Heroes and Mystics 2022

Overcoming Invisibility Abhirami Sankaran 2/3/2023 The Percy Jackson series follows a group of demigods as they complete quests and journey to various mythical realms. The series borrows heavily from various Greek epics and situates them within the modern world. In the series, one of the main characters is a girl called Annabeth Chase. She is a daughter of Athena (the discrepancy from mythology is explained in the series) who accompanies the protagonist Percy Jackson on most of his adventures. Throughout the series she carries around a Yankees cap which grants her invisibility, a gift from her mother. This cap carries symbolic significance. Annabeth first ran away from home at the age of 8. She survived with the help of some friends, one of which functionally died to get her to safety. Ever since she has been trying to prove herself. She wants to be taken seriously and in such an endeavor, she often hides aspects of herself. The cap is symbolic of this, it allows her greater tactically...

 Riptide Abhirami Sankaran 2/3/2023 Percy Jackson is a young adult books series that follows Percy Jackson, a kid from Brooklyn who happens to be a demigod son of Poseidon . The series borrows heavily from various Greek epics and embeds them firmly within the modern world. The titular carries a sword called Anaklusmos ("Riptide"). This weapon and the symbolism behind it is what I would like to assess in this reflection.  Through the story we find out that Riptide once belonged to Hercules and symbolized the betrayal he beset upon a character Zoe. Zoe, a former nymph of the garden of the Hesperides, once gave the sword to Hercules out of love. Yet he left her and she was banished from her home as a result (result of helping him with his quest). The sword that our hero holds is therefore emblematic of the issues many Greek heroes have. It represents how many of them valorize glory at the expense of humanity. As the books progress Percy fulfills a prophecy and uses a boon give...

Gone Girl Abhirami Sankaran 2/3/2023 Gone girl is a film about a dysfunctional couple. It follows Nick and Amy. The story begins with Amy's disappearance. All signs point to Nick. There is blood in the house, Amy’s journal detailing abuse, a slew of toys Nick bought, financial problems, a pregnancy, and a life insurance policy that would make Nick a millionaire in the event of Amy’s death. Then, halfway through the film, it is revealed that Amy staged this death. She is alive, though she intends to kill herself to complete the performance, and she plotted all this because Nick betrayed her. They’re whole marriage is based on performance and he dropped his part, and also cheated. This was her idea of revenge. As she states it he took her life and now she would take his.  Gone Girl was a very popular and lauded film (and book). It clearly spoke to something within the cultural consciousness. So I wonder if it has some symbolic value? Some analyses I have watched suggest that the film...

Gaining an Understanding of Limited Perspective Abhirami Sankaran 2/3/2023 Recently I have come to understand that my breadth of experience is rather narrow. Whether that was caused by my upbringing, Covid-19, or personal actions (likely all three) I am not sure. I have, though largely unconsciously/unintentionally shielded myself from many viewpoints. I am not acquainted with many republicans personally, likely because of the state of politics, great polarity of the current environment, and the drastic opinions presented on social media. Yet I have come to realize that I viewed them as more abstract than people. It is quite embarrassing to admit such an attitude. To say that I have been largely blinded and perhaps a tad hasty in many of my assumptions. Truthfully I don't know if what I believe in could align to a friendship with such people (I have strong beliefs about bodily autonomy and such). But as circumstances have placed us, one of the other study abroad students from CNU ...

Meditation in Movement Abhirami Sankaran 2/3/2023 One topic we have discussed in our class is finding peace in journeys. Any lengthy journey requires a sort of meditation. To be one with our thoughts. I have found that, surprisingly, in a small way here in Glasgow. I am not accustomed to living in a city. Forty minutes here is considered within walking distance. While acclimating myself to my environment, I have started to make a conscious effort to not listen to music or videos while walking. The act of moving my body and allowing my mind to wander has been rather therapeutic and soothing. I had not thought that this was an aspect of life I lacked. Yet, as I have started this practice I have begun to think. To contemplate my life. Who I am, how I view the world. The sheer variety of new experiences have provided plenty of fuel for such matters.  I find that allowing myself to think, without any external stimulation, has improved my ability to differentiate my voice from others. To...

Reality in Myth Abhirami Sankaran 2/3/2023 One topic we covered in class was the idea that myths speak of a truth beyond the facts. I find this idea both strange yet natural. That which we proclaim mythic is not truly about dragons or witches but rather people being people. The mistakes we make and the consequences, the love we forge and its fruits. When I consume myths I find them fascinating, I think this is rather evident in my numerous entries about the Greco-Roman pantheon. They are emotions personified. They take the real and weave it through the fantastical so that we can create distance from the characters, yet still understand them. This allows us to reflect on our actions. Jason died because he forsook Medea, though we are unlikely to be struck dead for unfaithfulness, we can reflect on his actions and learn. We understand that breaking vows can lead to disaster. We may never be stranded away from home like Odysseus but we can understand how trauma can often moor us in unfami...

Medea: The Lack of Karmic Downfall Abhirami Sankaran 2/3/2023 One epic I find fascinating is that of Jason and Medea. Truly Medea is a fascinating character. She is one of the few women in Greek epics whose actions are largely villainous yet is never punished.  Likely the cause of this is that she breaks no morays of Greek society of her own volition. Her initial love of Jason is caused by Hera and her betrayal of her family is in service of this love. She plans and abets fratricide yet it is Jason who performs the act and this too was in service of her love. Later, after Jason betrays her, abandoning her in service of a princess, she kills her children. Yet, since she only committed this action as a result of Jason's betrayal, she is never truly punished. Despite all her crimes she is never concretely killed.  I wonder what the message behind this was meant to be? What was the symbolism and what was the audience supposed to take away? Was it that since her fate was tied by th...

Myth as action rather than creed Abhirami Sankaran 2/3/2023 Excerpt from Notes on the Meaning of Myth Myth as narrative truth “are not easily understood by us because they are conveyed in actions, and not in ideas; their moral messages are not spelled out in creeds, but are re-enacted in the dramatic happenings of rituals and other ceremonial occasions” (202).  I find the idea that myths are truths told through interpretation rather than words fascinating. It indicates a level of moral flexibility that is often harder to come across in current moral messages. It also encourages discourse. If the meaning of Jason’s actions in the story of the golden fleece are not explained in the text, the best way to derive the meaning is through discussion. This method of meaning through discussion and interpretation of action seems to mirror the current realm of tv and movie video essays. I have been a fan of this genre for years and the aspect of it I find most fascinating is how so much inform...

Gilgamesh: Experiencing Life Rather Than Possessing It Abhirami Sankaran 2/3/2023 O ne central theme in the epic of Gilgamesh is that one cannot avoid death. After the death of his friend, Enkidu, Gilgamesh starts to fear his own mortality. In an effort to escape death, he visits the mortal made god Utnapishtim. Utnapishtim challenges Gilgamesh to stay awake for 7 days straight, when Gilgamesh fails Utnapishtim asks him how he expects to conquer death when he cannot even conquer sleep. Then he tells the King that there is a plant at the bottom of the lake that can grant immortality. Gilgamesh ties rocks to his feet and retrieves the plant, yet when he leaves it unattended for a moment, a snake steals it. Left empty handed Gilgamesh returns to his kingdom with a better understanding of the futility of seeking immortality.  The epic of Gilgamesh posits an interesting idea, one cannot possess life but only experience it. Life is not an object we can hold or maintain, regardless of the...

A search for monsters Over the course of the last year I have helped Dr. Hart, a professor at CNU, with his book Thinking Scientifically in a World Full of Nonsense. In his book Dr. Hart explores varying myths and why people believe them. Though I have always found this fascinating from a psychological perspective. Recently, I have started thinking about the meanings behind these myths and how closely they align with pilgrimages. For example, the search for the loch ness monster. Though the only evidence for this monster is a poor photograph which has already been disproven, there are many who endeavor to find it. Some have even dedicated their lives to this quest. From a certain lens, is this not just a pilgrimage repackaged? The path out is rather long and allows deliberation. How different is visiting Loch Ness from visiting another pilgrimage site? I doubt Nessie holds any religious significance yet people still dedicate themselves to the quest. And isn't every journey that re...

Symbolism: The Tether Between the Mind and the World Abhirami Sankaran 2/3/2023 Rollo May “The Significance of Symbols” Symbolic action bridges the gap “between outer existence (the world) and inner meaning; and it arose out of man’s capacity to separate inner meaning and outer existence” (22). Note the vision quest, spiritual journey, or in elaborated religion, pilgrimage, involves a separation from the buzz of the world and provides space for symbolic action to take place.  In this reflection I will analyze the aforementioned excerpt from Rollo May’s “The Significance of Symbols”. Symbols are a large part of how humans understand the world. We attach them to our countries, our houses (ex. House crests), and our religions. They are an essential part of how we view ourselves. For example, a house whose crest displays a wolf might consider themselves strong and loyal. Members of the house will use said crest to guide their daily actions. As such the symbol bridges the gap between th...

Woman: Life, Temptress, and Tool Abhirami Sankaran 2/3/2023 Throughout Joseph Campbell’s Monomyth he refers to women as life itself. More specifically, he suggests that the hero must possess and control women as this proves their mastery over life. This symbolism largely derives from reproduction. Since women both give birth to children and are often delegated their care, they are synonymous with life force. Yet Campbell suggests there is an equal revulsion and reverence placed on women. “But when it suddenly dawns on us, or is forced to our attention, that everything we think or do is necessarily tainted with the odor of the flesh, then, not uncommonly, there is experienced a moment of revulsion: life, the acts of life, the organs of life, woman in particular as the great symbol of life, become intolerable to the pure, the pure, pure soul. “ I can understand the symbolism and warped logic used to raise these points, yet every time I am required to contemplate them I can not help bei...

 Liminal Spaces: How do we navigate them Abhirami Sankaran 2/3/2023 One topic discussed in class that I found particularly interesting was liminal spaces. The transition state between two sides. They occur physically like planes and metaphorically like the summer between high school and college. Though the value of liminal spaces is unquestionable, as they allow us to change and grow, I often find them difficult to navigate.  I wonder how we should go about navigating these aspects of life.  Recently, I have started studying abroad in Glasgow, Scotland. The experience so far has been greatly enjoyable, yet I cannot shake the feeling that this is a liminal space. Yes, I am in another country and experiencing new things, but I will only be here for a semester. Everything I do has such an ephemeral quality. The friendships I create have a slotted end date, a quota on their permanence. In the end, I will return to my ordinary life.  So far, I have been treating this disp...

Abhirami Sankaran 1/30/2023 The refusal of the call in daily life One step of the hero's journey I find interesting is the refusal of the call. I understand the purpose of the step. By allowing deliberation before the journey begins in force, both the protagonist and audience are allowed time and space to consider the ramifications of the endeavor: Achilles understands that he will die at war, Jason understands that his path may crown him, and Dipper (from gravity falls the animated kids show) understands that pursuing his journal may lead him into paranormal situations). The audience and characters are mentally prepared for the personal and general consequences of the journey. The stakes of the path ahead are set up thereby building tension. However, as Campbell has explicitly stated, the hero's journey also applies to the audience as individuals.  We are all constantly growing and changing. We cycle through the monomyth each time we pursue a new endeavor. Yet the aforemention...

Abhirami Sankaran In the beginning of this semester one topic we discussed was the symbolism of divinity. These symbols can be seen from the Herms of ancient Greece to the Lingas in Hinduism. Many divine symbols take the semblance of genitalia, whose connection to life is rather obvious. Jung was one scholar who was particularly fond of these symbols. In his work he often referenced how different dreams could be interpreted, he would suggest for example that a cave one struggled to emerge from was a womb and the struggle indicative of an attempt to gain independence. In his writings these symbols of feminine divinity are something to be overcome and separated from, their presence itself contaminating to male power. This theme of separation from femininity appears in multiple forms throughout psychoanalysis and other subjects which focus on the interpretation of symbols. One specific segregation of femininity that I often see is the distillation of female divinity to the production of...

  I write this final entry at the end of my finals week. Looking back at my time in this class, I recognize that this, itself, has been a journey, and wanted to point out some of the structural points. I refused a call early on, only to bash my head against that call until I finally understood it. My first post remarks on a distaste for Campbell’s examples and work, and that was a huge roadblock for me early on. It required me to leave presuppositions at the door, embrace the sometimes brutal forms of myth, and look for the deeply entwined, shared symbols still hiding all over the place. The middle part of the journey began my focus on interplay. Emotions contributing to thought and reflecting contributing to productivity, taking contributing to giving. This would be my focus for the remainder of the semester. It kicked off with the shadow self and extended through the interior castle, eventually culminating in the interplay-centric innocuous boons. I’m left at the end with a diz...

  While I was writing my term paper, I came across the discussion of memory, but in relation to Christian repentance. I quickly became fascinated. Evidently, to audit the original meaning of an experience (to remember it) and overlay an understanding that the action was sinful isn’t enough to repair the damage caused by the original experience. We can’t be forgiven just by this because the effect of that action ripples outward, propagating. I find it interesting to tackle this in regard to Christ’s sacrifice. We are still sinning. Our actions still ripple outward. And yet now, because the effects will be cleaned up, we can immediately be forgiven and made clean. Thus an internal acknowledgement of a sinful state becomes sufficient for repentance, no longer demanding penance. The process is intriguing, and plays into one of the themes of my essay: the effect of the past on the present and vice versa—except this overlays the effect of the future onto both.

  We recently reintroduced the concept of the second self into class discussion, but this time regarding the encounter between two beings. I was struck by the fact that we referenced a shadow self as elements that we’d rather not reveal about ourselves, rather than a completion of self. This form of shadow self is just as valuable as an Enkidu or Patroclus, though. It confronts us with our perceived failures and asks us to grapple with whether or not they are controllable or perhaps instead not failures at all. I was reminded of the scene of the crushing of the snake’s head in C.S Lewis’s “The Great Divorce.” The snake—temptation—begs that its life be spared. Because it appeared as a companion, hearing its pleas and acknowledging that it will permanently die makes any action against the plaguing influence (a parody of a shadow self) inherently much more difficult. In some sense, the shadow self has a competing self-preservation instinct that may make us hesitate and spare it...

  It is important to analyze the duality of myth created by symbolism. As discussed in class and in many blog posts, myth has led to the creation of symbolism in the human race. Without symbolism, humans can only relate to absolute fact. Fact is the only form of information that humans would understand. Symbolism closes the gap between tangible and intangible actions. With an understanding of action’s deeper meaning, it is possible to relate myth to real life. Though individual stories vary in contact, all journeys correlate through symbolism. Journeys come in many forms. Some journeys are mythical stories and others are real-life examples. These journeys can be extremely different in the specifics and details of the journey. The journeys still relate deeply due to the symbolism of its steps. Regardless of the journey, the steps of a journey, such as initiation and others, all get followed along the path of a journey. These steps have symbolic meaning, regardless of the specific de...

  In a previous blog post, I discussed the duality of myth. The symbolism found in myth helps relate real-life situations to mythical stories. Duality of myth is exhibited through journeys themselves though. When analyzing an individual journey, a journey will exhibit duality as well. The external aspects of a journey are easily identifiable. External aspects include physical movements and tangible differences in location. While external journeys occur, an equally powerful internal journey is occurring. This journey consists of changes in emotions and beliefs. Changes in belief are reflected in changes in action. A person’s morals and beliefs drive the actions they take. In order for an external journey to occur, an internal journey must propel someone’s actions to change. As a person’s internal feelings change, it becomes possible for their behavior to change. Another example of the duality of myth is the double-sided journey that occurs.