ABSTRACT
Mythology is not allegorical; it is tautegorical. For mythology, the gods are beings that really exist; instead of being one thing and signifying another, they signify only what they are. Theorists over the history of psychology have often tried to reduce everything in the mind to one thing or a small collection of principles. Freud initially attempted to explain everything in terms of the sex drive, later adding the “death instinct”. For the vast majority of our history, humankind has understood the world in terms of “gods” or “spirits.” This is a natural way to understand our experience that utilizes the best tools our brains have for interacting with our surrounding environment. And notice that what is traditionally thought of as a “god” or “spirit” has much in common with emotions and instincts, which are continually interacting organizers of subjective experience; emotions and/or instincts are universal, as are their modes of expression.
