An update to and rewrite of my original essay from 2008 / 2010
(the above is the Australian Amazon mirror)
Mythopoesis is a Greek-derived word that means “myth-making.” Mythopoeia was used by the English author J. R. R. Tolkien in reference to creative art about “fundamental things.” Mythopoesis is, therefore, the creation of myth by means of the higher imagination. Thus, the creation of myth is also one of the highest forms of storytelling.
My original insiration was changing from a focus on Esotericism (e.g. kheper net) to one on scifi and storytelling. Here I use Tolkien, Jung, and Henry Corbin (the imaginal world and the collective unconscious as a starting point) and apply this to pop culture storytelling, especially scifi and fantasy.
I uploaded the original essay around 2010 at several locations. This earlier edition (called Mythpoesis in the Modern World) has been reposted or linked to several times on the web as well as being cited in a number of academic publications. This book is the update and expansion of that essay, including a slight change of title (Mythopoesis and the Modern World) to emphasise the significance of Mythopoesis as something timeless and not just limited to the modern world).
This book adds additional material as well as reorganising some of the ararngement of chapters. New material includes updates on scifi franchises, ideas on transcendence, and further thoughts on archetypes. A new insight is the concept of the “transtype”, the archetype looking forward to the future (or from the future going back in time (reverse causation) as opposed to the classic Jungian and traditional archetype from the past.
My next big project will be The Kheper Book of Gnosis. This will be both an update / synopsis of kheper net and also an encyclopaedia of esotericism but incorporating themes of science, culture, and creativity.