Mythical Writings

Mythology & Spiritual Connections


"Myth must be kept alive. The people who can keep it alive are artists of one kind or another. The function of the artist is to mythologise the environment and the world."

— Joseph Campbell

Campbell's concept of mono-myth (one myth) refers to the theory that sees all mythic narratives as variations of a single great story. The theory is based on the observation that a common pattern exists beneath the narrative elements of most great myths, regardless of their origin or time of creation.

Creating New Myths for the Modern Age - John Adcox 

The words/psychology on John's website page ‘Sword and Grail’ really resonated with me, especially as a new writer. It really captures what I’m trying to achieve with my book series in a simplistic way. Planting seeds, if you like, in my own version of mythologies/folklore mingled with psychology - creating a new cosmology. A story told as a paranormal romance, yet quite different to most in that genre, for these very reasons - embodying spiritualism with the paranormal via ancient Otherworldly themes. My love of research and inner reflection towards growth via adverse conditions, brought this epic tale together.  I came across John's website as researching 'The Grail Sword' / 'Sword of Light' - to be the third book in the series, and released in 2020. 

The Leabhar Gabhála Éireann or “Book of the Taking of Ireland” is a Medieval collection of poems and prose narratives purporting to be a history of the Irish people and their island home from the creation of the world to the Middle Ages. 

Harmonize Feminine And Masculine Energies - The Agnaya & Aniya 

The anima and animus are described in Carl Jung's school of analytical psychology as part of his theory of the collective unconscious. Jung described the animus as the unconscious masculine side of a woman, and the anima as the unconscious feminine side of a man, with each transcending the personal psyche.

Animus is the archetype of reason and spirit in women. This is the male aspect of the female psyche, as the anima is the female aspect of male psyche. This archetype is projected in various male images and characters like great artists, heroes, warriors, sportsmen, philosopher, and so forth.

I use this concept in the books as sacred union/marriage (Anam Cara)of twin flames 

- The Agnaya & Aniya - a corrupted anagram of Yin & Yang. ( corrupted by Adding 'A' pairing to each written backwards)

An anagram is a word or phrase formed by rearranging the letters of a different word or phrase, typically using all the original letters exactly once.

Anam Cara is a phrase that refers to the Celtic concept of the "soul friend" in religion and spirituality. The phrase is an Anglicization of the Irish word anamchara, anam meaning "soul" and cara meaning "friend". The term was popularised by Irish author John O'Donohue in his 1997 book Anam Ċara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom about Celtic spirituality. In the Celtic tradition "soul friends" are considered an essential and integral part of spiritual development.

According to O'Donohue, the word anamchara originates in Irish monasticism, where it was applied to a monk's teacher, companion, or spiritual guide. However, Edward C. Sellner traces its origin to the early Desert Fathers and Desert Mothers: "This capacity for friendship and ability to read other people's hearts became the basis of the desert elders' effectiveness as spiritual guides." Their teachings were preserved and passed on by the Christian monk John Cassian, who explained that the soul friend could be clerical or lay, male or female.

The anglicized form anam cara, usually as part of the phrase mo anam cara (intended to mean "my soulmate"), is often wrongly used as the legitimate Irish translation of the English word "soulmate" (in the romantic sense), which does not have a direct equivalent in Irish. The use of the anglicised form renders the phrase completely meaningless, and because anamchara carries no romantic connotations whatsoever, correct translations include grá mo chroí ("love of my heart") and mo ghrá geal ("my shining love"), among many others in that vein. 

© Copyright Traceyanne McCartney