Category: Presenters

Presenters at the Fates and Graces Mythologium, a virtual conference for mythologists.

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Mythologium 2020 welcomes Kayden Baker-McInnis

Kayden’s talk is called, “Tracking the Dionysus Myth in The Goldfinch Film and Modern Life”

At the heart of the film, The Goldfinch, aspects of the Dionysus myth emerge guiding us back home from loss and death to renewal. Donna Tartt’s substantial novel won the 2014 Pulitzer Prize, now adapted for film. This coming of age story follows the lives of Theo and Pippa, teenagers who survive a bombing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and who continue to live in the deafening aftermath. Through a mythological and depth psychological lens, the underlying mythic structure of this film is explored as a living, vital encounter with Dionysus, what Rafael Lopez-Pedraza calls a culturally repressed and misunderstood archetype. Within Donna Tartt’s carefully curated characters and the director’s choices for image and silence, an archetypal resonance emerges. Central to the storyline is a seventeenth century painting functioning as the archetypal image of irrepressible life, the essence of Dionysus. Theo’s dream to face his mother echoes Dionysus’s journey to the underworld to immortalize his mother. When asked where she found inspiration for this book, Tartt indicates that it is The Odyssey and the Greek tragedians that continue to inspire her. This presentation makes the case that cultivating a mythic consciousness continues to be a modern imperative. 

About Kayden

Kayden Baker-McInnis is a PhD candidate in Mythological Studies with an Emphasis in Depth Psychology working on an ecological dissertation focusing on the Greek figure Dionysus in relation to nature, body, and gender. She teaches language arts to school-aged students and offers adult myth classes. Her workshops include a humanities-based writing process engaging comparative mythology, cultural studies, and depth psychology in Salt Lake City.

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Mythologium 2020 welcomes Kristina Dryža

Kristina’s talk is called, “The Archetypal Necessity for Descending into Hades”

Exploring the myth of Demeter and Persephone, Kristina will ask: How does the soul come to love Hades and that which lives in the underworld? How are we even acquainted with and initiated into this subterranean realm? Why is it necessary to be abducted from our intense identification with Demeter’s life lived on the surface to encounter Hades, and all that lies below? And how, like Persephone, can we belong to, and partner with, both the upper and underworld?

About Kristina

Kristina Dryža is recognized as one of the world’s top female futurists and is also an archetypal consultant and author. Kristina has always been fascinated by patterns and feels we are patterned beings in a patterned universe. She writes and speaks about the patterning of seasonal, tidal, lunar, and circadian rhythms and their influence on creativity, innovation, and leadership. She also explores archetypes and mythology to perceive the patterns in the collective unconscious and their expression within our psyches, society and media. You can view her TEDx talk on ‘Archetypes and Mythology. Why They Matter Even More So Today’ here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2o4PYNroZBY&t=8s

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Mythologium 2020 welcomes Gelareh Khoie

Gelareh’s talk is called, “A Preliminary Mythology of Disco”

My talk is about the dance music genre known as disco. I will discuss the enduring influence of this movement on popular culture in terms of the mythology and archetypal underpinnings tying it to universal religious expressions such as the sphere of illumination and the liberation of consciousness through ritual, dance, music, and symbolic engagement. In particular, I will discuss the presence in my life of an archetypal image I call the Disco Prophet—a feminine dance, love, and music guru who comes from a magical and mythological world of synthesizers, neon tights, and glitter. Her image is the mirror ball and her land is the mythical dance floor beyond logic, deep in the religious precincts of soul. I will use images, prayer, music, dance, and a mirror ball to re-enact an experience of this mythical world.

About Gelareh

Gelareh Khoie is an Iranian-American artist, writer, scholar, and DJ. She holds a BFA in painting from the San Francisco Art Institute and two MA’s in Depth Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute. Gelareh is currently enrolled in the Jungian and Archetypal Studies program at PGI, working towards her Ph.D.

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Mythologium 2020 welcomes Maryam Sayyad

Maryam’s talk is called, “Outstaring Darkness: The Fellowship of Myth and Psychology in Lord of the Rings, the Film”

The Lord of the Rings is roughly 1100 pages long. Half a million words are devoted to this Lord. Whether the word “Lord” refers to the ring itself or to its maker the dark lord, Sauron, this much is certain: Tolkien named his entire saga after the principle of darkness. In essence, he’s invited us to take a sustained look at darkness–linger a while and dig down into it. Even though I discuss Peter Jackson’s film and not Tolkien’s book, I nonetheless consider Tolkien to be its creator, as well as its main protagonist. I view the film as a projection of what hunts his psyche. In other words, I take a psychological approach to the saga, and instead of amplifying its multitude of images outward by means of the great mythological record, I locate the inward psychological phenomenon they describe. I ask for indulgence as I dare to simplify The Lord of the Rings down to one simple sentence.

About Maryam

Maryam Sayyad, MA, is a dissertation candidate in Mythological Studies at Pacifica Graduate Institute where she eagerly studied and received her masters degree in the same field. She completed her BA in Philosophy and Art in Athens at the American College of Greece. Maryam has worked in theater since childhood, and run interior design firms for many of her adult years. She’s an academic writer, a poet, lecturer, and myth consultant for storytellers. She is an adjunct instructor at the Los Angeles Studio School teaching philosophy and writing in the myth-based general education department. Aside from her dissertation, her most recent creative project is myth-consulting, co-writing, and set designing for a contemporary theatrical adaptation of Sleeping Beauty. What makes this version special is that it openly discloses the mytho-psychological elements in the story. This play, funded by the Department of Mental Health, is scheduled to go on stage this fall.

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Mythologium 2020 welcomes Sara Lovett

Sara’s talk is called, “The Actor at Risk: Personal Myth as Self-Care”

A four-year study conducted by The British Office for National Statistics showed that artists “are up to four times more likely to commit suicide” (Grae-Hauck, 2018). The actor’s central work tool is their psyche and soma, both of which are most certainly at risk. Actors and the role they play are joined by one common thread: they grow inside of the same body. With every character, actors are asked to live out another’s story, embodying each emotion through the vehicle of their own flesh. Neuroscience tells us that we store emotion and memory in the body, unless it is moved onwards, through and out.

Through a somatic, depth psychological lens this presentation considers how the actor might withstand this mind/body onslaught through a process called self-landscaping (a titrated version of body mapping). Using ritual and an open dialogue with the archetypes who have taken up residence in the body, the actor has the option to stand in the doorway of the myth they are living with an open heart of recognition. As the actor tells their own story, it enables them to embrace another’s from a healthier, more embodied place. Holding onto a stronger sense of self-awareness, the actor waits at the gate for Hermes to deliver the invitation, a sacred contract from the ‘other.’ “Your body is my body, walk me through all that I am.” And the actor will not be afraid, because of the unyielding felt sense of their own story.

About Sara

Sara Lovett M.A. is a writer, performer, and dialect coach who works with actors on self-care and embodied performing. She has a BFA in acting from The University of Texas at Austin, and an M.A in Somatic Depth Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute. She is currently pursuing her doctorate in Somatic Studies in the Depth Psychology program at Pacifica as well. Her research centers on the effects that embodiment practices have on self-care for the actor. She is the author of the memoir, The Invisible Bones, and speaks publicly on abortion healing, releasing shame, and recovering voice.

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Mythologium 2020 welcomes Dr. Leon Aliski

Leon’s talk is called, “Persistence and Change: Historical Memory of Euro-American Migration and Settlement”

We will begin by considering the cultural legacy of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show, which toured Europe in 1889 and 1905, and its influence on the Western, a film genre that began in the early 20th century.  As described by one of the characters in James Welch’s novel, The Heartsong of Charging Elk, the performance of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show was seen as a representation of recent history: “Buffalo Bill says they are disappearing — like the bison. He says their culture is dying and soon they will be gone too.” 

Following in the footsteps of the Wild West narrative, the film industry has depicted a version of North American history that often portrays a story of heroic conquest and Euro-American settlement coinciding with the disappearance of Native peoples in the name of civilization. We will explore some of the ways in which this historical narrative has been shifting through the discussion of two contemporary films: Neither Wolf Nor Dog (2016) and Indian Horse (2018).

About Leon

Leon Aliski, Ph.D. holds a doctorate in cultural mythology and depth psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute. His dissertation entitled, “Wild Bison and the Buffalo People: Reimagining ‘The Heart of Everything That Is’,” examines a selection of historical narratives inspired by Euro-Americans and the Western Christian heritage in which these narrative themes are rooted. He is a supporter of Cloud Horse Art Institute, dedicated to Lakota traditional arts, performing arts, culture camps, and the Reel Jobs Film School located on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. 

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Mythologium 2020 welcomes Dr. Margaret Mendenhall

Margaret’s talk is called, “‘The Perfect Mate’: The Embodiment of Anima and Animus Projection in Star Trek: The Next Generation“

Using Jungian ideas to explore the various Star Trek films and television series, a futuristic interpretation of the American myth, is a way to make Jung’s teachings more accessible to the world at large. This paper looks at how the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “The Perfect Mate” — in which the beautiful female alien Kamala comes aboard the Enterprise commanded by Captain Jean Luc Picard — elucidates Jung’s concept of anima and animus projection in popular culture.

Highlighting the filmmaker’s use of mirrors throughout the episode to frame the interaction of Kamala and Picard, this paper will propose that this reflects Jung’s theory of the projection of the anima and animus onto our own perfect mate. I will discuss both Jung’s writings, some of which are problematic in his portrayal of “the feminine,” as well as work by Jungian and post-Jungian scholars in attempts to soften or reframe his ideas to address this. I will also touch on the patriarchal nature of the underlying narrative of the utopian future represented by Star Trek and how it projects the androcentricity of the American culture into the future.

About Margaret

Margaret (Maggie) Mendenhall, JD, PhD, currently resides in Long Beach, California, and is a graduate of Pacifica Graduate Institute’s Mythological Studies program. Her dissertation examined the rise of female rescue characters in German-language opera from the perspective of Eurydice. She is also currently a student in Pacifica’s Depth Psychology Program, Specializing in Jungian and Archetypal Studies. Margaret has presented papers on Star Trek-related topics at various conferences, including the Association for the Study of Women and Mythology, Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association, Mythgard Institute, and the American Academy of Religion, Western Regional Conference. As an edutainer, she has written, performed and produced two myth-based one-woman shows: Dancing to the Edge of a Cliff: A Mythical Journey Toward Wholeness and Soul Trek: My Sci-Fi Journey Toward Wholeness, and has just begun research on a potential one-woman show based on the life of Emma Jung. Margaret produced and hosted the public access television series Myth Is All Around Us and has been published in legal journals and Pacifica’s Mythological Studies Journal (online) and Between Literary Review.

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Mythologium 2020 welcomes Linda Marshall

Linda’s talk is called, “Seeking Insight through Athena”

We are currently living with the air of transition hanging heavily all around us. In the tradition of depth psychology, I turn to mythology for insight; and more specifically to the myth of Athena. It was Athena’s mother Metis, already pregnant with Athena, who was swallowed by Zeus when it was foretold that she would give birth to a son who would overthrow his father. What does this swallowing of the feminine and the voice of “other” in order to preserve patriarchal power, have to tell us about the wounding inherent in this country today? I believe that Athena offers a path towards healing when her importance as a mother’s daughter is fully recognized. Understanding Athena as both a mother’s daughter and a father’s daughter, presents the creative possibilities inherent in the interpenetration of the swallowed “other” with the wounded patriarchal culture presently causing such destruction in its determination to maintain control. I would offer that Athena offers a symbolic path towards re-energized possibility when the hidden power and wisdom of the marginalized feminine and the voice of “other” re-emerges in equal voice with the wounded masculine, leading towards a more inclusive image of what it means to be human.

About Linda

Linda holds a Masters in Engaged Humanities and the Creative Life from Pacifica Graduate Institute. She is interested in the power of story and the creative impulse in understanding both our personal and our collective lives. She is presently pursuing her PhD in Jungian and Archetypal Studies at Pacifica. She is working on a dissertation focused on the re-telling of Athena’s story and how a fuller understanding of those myths might lead us to a new perspective of the world as we find it today, as well as our individual lives within it.

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Mythologium 2020 welcomes Dr. Devon Deimler

Devon’s talk is called, “The Owls Howl at Midnight: From Midnight Movies to ‘Twin Peaks’ Return as Ultimate Reality TV”

From the late 1960s through the mid-70s, a new cinematic phenomenon arose in the dark: the midnight movie. Low-budget, high-vision experimental films like El Topo, Night of the Living Dead, Pink Flamingos, Eraserhead, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show were original hybrids of horror, humor, cringe, and camp. Each re-mythologized tropes and iconographies of their cinematic ancestors with a sense of ironic romanticism and serious play. The midnight movie also created highly engaged mimetic ritual participation in these mythologies; cult film thus ventured into the (sac)religious dimension. This presentation addresses the mythologies and rituals of these films, as well as the mythical nature of the midnight movie itself, including its associated aesthetic qualities, psychological states, and reputation as the witching hour of outcasts, uncanny occurrences, and Dionysian revelry and transgression. Dreams, nightmares, surreal irrationality, and absurd subversion rule deep night and the midnight movie. In conclusion, we will briefly explore how the midnight movie impacted the work and public reception of its final standout, David Lynch, especially his series Twin Peaks—perhaps the best example of how enigmatic filmmaking can hold the midnight hour and continue unfolding a mythology in contemporary settings.

About Devon

Devon Deimler, PhD is an artist, writer, and mythologist. She is Curator at OPUS Archives and Research Center—home to the collections of James Hillman, Joseph Campbell, and MarionWoodman, among others—and is Scholar in Residence, Special Editions Editor, and
Founder/Curator of the Cinemyth Film Series at the Philosophical Research Society in Los Angeles. She earned her doctorate in Mythological Studies with an Emphasis in Depth Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute with her dissertation, Ultraviolet Concrete: Dionysos and the Ecstatic Play of Aesthetic Experience, which received the institute’s Dissertation of Excellence award. Devon earned her BA in Interdisciplinary Sculpture from the Maryland Institute College of Art, where she focused on event-based work and modern through contemporary art and film history. Her professional experience in art and music includes founding an independent record label and collaborative event project, Wildfire Wildfire Productions, working as Assistant to the Director at the Dennis Hopper Art Trust, and teaching photography and modern art history and studio practices at American University Preparatory School in DTLA. Learn more at devondeimler.com.

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Mythologium 2020 welcomes Amy Slonaker

Amy’s talk is called “The Gospel According to Jughead: Monster Theory and Comparative Popular Culture Practices as Hermeneutic Lenses”

In certain hermeneutical pursuits, scholars use monsters and their symbols as comparative tools for cultural analysis. This scholarly lens, called Monster Studies, asks questions and analyzes problems through the lens of “The Monster.” As part of a critical reflection on Monster Studies, this presentation will use this lens in an intertextual, antidiachronic comparison of the “monsters” of two beloved American narratives from the 1940’s: Archie Comics and Oklahoma! These two continuously existing brands are now riding the crest of another pop culture wave coinciding with their new focus on storytelling through the lens of the monster/outsider. This presentation compares the characters of Jughead from Archie Comics and Jud Fry from Oklahoma! to the outsider narrator, Judas the disciple, as he appears in the first-century Gnostic text, The Gospel of Judas. I suggest that all three texts act as a form of midrash that provide narrative supplement and work to highlight issues of community concern. For first century Christians, an issue of concern was how the all-knowing Jesus could be betrayed by a mere mortal/disciple. The Gospel of Judas addresses that concern through the perspective of the betrayer himself. Likewise, the newly-elevated perspective of the outsider-narrators in Archie and Oklahoma, I argue, raise the contemporary community issue of active shooters and incel culture. This presentation uses the lens of popular culture comparison as discussed by Jeffrey Kripal to conclude that the dark characters of our narratives may hide real life concerns; supporting Jeffrey Kripal’s suggestion that “not everything imagined is imaginary.”

About Amy

A cat fancier from Goleta, California, Amy Slonaker graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a double major in Religious Studies and Political Science. During her 20+ year law career, she lived in Seattle, San Francisco, New York City and London. In 2017, she enrolled at Pacifica Graduate Institute where she is currently pursuing her PhD in Mythological Studies with an Emphasis in Depth Psychology, with an expected completion date of 2022. A lover of popular culture, Amy has dabbled in an array of art media including installation art, costume/set design, public performance art, and psychedelic liquid light shows. Her favorite musical is Oklahoma!