Kali's Kites

About the Book

This book is a beautiful collection of essays written by Mythologists under the shadow of 9-11. However, these writings are not about terrorism but about myth, soul and the depths of the imagination. Each author is a graduate of Pacifica Graduate Institute - an increasingly prestigious school in Santa Barbara, California where scholars explore culture, religion, mythology and psychology for clues to how human psyche finds its shape. Their dedicated and important mission is best expressed in Pacifica’s motto: animae mundi colendae gratia (for the sake of tending soul in and of the world) - Publisher

ForewordReviews This book is a collection of essays by a group of theorists, mythologists, and artists written after 9-11-01. Although the contributors do not discuss terrorism per se, each one attempts to explain why mankind is capable of such heinous acts. In order to do so, they investigate the depths of cultural and religious imagination for clues to how human psyche is formed. In this eclectic assortment of expositions, each author delves into a particular god or goddess taken from the writings of ancient mythology. A few of the writers also address darker religious practices which continue to exist even in the Twenty First century. Thus, the reader is introduced to the Hindu goddess of terror, Kali, the Greek poetess, Sappho, who wrote love poems about battles, and Baba Yaga, otherwise known as the Great Earth Mother whose anger generates destructive forces. Also included is a dissertation on Iroquois cosmology, the myths of the Celts, the paganistic worship of the African god, Oya, and the zombies of Haitian Vodou. As the reader wanders through this labyrinth of Buddhist and Hindu deities along with lesser known gods spawned by other cultures, it becomes obvious each writer has focused on mythological creatures who possess evil natures. According to Jung, "These ancient tales touch man on multiple levels because myths are original revelations of the preconscious psyche." This implies mankind´s psyches have been programmed at birth with preconceived cosmic consciousness encompassing both good and evil beliefs. The lure of this book is its detailed research apparent in all the essays; a particular deity is discussed at length and tied to both the religion in which it appears, as well as its psychological implications. This is a scholarly attempt to explain evil, and is meant for the intellectual who is not only acquainted with psychology, but also the numerous religions of the world as well as mythological divinities.

About the Author

Barry Mills M.D. is a Psychiatrist and nationally recognized expert in criminal forensic psychiatry. He is a winner of the Laughlin Fellowship in Psychiatry and Rappeport fellowship in Forensic Psychiatry from the American College of Psychiatrists and the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law. He has a Medical Degree from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School and is Board Certified in both General and Forensic Psychiatry. He has a M.A. degree in Mythology with concentration in Depth Psychology and is a Ph.D candidate at Pacifica Graduate Institute.