Mythic & Archetypal consulting

danielle Dalton, M.A.

Myth Apprehension

.01

What is Myth? What is ARchetype?

Myths are stories, simply and plainly. We tell and retell and forget and remember and forge them anew in a continuous process of making sense of the world and our selves. Myths do not describe reality as it is, but rather as we perceive it to be. Myths describe us, our values, our beliefs (held rightly or wrongly), and above all, our relationships to ourselves, each other, and the world. Fundamentally, myths and stories are a metaphorical means of apprehending the human experience. Too often, we as people become alienated from our stories. They get co-opted by corporate or religious interests in order to sell us something. And we forget, that myths and tales and folklore aren’t just humanity’s heritage: they belong uniquely and personally to us as individuals. I’m here to remind you that these stories are yours and help you connect to the stories and myths that shape your life.

An archetype is a mode of apprehension used to make sense and meaning of human experience. It is a constellation of traits and relationships that form a generalized character. The character of an archetype can manifest in almost anything from the structure of an individual’s personality to the design of a car or the work environment of a company or ideological underpinnings of a society. Archetypes are underlying patterns of human relationship and experience. They appear as recurrent story patterns and repeated symbolic motifs and are the fundamental elements in the human psyche. These modes of thinking are like containers. They are psychological structures, that hold and process information in specific ways. They are patterns that order information and tell us how it relates to us and the cosmos.

.02

Services

Individual & Group consulting

Are you looking for meaning? I use a mixture of interview and research practices to direct individuals and groups toward specific patterns in their personal or professional stories. As a consultant I act as an informed mirror for individuals and groups to perform self exploration.

research

Sometimes stories, images, or names will appear again and again and again in an individual’s life. These myths often point recurrent patterns in a person's relationships and life choices that impact how he/she moves through the world and relates to other people. I'll help you figure out what those things are and what they mean to humanity and to you. Perhaps you simply need to know more about a specific character, ancient deity, or symbol for your professional creative work or your own personal interest. In any case I’ll do the legwork, using my academic training to track down obscure references, make connections between seemingly disparate myths, and discern relevance from nonsense. I will produce an annotated write-up on whatever mythic topic serves your need or strikes your fancy.

Hosted discussion & lecture

I am passionate about myth and I love to share that passion with people. As a means of sharing myth and archetypal patterns with interested others, I host salon style discussions about specific topics and themes. At these salons, I prepare a set of material that I deliver to the audience before opening the floor to questions, comments, and thoughts from the audience. My intent is to host a space for inquiry, thereby making my expertise available to whatever direction the audience wants to take.