In an age of equal rights and radical feminism, the intrinsically male figure of the hero - the protector, the saviour, the man of invincible might - has lost its identity and stature. The most famous names in the history and mythology of all races are those of heroes - Herakles and Samson, who fought with the lions; Lohengrin and Perseus, who rescued princesses; the Horatii, who saved Rome; the Samurai, warriors of Japan; Gagarin, conqueror of space; Zapata, defender of his people. Rightly used, the cult of the hero has led to the highest that a culture can conceive. Misused, it has led to tyranny, violence and death. This book brings the values of epic and myth to bear upon the problems of modern man, his search for identity and the justification for his masculine role. With the "masculine backlash" in evidence and male consciousness-raising a topic of our time, this book proposes that the hero is poised to re-enter the world of the 1990s.
Comparative mythologist, author and teacher John Lash is one of the foremost exponents of the power of myth to direct and shape an individual's life, as well as history itself. Described as the true successor of Joseph Campbell, John is a teacher of world mythology, Gnosticism, the pre-Christian Mysteries, along with many of his other expert talents. He has traveled widely and lived in Japan, the UK, Greece, Norway, France, Spain and Belgium.
His unpublished and in-progress works include original studies of alchemy, the Dendera Zodiac, eonic cycles in the World Ages ("parallel history"), psychonautics and entheogenic shamanism for the future. He is the leading exponent of the new discipline of metacritique (radical analysis of belief systems).
In 1981, John founded the Institute for Creative Mythology in Santa Fe, New Mexico. ICM offered an open forum to explore universal "directive" - psychologically active - myths and their expressions in culture and daily living. At ICM John gave lectures and interactive seminars on a broad range of subjects, including Gnosticism, the erotic psychology of the Troubadours, Mesoamerican calendars, and Goddess rites of participation in the seasonal cycles of nature. Over several years, he developed a long course in alchemy that resulted in an extensive syllabus and study guide entitled "The Great Work: Alchemy and PsychoEcology."
For over 35 years, John Lash has specialized in studies of sidereal mythology i.e. myths found in all cultures around the world relating to the visible patterns in the skies. He has a unique technique of observation, combined with an original method of reading those patterns and relating them to the way we live and view the world. He is recognized as a leading scholar on ancient astronomy, the Zodiac, and precession of the equinoxes (World Ages).
John Lash is also co-founder and principal author of metahistory.org, a unique source of gnostic and pagan perspectives, including Planetary Tantra, a open source vision for interactive magic with Gaia. The purpose of this site is to challenge unexamined beliefs and foster a future myth centered on Gaia-Sophia, the living planet.
John's published books:
The Seeker's Handbook: The Complete Guide to Spiritual Pathfinding (Crown, 1991)
Twins and the Double (Thames & Hudson, 1993)
The Hero - Manhood and Power (Thames & Hudson, 1995)
Quest for the Zodiac (Starhenge Books, 1999)
Forthcoming: Not in His Image: Gnostic Vision, Sacred Ecology, and the Future of Belief (Chelsea Green Publishing, November 2006)
