For example, it was pointed out to me that the myth of Icarus who flew too high to the sun in his escape where the wax of his man-made wings melted causing him to tumble to his death – showing us the folly and downfall of being carried away by the excitement of overachievement. Also, that the tragic relationship between Echo and Narcissus (the muse who lacked any self-opinion with the beautiful self-absorbed human) which highlights the pain of an imbalanced empath/narcissist dynamic. And all the multiple stories of tortures in Tartarus of Hades (the Greek mythology of hell) – highlighting the sufferings possible in the human condition.
It begs the question – are these stories a reflection of a human collective consciousness or are we just living out these age-old myths in our everyday lives? Which came first?
Chiron's Story
A very potent and powerful story is that of Chiron, the wounded healer. Although the term ‘wounded healer’ was coined by Carl Jung, referring to counsellors or psychotherapists who adopt their role due to their own wounding, the story of Chiron (pronounced as ‘Kye-ron’) was a symbolic representation many centuries prior.