Cinderella, for example, is not only a children's story, but an adult source of imaginal figures that we carry in the underground stream of our own imagination. Cinderella is, in this view, a part of our psyche, it is a story with motifs and themes that we are living in and living out, even in our professional lives. The witches, giants, and dragons of the fairy tale are the storied, mythic creatures that represent the witch, giant, dragon, and dwarf within us. The themes and subplots for the life we live as adults are consciously and unconsciously derived from stories, fairy tales, and myths. There is myth in our stories.
Myths are the ancient pre-histories of the stories that reappear in our lives.
Fairy tales are the folk expression of myth. They are stories with a mythic dimension. Autobiographical reflection helps us see the myth in our contemporary lives, and how we are enmeshed in mythic reality. By mythic I mean the special meaning of a life in which I find a connection to that which lies beyond my own solitary life, to fates that are beyond human control, purpose and design. Autobiographical reflection helps us see the myth in our contemporary lives, learn that we are enmeshed in myth.