Psyche: Myth Enactment

Myth, Legend and Story in the Sesame Approach

A myth's concern is with the possibilities that constellate around all basic human behaviour. The manner of the myth's expression is conditioned by the culture in which it is received. Father Raven (Eskimo) creates the world in a rather different way from, let us say, the Great Spirit of the Dreamtime (Aboriginal). But they are both myths of creation, telling of how things began. We meet the same themes in a different guise. The fact that their origins are lost in time, and that they survive and intrigue us from generation to generation, tells of their vigour and meaning. The story is always expressed through image and symbol. You could say that their language is that of some dreams. In the way of dreams they are telling and perplexing. You can't force an answer from a dream, but you can hold it lightly and begin a dialogue with its content. Such is the way with myth. And of course, it is one thing to read or hear a myth and quite another to enact the myth with others.

The warm-up: introducing the myth

In working or playing with myth we concern ourselves with trying to be empty so that the symbol or image can work on us in its own way. We try to open the mind rather than make up our mind. So at the beginning of a session when we are going to enact a myth, I offer what we call a warm-up. This involves an approach which offers permission to play, be spontaneous, relax, pay attention. It provides opportunity to explore the space you're in, both personal and group, the different speeds at which we can move and the different levels and ways of moving. It makes a place for laughter, concentration and relating in a different way and one hopes builds trust and greater sensitivity. I have often worked with Frankie Armstrong who works with voice in a primitive and relaxed manner. The use of the voice for making sounds as opposed to words is apposite to work with myth and I think more fitting than naturalistic dialogue. In fact we frequently find ourselves chanting, keening and rejoicing in spontaneous sound.

In the warm-up I frequently work on units from the myth. In working on, say, Demeter and Persephone, the story of a mother and a daughter and of loss and renewal, I might ask the group to make the castle with cyclopean walls in which Persephone is left by her mother while she goes out into the world. Whilst alone she is visited by three goddesses, who have been sent to entice her out. This obviously will have resonance for the individual. Maybe it will bring to mind personal experience of loss. The enticement into the outside world brings to mind adolescence with its urge towards risk-taking as well as fear. No mention is made of this but it is implicit in the myth's enactment. Personal story is held within the universal.

Later in the story, Demeter, the mother, while searching for her daughter who is lost to her, approaches a fountain which conveys to her daughter's whereabouts. Together we might create the fountain. So while familiarising ourselves with the story we are also learning to work together.

I would rather tell a story than read it. In telling, there is more chance of direct communication, whereas a book or a script can easily get in the way. It needs to engage the imagination as well as be clear and simple. It is a structure for enactment which needs to be evocative but wants to urge people into action. If it is too detailed and complete in itself, the group will feel the hearing is enough, there is nothing more to explore.

Choosing roles

Having told the story and responded to questions from the group the next step is deciding what role to play. I would never cast it or let the group cast each other. It is imperative that the individual chooses and takes responsibility for this. We are responding to this material both consciously and unconsciously. We need to listen carefully for an inner sense of what we can or cannot take on.

Enacting the story

Depending on the size of the group or the inclination, we need to know how we will work on this enactment. One way is for the leader to work as a narrator with the whole group, simply giving essentials of the narrative for action. The group may wish to enact the story several times, maybe changing the roles. Another way, again depending on numbers, would be to divide the group into smaller groups, each group working on their own enactment and finally sharing. To do this comfortably you need a large enough space or use of rooms outside the main space. If I had no help using this method, I would move between the groups, enabling where possible and when necessary. The making is a corporate effort and is not directed so it's quite an intense experience of a group trying to find a way to explore and create something together.

Making music

I don't use taped music. Instead I encourage the use of voice sounds and as well I've a big bag rather like a midwife's in which I have rattles, Chinese blocks, bells, cymbals and other sound makers. I have offered these instruments previously in the warm-up and suggested different ways of playing with them. For instance, could we together create certain moods or atmospheres in sound? Sometimes to beat a gong or clash cymbals can be protection where someone feels very vulnerable or self-conscious.

Grounding: how to de-role

If the group divides up and finally wants to share what they have made - and I always suggest this possibility - it is important to have enough time afterwards for any exchange and to finally de-role. Also the time for talking or silence is in itself a help in coming out of role. To de-role I might offer a simple grounding exercise, then ask people to make their own farewells. In fact, offer any activity which strongly connects with the 'here and now'.

I think it is a good idea to have time for talking and sharing after the enactment. I encourage the group to stay with their own feelings, either when they enacted or when they participated as audience. However, it frequently takes time for this material to work on one. So it can be an hour, week or three years later that a connection is made, an insight realised!

Experiencing the universal

I do not hold the view that many feminists express that familiarity with myths is to be discouraged as they perpetuate a patriarchal view of society. They express a richness and an unexpectedness which makes that argument very reductive. C.G. Jung's view that we have within us both male and female aspects seems to me usable and livelier. Myths present good opportunities to experience the contra sexual.

What we call primitive societies practised rites and rituals which joined individuals and offered support to deal with the 'big' landmarks of life. Rites of passage were provided. Our Western society has practically no rituals, so our meeting with birth, death, adulthood are often personal and lonely: yet these experiences are universal. Enactment of myth offers an experience of the universal and because of this it is a safe way to express personal feelings and be contained within the structure of the story. For this reason alone, it can be a vehicle for healing and nourishment of the spirit.

The impersonal, mythic figures are like lighthouses for us. When we relate to them we are, maybe, making a connection with a larger, brighter energy and so we are enlivened. The structure of the myth or old tale provides the safe passage, enabling us to negotiate rough seas, hear the siren's song, meet the three-headed dog and return safe, sometimes stirred or even uncomfortable, but with the possibility of greater awareness.

Click here for a case study showing how story works in a Sesame session.