Cosmic Reflexivity: 2 Myth as Construal — Large-Scale Semiotic Realisations of Reflexive Potential

Having introduced reflexive possibility, we now turn to myth as a principal mechanism through which relational potential observes and interprets itself. Myth is not merely story; it is a culturally embedded, large-scale semiotic realisation of the field’s operations.

Myth as Patterned Reflexivity

Myth encodes the dynamics of potential — alignment, phase, valence, and constraint — into narratives that are legible and interpretable across collective experience. Through symbolic representation, myth renders emergent relational patterns coherent, making complex operations of potential intelligible to the collective network.

Functional Differentiation in Myth

Mythic structures exhibit functional differentiation similar to semiotic units in morphology:

• Anchor motifs stabilise understanding and continuity across time.

• Mediator motifs connect disparate domains of relational potential.

• Contrast motifs introduce novelty, tension, or challenge, enabling adaptation and reflexive reconsideration.

These differentiated roles allow myth to encode relational dynamics at scale, producing patterns that guide collective perception and action.

Temporal and Cultural Resonance

Myth achieves resonance through repetition, variation, and adaptation across generations. Recurrent motifs create interpretive stability, while variation accommodates emerging potentials and novel contexts. In this way, myth operates as a cultural morphology of reflexive possibility, sustaining intelligibility and guiding the evolution of symbolic systems.

Connecting Myth to Science

While myth primarily functions through narrative and symbolic representation, it is part of a continuum of reflexive semiotic systems. Science, formal logic, and symbolic computation extend and systematise these patterns, producing structured knowledge that further shapes the distribution of potential. Both myth and science are modes of cosmic reflexivity, differing in style, scale, and abstraction but unified in function.

Towards Science and Symbolic Reflexivity

Having explored myth as construal, the next post, Science and Symbolic Reflexivity, will examine how formal symbolic systems extend, refine, and structure reflexive awareness, enabling predictive, generative, and systemic control over relational potential at large scales.