Exploring Life Myths: A Journey with Metavision Institute Graduate Chris Skidmore

We are excited to share a captivating blog by one of our distinguished alumni, Chris Skidmore. A graduate of Metavision Institute, Chris has embarked on a remarkable journey - you can see and read more about Chris on his website https://onthesoulsterms.com/about-chris

In this blog, Chris shares insights and reflections on his exploration of life myths—a subject deeply aligned with the holistic and collaborative philosophy fostered at Metavision Institute. His unique perspective offers a glimpse into the diverse paths our graduates tread, making meaningful contributions to various fields.

Chris recently spoke with one of our amazing Process Work teachers, Elsa Henderson. This thought provoking podcast delves into Arnold Mindell's Process Work, a significant component of our institute's curriculum.

Link to Elsa’s podcast https://onthesoulsterms.com/otstpodcast

Prepare to be inspired and intrigued.

One of my favourite parts of studying with MetaVision was the exploration of Life Myth. It was fascinating to hear everybody’s story come to life with the use of mythic images that are with us everyday. They come through in childhood dreams, memories, fantasies, daydreams. If we listen carefully enough we can hear them in the stories our clients tell us about their lives, even in the most seemingly innocuous moments.

Jung believed that myths were the very structure of our psyches. Far from the modern perception of the word ‘myth’ as something false or misleading, Jung saw myth as the spontaneous building blocks upon which consciousness stood. In fact, he and his followers, particularly Marie Louise von Franz, collected myths and fairytales from all over the world in order to better understand human consciousness.

Since leaving MetaVision I’ve had the great honour of taking on a mentorship under the Australian/Canadian Astrologer, Brian Clark. Whilst Brian’s primary work is an Astrologer, his deep love is of Greek Mythology and Jungian Psychology.

With Brian’s careful guidance I’ve been able to learn a great deal more about the Greek Myths. I’ve found them to be timeless tales that offer a depth of wisdom that I truly believe is impossible to get to the bottom of in one lifetime. These myths certainly exaggerate and amplify the regular human experience. But in doing so, and following the images that arise, we are able to then return to our lives with a greater understanding of the mythic threads.

Studying mythology in more depth since MetaVision has greatly enhanced my ability to glimpse the archetypes that underpin the experiences my clients are working through. We begin to see not just marital troubles but an ongoing tension point between Zeus and his wife Hera. Personal struggles with confidence in the workplace amplify themselves to become Hercules wrestling bare hands with a monstrous lion in a tunnel under a mountain. These images are our inheritance of the collective imagination of our ancestors. An imagination connected to the processes on earth as well as what we see when we stare at the stars.

My wanderings in this realm inspired me to create a podcast: On the Soul’s Terms. In this podcast I explore astrology through the lens of ancient tales. And every other episode I am joined by one of the many wisdom keepers here on this planet. The first of these interviews was with none other than Christina Nielson; the founder of MetaVision. We talk about her own life myth and the figures and images still very much alive in her world today.

This week (Friday 22nd December) I’ll be releasing a conversation with Elsa Henderson, one of the key teachers on the course. We talk about Process Work in theory and practice, and where Elsa’s explorations are now taking her as she moves deeper into the realm of systems thinking in bigger entities such as corporations and institutions.

So I suppose the question is: What is your life myth? And which of the multitude of ancient mythic threads does your story follow along with?