The Mythic Wheel of Life

Finding Your Place in the World

by Charles Faulkner An Audio Seminar
Produced by Genesis II Publishing, Inc. www.AchievingExcellence.com

The Mythic Wheel of Life

About this Booklet

This booklet is designed to accompany the Mythic Wheel of Life audio cassette seminar, providing graphics and outlines for the examples, demonstrations and lecture.

The Living Metaphors of Your Life

For a long time, metaphors have been thought of as gures of speech or clever turns of phrase. Today, researchers in a new eld called Cognitive Linguistics are demonstrating that metaphors communicate the essence of meaning. We naturally use metaphors in our every day languageOur love is growing, This company needs team players, Life is a work of artand each of these convey distinctly different meanings, beliefs, values and goals. Metaphors permeate our livesfrom the meaning of love to the meaning of life, from understanding the human body to understanding the cosmos. Our desires, deepest longings, and even our hidden fears, are shaped (and revealed) by these unconscious metaphors found in our everyday language.

Without imagination, nothing in the world could be meaningful. Without imagination, we could never make sense of our experience. Without imagination, we could never reason toward knowledge of reality. Mark Johnson The Body in the Mind Imagination is more important than knowledge. Albert Einstein

The 3 Dimensions of Human Experience

The Mythic Wheel of Life

Human experience can be thought of as being made of three dimensions: Content (or Meaning), Process, and Time. Our Living Metaphors hold and reect the content and meaning of our lives, processed through our senses and language at each and every moment. Meanwhile, the passage of time creates and reveals the unfolding moments of our Living Metaphors into universal stories of human experience: Living Myths.

The metaphors we live by are not random, but are aspects of deeper, natural and unconscious structures in our human imaginations. These deeper and universal metaphors are found in the symbols of medieval Christian church windows, astrological signs, alchemy books, eastern mandalas, the passage of a day, and especially the changing seasons of a year. They contain universal images: darkness and light, above and below, good and evil, heaven and hell, that have shaped human imaginations for eons. They form a Mythic Wheel of the human imagination with four archetypal LifeStories each matched with a season of the year. Through these, each of us uniquely expresses our own life storyour own Living Myth. These Living Myths and Metaphors can be discovered by anyone as they have specic words, images and objects associated with them. This approach provides a grounded and veriable way of discovering ones own personal mythology and transforming it. For organizations, this approach provides extraordinarily powerful models for implementing evolutionary change. Gaining a conscious awareness of the Living Myths & Metaphors you live by, you can see into the hidden meaning of events and become more of a participant in them: a co-creator of your place in the world.

Time (Living Myths) Process

Content/Meaning (Living Metaphors)

The Domains of Human Knowledge

History actions/events Literature metaphors IMAGINATION Philosophy ideas

The Mythic Wheel of Life

Meta-Metaphors and Living Metaphors

There are at least thirteen universal Meta-Metaphors behind each of our Living Metaphors. Listed below are several examples of personal Living Metaphors from the seminar participants and their principle root Meta-Metaphor. Note: A Living Metaphor may have more than one Meta-Metaphor at its root, and an individual may have more than one Living Metaphor. See Metaphors of Identity for a fuller explanation.

Spacial Orientation Metaphors

All of us have desires in life; things we want, and dreads; things we dont want. This dichotomy reveals a fundamental symmetry in the human imagination and in language. Note: When one-half of the symmetry is expressed, one naturally thinks of the other half, consciously and unconsciously. Light Good Virtue

Up is

Rational

Awake

Active

MetaMetaphor
Season Plants Day Presence Burden/Suffering Play Story Art Substance Journey Game Machine Human Life

Living Metaphors
GardensSarah

BurdenDavid A MerryGo RoundKaz ChroniclerEric

Dark Bad Depravity Emotional Asleep Dead Passive

Down is Up is SailingGina A RaceSam

Status Control Happy

Health

More

Common

Controlled

Sad

Sick

Less

Down is 3 4

The Mythic Wheel of Life

Meta-Metaphors and Time

Each Living Metaphor is a part of larger structures in the human imagination. Once a Living Metaphor is started, your imagination wants to complete it. This chart shows how the Meta-Metaphors of every Living Metaphor combine with time to complete themselves.

Meta-Metaphors, Orientation and Time

Winter Dormant Night Departure Release End End Contemplation Empty Arrival/Final Lose/Cashout Worn Out Death

This chart shows how Meta-Metaphors, Spatial Orientation and Time combine to create desires and dreads. With this chart, you can locate where you are in your own personal Living Metaphor. For example, if your Living Metaphor is Gardening [Meta-Metaphor: People are Plants], are you a spring sprout, or in full-bloom? Or are you in the harvest of your years? Time, of the day and of the year, has always been in the background of your Living Metaphor.

Meta-Metaphor Time Periods

Season Plants Day Presence Burden/Suffering Play Story Art Substance Journey Game Machine Human Life

Spring Sprouting/Growing Morning Arrival Enslaved 1st Act Beginning Inspiration Full Departure Join New Birth/Youth

Summer Full-bloom Mid-day Presence Burdened 2nd Act Middle Creation Partially Full Quest/Adventure Play Broken-in Adulthood

Fall/Autumn Harvest Afternoon Dissipation Burdened Climax Climax Appreciation Running Out Contemplations Recollections In Need of Repair Old Age

Angelic Imagery Good Human Desires

Heaven

Human Dreads Bad Demonic Imagery

Hell
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The Mythic Wheel of Life

The Educated Imagination

Desire: Wish Fulllment

Operating/Living Metaphors Elicitation Format

Part I: Using an Important Event
Select a Domain (Career, Relationships, Life, etc.) ________________ What is a very signicant/important event or experience youve had in your (selected domain)? _____________________________________ ________________________________________________________ What is important to you about this experience? __________________ ________________________________________________________ As the person talks, listen for the metaphoric words and phrases in his/her language. Write them down.

COMIC VISION

Human World: Community, symposium, communion, order, friendship, love, marriage or consummation Animal World: Pastoral, domesticated; sheep, dove Vegetable World: Garden, tree of life, rose Mineral World: City Unformed World: Four-fold river Geometry: Star lit dome Myths of: Birth, marriage, resurrection

Part II: Using a Signicant Object

Forms: Mountain, tower, winding staircase, ladder, tree Innocence Pleasure Rising Power Identication (Association)

Ask about a signicant, expressive/unique, personal (or corporate) object. See the object as it is and consider what presuppositions are embedded in it. Then ask the person about the signicance the object has to him/her. Forms: Cave, underwater Thats a lovely (interesting) __________________________________ Tell me about it. ____________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ What do you like about that object? ____________________________ ________________________________________________________ Listen for metaphoric words and phrases. If you need to, ask for more details or ask again, Whats important to you about that?

Descent

Ascent

Experience Pain Loss of Power Detachment (Dissociation)

TRAGIC VISION
Human World: Tyranny, anarchy, isolated men, gang, deserted, betrayed hero, harlot, witch, terrible mother Animal World: Beasts of prey; wolves, dragon, shark, leviathan Vegetable World: Sinister forest, wilderness, tree of death Mineral World: Desert, rocks, ruins Unformed World: Sea, ood water Geometry: Cross Myths of: Death, metamorphosis, sacrice

Part III: Operating/Living Metaphor

Dread: Anxiety

After the person has talked for awhile about an important event and/or a personally precious object, he or she will be emotionally involved in the state in which their Operating/Living Metaphor is more available to consciousness. At this point, ask, What is [that domain] like for you? or What does it mean to you? They will often state their Operating/Living Metaphor directly.

Operating/Living Metaphor is Part IV: Iconic Image

Adapted from Northrop Frye.

After you have assisted the person in discovering his/her Operating/ Living Metaphor verbally and conrmed it with artifacts, ask him/her to notice the mental image in his/her minds eye that represents that Living Metaphor and its location in mental space [i.e. in front, to one side, above, below, far, close, etc.] 8

The Mythic Wheel of Life

Changing Your Time and Season

Part I: Determining Your Time and Season Demonstration with Gina
Establishing the Current State: What is the current state of your Living Metaphor and what (Iconic) Image do you have for it? Living Metaphor: Life is Sailing. Iconic Image: Boat is dry docked and is in repair. Meta-Metaphor: Journey. Where does this t in Time/Story?: There has been a climax in her journey, an accident, and now, after the climax she on shore. In her Iconic Image: Whats the season?: Going into fall/autumn. Whats the time of day?: Late afternoon, going into dusk. Where is she now in her chronological life?: Summer.

youre still in the summer of your physical years?

Examples from Participants Dave

The Current State: Living Metaphor: Life is a Burden. Iconic Image: Carrying a load up a hill. Meta-Metaphor: Burden/Suffering. Where does this t in Time/Story?: Approaching a climax. In his Iconic Image: Whats the season?: Late autumn. Whats the time of day?: Dusk, getting dark. Where is he now in his chronological life?: Summer.

Eric

Exercise I

Establishing the Current State: Explore the current state of your Living Metaphor and the Iconic Image you have for it. Living Metaphor: ___________________________________________ Iconic Image: _____________________________________________ What is the Meta-Metaphor and where in the passage of time/story are you? For example, if Life is a Game, where in the game are you? Or, if Life is a Journey, where in the journey are you? Meta-Metaphor: ___________________________________________ Where does this t in Time/Story?: _____________________________ In your Iconic Image: Turn your attention to the background of the Iconic Image for your Living Metaphor and notice what time of day and what season of the year it is. Time of day: _______________________________________________ Season: _________________________________________________ Where are you now in your chronological life?: __________________ For example, is your Living Metaphor in the fall/autumn season, yet

The Current State: Living Metaphor: Life is a Chronicler/Historian. Iconic Image: Person sitting in a library at a desk. Meta-Metaphor: Story. Where does this t in Time/Story?: The climax has passed, and now he is chronicling events. In his Iconic Image: Whats the season?: Goes between spring and fall outside; while Eric sits at the desk approaching winter. Whats the time of day?: Goes between mid-day and mid-night outside; while Eric sits at the desk at 3pm in the afternoon.

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Where is he now in his chronological life?: Summer.

The Mythic Wheel of Life

Part II: Changing Your Time and Season Demonstration with Gina:
Living Metaphor: Life is Sailing. Re-accessing the Living Metaphor: Charles reviews Ginas Living Metaphor to bring it fully alive and present. Suggesting a Change in Time and Season: Charles tells a story of the fall season moving on into winter, and in that time the ship is repaired and made strong and she prepares for a journey in the spring, a more seasoned and experienced captain. Living Metaphor: Life is a Tree. Re-accessing the Living Metaphor: Charles reviews Russles Living Metaphor to bring it fully to the moment. Suggesting a Change in Time and Season: Charles tells a story of a tree going from summer into fall and releasing its seeds. In winter, the tree is dormant and as it awakens in the spring, the tree branches out and sees the seeds released the previous fall taking hold and beginning to grow into trees. Living Metaphor: Life is Burden. Re-accessing the Living Metaphor: Charles reviews Daves Living Metaphor to bring it fully into his mind. Suggesting a Change in Time and Season: Charles tells a story of time moving forward until he nally puts his burden down, and then he lies down and falls into a deep sleep and rests and dreams a dream of possibilities, awakening to go on to his next life . Think about your Living Myth and Metaphor, and consider what you want that you dont have, or what changes you would like to make: ________ Re-access your Living Metaphor. Suggesting a Change in Time and Season: Tell a story like Charles did with the other participants. Describe how your Living Metaphor can move forward through time, and as the seasons change, it can fulll its metaphoric structure and carry you beyond a dread or difculty into a new spring or summer. Note: Its often easier to do this with someone elses assistance, and most people are more responsive to seasonal changes than time of day changes.

Narrative Patterns

When you can see which season/story a person lives inside, you can determine where they are in the time of their Living Myth. These Living Myths, or Narrative Patterns, are within each of us, as well as in our businesses, governments, cultures, and religions. Whatever our lives mean to us comes from inside our own Living Myths and Metaphors, and there are different ones with different images and different phases for each of us. All of them are unique, and all of them are encompassed within The Mythic Wheel of Life.

Demonstration with Russle:

Heaven Summer
L NA SO ER ES SP RI AN TO TR S
Story: ROMANCE, Imagery: Marriage, triumph Themes: Identication, Subordinate Characters:
COMEDY Integration with society Birth, creation accomplishment Companion, bride Im OK, youre OK Quest is successful

Demonstration with Dave

Story

Existential Position:

TRAGEDY Alienation from society Violent death and sacrice, isolation of the hero Dissipation, social disintegration

Story

Imagery Themes

Imagery

Spring

Exercise II

Subordinate Characters
Mother, father

Reconciliation, social integration

Fall

Themes

Subordinate Characters Existential Position

Im OK, youre not OK Traitor, siren

Existential Position
Im not OK, youre OK

Story: IRONY, Frustration of quest Imagery: Darkness, dissolution phase, oods, return of chaos; defeat of the hero Themes: Detachment, failure Subordinate Characters:

L NA O ES RS RI PE TO S

Existential Position:
Im not OK, youre not OK

Ogre, witch

Winter
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Hell

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The Mythic Wheel of Life

Correlations with Other Traditions

The traditions of the American Indian Medicine Wheel, Alchemy and Chinese Medicine all correlate with The Mythic Wheel of Life and its Narrative or Story Patterns. These patterns have been with us through the eons and countless cultures, revealing to the observant the very structure of our consciousness. Note: For the directions East and West to be in their traditional places, the seasons of Spring and Fall are transposed. The result is this diagram ows counter-clockwise while The Mythic Wheel of Life ows clockwise.

The Mythic Wheels of Life

There is not just one Mythic Wheel of Life, there are Mythic Wheels of Life. This diagram shows how the Narrative Patterns or stories of Comedy, Romance, Tragedy and Irony, play out in each of the seasons of the year and the primary hierarchical characters associated with each Wheel in each season.

Summer Romance
God

Season: Fall/autumn Enemy: Old age & death Kingdom: Mineral Element: Earth West Alchemy: Holding, the looks within place, gateway to the Body

WEST

Season: Summer Enemy: Certainty Kingdom: Animal Element: Air Alchemy: Receiving, the place of knowledge, gateway to the Mind

NORTH

King King King

Spring Comedy

Fall Tragedy

Everybody

Devil

Everybody

Celebrity
Traitor

North Aether Soul Catalyst South SOUTH

Season: Spring Enemy: Powerlessness Kingdom: Human East Element: Fire Alchemy: Determining, the far-sighted place, gateway to the Spirit

EAST

Tyrant

Nobody Psychopath Winter Irony

Season: Winter Enemy: Fear Kingdom: Plant Element: Water Alchemy: Giving, the close-to place, gateway to the Emotions

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The Mythic Wheel of Life

Determining the Themes & Characters of Your Life

Demonstration with Sarah
Living Metaphor: Live is a Rose Garden. Iconic Image: Gardens. Time of day: Mid-late morning. Season: Early summer. Narrative Content: People can come and be healed. Signicant Others: Al (husband), friends, husbands parents and Sarahs family. Kinds of Interactions: Appreciate one another; enjoy doing things with them; share things with one another. Phase: Romance. Living Metaphor: Life is a Chronicler/Historian. Iconic Image: Sees himself at a desk. Season: Winter. Narrative Content: Rest. Signicant Others: Nobody. Kinds of Interactions: None. Phase: Irony.

Selected Bibliography

Given the current abundance of books on ancient customs, myths, stories and personal mythologies, the following list may appear too small. My reasons for not including more popular titles, some of them enjoyable and even inspiring, is I believe they are fundamentally misguided. Our Living Myths & Metaphors are not hidden in forests or drums or childhood memories or even in classical myths. Rather, they are alive and available at every moment to the discerning eye and ear. Therefore, the following titles are offered as a means of widening and deepening your perceptions; of what you can see and of whats possibleto increase the variety of myths you might choose to live inside.

Accessible Works in Myths, Stories & Metaphors

Demonstration with Eric

Exercise:

Review your Living Metaphor, its Iconic Image, and the time and season in the background of your Living Metaphor. Then ask the following questions. What is the Theme (narrative content) of your story: _______________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ Who are the Signicant Others in your life: ______________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ What Kinds of Interactions do you have with them: ________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ Now compare your answers to the themes and characters on the Narrative Patterns chart and determine what Phase you are inComedy, Romance, Tragedy or Irony.

Bettelheim, Bruno, The Uses of Enchantment. Vintage, 1977. Borges, Jorges Luis, Labyrinths. New Directions, 1964. Campbell, Joseph, The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Bollingen Foundation, Princeton University Press, 1949. Faulkner, Charles, Metaphors of Identity, Operating Metaphors and Iconic Change. Genesis II, 1991. Henderson, Joseph L., & Oaks, Maud, The Wisdom of the Serpent. Collier Books, 1963. Heinberg, Richard, Memories and Visions of Paradise. Tarcher, 1989. Lakoff, George, & Turner, Mark, More Than Cool Reason. University of Chicago Press, 1989.

Evolution of Living Myths and Consciousness

Berman, Morris, The Reenchantment of the World. Bantam New Age, 1986. Boorstin, Daniel, The Image. Vintage, 1961. 25th Anniversary Reissue, 1986. Mumford, Lewis, The Pentagon of Power. Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich, 1964. Murry, Henry A, editor, Myth and Mythmaking. George Braziller, 1960.

Technical & Corroborating Works to Living Myths

Frye, Northrop, Anatomy of Criticism. Princeton University Press, 1957. Frye, Northrop, The Educated Imagination. Indiana University Press, 1964. Frye, Northrop, Fables of Identity: Studies in Poetic Mythology. Harcournt

Find Out More About Operating/Living Metaphors

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To more deeply learn the Operating/Living Metaphors approach, we recommend the audio cassette seminar Metaphors of Identity, Operating Metaphors and Iconic Change by Charles Faulkner. Youll learn detailed methods for eliciting a persons or organizations Operating/Living Metaphors. Youll be able to determine [and predict] their Desires, Values, Beliefs, and Lifestyle. Youll also learn to change them for richer, fuller and more meaningful lives. Available from Genesis II (see back cover).

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The Mythic Wheel of Life

Operating/Living Metaphors Elicitation Format

Part I: Using an Important Event
Select a Domain (Career, Relationships, Life, etc.) ________________ What is a very signicant/important event or experience youve had in your (selected domain)? _____________________________________ ________________________________________________________ What is important to you about this experience? __________________ ________________________________________________________ As the person talks, listen for the metaphoric words and phrases in his/her language. Write them down.

Living Myths: Time, Theme, Characters & Phase

Part I: Determining Your Time and Season
Explore the current state of your Living Metaphor and the Iconic Image you have for it. Living Metaphor: ___________________________________________ Iconic Image: _____________________________________________ What is the Meta-Metaphor and where in the passage of time/story are you? Meta-Metaphor: ___________________________________________ Where does this t in your Time/Story?: _________________________ Turn your attention to the background of the Iconic Image for your Living Metaphor and notice what time of day and what season of the year it is. Time of day: _______________________________________________ Season: _________________________________________________ Where are you now in your chronological life?: ___________________

Part II: Using a Signicant Object

Ask about a signicant, expressive/unique, personal (or corporate) object. See the object as it is and consider what presuppositions are embedded in it. Then ask the person about the signicance the object has to him/her. Thats a lovely (interesting) ___________________________________ Tell me about it. ____________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ What do you like about that object? ____________________________ ________________________________________________________ As he/she answers, listen for metaphoric words and phrases. If you need to, ask for more details or ask again, Whats important to you about that?

Part II: Determining the Themes & Characters of Your Life

Review your Living Metaphor, its Iconic Image, and the time and season in the background of your Living Metaphor. What is the Theme (narrative content) of your story: _______________ ________________________________________________________ Who are the Signicant Others in your life: ______________________ ________________________________________________________ What Kinds of Interactions do you have with them: ________________ ________________________________________________________ Now compare your answers to the themes and characters on the Narrative Patterns chart and determine what Phase you are inComedy, Romance, Tragedy or Irony. Phase: ___________________________________________________

Part III: Operating/Living Metaphor

What is [that domain] like for you? or What does it mean to you?

Operating/Living Metaphor is

Part III: Changing Your Time, Season & Phase Part IV: Iconic Image
Ask him/her to notice the mental image in his/her minds eye that represents that Living Metaphor(s) and its location in mental space [i.e. in front, to one side, above, below, far, close, etc.] Iconic Image: _____________________________________________

Think about your Living Myth and Metaphor, and consider what you want that you dont have, or what changes you would like to make. Re-access your Living Metaphor. Suggesting a Change in Time, Season and Phase: Tell a story describing how your Living Metaphor can move forward through time, and as the seasons change, it can fulll its metaphoric structure and carry you beyond a dread or difculty into a new spring or summer.
1993 Charles Faulkner

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1991, 1993 Charles Faulkner

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About the Author Charles Faulkner

Beginning his exploration into the human psyche in the 1970s, Charles led Gestalt/TA groups and studied mythology, philosophy and literature with Joseph Campbell, Jorges Luis Borges and others. His ideas culminated in 1974 with a map of human imagination and his LifeStories approach to personal change. In the 1980s, while in extensive, in-depth training in the hypnotic work of Dr. Milton H. Erickson and the new cognitivelinguistic approaches to therapeutic change including Neuro-Linguistic Programming, SystemsThinking and several BriefTherapies, Charles took advantage of opportunities to immerse himself several Asian languages, and cultures. Through these rst-hand experiences and his studies in Cognitive Linguistics, he formulated Operating Metaphors (now called Living Metaphors), Iconic Change, and recreated his earlier LifeStories work as Living Myths. An internationally respected Certied NLP Trainer and expert modeler, Charles is the program designer and co-author of several best-selling NightingaleConant NLP audio programs and a video. He is a featured interview in the book The New Market Wizards for his groundbreaking work describing the mental side of nancial decision-making. In addition to his speeches, courses and private clients, Charles consults with companies on corporate identity and vision-making.

P .O. Box 2615, Longmont, CO 80502 Ph. 800-354-0575, Fx. 800-724-4333 email: al@achievingexcellence.com Visit us on the web: www.AchievingExcellence.com

Genesis II Publishing, Inc.

Music Composed and Performed by

Eric Doc Kampman

1993, 2005 Charles Faulkner. Operating Metaphors, Living Metaphors and Living Myths are Trademarks of Charles Faulkner. P 1993, 2005 Genesis II Publishing Inc.