"Scenario Mapping for New Myths" - Transitionites / Permaculturists, Survivalists and Technologists. By Willi Paul, Mythologist, Planetshifter.com

Introduction -

By teaming with Human Computer Interface design approaches, Scenario Mapping for New Myths aims to bring mythology increased relevance and participation. But make no doubt, the need to take the journey, to make the commitment, remains. Mythologists must embrace disruption, despair (personally and globally) and the embrace of the negative. Start with the Soul not with solutions.

As such, scenarios are preliminary visions or plot lines that are triggered by symbols and archetypes, and influenced by current social values and movements. We have much more in common in the future than we know now, and we can learn this from writing scenarios and new myths.

Perhaps we will see a new field emerge called: "Computer Human Myth Interface?"

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What is scenario mapping for the new mythologist and the computer scientist team? Here is a blended definition: A mythic scenario is like baking a cake, a creative process that produces a new myth scenario through three defined stages:

Socio-Cultural Inventory + 12 Elements of Modern Mythology + Foundation Q+A = Scenario Map for New Myths

The mythologist's ultimate task is to write the actual new myth using his or her experience integrating the mythic data and the scenario map.

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Socio-Cultural Inventory -

Transitionites / Permaculturists -

Values: Re-use, re-recycle, reduce; Localism is Resilience; Work with Nature and re-Build Community; Spiritualists
Symbol: Fountain @ Town Square
Guiding Archetype: Nature and Community Will Save Us

Survivalists -

Values: The End is Coming (we're ready!); Stock-pile is Resilience; Prepare for the worst and call it the best; Pragmatists; Living off the land
Symbol: Underground Bunker
Guiding Archetype: Nothing Can Save Us Now

Technologists -

Values: Products; Profit is Resilience; innovation; investment; Wall Street; Materialists
Symbol: Fence
Guiding Archetype: The Internet and Gadgets Will Connect Us All

12 Elements of Modern Mythology (W. Paul, 2015) -

1. Para-normal
2. Universal struggle
3. Journey, Initiation, Community as Hero
4. Symbols
5. Alchemy
6. Nature is Sacred
7. Threat of apocalypse
8. Digital - Non-Digital Collision
9. Future/ Sci-Fi-based
10. Permaculture and Transition
11. New ritual and tradition
12. Rewilding

Foundation Q+A -

What might the Three Camps have in Common?
Green or Sustainable Technologies - Solar Cells, Power Storage (batteries), Water Production, Community

What are possible conflicts?
Inflation; corporate and governmental instability; Nefarious or bogus technologies and corrupt capitalism may not be adopted by all camps but what replaces these if they do?

How do they solve problems?
Via corporate rules and hierarchy; community consensus; managing for the short-term under extreme pessimism.

When do they celebrate?
The old Judaeo-Christian holidays and pagan rituals; the tradition of "stay alive to live another day."

Are they taking a journey and creating new mythologies?
Maybe, all camps are in survival mode where myths are often defined as lies, not global stories.

Scenario Maps for 3 Camps -


Transitionites / Permaculturists Scenario Map–
The green bee community adopts a scattered, or random style garden plot location design hoping to have some food left after the invader tribes blitzkrieg their harvests. Whatever technology that runs on solar power is kept local, under "teepee and key."

Survivalists / Apocalyptics Scenario Map –
The paranoia people desperately want to "get out of their cave", un-trap their lives for even an hour or so each day - so families develop a new night time ritual that mixes yoga with meditation and howling.

Technologists Scenario Map –
The Techno-Tribe, a group formerly living in the former City of Palo Alto, raises an 18-foot perimeter fence to keep out intruders and runs its outdated computers gadgets with a solar powered HON (hands on network). But to their despair, they burn all of the trees in the city in a low tech bid to survive. Withdrawal from social media has created a new condition in the camp called "buzz down syndrome" that limits normal conversation between people to psycho-babble.

Scenario Map to New Myth -

Scenarios prepare the ground work for the final new myths to come. Myth writers can employ the following story design elements to complete their visions:

- Setting
- Protagonist(s)
- Antagonist(s)
- Artifact
- Conflict(s)
- Outcomes / Solution(s)
- New Myth

Your Assignment! Please pick a scenario and build a new myth and send it to me for release on Planetshifter.com and Networks.