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 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. 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. Rather than making our mind up, the idea is to keep an open mind. So at the beginning of a session where a myth is going to be enacted it is important to use 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. Also the use of the voice for making sounds as opposed to words is apposite to work with myth.  It helps to quieten the critical mind that might interfer with the experience. In fact we frequently find ourselves chanting, keening and rejoicing in spontaneous sound.

In the warm-up elements from the myth are often used. For instance if the myth is Demeter and Persephone, the story of a mother and a daughter and of loss and renewal, the group might be invited 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 the group might create the fountain. So while familiarising ourselves with the story we are also learning to work together.

It is better to tell a story rather 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. The facilitator 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 facilitator 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. 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

Rather than using taped music for the enactment (which again can bring people out of the imaginative space especially if they know the piece) it is preferable to encourage the use of voice sounds and if instruments are availble the use of percussion: rattles, Chinese blocks, bells, cymbals and other sound makers. Sometimes these instruments will have been offered in the warm-up and experiemented with. Instruments, something to hold, can offer protection where someone feels very vulnerable or self-conscious.

Grounding: how to de-role

If the group has been divided up, each group should be invited to share what they have done.  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 simple grounding exercises might be offered. In fact, offer any activity which strongly connects with the 'here and now'.

It is a good idea to have time for talking and sharing after the enactment if possible. If this happens the group should be encouraged 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

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, perhaps, 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.

See Psyche: Case study for a case study showing how story works in a Sesame session.