Welcome to the Mythorealism forum at ning.com.

So, what is Mythorealism? Mythorealism is a philosophy, a modern take on mysticism, mythology, art and literature, in which you are invited to participate if our viewpoint appeals to you. We have no doctrine as such, but you should be able to get a good idea of where we are coming from by reading and viewing some of the material on this site.

Mythorealism until recently was a family affair, confined to the rather unusual clan of which I am a member. The term itself was invented by my mother, the author and composer Lani Thompson. The metaphysical basis for our philosophy was supplied by my father, the late David Douglas Thompson, a composer and thinker. My brother Jason Thompson developed our metaphysical ideas still further. All of the other family members- including siblings and spouses- have contributed greatly to these ideas through conversation, and some of them may make formal additions of their own at some stage. However, it is no longer our wish to keep this philosophy private, or to "own" the concept of Mythorealism.

It is my goal and my mission to present our ideas to the wider world, but also to invite other people to participate, helping to shape what Mythorealism is and what it becomes. If you are interested in myth and mysticism, poetry and philosophy, art and metaphysics, then please join in the conversation and create a Mythorealism of your own.

Creed: "When myth incarnates in the waking world."

Description: Mythorealism "encompasses facets of reality which aren't ordinarily perceived and brings them into the waking world. Reality is more than bones and blood. It is the spirit lurking behind stones and flesh... Myth stepping into Matter... The World being uttered..." (Lani Thompson)

Caveat: One of the strengths of Mythorealism as a spiritual and aesthetic viewpoint is its lack of dogma. The single statement "when myth incarnates in the waking world" is our only creed, and nothing else within Mythorealism has higher status than a personal opinion. Any thoroughly philosophical examination of that central creed could lay equal claim to being a Mythorealist philosophy, even if it bore very little resemblance to anything here. The following principles are therefore not to be taken as an ideology, but simply as one of the possible expressions of a Mythorealist worldview.

1- There is a broad and in some respects unrecognized artistic tendency, operating in a variety of different media, the primary feature of which is the invocation of magic and myth- not merely the use of such themes as a story element, but the incarnation of a transcendent reality within the mundane sphere.

2- This tendency represents an unrealized but extremely powerful mystic impulse, an instinct common to all cultures and peoples, which is now seeking a new mode of expression in the modern world.

3- The nature of this expression is distinct from all previous modes of spirituality, because it draws freely from a common heritage of world culture and tradition, while laying claim to no particular doctrine or identity.

4- The personal experience of this transcendent reality, which may be referred to as mythic resonance, is among the most fundamental of human experiences, providing a rich source of inspiration and insight.

5- Reason and the scientific method are valid and essential ways of understanding the material world. However, no perfectly rational understanding of the realm of myth is either possible or desirable. Understanding in the mythic realm is essentially ineffable, and its expression necessarily involves both contradiction and ambiguity.

6- It is equally misguided either to take myth literally or to dismiss it as meaningless, the fallacies of fundamentalism and of skeptical materialism.

7- The images of the mythic realm are symbolic and not literal, but they cannot be reduced down to anything merely psychological or merely physical. Mythic symbols are allegorical of something more fundamental, providing access to essential truths.

8- The experience of the realm of myth is most transformative when it is met at the source, experienced as an ineffable mystery, and confronted directly. All second-hand interpretations (whether anthropological, historical or psychological) are a step away, useful only intellectually but not fundamentally.

9- Any specific myth contains a mythic problem, or in some cases a complex of mythic problems. The nature of a mythic problem is a profound mystery, the solution to which is a transcendent insight, a transformative seeing-beyond.

10- The insight that can be attained through the experience of myth is suggestive of an ethics, providing a doorway to human excellence in every facet of life.

You can read more about Mythorealism here:

http://www.mythorealism.com/

For Mythorealist works, including The Red Dance by Lani Thompson, please visit:

http://brasswindow.com/

The Noctiviganti novels by C.S. Thompson can be found here:

http://www.noctiviganti.com/noctiviganti.html

http://www.bewrite.net/merchant2/4.00/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=B&Product_Code=1-904224-58-X

http://www.bewrite.net/merchant2/4.00/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=B&Product_Code=1-904492-48-7