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This episode of Living Myth begins with the confusion and fears developing from the difficulty of finding a peaceful transition after the recent election. Trust in institutions and political process has eroded to the point where people with opposing views feel that they are living in opposite worlds. While most agree that the truth can set us free, it becomes ever more difficult to find what that truth might be.   What for many modern people can seem like a flood of falsehoods and a baffling plague of conspiracy theories might have been seen by Socrates as a collapse of imagination that leads to the “lie in the soul.” The lie in the soul is an untruth taken into the core of a person’s life, where it becomes treated as truth. This was considered the most dangerous kind of lie because of its destructive effect on both the individual’s core and the community’s soul.   Perhaps surprisingly, Socrates proposed that the antidote to mistruths and misconceptions can be found, not simply in asserting the facts, but in a notion that translates as the “noble lie.” The noble lie can best be understood as stories that are not literal or historical, but are foundational for understanding humanity and essential for reestablishing universal truths.   In this old way of seeing, myths and creative arts were considered to be lies that reveal truths that otherwise can remain hidden. In other words, the kind of truth that can heal is found through acts of creativity and imagination not through facts and data gathered to make a point.   The symbols and metaphors of myth and the creative arts do not simply open our eyes, they open our imagination and thereby allow us to see the world anew. When the world becomes increasingly divided and it becomes more difficult to separate the deeper truths from the big lies, the point becomes not simply political resolution, but also a greater awakening to the underlying unity and inner truths of life.   Thank you for listening to and supporting this podcast.  You can hear Michael Meade live by joining a free QaA this Friday, November 13 at 5pm (PST). This monthly Living Myth QaA session has been limited to members of our Living Myth Premium podcast. Because of the recent election, and subsequent changes in the cultural and political landscape, we want to open this live event to everyone interested in mythic imagination and the genuine transformation of culture and nature at this time. Join us by using the Zoom Webinar ID: 868 8129 2158 and entering the password: meade (all lowercase).   You can join future monthly QaA events and support this podcast by becoming a member of Living Myth Premium.  Learn more and become a member at patreon.com/livingmyth.   You can also support this podcast by leaving a review on iTunes and sharing it with your friends.