Michael J. Meade D.H.L. (born January 16, 1944) is an American author,

mythologist Myth is a folklore genre consisting of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not objectively true, the identification of a narrati ...

, storyteller, and was a figure in the

Men's Movement The men's movement is a social movement that emerged in the 1960s and 1970s, primarily in Western countries, which consists of groups and organizations of men and their allies who focus on gender issues and whose activities range from self-help ...

of the 1980s. Having distanced himself from the Men's Movement, he continues to publish and teach to a broader audience. His essays have appeared in ''To Be A Man'', ''Tending the Fire'', ''Wingspan'', ''Walking Swiftly'', and ''The Rag and Bone Shop of the Heart''. The latter is an anthology of poetry, which he edited with

Robert Bly Robert Elwood Bly (December 23, 1926 – November 21, 2021) was an American poet, essayist, activist and leader of the mythopoetic men's movement. His best-known prose book is '' Iron John: A Book About Men'' (1990), which spent 62 weeks on ' ...

and

James Hillman James Hillman (April 12, 1926 – October 27, 2011) was an American psychologist. He studied at, and then guided studies for, the C.G. Jung Institute in Zurich. He founded a movement toward archetypal psychology and retired into private pract ...

. His book ''Men and the Water of Life: Initiation and the Tempering of Men'' was published in 1993 by HarperSanFrancisco. He is the author of the books ''The Water of Life'', '' The World Behind the World'', ''Fate and Destiny, the Two Agreements in Life'', and ''Why the World Doesn't End, Tales of Renewal in Times of Change''. He frequently contributes essays to ''Huffington Post'', and ''Sun Magazine''. Meade uses story and mythology as a means of discovery for others to find their inner wisdom and inherent gifts, and he is among those interviewed in the documentary

Mythic Journeys Mythic Journeys is a performance festival and conference gathering held in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Founded in 2004, it began as a celebration of the works of Joseph Campbell and has expanded into a celebration of the role of myth and sto ...

, focused on other leading figures as per above Robert Bly and James Hillman, and other leading figures of the Men's Movement.

Philanthropy

Michael J. Meade is the founder of the Mosaic Multicultural Foundation, a Seattle-based non-profit dedicated to education and culture. The focus of his current work is to bring healing through story and

mythology Myth is a folklore genre consisting of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not objectively true, the identification of a narra ...

to disaffected populations from many sectors of modern culture. He frequently works with at-risk youth, homeless populations, returning veterans, prisoners, and youth involved in gang life. Meade leads day-long workshops and residential retreats aimed at healing and personal growth. He collaborates in this multicultural work with figures such as Luis J. Rodriguez and

Jack Kornfield Jack Kornfield (born 1945) is an American writer and teacher in the Vipassana movement in American Theravada Buddhism. He trained as a Buddhist monk in Thailand, Burma and India, first as a student of the Thai forest master Ajahn Chah and Maha ...

. He is adjunct faculty in

depth psychology Depth psychology (from the German term ''Tiefenpsychologie'') refers to the practice and research of the science of the unconscious, covering both psychoanalysis and psychology. It is also defined as the psychological theory that explores the rel ...

Pacifica Graduate Institute Pacifica Graduate Institute is a private for-profit graduate school with two campuses near Santa Barbara, California. The institute offers masters and doctoral degrees in the fields of clinical psychology, counseling, mythological studies, dep ...

, where his honorary degree comes from and often teaches programs on mythology and depth psychology, having earned a B.A. from Saint John's University.

Publications

* ''Men and the Water of Life: Initiation and the Tempering of Men'', 1994, * ''The Water of Life: Initiation and the Tempering of the Soul'', 2006, * ''The World Behind the World: Living at the ends of time'', 2008, * ''Fate and Destiny: The Two Agreements of the Soul'', 2010, * ''Why the World Doesn't End'', 2012, * ''The Genius Myth'', 2016, * ''Awakening the Soul'', 2018,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Meade, Michael J. Living people Men's movement Mythopoeia 1944 births