Sometimes it seems our personalities are fixed and predetermined. We were born with them. They were programmed into us by our environment. Any attempt to change them will be superficial or temporary. We are who we are.

In truth, our personalities are extremely fluid and dynamic, composed of elements that can be individuated, classified and put in right relationship. We refer to these elements as archetypes. At the broadest level, archetypes can be placed in five categories: the Shadow, the Anima/Animus, the Ego, the Persona and the Self.

Centuries before the advent of radio, television, computers, and other means of modern entertainment, recited stories sufficed for an escape from daily life in order to delve into another world. Mythology served this purpose well and continues on in its role in modern times as entertainment. While there are other forms of telling a story in the current day, mythology can at times appear to be the forgotten language of the soul.

Like some of today’s art and film, mythology can be just as abstract if not more so in that respect. In fact, mythology can be thought of like dreams, as strange or crazy dreams really make no sense to the untrained mind. Dreams are a culmination of thoughts in both the conscious and unconscious minds melding to form the nocturnal imagery that induces feelings of euphoria or releases one’s worst thoughts and fears. To some, this may be thought of as the soul speaking to and heralding one’s awareness of inner thoughts and moral beliefs.

Pioneering science and the wisdom teachings of many traditions agree – consciousness expresses itself as energy. All energies are manifested as waves – and it is from the vast and ever changing interaction of these waves of energy that the entire Cosmos, at all levels of experience is continuously created.

When a surfer rides an ocean wave, he or she does so by balancing on a surfboard, which is smoothed and polished to minimize friction and thus enable the surfer to flow freely as the wave rises, crests and falls away.

The surfer doesn’t seek to control the wave but to be in harmony with it. Focused  and present, he or she is alert and balanced – flexible and responsive to the nuances of every moment.

It’s only been a few years since the beginning of the 21st century, which was hailed as a new dawn for humanity. And yet, these are paradoxical times. From the catastrophe of war, terrorism, pestilence, disease, and pollution to the extinction of many forms of life on the planet, we have become eyewitnesses to the greatest changes and challenges humankind has ever faced. We can no longer pretend that the world is the same. Our perception – the way we experience our environment – is forcing us to look around with wide-open eyes.