I'm sure there are many folx here who dabble in mysticism, shamanism, witchcraft, psychedelic stuff, etc.
I think one thing that keeps popping up is creatures and what they can embody: a sly fox, courageous lion, strong bear, versatile praying mantis, etc.

Are there any books you can recommend that dive into this? I'm particularly interested in the phoenix and praying mantis.

Thank you!

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[–] AbouBenAdhem@lemmy.world 5 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Look at medieval bestiaries (T H White made a good translation), which tended to emphasize the symbolic and allegorical roles of animals.

[–] adhd_traco@piefed.social 2 points 3 days ago

Thanks! This seems like an excellent essential resource on the subject.

However, I think anyone looking to dive deeper into any particular creature will be disappointed by the lack of depth provided here.

This is not a criticism to your suggestion or the book, just my observation on the scope's limit in this text.

[–] jordanlund@lemmy.world 3 points 3 days ago (1 children)

A lot of it is going to depend on the culture you're talking about.

There are several series of books on myths and legends organized by culture:

https://www.chroniclebooks.com/collections/tales

[–] adhd_traco@piefed.social 3 points 3 days ago

Aiming primarily for esoteric stuff, but I find value and joy in looking at a topic of interest from all kinds of angles.

Got some of the featured books. Thank you for the link!

[–] cccrontab@lemmy.world 3 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Got this one from the library last year and thoroughly enjoyed it.

[–] adhd_traco@piefed.social 2 points 3 days ago

Text acquired. Thank you! 🙏

[–] ns1@feddit.uk 2 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Made me think of this children's classic by Brenda Ralph Lewis

[–] adhd_traco@piefed.social 2 points 3 days ago

Thank you! Will check it out later :)