Chapter 4 in Kane (Dreams)

Here's a rundown of what i said during my group's presentation today - my section was focused on polyphonic knowing:

There are many levels of existence in both dreams and mythtelling, and they are able to exist at the same time; like the natural vs. supernatural, patterns vs. goals, and the spoken word vs. the unseen. These levels of existence mean whoever is dreaming or mythtelling is able to tell their stories while knowing which level they are on.

Mythtellers are reluctant to put definite characteristics to people, objects, etc. because "naming objectifies a being at only one level" (p.145), and polyphonic knowing is all about existence and information on many levels. Many times, beings in dreams told by mythtellers are identified by the word "something" because it keeps that "something" indefinable. This helps the mind sense the "otherness of the other," and two worlds are created: human ingenuity and spiritual ingenuity. Both of these worlds exist with each other (as opposed to against each other), and they create the opportunity for double knowing, which transcends itself into polyphonic knowing.

Myths and dreams are able to survive in our print culture because of polyphonic knowing. This is because the people who hear myths and people who dream dreams re-tell their stories in the spirit of multi-levelness. we are not meant to understand dreams and myths at all levels right away, though. They have to unfold for us, and we start to understand them better as they keep getting re-told by others.

Myths and dreams are flexible, but there are repeating patterns and goals within them that do not change (like how in fairy tales, there are 3 tasks, 3 sisters, 3 chances, etc). Because of this, they can stay set in their multi-leveled existence and allow for polyphonic knowing.

...hope you enjoyed that ;)