Last time we looked at Thomas Mann’s Doctor Faustus and the destruction that ripped through Europe in the 1940s. Europe was rebuilt over the following decades and the American empire rose to dominate the world. But the destruction and nihilism that Mann described in his novel didn’t go away. The spiritual sickness is still with… Continue reading Exploring Faust in the 21st Century
We’ve been exploring the development of Faust and how the myth has changed over the centuries. Last time we covered Goethe’s version, the favourite because it paints our obsession with progress as a good thing. The world has changed a lot since it was written and we can now see where that obsession has brought… Continue reading Exploring Faust: Thomas Mann and the End of the West
Last time we looked at the history of the Faust legend and the first popular version by Christopher Marlowe. The tale grew out of the Reformation and it reflected the needs of the time. But as the Renaissance morphed into the so-called Age of Enlightenment in the 17th century, people needed a new myth and… Continue reading Exploring Faust: Goethe and the Myth of Progress
The legend of Faust tells the tale of a man who makes a deal with the devil to gain magical powers. The devil’s representative is Mephistopheles, who gives Faust power for twenty-four years, after which the devil takes his soul to hell. There are many different versions of the tale and it changes to reflect… Continue reading Exploring Faust: History and Christopher Marlowe
I’ve been meaning to read The Children of Men by PD James for ages having seen the film when it came out. I finally picked it up the other day and noticed it was set in 2021, so now was the perfect time to dive in. James describes the story as a Christian fable and… Continue reading Children of Men: Finding Hope at the End of the World
Jupiter represents your need to grow and improve yourself, to make progress and expand into new areas. It stands for the search for meaning and the desire to connect with something greater than yourself, to find faith and confidence in life, as well as grace and joy. Jupiter takes about 12 years to orbit the… Continue reading Planet Myths: The Story Behind Jupiter
A perfect example of the Mars archetype on film can be found in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon directed by Ang Lee. It’s an action adventure movie set in a mythical version of ancient China based on a novel in the wu xia tradition about virtuous warriors with supernatural abilities. The spectacular fights play like dances… Continue reading The Effortless Action of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Mars represents your will and survival instincts and how you direct your life force to achieve goals. It shows how you assert yourself and express your desires, initiating action to get what you want. Depending on placement and aspects, there’s no messing about with Mars – he’s direct and courageous, urging you to go forth… Continue reading Planet Myths: The Story Behind Mars
Inception is a perfect example of the Neptune archetype on film, not just because of its themes, but also due to its reality dissolving effect on the viewer. It’s a heist movie about dreams – ambitious and visually stunning, especially on the big screen, although not particularly dreamlike. For that you need David Lynch, not… Continue reading Inception and the Dream of Awakening
Neptune represents your need for transcendence and the desire to escape limitations through surrender to a timeless vision or ideal. It’s associated with the creative expression of imagination, dreams and fantasy, as well as religious devotion and mystical union that dissolves the boundaries of the self. Neptune takes about 165 years to orbit the entire… Continue reading Planet Myths: The Story Behind Neptune
I’ve been meaning to write something about this movie for ages so exploring the mythology of Uranus gave me the perfect excuse. The Matrix is a science fiction cyberpunk dystopia that was written and directed by the Wachowskis way back in 1999. Despite being over 20 years old, it may be more relevant now than… Continue reading The Matrix and the Simulation of Truth
Uranus represents your need for freedom and change and the desire for independence from tradition and the status quo. It’s associated with sudden awakenings and insights that revolutionise your perspective and turn your life upside down, pushing you towards individuation and liberation. Uranus is the next planet out from Saturn and its orbit takes 84… Continue reading Planet Myths: The Story Behind Uranus
Jessica Davidson 