"The Tower of Fire and The Resilient Human" - AD 2029. New Myth #93. Myth Lab #12 from Willi Paul Studio / Planetshifter.com

- Myth Lab Journey Map -

i. Prelude: Excerpt - "The Stolen Wind Tribe of Cascadia Pass" - New Myth #27 by Willi Paul

I. Intro to Myth Lab #12

II. Seven Foundation Concepts and Movements Selected to Help Define the Resilient Human

III. Distillation: A List of Desired Characteristics of the Resilient Human

IV. Mythic Artifact: Re-Energizing the High Voltage Transmission Tower

V. The Mythic Engine

VI. Writing "The Tower of Fire and The Resilient Human"

a. Story Elements

b. Suggested Plot and Characters

c. New Myth #93: "The Resilient Human and the Tower of Light"

VI. Resources

VII. Questions for Youth

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i. Prelude –

How SkySaw came to be in procession of a 265' tall air craft aluminum wind turbine from the broken Cascadia Pass Wind Farm west of San Francisco is still a mystery in 2018, many years after the grid crashed down around the Bay Area like a fallen hornet nest and the turbines were left for missiles of graffiti and decay.

A Tribe formed with local Light Network members who erected the machine on land that they were growing food on for barter. The power is for peaceful arts and crafts only. A spiritual lightning rod, a symbol for permaculture and a business coop maker, the turbine makes electricity for 5 local artisans and a never-ending security issue from the Dark troops.

Source: "The Stolen Wind Tribe of Cascadia Pass. New Myth #27" by Willi Paul

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I. Intro to Myth Lab #12 -

The Myth Lab is a template for writing New Myths that identifies, tests and incorporates a mythic artifact. Myth Lab #12 builds a hybrid tale that many would call a Creation Story because it is concerned with the dawn of a new human being on Earth. The goal is to integrate permaculture, transition, Nature and sustainability with the values and struggles in the Chaos Age. The Myth Lab is designed as an interactive, open source and iterative experience. One goal is clear: we need to build our own messages and new myths to support our new food and governance systems.

At the end of this process, you can read the result of Myth Lab #12:

"The Resilient Human and the Tower of Fire" AD 2029. New Myth #93.

II. Seven Foundation Concepts and Movements Selected to Help Define the Resilient Human -

In ecology, sustainability is the property of biological systems to remain diverse and productive indefinitely. Long-lived and healthy wetlands and forests are examples of sustainable biological systems. In more general terms, sustainability is the endurance of systems and processes.

Permaculture is a philosophy of working with, rather than against nature; of protracted and thoughtful observation, rather than protracted and thoughtless labor; and of looking at plants and animals in all their functions, rather than treating any area as a single product system. Building community and sharing are key ethics.

Transition Town Initiative differentiate themselves from other sustainability and "environmental" groups by seeking to mitigate these converging global crises by engaging their communities in home-grown, citizen-led education, action, and multi-stakeholder planning to increase local self-reliance and resilience.

DIY, or "Do it yourself", is the method of building, modifying, or repairing things without the direct aid of experts or professionals. DIY behavior can be triggered by various motivations including identity enhancement (craftsmanship, empowerment, community seeking, and uniqueness).

SpiritNature is a belief system where the Earth is held as a higher power, integrated as a protector, sacred and wild. A higher consciousness where humans are committed to saving Nature from human wrong doing. The opposite of greed, toxic technologies, resource exploitation and waste in general. (W Paul)

Social Responsibility is an ethical framework and suggests that an entity, be it an organization or individual, has an obligation to act for the benefit of society at large. Social responsibility is a duty every individual has to perform so as to maintain a balance between the economy and the ecosystems.

Resilience is the capability of a strained body to recover its size and shape after deformation caused especially by compressive stress; and an ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change.

III. Distillation: A List of Desired Characteristics of the Resilient Human -

1. Diversity in social and economic systems and inter-personal relationships

2. Thoughtful observation in Nature

3. Engaging the community in home-grown, citizen-led education and actions

4. Making and repairing useful things without the direct aid of experts or professionals

5. Partnering with the Earth as an integrated higher power; a protector; sacred and wild

6. Maintaining an obligation to act for the benefit of society at-large

7. Learning and practicing the ability to recover from misfortune or sudden change

IV. Mythic Artifact: Re-Energizing the High Voltage Transmission Tower -

The Artifact is a Nature-Human combination with special powers and messages for the community. Examples include urban graffiti, an historic sculpture, or a permaculture garden. At base, artifacts are symbols.

A de-commissioned High Voltage Transmission Tower was selected as the Myth Lab Artifact because it represents the Capitalist values of "bigger is better," corporate control of energy systems, and profits and its domination over Nature.

The Artifact's role in New Myth #93 is to change an objects original use and create new ideas and meanings for the Post-Chaos Era community. Consider the following metaphors and symbols for the Transmission Tower:

+ A Tall Steel Tree

+ A Camp Geo-Marker

+ Scare Crow

+ 40 Mile Town Plan

+ Spiritual Protector

+ The Friendly Giant

V. The Mythic Engine (see graphic) -

The Myth Lab process incorporates one or more of the following "Big Ideas" from the Mythic Engine. Here are definitions from Planetshifter.com:

Archetypes

Symbol

Sacred

Spirit

Tradition

Ritual

Alchemy

VI. Writing "The Tower of Fire and The Resilient Human" -

a. Possible Story Elements:

+ Steel Tee Pee

+ Light Guide

+ Mechanical Hoist to Top of Tower

+ Neighborhood Smoke Signals

+ Tower Fire Pit

+ Visual Sign and Trail Guide

+ Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

+ Steel from Other Towers for Village

+ Burning Man

+ Wind Power Blades Mid-Way Up Tower

+ National Grid Is Defunct, Only Local Alt Power Sources Now

b. Suggested Plot and Characters:

+ Courageous Leader

+ Two tribes in Sacramento Valley, CA

+ Promoting New Tradition and Ritual for Communities

+ Fall Harvest Food Sharing Event Between Neighbors

+ Biochar and Compost Mixing Ritual for Shared Enriched Soil Making and Seed Planting

c. Final: "The Tower of Fire and The Resilient Human" - AD 2029. New Myth #93 -

Gomani pulls the chain and rides the hoist to the fire pit, high atop the old steel electrical tower. Fire wood follows right behind, dangling just under his seat. He usually brings 3 or 4 log / kindling bundles up to the tower top as his dusk routine begins.

He packs away the burnt material from the last Light. He will take it down with him after his chores are down this eve. He thinks the pulley is a symbol of temporary ascension.

He lights the fire and speaks aloud a mantra he wrote:

+ Light Above

+ Below

+ Light Within

+ Give Us Direction

The fire burns bright for many minutes, an awareness message ("we are safe"), then Gomani sends a smoke signal message concerning the event for his neighbors tomorrow:

"COME AT MID-AFTERNOON" > "BLACK MAGIC DANCE" > "SAFE JOURNEY"

The idea to make a bruised farm land home using the old electrical tower as chimney, sentinel and gigantic clothes line was as resilient as it was pragmatic. The utility had mowed down a wide corridor around the thing for years and now the land said: "Plant here." From atop the structure, one could see unobstructed miles; enemies and friends, alike.

This valley contains several small band of permies, pagans and Nature freaks, bound together by dirty DIY hands and transition hearts. They salvage and scrap and dig with their tools and grow food. This creates community and sharing. A soil circle.

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Horses pull their friends from the southern lands on make-shift, flat-bed carts with big black truck tires. Children, seniors and men and women and dogs coming. Food from their harvest plus the bags of the black magic roll gently in the back. There is no track on the land, just a bee line to a picnic and a soil cheering.

The community meal is shared around the fire circle, kids running and seniors chasing. This gathering has been a tradition between the camps for years. Somebody muttered about Thanksgiving but most here would agree that such a money-bent and consumerist holiday was long gone. The ritual that binds the folks to the extended community and to each other here pertains to the mixing of the each other's biochar-compost, that Black Magic.

A large tarp is spread-out on the ground and the teenagers from the two groups shovel this year's biochar, compost and wood chip concoction into a central pile for others to mix. Alchemy indeed!
Both tribe's use the ritual's high nutrient soil as a green start for the next year's planting.

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Under the tower of fire, the community, not the individual, is the value-laden stakeholder in the Post-Chaos Era. And the community has the power to create traditions and rituals based on the sacred lands and recycled machines that litter it.

AMEN 2.

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VI. Resources -

"The Stolen Wind Tribe of Cascadia Pass. New Myth 27" by Willi Paul

"Examples of Community Initiation, Community Tradition and Community as Hero in Northern California." By Willi Paul, Mythologist

"Adding Resilience to Joseph Campbell's Four Functions of Mythology" - Vision by Willi Paul

"Mythology and Resilience" - A Conversation between Author & Painter Stephen Linsteadt and Mythologist & Transition Entrepreneur Willi Paul + PDF

"The Mythic Engine Kick-Starts a New Mythology. Conversation with Mythologists Willi Paul and Shari Tarbet" + PDF

New Book: "MythicWarriors: Reader and Myth Engine, Permaculture, Nature, Transition and the New Mythology. Interviews, Articles, New Myths and Messages from a Mythic Journey." by Willi Paul and Planetshifter.com (iBook & PDF)

10 Elements of Modern Myths (W. Paul, updated 2016) -

1. Sci-Fi & Para-normal experiences
2. Universal struggle
3. Journey, Initiation, Community as Hero
4. Permaculture and Transition Values and Symbols
5. Eco-Alchemy
6. Nature is Sacred
7. Threat of apocalypse
8. Artifact Initiated
9. New rituals and traditions
10. Rewilding

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VI. Questions for Youth

+ When is black green?

+ Is Gomani the conscious of the community - or is the community the consciousness?

+ Do the horses have the same symbolic power as the old tower?

+ Has the Chaos Era begun? What are the clues?

+ Do you have the Light? Where is it?

+ Have you met a Resilient Human?