My 90's Alternative Period part 2—What is an Alternative Period?

A society goes through upward and downward cycles or phases. The upward phases are called Classical periods, when classical values are upheld by the majority of people and institutions. These are growth periods, during which the society prospers. But following a classical period there's always a decadent period or downward swing. 

The values of a classical period include things like strength, justice, grace, beauty, youth, courage and confidence. Masculinity is encouraged for men, and femininity for women. In a decadent period everything is reversed. The spotlight moves to everything that was repressed in the classical period, such as weakness, disease and poverty, old age, death, depression, and fear. 

Imagine a wheel painted with the Yin/Yang symbol that's half submerged in water. When the white side is predominantly up out of the water, that's a classical period, but as the wheel turns (inevitable forward march of time) the white (Yang) part starts to rotate back down and the black side (Yin) rises to take its place. This is inevitable and necessary, like the forest fires that purge dead wood and encourage the growth of new trees that would have been unable to get any light under the shadow of the old forest giants. Though it brings immense death and destruction, the fire allows for new life in its wake. Mythologically this is symbolized by the death and resurrection cycle—before you can be reborn purified you must die as who you were.

I drew monstrous goddess figures.
This one is based on Artemis, also known as Diana

Classical periods included Ancient Greece, the Renaissance, and the Victorian age. Each was inevitably followed by its antithesis in the form of Hellenism, The Baroque, and the Modern Art period . I see the Alternative music scene of the 90's as the shadow side of Classic Rock that preceded it. The strutting peacocks of rock were replaced by introverted, emotionally unstable goths who sang about how marginalized and anxious they were. After 2 solid decades of rock we needed to hear from the other side, though we didn't realize it. At the same time I went through my own dark underworld journey of depression that shattered my confidence and naive suppositions about life. It would be about 2 decades before I realized I was emerging from it and moving into a classical phase again, though now purged of naive illusions. 

We each go through the same up and down periods in our lives, in large and small scales. In the ancient world these phases were known as Eros, the movement toward life, joy, and love, and Thanatos—into darkness, disillusion, and ultimately death (yes, this was the basis for Thanos). Each was symbolized as an allegorical figure, Thanatos being a frightening one similar to our more familiar Grim Reaper, and Eros represented by a woman of beauty and grace.

In modern times Eros has been demoted to mean no more than sexuality and romantic love, but originally it meant everything positive and re-affirming about life. 

Here's an excellent breakdown that goes into much greater depth: The Ancient Dance Between Eros and Thanatos

Don't you love it when you go blog-hopping and unexpectedly get a dose of myth, philosophy and psychology?