"FINDING OUR MYTH,"  or ARCHETYPE, 

and GRATITUDE

Albert Schweitzer said; "I don't know what your destiny will be but I do know that the only ones among you who will be truly happy are those who have sought and found how to serve."

This has a lot to do with finding what Campbell calls our "myth," destiny or archetype and as Ryff describes "living virtuously." This,  essentially is the hero/ine's journey where one comes back with the grail only to give it away and serve other beings - the still, growing, wild or human.

Thurman would say this is what it is "to come alive"  which is usually to find that unique gift we were given that no one else can do.

The hero/ine's journey involves fear, taking a chance, "leaping off the cliff," doing something that is not necessarily safe physically and or psychologically. It means separating from one's conventional security and going into the cave or forest to confront the "dragon," the success of which results in attaining this gift. 

The process  can be subtle or profound. We come back from the adventure to incorporate the result into service for others. Equanimity and gratitude are the result. This can be done anywhere and with any encounter but nature and especially wild places are often the greatest catalyst. 

Since life is so complicated these days, for many of us this requires living in two worlds. We keep our day job which attends to our survival needs but follow our myth for our spiritual and growth needs - whether we get paid for it or not. 

If it does not make us content and grateful we can be assured we are on the wrong track.

There are basically four archetypes each of which can take many forms. Some of us are a mix of all four but there should be one predominant one; Healer, Teacher, Warrior, Visionary. There are many ways to teach and heal. The Warrior can be a businessman, attorney, politician or soldier whose interest is in others and not him/herself. The Visionary can be a musician, author, poet, artist, shaman, or elder. The Warrior is also often a Visionary and the Healer often a teacher and vice versa. 

Jung said that it is useful to look at what we wanted to "be" when we were a teenager or even younger. Many of us get distracted from our dreams when young by parents, peer pressure or financial restraints. We may need to go back to who we really wanted to be when we were much younger.