The Other Within

[Inti]

Daniel Deardorff: "The Other Within: The Genius of Deformity in Myth, Culture, & Psyche", with an introduction by Robert Bly.

I think Daniel Deardorff described myth as the telling of sacred truths without the use of facts.

I read this book a while ago and found it really interesting. I also found it helpful. I think it helped me to open up to questioning why certain transformations might be occurring within me and without.

I thought it was beautifully written. Deardorff is poetic in his writing, so if you are not keen on poetry you may not be keen on this...but if you like poetry and myth, this may be a real treasure for you. There are also references to other mythical and poetic works. Eliade & Campbell's works are also brought up.

The following is what it says about the book on the back cover:

Hailed by scholars as a major breakthrough in the field of myth and psychology, this brilliant new study by Daniel Deardorff proposes that a certain poetic consciousness is generated by those who inhabit societal and psychic margins. This consciousness is identified as "Trickster-wisdom," a subversive virtue that provides creative and innovative benefits to the very same society that invalidates and excludes its so called "misfits."

For a link to Daniel Deardorff's page and The Other Within:
_http://www.mythsinger.com/TOW_info/TOW_blurbs.html