Shamans and Sith

Toro Ren

0.0 (0)
TV & Film
Updated Weekly

Conjuring Creative Mythology from Star Wars and other Heroic Cinema to Confront the Abyss, one Chapter at a time. Video version of each episode also available at YouTube.com/@ShamansAndSith

01/16/2024

Episode XI. She Is the Way: The Armorer & Mandalorian Shamanism

This Chapter explores Joseph Campbell's conception and analysis of Paleolithic Shamanism and, thereby, demonstrates how The Armorer in The Mandalorian comprises the best canonical representation of a Shaman in the Star Wars Galaxy to date. It also positions the Shamanic Path with regard to the Right- and Left-Hand Paths of the Jedi and the Sith, respectively.
01/03/2024

Episode X. The Once & Future Hope: Luke Skywalker in Exile

Among the most frustrating and controversial plotlines in the Sequel Trilogy is the arc and death of Luke Skywalker, especially in The Last Jedi. The aggravation at Luke's seemingly uncharacteristic exile of himself from his Jedi legacy, his family, and the New Republic, as well as his refusal to act against the First Order on their behalf, extends all the way to Mark Hamill and continues to pervade fandom. Today’s episode therefore not only brings to fruition a four-part series in this podcast concerning Kylo Ren/Ben Solo, Rey the Scavenger, and Luke Skywalker but also reveals how this derided segment in Luke's mythological path is directly related to King Arthur's final actions in, and other key aspects of, the medieval Arthurian Cycle. In short, this chapter unveils how Luke's journey through both the Original and Sequel Trilogies clearly and neatly parallels that of Arthur from roughly a millennium earlier. Moreover, we learn that this common mythological path is part of an elementary idea with a history extending no less than a hundred thousand years into our own past. The overall aim of this chapter, together with the three preceding it, is thus to elicit new perspectives on and understandings of these much-criticized films, as well as the principal characters within them.
12/28/2023 · Bonus

Podcast Update: Shamans & Sith

This short video details the reasons for a forthcoming and fundamental change to this podcast's name.
12/22/2023

Episode IX. The Scavenger Rey: Lancelot of the Wasteland

While the Scavenger Rey is the main protagonist and core character in the Sequel Trilogy, these Star Wars films leave many questions concerning her background, psychology, and spiritual motivations at best open and at worst unaddressed. The third segment in a four-part series exploring (and perhaps redeeming) the Sequel Trilogy from a mythological perspective, Chapter VII illustrates the singular heroism of Rey the Scavenger. Specifically, it demonstrates her similarities to Lancelot du Lac in Arthurian Legend, sheds new light on Rey's immediate family and early years, and provides a novel interpretation of the Force Dyad she embodies together with Ben Solo, as well as the courtly love they share. Leia Organa's critical role in the Original Trilogy and Rey's relation to this are also articulated.
12/13/2023

Episode VIII. Oedipus Tenebri II: The Death of Kylo Ren

Kylo Ren is arguably the most compelling character in the Sequel Trilogy, but these Star Wars films leave several critical questions insufficiently or entirely unanswered. The second segment in a four-part series exploring (and perhaps redeeming) the Sequel Trilogy from a mythological perspective, and the second of two episodes concerning Kylo Ren, Chapter VI reframes Kylo's actions in Episodes 7-9 according to Ben Solo's broken psyche, i.e., his unresolved Id-Ego conflict. This chapter thus sheds new light on the drivers, actions, and choices available to Kylo Ren as the personification of Ben Solo's Id. Moreover, it reveals how Ben Solo's ultimate Fate is based on the Destiny of Kylo Ren--death at the hands of his counterpart in the Force, the source and catalyst of the end of Ben's psychological trauma: the scavenger Rey.
12/01/2023

Episode VII. Oedipus Tenebri I: The Birth of Kylo Ren

Kylo Ren is arguably the most compelling character in the Sequel Trilogy, but these Star Wars films leave several critical questions insufficiently or entirely unanswered. What are Kylo Ren's actual origins? That is, how and why did Ben Solo create him? Why did Ben choose the name "Kylo"? Was Kylo merely the inevitable result of Ben's genetic inclination to the Dark Side? What do the Knights of Ren have to do with this? Who or what exactly is "the Ren"? The first segment in a four-part series exploring (and perhaps redeeming) the Sequel Trilogy from a mythological perspective, and the first of two episodes concerning Kylo Ren, Chapter V (Episode VII) addresses these and other crucial questions. Drawing heavily from Charles Soule's excellent graphic novel Star Wars: The Rise of Kylo Ren, this chapter demonstrates that Kylo Ren is actually the personification of Ben Solo's Id rather than merely a reconstituted Darth Vader for a new generation of fans. That is, this Freudian psychoanalysis of young Ben Solo indicates that Kylo is at once made possible and limited by Ben's unresolved Oedipus Complex, causing his Id, his Shadow, to constantly drive him to the Dark Side even as his Ego is continually pulled to the Light.
11/12/2023

Episode VI. Darth Vader: Mortis Ex Machina

Chapter IV (Episode VI) identifies Anakin Skywalker's path to becoming Darth Vader with the Norse God Odin's path to his fated death during Ragnarok. This episode thus explores how Darth Vader and Odin manifest an Elementary Idea. That is, these similar personifications of Death represent a universal human struggle: The conflict of our Ego, our Destiny, with the inevitable death thereof, the Fate of all life, and the shapes it may take without ethical responsibility. For Jackson Crawford's video (mentioned at the 21:28 mark) regarding the validity of Odin the "Allfather," please follow this link.
11/07/2023

Episode V. Creative Destruction: The Force & The Chosen One

In Chapter III (Episode V), we learn about the relation of Shiva's Cosmic Dance of Creation and Destruction with the Myth of the Chosen One. Perhaps for the first time, we clearly define what Ultimate Balance in the Force means, as well as the conditions necessary for its existence. Moreover, we discern whether Anakin's immolation on Mustafar is the inevitable fate of the Chosen One (Spoiler alert: IT IS).
10/24/2023

Episode IV: Anakin Skywalker & The Two Dragons

Chapter II (Episode IV) explores how Anakin Skywalker's fate manifests the Dragon of Order and the Dragon of Chaos and how his destiny reflects the eternal cosmic dance between the two. It also illustrates the associated mythological implications for our own lives.
10/16/2023

Episode III: Jedi & Sith Heroism

Chapter I (Episode III) discusses the mythological implications of the Jedi and Sith perspectives of the Force for their orders, the Star Wars galaxy, and our conceptions of heroism.
10/11/2023

Episode II: Introduction

Episode II comprises the Introduction to The Eldritch Grimoire. Elaborating on the Preface (Episode I) to construct this effort's overarching framework, this Introduction illuminates my novel conception of Cosmic Valor through a mythological exploration of the following fundamental concepts: I. The Origins of Good & Evil; II. Western Individualism; and III. The Monstrous Nature of Heroism.
10/10/2023

Episode I: Preface

Welcome to The Eldritch Grimoire. Tread with me on the path to the Absolute. In this Preface, we review the aim of this channel, discuss the mythogenetic framework and concepts of Joseph Campbell, and open the transcendental gateway to the Abyss. No, seriously. Required reading for neophytes. This was originally intended to be the first video on the associated YouTube channel. This is still the case; however, I have decided to turn The Eldritch Grimoire into a podcast as well. Enjoy!

12 Episodes

Conjuring Creative Mythology from Star Wars and other Heroic Cinema to Confront the Abyss, one Chapter at a time. Video version of each episode also available at YouTube.com/@ShamansAndSith

Creator

Toro Ren
Years Active

2023 - 2024
Episodes

12
Rating

Explicit
Copyright

© Toro Ren
Show Website

Shamans and Sith