Myth, Initiation, and the Art of Reweaving a World in Collapse - with Michael Maede

In this episode of The Initiation, Sebastian is joined by mythologist and storyteller Michael Meade for a deep exploration of myth, initiation, and the meaning of collapse. Michael reframes myth not as ancient history, but as a living language for the deep patterns shaping human life. When we lose that language, he argues, we lose vertical intelligence - our felt connection to soul, nature, and the imaginal realm - and the world collapses into literalism, polarization, and loss of meaning. At the heart of the conversation is initiation. We explore rites of passage as a missing cultural technology, the idea of a “second birth” where the inner eyes of the soul awaken, and why our era can be understood as a collective rite of passage - a prolonged liminal phase between a world that has ended and one that has not yet been born. Anchoring the episode is Michael’s powerful story of the Old Weaving Woman - a mythic image of collapse, chaos, and renewal. In times like these, he suggests, the task is not heroic salvation but distributed genius: each person finding their thread and participating in the reweaving of the world. The conversation closes with Michael’s “second level of hope” - not optimism, but the awakening of imagination itself: the capacity to see meaning, tolerate uncertainty, and envision a different future. In this episode: How myth reveals “the real behind the real” Why rites of passage matter - and what happens when a culture loses them The difference between the hero myth and a “genius” path Liminality, uncertainty, and the skill of holding tension The Old Weaving Woman story as a map for these times Why imagination (not optimism) is the deeper form of hope If you’re new to The Initiation, you may also want to explore Season 1, where I lay the foundations for the entire series. Across the first nine episodes, we dive into the core themes shaping our moment in history - from the rise of artificial intelligence and the breakdown of our monetary system to the climate crisis, geopolitics, and the breakthrough forces pointing toward transformation. Season 1 offers the wider context for everything we’ll explore this year.