Michael Meade Courses

Session 1 Overview

Opening Song - Azima / Introduction

The Myth of Er - Part 1 (Greek Myth)

Story Commentary

Question 1: Is there only one way to live out your soul's purpose?

Question 2: Does the idea that each person is born with genius and is trying to find their destiny, can that bring a greater perspective when you see people doing things that strike you personally as immoral?

Question 3: If the core pattern of one's life is unique, how does it relate to the idea of universal archetypes?

Question 4: You said that the most important ideas in the world often get lost. Why is it that most important ideas get lost, why is it that our destiny must be discovered and most people may not even find it?

Question 5: What are the signs of being on your path, the cues that should make you perk up and pay attention that there is some emergent truth in a moment or experience?

Question 6: Can you speak to the relationship between a personal myth and a collective myth for our time?

Question 7: In expressing my genius and inner authentic nature, I find myself drifting away from society, culture, and my family, all of which do not encourage my uniqueness. Is there is a necessary aloneness on this path at least at some point?

Book Excerpt - A Mythological Transfusion

Audio - The Roots of Personal Myth

Audio: Azima - Full Song

Audio: Azima - Commentary

Session 2 Overview

The Myth of Er - Part 2 (Greek Myth)

Story Commentary

The Individual Birth: Our Unique Mythological Experience

Question 1: What do you think the mythological significance is of my mother pushing, followed by attempted vacuum extraction, then forceps? Why such a difficult birth? I don't feel reluctant to take on challenges, but my birth seems to say I do?

Question 2: I was born through a cesarean section and I feel like I was denied the chance to go through the birth initiation. Sometimes I feel like I want to be squeezed but what I have instead is dissociation and disorientation.

Question 3: My mother almost died during my birth due to hemorrhage. I'm very close with her but can see how I might be held back from moving forward due to familial responsibilities. Interesting to see how a second birth might have to deal with a death.

Question 4: I believe I was born at 2am and the water broke on the way to the hospital. I was the last child born and my four siblings were spaced two years apart. I feel I've had to fight my way into life all alone on my pathless path without support.

Question 5: I wasn't supposed to be. My mother was in danger during my older brother's birth and the doctors strongly advised no more children. Yet I was conceived. Mom almost died during my birth. I threatened my her safety just by attempting to arrive.

Question 6: My mother told me that when I was born my father ordered the doctor to give her general anesthesia. She was unconscious, as was I when I was born and I have difficulty at times finding my way. Any suggestions?

Question 7: My mother had two miscarriages before me. And then I was an emergency c-section. Is there any significance to miscarriages?

Question 8: I was born prematurely. My father wasn't there. His mother died in childbirth. I was strong on one hand as a child yet had chronic bronchitis and was really sick at times. When change comes I feel physically the weakest. Today is my birthday.

Question 9: My mother was only sixteen when I was born, my father nineteen. This was an unwanted pregnancy and I was an unwanted child. She spoke to me of resentment and fear and of being anesthetized during labor and delivery.

Question 10: I was born at night in the middle of a flood that killed many people and animals. It took 24 hours to be born. The birth was so hard on my mom. She's tiny. The empathic pain I have felt and the pain of animals has been overwhelming.

Question 11: My mother had me 14 months after my sister. And I always felt unwelcome even though two other sisters were born following me, each ended with totally anesthetized cesarian. I'm recognizing my difficulty in giving birth to any new impulse.

Audio - Origins of the Soul: Part 1

Audio - Origins of the Soul: Part 2

Book Excerpt - The Myth of Er

Book Excerpt - Origins of the Soul

Session 3 Overview

Genius and Calling

Latency

Role of Mentors

The Healing Road

Writing Excercise

Question 1: I was an unwanted child and became orphaned. I have experienced many losses over the years. I became a champion for children, teaching for decades. Now I'm experiencing the call to facilitate grief circles in my spiritual community.

Question 2: What if you've had callings and vocations in life but you think you were wrong about them?

Question 3: What is your opinion on the possible ramifications of children being born and isolated with their parents, but with no village or community for the first few years of their life. This is often the case for those born during COVID years.

Question 4: Would you clarify and say more about the relationship between fate and calling? How does our fate, for example, our birth story affect our calling?

Question 5: I don't seem to recall much of anything in my past. It's very disturbing, as if I never even had a life. My mother was depressed. My father was off as a traveling salesman. How can I access the story of my life so I can gain insights?

Question 6: I'm confused a bit by some of this focus on roles or jobs in talking about callings. Are callings what you do in a social role or is the social role simply a way you embody your calling, purpose, or story?

Chapter 7: I had a difficult childhood. It was abusive. I have found my calling as a creative person, but often want to share my painful story and fear the consequences to my family. Is it important to share the wounds along with the gifts?

Question 8: Can you speak about the role of soul versus spirit as it pertains to genius?

Audio: The Call of Genius

Audio - Mentoring Moments

Book Excerpt: An Acceleration of Calling

Book Excerpt: The Spirit of Mentoring

Session 4 Overview

Dharma

Question 1: I'm curious about ways to explore our authentic personal myth versus the story we are taught about ourselves, as well as ways to discover and deepen the connection to our unique genius.

Question 2: Why is it difficult to walk the path of our destiny and live with our awakened genius? It seems that the more I am connected to my genius and true path, the more darkness comes and tries to discourage me.

Question 3: How do I move through the experience of finding my calling and a mentor-teacher, but then become rejected by the mentor?

Question 4: While the clarity of my calling is in some ways crystal clear, I find myself frozen in my ability to move toward it. Do you have anything to say about building up one's character toward that purpose?

Question 5: You spoke about each person becoming a point through which the divine enters the world. I'm intuiting you'd associate that divine with genius. Could you say more about the distinction between identifying with the archetype and embodying it?

Question 6: When did you discover your own personal myth? When did you really know this is it, this is my true calling?

Question 7: I've had multiple experiences of calling and renewed calling in the creative arts throughout my life. Several times the calling arose during a breakdown, physical or emotional. Could you speak of the connection between breakdown and calling?

Conclusion and Closing Song

Audio - Finding Purpose, Making Meaning

Book Excerpt - A Hidden Message

Book Excerpt - Run Towards the Roar

Michael Meade Biography

Mosaic Multicultural Foundation

How to Redeem the Special Discount