Why the World Doesn't End: Tales of Renewal in Times of Loss

Starting with the sense that the contemporary world is uncertain and fragmented, troubled with tragedy and sodden with inauthenticity, mythologist Michael Meade seeks for hints of renewal amidst the rattling and the rubble. At a time when people expect the world to come to an end because of global warming or nuclear nightmares, at the hand of wrathful deities or the prediction of ancient calendars, Meade offers surprising tales of renewal as well as an in-depth-treatise on the psychology and mythology of the end of an era.

In place of simple apocalyptic scenarios, the author follows a knowing thread back to ancient notions of "apocalypsis" as a liminal period marking the passage between one era and the next. Apocalypsis involves eruptions in nature and disruptions of culture, but also makes possible revelations of unifying principle and guiding force in each life. Apocalypsis uncovers the hidden unity of all of life; but only after the surface of life cracks and the expected patterns fail.

“As a teacher and mythologist, Michael Meade is genius let out of the bottle. Why the World Doesn’t End is his strong medicine for hard times, an elixir of amazing stories, rich ideas, heart-breaking truth, and brilliant seeds of wisdom for remaking the world.”

-Jack Kornfield

Themes Include: The Story of Apocalypse • Modern Means Lost • Becoming Ancient Again • Little Redemptions • The Key Is In the Dark • The Great Pilgrimage • The Origins of Healing Work

Trade Paper