Praise for ONCE AND FUTURE MYTHS
“Phil Cousineau's Once and Future Myths reveals the
timeless power of sacred story with personal charm and sweeping
vision. Whether delving into the pathos of time or travel, the pains of
the creative process, the deep need for mentors in our youth culture,
or the mystique of sport and city life, with grace we are shown the
soul behind the surface of things, the rich meaning behind our
everyday lives. Poet and travel-meister Cousineau has
given us a twenty-first-century guidebook for the
re-enchantment of the world.”
—MICHAEL GROSSO, Ph.D., author of
The Millennium Myth and Soulmaking
“One can always count on Cousineau to address the deeper mysteries
of life in warmhearted, searchingly honest, and helpful ways.”
—ALEXANDER ELIOT, author of The Global Myths
Praise for The Art of Pilgrimage
“If Joseph Campbell, the Dalai Lama, and Bill Moyers were
to have collaborated on a book about journeys…I suspect it
would look very much like The Art of Pilgrimage.”
—Austin American-Statesman
“Phil Cousineau's lifetime of pilgrimage has taken him from
the depths of lost jungles to the heights of the human soul, always
with passion, curiosity, warmth, wisdom, and humor. And in this
little golden guide, he brings us along with him. This is an
experience not to be missed, for any reason.”
—MORT ROSENBLUM, author of Olives:Life and Lore of a Noble Fruit
Other Books by PHIL COUSINEAU
The Hero's Journey: Joseph Campbell on His Life and Work
Deadlines: A Rhapsody on a Theme of Famous
and Infamous Last Words
The Soul of the World: A Modern Book of Hours
(with Eric Lawton)
Soul: An Archaeology: Readings from Socrates to Ray Charles
Prayers at 3 A.M.: Poems, Songs, Chants, and
Prayers for the Middle of the Night
UFOs: A Manual for the Millennium
Design Outlaws: On the Ecological Frontier
(with Christopher Zelov)
Soul Moments: Marvelous Stories of Synchronicity—Meaningful
Coincidences from a Seemingly Random World
The Art of Pilgrimage: The Seeker's Guide to Making Travel Sacred
A World Treasury of Riddles
The Soul Aflame: A Modern Book of Hours
(with Eric Lawton)
The Book of Roads: Travel Stories from
Michigan to Marrakesh
ONCE
AND
FUTURE
MYTHS
The Power of Ancient Stories
in Our Lives
PHIL COUSINEAU
Foreword by
STEPHEN LARSEN
CONARI PRESS
First published in 2001 by Conari Press,
an imprint of Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC
York Beach, ME
With offices at:
368 Congress Street
Boston, MA 02210
www.redwheeiweiser.com
Copyright © 2001 Phil Cousineau
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC. Reviewers may quote brief passages.
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA
Cousineau, Phil
Once and Future Myths: the power of ancient stories in our lives /
Phil Cousineau ; foreword by Stephen Larsen.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 1-57324-864-91. Myth 2. Life. 3. Cousineau, Phil. I. Title.
BL304.C69 2001
291.1'3—dc21
2001001822
Book Design: Suzanne Albertson
Printed in the United States of America
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of the American
National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed
Library Materials Z39.48-1992 (R1997).
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For Jo,my once and future love
ONCE AND FUTURE MYTHS
Introduction: The Splendid Prism of Myth
ONE The Myth of the Creative Struggle: Late-Night Thoughts from Sisyphus to Sinatra
TWO The Myth of Time: From the Valley of the Kings to Silicon Valley
THREE The Mythic Power of Mentorship: From Odysseus to Zorba
FOUR The Myth of Travel: From Easter Island to the Moon
FIVE The Myth of the City: From the Walls of Jerusalem to the Cafes of Paris
SIX The Myth of Sports: From the Fields of Olympia to the Field of Dreams