Melancholia

Abstract

A heuristic, mythopoetic approach is taken in evaluating the condition of melancholy, which is commonly viewed as a pathology of the soul. Drawing on classical myth, historic philosophical theory, representations of melancholy in classical arts and poetry, and modern music, a creative, productive way of accepting and living with the condition is presented. My focus is to explore internal experiences and cultural images of depression through a depth psychological and imaginal lens often inherited by a daughter of a senex, her patriarchal lineage. This paper concludes by emphasizing the necessity for a renaissance of archetypal, mythopoetic imagination to lift souls up from melancholia during a time when the feminine is neglected and oppressed, and blueness touches every soul.