I found an old copy of "SHE: Understanding Feminine Psychology" by Robert A. Johnson and was skeptical that it would help me learn about feminine psychology, but I read this delightful account of a myth that actually does reflect some experiences I have had with men in a way that was quite comforting and reflective of some past events that helped me feel less self-blaming, and more accepting of the reality of some men's fears and blocks, and my own expectations and desires.
Also, Robert Johnson helped me come to a new appreciation of myth as a conglomeration of a society's view of roles and existential perception. He says:
"A myth may be fantasy; it may be a product of the imagination, but it is nonetheless true and real. It depicts levels of reality that include the outer rational world as well as the less understood inner world within the psyche of each individual... A myth is a product of the collective imagination and not of scientific or rational development, but it is profoundly real. Because of its manner of development, through years of telling and refining by countless people, it carries a powerful collective meaning."
So this struck a new chord for me and after reading this myth realized that this myth represents a collective experience of generations of people of a certain major culture and for that reason represents reality in a period of time for so many... I am left to wonder, if we had relied on oral tradition instead of written communication, how would this myth have evolved as we evolved in relationships with each other? Would the current account of the myth be different if we had not written it down?
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