Coast to Coast AM on 2009/09/22: Investigative mythologist and author William Henry talked about the significance of the art and symbols in the U.S. Capitol. The Capitol was thought of as a recreation of Solomon's Temple by its builders, Freemasons, who conceived of the building as a "beehive" buzzing with energy, he said. Higher wisdom flows through the Capitol's spiritual imagery, particularly in the painting, The Apotheosis of Washington, which is featured in the dome of the Rotunda, he shared, adding that the dome of the Capitol is a mirror image of the one in the Vatican. The painting depicts the first President as a deified being along with five pagan gods who are symbols for alchemy.

He noted that a scene in Dan Brown's new bestseller, The Lost Symbol, features a character staring up into the Capitol dome and seeing the painting transform into a gateway. This imagery shares similarities to Henry's work into stargates or portals, which he believes humans can ascend to higher consciousness. The bell-shaped Capitol Dome could be thought of as a kind of stupa that creates a vortex or field of energy, he continued.

Interestingly, Henry detailed that the Capitol contains a "crypt", one story beneath the Rotunda. It has 40 columns and was modeled after the ancient Temple of Poseidon - this was a way for the United States to pay homage to Atlantis, he commented.

Terrance McKenna shares his opinions on the true self. "When you shed the cultural operating system, then essentially you stand naked before the inspection of your own psyche... It's from that position outside the cultural operating system that we can begin to ask real questions about, what does it mean to be human, what kind of circumstance are we caught in, and what kind of structures if any can we put in place to assuage the pain and accentuate the glory, and the wonder, that lurks waiting for us, in this very narrow slice of time between the birth canal and the yawning grave?" - Terrance McKenna

In this video Alex Collier discusses current events and what humans can do to educate themselves in such a dire time.

Herein lies The Power of Myth, showing how humans are apt to create and live out the themes of mythology. Based on a six-part PBS television series hosted by Bill Moyers, this classic is especially compelling because of its engaging question-and-answer format, creating an easy, conversational approach to complicated and esoteric topics. For example, when discussing the mythology of heroes, Campbell and Moyers smoothly segue from the Sumerian sky goddess Inanna to Star Wars' mercenary-turned-hero, Han Solo. Most impressive is Campbell's encyclopedic knowledge of myths, demonstrated in his ability to recall the details and archetypes of almost any story, from any point and history, and translate it into a lesson for spiritual living in the here and now.