both Mentors at the Rocaberti Writers Retreat at a 14th century castle in France. [Learn more about the marvelous Rocaberti in the Coming Events section of this newsletter.]
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Past MYTHWORKS newsletters available here –
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MUSIC – Royalty Free
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HARRY HARAMBEE’S KENYAN SUNDOWNER
Gerald Everett Jones
I always enjoy Gerald’s writings and not long ago spoke on a panel for S. African writers and readers hosted by Michelle Benjamin of Lime-E publishing for the release of Gerald’s novel.
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Rex Baron is one of my favourite authors. Here's HEXE, his 8-volume series of stories about 'Witches, Warriors, Magic & Murder.
I reread the stories for probably the 5th or 6th time. The saga takes place in Hollywood in the Silent Film era, in Nazi Germany, a Southern California college town in the 1980s, and back in Hollywood in the 20-teens.
Do give it a read!
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ART FOR ALL
MUSIC – Royalty Free
IMAGES from Paris museums -- 100,000 images online for unrestricted public use!!!
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A treasure trove of books, movies, songs, and cartoons.
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Our Mythic Challenges consultations offer Mythic Themes, Archetypes, and Symbols to help you 'Create Stories that Change the World'.
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Email to schedule a FREE 20 minute discussion on how we can assist your message goals.
Story services include Brain Storming, Consultations, Coaching, Book Planning, Editing, and Writer-for-Hire.
Mythic Tools work for any style, any genre, and any platform, from printed book to Virtual Reality.
!!! MAKE GREAT MYTHS !!!
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Coming Soon
The KURULTAI Stories
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History repeats itself so that everyone has the chance to be and do everything.
A group of souls intertwine lives through time and space in varying roles and relationships. Lovers now, warriors another time, parents now, siblings then, who kills whom, where is betrayal, where loyalty?
And always the battle between the Darkness and the Light. How can you tell who's on which side when the players in the KURULTAI keep changing between lifetimes?
As these individuals reincarnate together again and again in diverse times and places, sometimes they can access their other past or future lives, but sometimes not. The mission of the KURULTAI is to help humanity evolve and save the world.
But first they must wake up and realize that. Then they must find the means to overcome the Darkness...and those among them who serve it.
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BLOOD-DARK SEAS, a KURULTAI Story |
BLOOD-DARK SEAS
Famous Athenian general Alcibiades is charming and brilliant with a talent for being on the winning side, even if that means switching sides...a lot.
During the lengthy Peloponnesian wars from 431 TO 405 B.C.E. he served Athens, defected to Sparta, spent time with the Persians, then charmed his way back into Athens.
He’s also a member of the KURULTAI, trained in ancient Mystery schools in Greece, Egypt, and Carthage.
His cousin and adoring lover Chareas is a soldier, poet and historian, concerned Alcibiades is going over to the Dark side. All the major players are together at this nexus of destiny. Chareas fears he may have to kill his eternal beloved in order to save the progress of humanity.
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Pay the Piper, Dancer, and Other Stories |
by - Pamela Jaye Smith, Geffrey von Gerlach, and Kaye G. Gregory
Two of the pieces placed in the semi- and quarter-finals of the ScreenCraft Short Story contest.
Hope you enjoy them!
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Coming Events
To book Pamela Jaye for events or workshops, contact us.
Online Classes, Coaching, Virtual Retreats.
Private Courses available with extensive feedback and one-on-one conversations via email, Zoom or phone.
Regular asynchronous group classes include feedback on exercises.
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Asynchronous courses - do it on your own time and schedule. Written Lessons posted Mon-Wed-Fri. Post your Exercises any time on the Lesson comments page if you like. Instructor responds to posted Exercises Thu & Sat.
SAVVY AUTHORS offers lots of varied courses from quite good instructors. Do visit their website and see.
Alpha Babes
04/11/22-05/08/22
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My blogs for Savvy Authors --
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CSU Media Arts Festival
This Fall I watched 45 films and read 6 screenplays in the semi-finals for the Cal State University Media Arts Festival. Oh, and they were short films and scripts so it didn’t take weeks and was all enjoyable.
Once again I was impressed with the quality of the California students’ creativity and craft. There was a wide range of topics and styles in personal memorials and dramas to sports docs, PSAs and news shows using traditional film-making to 3D, including animation.
Given the difficulty of getting anything done these days, I agree with Festival Director Shannon Pringle’s comment, “…it has been exciting to see all of the insightful and creative content our students have created under these extreme conditions”.
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Online now and hopefully soon back in person at their fabulous locations in Europe!
See if one of the upcoming events might work for your writing goals and your schedule. It's so worth it.
I was a mentor in July 2019 at Marouatte Castle, The Dordogne, France and so enjoyed the experience.
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JAIPUR INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
The prestigious Jaipur Int. Film Festival draws entrants from around the world. For ten years I’ve been honoured to be one of the judges for the screenplays and films and they continue to attract quality creative works. I look forward to seeing the films from this year’s group of scripts.
Do consider entering your script and/or film for next year's Festival.
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March 19, 2022
Saturday 1-4pm California time
Online - so join us from anywhere
http://www.cbw-la.org/event-4216949
DOES YOUR STORY HAVE A PASSPORT?
Creating Universal Stories that Reach Wider Audiences
Pamela Jaye Smith
In today's tech-heavy media world that's often quite divisive, it's a smart move to make your stories as universal as possible to reach a wider audience and help create more inter-connectivity and open-mindedness between people of all ages - especially children and young people.
Using timeless principles of story-telling, this interactive presentation will explore how you too can craft IP that publishers, agents, managers, and media producers will find relevant and attractive.
Learn more and Register at the link above.
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Even if your story takes place in a remote village or on another planet or dimension, you can touch upon global issues and universal archetypes that readers in many other places can relate to - while still keeping your story unique to you.
So get your Story a Passport and give it wings to travel round the world!
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PITCHING YOUR PROJECTS
There are lots of on-line PitchFests going on all the time, plus many listing services like Virtual PitchFest, InkTip, ISA, Stage32, Greenlight My Movie, and more.
We can help you get your story ready to pitch, be it a Story Consultation, writing the Pitch Materials for you depending on your project -- [Logline, Pitch, Synopsis, Market Appeal, Series Bible, Pitch Deck], selecting the target companies most appropriate for your project, or Pitch Coaching by Zoom or in person.
Email us for more details.
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ONGOING
Story consultations and coaching for all media and genres - from initial brain-storming to private classes to detailed feedback and suggestions.
Personal Myth Consultations -- Who are you? Who and what do you want to be? What's your ArchePath? What myth are you currently living? Understand your Personal Myth and empower your life.
Email for a Free 20 minute consultation on how we might work together to enhance your creativity and accomplishments.
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Give us a call and use the Free 20 Minute Consultation to discuss how we might help you craft your own creative projects using Mythic Themes, Archetypes, and Symbols.
Mythic Tools work in any genre, any style, and any platform from novels to features to web series or XR, from fiction to non-fiction to message media.
Pamela Jaye & the MYTHWORKS Team
323-874-6447
email
MYTHWORKS
Mythic Challenges
Alpha Babe Academy
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