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Beloved Futures
“the ultimate, hidden truth of the world is that it is something that we make, and could just as easily make differently.”
~ David Graeber
The world is changing all around us. I know in my bones that, contrary to the evening news, a new and more beautiful way of human-ing on the planet is being birthed. One that is in right relation with Earth (Gaia), embracing the truth of Inter-being. The Beloved Futures podcast is a space of soul nourishment where we explore what is going right with the world and give space to the Beloved Futures emerging in our midst.
When we can collectively imagine multidimensional futures that we wish to live in, we will make the choices in the present that steer us there with more ease and grace.
Imagination is the mostpowerful force available to humankind.
Together we imagine new worlds into being. Radical (to the root) modes of relating with the world, remembering how to live with earth as the sentient being that she is.
Each episode, I connect with individuals and collectives whoare actively engaged withand devoted tocatalyzingbelovedfutures. What do these futureslook like, taste like, smell like, feel liketo them? What propels their work and dedication to radical imaginings?Together we explore what brings them energy and hope, the twists and turns of their life and learningand how their workin the world adds to the collective experience of thriving and joy.
These conversations with artists, healers, teachers, creators, storytellers, farmers, spiritual leaders, mothers and others on the frontlines of the imagination revolution are aimed at supporting all of us as werise into our creative potential as human BE-comings.
Each one of us is a vessel for thelife forceof Loveto flow into material experience and each one of us has an invaluable gift to share. When we focus our energies on the Beloved Futures, we collectively produce an energetic in the now that makes the seemingly impossible, possible. The time is now, there is no other moment than the present. Together we are a force. And so it is...
Beloved Futures
S2 E26 | Bradley Olson – Myth, Meaning & the Stories We Live Inside
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What if the crisis of our time is not only ecological, political, or economic, but mythological?
What happens when the stories that once gave shape and meaning to our lives no longer hold? And how do we navigate a world in which old myths are dissolving while new ones have yet to emerge?
In this episode of Beloved Futures, Aubrey Morgan Yee converses with mythologist, psychologist, and educator Bradley Olson for a rich exploration of myth, meaning-making, and the psychological dimensions of living through times of profound transition. Drawing on decades of work in clinical psychology and his deep engagement with the legacy of Joseph Campbell, Bradley invites us into a more intimate relationship with myth – not as something ancient or abstract, but as a living practice that shapes how we understand ourselves and the world around us.
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About Our Guest
Dr. Bradley Olson is a psychologist, mythologist, educator, and writer whose path has taken him from law enforcement and criminal justice to the study of psychology, literature, and myth.
After more than three decades as a psychotherapist, Bradley now focuses on exploring life through the lens of myth – drawing on the work of Joseph Campbell, C.G. Jung, and the world's great storytelling traditions to illuminate the deeper questions of meaning, purpose, and what it means to be human.
Today, he serves as Publications Director for the Joseph Campbell Foundation and hosts its flagship podcast, Pathways with Joseph Campbell, where he helps bring the enduring wisdom of myth to contemporary life.
What We Explore in This Episode
In this expansive conversation, Aubrey and Bradley explore myth not as ancient stories, but as a living mode of perception. Together they ask what happens when the meaning-making structures of a culture begin to dissolve, and how myth can help us navigate uncertainty without collapsing into despair. They discuss the Great Turning as a mythic moment, the role of artists as myth-makers, the hero's journey as an inward path of self-overcoming, and the possibility of cultivating a "mind of myth" in everyday life.
Key Takeaways
- Myth as living experience – Myth is not simply a story to interpret, but an experience that shapes how we encounter ourselves and reality.
- The mythic imagination – Learning to see life symbolically opens us to wonder, meaning, and deeper participation in the world.
- The hero's journey revisited – The true heroic path is not outward conquest but the inward work of self-discovery and transformation.
- Meaning-making in uncertain times – When old narratives fail, myth offers a way to remain in relationship with mystery rather than certainty.
- Following your bliss – Campbell's famous phrase points not toward comfort or happiness, but toward the sublime – the thing you feel called to devote your life to.
We don't know the myth we're living in. This episode is an invitation to become more conscious of the stories shaping your life, and to remember that meaning is not something we discover waiting for us in the world. It is something we participate in creating.
With Love & Gratitude,
Aubrey Morgan Yee
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GUEST INFO
Learn more about Bradley’s work:
Website: www.bradleyolsonphd.com
Book: The Mythopoetic Impulse
FOLLOW AUBREY'S WORK
Website: www.ourbelovedfutures.com
Instagram: @aubrey.morgan.yee
Substack: ourbelovedfutures.substack.com
Book: Our Beloved Futures