Odysseus is truly epic literature’s “man of many turns.” He embodies the warrior, the artist, the creator of fiction, and the seeker of truth—yet he can also conceal, trick, and occasionally cause mischief. Both blessed and challenged by the gods, he is, above all, a soul deeply wounded by years of battle in Troy. His one longing is to return to Ithaca, to the embrace of his beloved Penelope and his son, Telemachos. Homer’s “Odyssey” unfolds as a story of this journey home—a homecoming that ultimately brings healing.
The “Odyssey” also offers a rich mythopoetic exploration of the power of stories, showing us how deeply our identities are woven into the narratives we create. It is filled with reminders of the wisdom gained from listening to others’ experiences, a gift we carry through life.
In Homer’s epic, we witness the union of masculine and feminine energies, creating a “sweet agreement” within the soul. This harmony extends outward, touching the entire Ithacan community and inviting balance and healing for all.
Prior knowledge of ”The Odyssey” is not necessary—just a willingness to journey together as we explore the soul’s movement from fragmentation to wholeness in the timeless landscape of Homer’s masterpiece.
Required Reading
Dennis Patrick Slattery, From War to Wonder: Recovering Your Personal Myth Through Homer’s Odyssey (Mandorla Books, 2019).
Suggested Reading
Albert Cook’s translation of the Odyssey is cited throughout my book. The Odyssey. A Verse Translation. W.W. Norton, 1993.
Enjoy free access to a bonus class with Dr.Slattery !
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Explore the power of stories as healing agents for the soul.
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Understand the voyage, the journey and the odyssey of your life.
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Learn more about mythopoesis, the making or shaping of coherence and meaning in your life story and its relation to your larger community.
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Learn more about the archetypal patterning in life’s events and how they can be turned into opportunities for personal and collective growth.
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Class 1 – Books I-IV: The Birth of Self-Awareness: The Search for Stories.
The format will concentrate on specific passages from the epic, chosen from Dr. Slattery’s book, From War to Wonder: Recovering Your Personal Myth Through Homer’s Odyssey.
Class 2 – Books I-IV (continued)
The format will concentrate on specific passages from the epic, chosen from Dr. Slattery’s book, From War to Wonder: Recovering Your Personal Myth Through Homer’s Odyssey.
Class 3 – Books V-VIII. From Hiddenness to Community: Wandering Towards Wonder
The format will concentrate on specific passages from the epic, chosen from Dr. Slattery’s book, From War to Wonder: Recovering Your Personal Myth Through Homer’s Odyssey.
Class 4 – Books IX-XII. Reclaiming a Coherent Life: The Myth of Remembrance
The format will concentrate on specific passages from the epic, chosen from Dr. Slattery’s book, From War to Wonder: Recovering Your Personal Myth Through Homer’s Odyssey.
Class 5 – Books IX-XII (continued)
The format will concentrate on specific passages from the epic, chosen from Dr. Slattery’s book, From War to Wonder: Recovering Your Personal Myth Through Homer’s Odyssey.
Class 6 – Books XIII-XVI. Home to the Unfamiliar: Crafting, Revealing and Concealing
The format will concentrate on specific passages from the epic, chosen from Dr. Slattery’s book, From War to Wonder: Recovering Your Personal Myth Through Homer’s Odyssey.
Class 7 – Books XVII-XX. Reclaiming Oneself: Cleansing the Household
The format will concentrate on specific passages from the epic, chosen from Dr. Slattery’s book, From War to Wonder: Recovering Your Personal Myth Through Homer’s Odyssey.
Class 8 – Books XVII-XX (continued)
The format will concentrate on specific passages from the epic, chosen from Dr. Slattery’s book, From War to Wonder: Recovering Your Personal Myth Through Homer’s Odyssey.
Class 9 – Books XXI-XXIV. From Reunion to Unity: The Weight of Words Over Weapons of War
The format will concentrate on specific passages from the epic, chosen from Dr. Slattery’s book, From War to Wonder: Recovering Your Personal Myth Through Homer’s Odyssey.
Bonus Class
This bonus class with Dr.Slattery covers two essential ideas: 1) Why do we bother reading these classics of literature?What kind of knowledge do they offer us today in our contemporary and very warring world? How might reading communally passages from Homer’s poem allow deeper conversations on our human condition that has not changed essentially since Homer’s time? 2) What are the large archetypal themes that Homer’s classic epic offers us to meditate on, regarding our own personal and collective mythologies?
