Chances are that when you hear the word “coffee,” a particular green and white logo comes to mind, the image of a mysterious star-crowned woman with wavy locks flowing over her breasts and two fishtails encircling her body.

For many of us today, it’s nearly impossible to think about coffee without also thinking of her. That’s the power of the Starbucks Siren.

Inspired by a 16th-century Norse woodcut, Terry Heckler created the first Starbucks logo in 1971. The engraved image of a voluptuous two-tailed mermaid had captured the imagination of the Starbucks founders. …

“Myth is much more important and true than history. History is just journalism, and you know how reliable that is.”

- Joseph Campbell

In my coaching, I lean heavily on myth and metaphor because it is the fastest way I know to get to the root of any pattern.

That doesn’t mean I launch into the story of “Eros and Psyche” or the “Twelve Labors of Heracles” every time someone asks a question. Though I’ve done that, it’s usually more beneficial to reference someone’s favorite superhero or movie character, since nearly every story turns on mythic themes.

As the Christian Bible says, “there is nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9). …

Crossing the Threshold is a symbolic act of commitment and transformation. In the West, it’s traditional for a new groom to carry the bride across through the doorway of their home or bedroom, signifying the adventure of facing life’s challenges together.

In the mundane world, a threshold is simply a boundary-a stream that separates one field from another, a fence bordering two properties, or a simple doorway between the living room and the kitchen.

In the archetypal realm, the layer of the human subconscious that recognizes universal patterns, a doorway becomes a Threshold between one world and another. The Romans even had a god of doorways, Janus. …

When humanity began to adapt to the spread of the novel coronavirus, it caused interesting psychological reactions. Isolation means different things to different people. In terms of productivity, I noticed two basic responses.

Some people (like myself) trumpeted seizing the day. Write your novel! Start a blog! Declutter your homes! Finally, there was time to tackle the big projects.

Another personality type posted memes about how you shouldn’t feel bad if you don’t get out of bed for a week. Be good to yourself. Sleep as much as you need. Take hot baths. …

One rainy San Francisco afternoon, I was enjoying a glass of wine with someone I’d met through a mutual friend. When he mentioned that person, warmth filled my chest, and a feeling of affinity and kinship quickened in me. “I love that guy,” I said.

The two of them had a long history together and had shared years of formative and transformational experiences. I had heard some of their stories, but I was relatively new to the picture.

“You don’t even know him,” he replied. “I hate it when people use the word ‘love’ so casually. It cheapens it.”

Wow.

I was floored. I felt shamed, hurt, and really confused. What was this guy talking about? At the time, I couldn’t think of a question that would help me get clarity. …

“What’s this?” I asked my mom, my eyes riveted to the TV screen. A beauty queen wrapped in an American flag tossed a rope around two criminals who seemingly had tried to kill her boyfriend.

“That’s Wonder Woman.” Her nonchalant answer made it clear she’d completely missed the fact that my world had just exploded. At three years old, the scene permanently etched into my mind. Its vivid imagery awakened something meaningful within me. My mom explained that the lasso was magical and compelled people to tell the truth.

“Where can I get one?” I needed to know.

“It’s not real,” she told me. …

“The truth does seem to change according to who is looking for it — and why.” -Phyllis Chesler

The History of Hercules

Wonder Woman’s real-world origin begins in World War II America, but elements of her backstory go back to ancient Greek tales of the mighty hero, Hercules. Famous for his incredible strength, Hercules was the son of Zeus, king of the gods, and the mortal Alcmene. Alcmene had caught the wandering eye of the thunder god, who was fundamentally incapable of keeping his royal scepter in his toga.

Hera, Zeus’s wife (and also his sister, because Greek mythology), dedicated a significant portion of her immortal existence to making life miserable for her husband’s extramarital offspring, who served as living reminders of his infidelity. …

by Boston Blake

The controversy surrounding Wonder Woman’s appearance goes all the way back to the beginning. The character’s visual design was a collaboration between Marston and artist H. G. Peter. Like Marston, Peter was much older than the other comic artists of his day. Both men were completely on board with women’s empowerment, in terms of both gender equality and sexual expression.

Peter found inspiration for Wonder Woman’s physicality in the work of Peruvian artist Alberto Vargas, famous for creating the Varga Girls, sexy pin-ups that appeared in Esquire magazine during World War II. You see, the outraged U.N. …