HERO/INE'S JOURNEY #2
Threshold – the journey itself
A human cannot live and temper his/her metal without honor. There is deep within him/her a sense of heroic quest. Our modern way of life with its emphasis on security, its distrust of the unknown and its elevation of abstract collective values has repressed the heroic impulse to a degree that may produce the most dangerous consequences.” L. Van der Post
Covid for many of us, is, and continues to be a dark night of the soul but we can make it part of our hero's journey.
The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek."
J. Campbell
J. Campbell
"Entering the Covid cave" is an opportunity for radical transformation. Nature is a preferred environment or has been for the indigenous hero's journey but anything that offers a serious challenge is grist for the mill; a battle with cancer, losing one's job or partner etc...
“S/He who would be what he ought to be must stop being what he is.” M. Eckhart
In order to possess what you do not possess you must go by the way of dispossession. In order to arrive at what you are not you must go through the way in which you are not.” T.S. Elliot
In the classical indigenous Threshold, one enters the sacred space of nature and the wild, and is immersed in the challenges of the fear inherent in the dark night of the soul. Covid does give us the opportunity to rent a cabin on a lake, in the mountains or anywhere else where one can be alone. Alternatively make your home your sacred space and dedicate it as such. Tidy up, get rid of things you do not need or have not looked at for the last few years. Burn sage, cedar or any incense. Protect and prepare yourself and your space for what is now new inside of you.
“The incense offering is the most potent antidote against dark forces...” The Zohar
“The meeting of oneself is, at first, the meeting of one's Shadow.”
C.J. Jung
Covid can help us see our shadow side which often surfaces with our deepest inner fears.
"Your teaching is in the shadow of you experiences." The Ancestors
The shadow allows us to see the light that is shining behind us and to connect with that which is truly us. Most of us are able to see our light (good inclination) that casts the shadow (evil inclination) and allow the knowing of it to let us take the higher road and be all of who we can be. Some, however, overcome by fear, allow their shadow to get the upper hand and we see the worst in them. Fortunately, although often the most vocal, they are the minority and would never understand what the Hero's journey is all about. We should show compassion for their plight but never share our heroic intentions with them - they are bound to scorn, invalidate and trivialize them. These days their voices are getting even louder.
“The meeting of oneself is, at first, the meeting of one's Shadow.”
C.J. Jung
Covid can help us see our shadow side which often surfaces with our deepest inner fears.
"Your teaching is in the shadow of you experiences." The Ancestors
The shadow allows us to see the light that is shining behind us and to connect with that which is truly us. Most of us are able to see our light (good inclination) that casts the shadow (evil inclination) and allow the knowing of it to let us take the higher road and be all of who we can be. Some, however, overcome by fear, allow their shadow to get the upper hand and we see the worst in them. Fortunately, although often the most vocal, they are the minority and would never understand what the Hero's journey is all about. We should show compassion for their plight but never share our heroic intentions with them - they are bound to scorn, invalidate and trivialize them. These days their voices are getting even louder.
Fortify your space if you like with sacred plants and crystals. Be creative and use ritual or ceremony. The journey is a solo one and now is the time. In silence we confront our inner (spiritual and psychological) and outer fears (material survival.) The impetus for the journey can be Covid the “dragon” lying in wait for us creating a myriad of fears including the realization that life itself may never be the same. However, the death of one thing can lead to the rebirth of another if we choose.
“If we are willing to open up to it then it is just the unknown, the unplanned, the unexpected, the unfamiliar which can best teach us. In the tiny prefix “un” which so often spells trouble, lies the potential for change, for the new, for the hitherto unconsidered, unimagined, unrealized.” R. Hinshaw
The Phoenix can rise out of the ashes, the caterpillar can metamorphose into a butterfly.
The Phoenix can rise out of the ashes, the caterpillar can metamorphose into a butterfly.
The very thing we fear the most is the stimulus for change. We need to face our fears and prevail. Of the two - the physical and the psychological/spiritual – the latter may be the most difficult. The military use fear to train their forces by; increasing the level of danger confronted, giving less time to accommodate to what is ahead, increasing the complexity of the task and withholding information. No-one really knows what Covid is about, it is a completely novel virus.We do not know exactly how the "dragon" behaves, where it may be lurking or the remedies required to neutralize it. The greater the challenge the more the potential benefit.
The pandemic has been compared to being at war. Just going shopping has become an ordeal as can riding in an elevator. There is so much information and misinformation that it gets confusing and so on.
What is fearful for one may not be so for another but fear forces us to go inward and recognize the limitations that are holding us back. Covid with all its implications for our future can be a gift if handled inwardly rather than outwardly, spiritually rather than materially. The hero's journey offers a template for change as well as the tension needed for us to actualize all three phases of the journey. Fear is a part of all three phases.
The pandemic has been compared to being at war. Just going shopping has become an ordeal as can riding in an elevator. There is so much information and misinformation that it gets confusing and so on.
What is fearful for one may not be so for another but fear forces us to go inward and recognize the limitations that are holding us back. Covid with all its implications for our future can be a gift if handled inwardly rather than outwardly, spiritually rather than materially. The hero's journey offers a template for change as well as the tension needed for us to actualize all three phases of the journey. Fear is a part of all three phases.
The worst outcome spiritually is that we go back to where we were before Covid and gain nothing spiritually. Most of us, are usually complacent when we have all our needs and wants met and we tend to neglect our inner being. Many are just hoping things will more or less return to where they were.
This would be called the "fall" in the Incorporation of the hero.
We do not simply want to return to what is unsustainable and unhealthful to the planet and our spiritual health. We can think globally but still be unable to change much except our Selves.
This would be called the "fall" in the Incorporation of the hero.
We do not simply want to return to what is unsustainable and unhealthful to the planet and our spiritual health. We can think globally but still be unable to change much except our Selves.
There are many key factors to be aware of that will assist us in our quest.
A receptivity or openess to look at anything that this unique, bizarre insanity offers up and to see it as an opportunity.
Intention is key - best structured in the three phases described by Van Gennep.
Fear can help to subordinate ego to the higher Self when we recognize how insignificant we are in the relation to the cosmos.
“It must be a poor life that achieves freedom from fear.”
Aldo Leopold.
"That to be totally fearless is foolish, that courage is to act in the face of fear. No fear means that no courage is required.”
“Fear can be a friend if it alerts, warns, and yes, tempts thus testing one's resolve. It is a magician in conjuring up all manner of images. What we do not reason with or dismiss become their own reality. Fear conquers when we let its possibilities project as realities directing and controlling our actions and decisions.”
“Fear itself is not a foe but acquiescing to fear empowers it to be a formidable one.” Hillel
Intention is key - best structured in the three phases described by Van Gennep.
Fear can help to subordinate ego to the higher Self when we recognize how insignificant we are in the relation to the cosmos.
“It must be a poor life that achieves freedom from fear.”
Aldo Leopold.
"That to be totally fearless is foolish, that courage is to act in the face of fear. No fear means that no courage is required.”
“Fear can be a friend if it alerts, warns, and yes, tempts thus testing one's resolve. It is a magician in conjuring up all manner of images. What we do not reason with or dismiss become their own reality. Fear conquers when we let its possibilities project as realities directing and controlling our actions and decisions.”
“Fear itself is not a foe but acquiescing to fear empowers it to be a formidable one.” Hillel
Sufficient time must be allowed for the lessons to present themselves. If we stay home in our newly designed and designated sacred space with the right intention and motivation we do not need a nature bound environment.
If one has more time and an inclination to take time out in nature then
I suggest five days, if possible.
If one has more time and an inclination to take time out in nature then
I suggest five days, if possible.
The soft fascinations of nature can help us to go inward. The sounds of birds, the wind in the trees, the waves of the ocean, the babbling brook, the aromas and scents, the scenery, sunrises, sunsets and the moon’s magic, the daily and even the monthly and seasonal changes. We can entrain to the vibrations of nature around us anywhere we are.
Power animals may come our way to instruct with metaphors for our future lives. These so-called power animals are there to help us go deeper. Eagle, vulture and raptors – vision, raven, crow or coyote – trickster, heron or egret – spiritual transformational. These are all well and good but the smaller less dramatic animals can be even more profound; skunk - power in a small package, mouse - humility, ant - industriousness, spider - the bridge between the worlds - and anything you choose them to be - there are no rules here. Our power animal is not necessarily the animal we want, as a reflection of ego, but rather the one that we need. Moreover, the message the animal or even a plant or object may bring is not what anyone or any book says it is but what it means to you at that present moment. With the right consciousness they may bring the exact message at that particular time.
Sometimes the less auspicious the animal the more powerful the message when one fuses with it in an altered state of consciousness. The meaning should best arise inside of us without any effort to formulate it
"To achieve is to be externally oriented but to attain deeper effects we need to let go of attachment to accomplish anything. Goal orientation and rapture are mutually exclusive in the present moment. We begin with a goal but once the intention is set we need to let go of the possible outcome. This is the crux between balancing the inner and the outer.” Dave Cumes Inner Passages Outer Journeys
Power animals may come our way to instruct with metaphors for our future lives. These so-called power animals are there to help us go deeper. Eagle, vulture and raptors – vision, raven, crow or coyote – trickster, heron or egret – spiritual transformational. These are all well and good but the smaller less dramatic animals can be even more profound; skunk - power in a small package, mouse - humility, ant - industriousness, spider - the bridge between the worlds - and anything you choose them to be - there are no rules here. Our power animal is not necessarily the animal we want, as a reflection of ego, but rather the one that we need. Moreover, the message the animal or even a plant or object may bring is not what anyone or any book says it is but what it means to you at that present moment. With the right consciousness they may bring the exact message at that particular time.
Sometimes the less auspicious the animal the more powerful the message when one fuses with it in an altered state of consciousness. The meaning should best arise inside of us without any effort to formulate it
"To achieve is to be externally oriented but to attain deeper effects we need to let go of attachment to accomplish anything. Goal orientation and rapture are mutually exclusive in the present moment. We begin with a goal but once the intention is set we need to let go of the possible outcome. This is the crux between balancing the inner and the outer.” Dave Cumes Inner Passages Outer Journeys
Humility: Anything that creates more humility is worth noticing. Covid subordinates ego to the Higher Self. Nature does as well. We are no longer in control. Covid is part of nature albeit the dark side. The dark forces are there to test our spiritual metal. We are all capable of becoming spiritual "special forces."
God (or Self) cannot be realized if there is the slightest trace of pride." Upanishads
"You cannot control results only your actions. You cannot control outcomes only your choices." The Ancestors
God (or Self) cannot be realized if there is the slightest trace of pride." Upanishads
"You cannot control results only your actions. You cannot control outcomes only your choices." The Ancestors
“There is no room for God in him who is full of himself. The sages tell us concerning the proud person; God says; “I and he cannot dwell together in the world.” Talmud
Connecting with our Primal Selves. The more primal we become the more we can peel away the layers of conditioning and toxicity imposed upon us by our upbringing to get to what really matters and to what is true for our unique selves. Being bound to a smart phone, computer, movies, T.V. (especially the news,) or even a book can get in the way. These should be tempered. One should not get distracted by anything that might sabotage the process. Being alone in nature has an advantage in facilitating this. We need to get back to our childlike innocence, the ability to see the Magic in the Ordinary which is also extraordinary (e.g. meditating on the magic of a camp fire or a candle's flame.)
When one depends entirely for survival on what nature provides, the sacredness of the Divine masterpiece becomes imbedded in the hunter gatherer. The closer we can get to that the better.
When one depends entirely for survival on what nature provides, the sacredness of the Divine masterpiece becomes imbedded in the hunter gatherer. The closer we can get to that the better.
“The force of the primal self manifested as love is the glory of God. Those who awaken it in others and nurture the nurturers glorify Him.”
"There is nothing that is empty of the divine ...”
“To sanctify the ordinary” is to recognize and acknowledge the sacred in every created being whether still or growing, wild or angelic or human... Learn the mystery, savor the wonder of it all."
The Ancestors
"There is nothing that is empty of the divine ...”
“To sanctify the ordinary” is to recognize and acknowledge the sacred in every created being whether still or growing, wild or angelic or human... Learn the mystery, savor the wonder of it all."
The Ancestors
Whether at home in one's garden, in a park, on the beach or a cabin in the mountains we can attain altered states of consciousness. This can be anything from a relaxed alfa state to the more powerful Peak Experience of Maslow or even the Oneness Experience or Unity Consciousness described in yoga. This phenomenon occurs when the Knower (that is you,) the Known (maybe a rainbow or a sunset,) and the process of you Knowing the sunset creates a feeling of bliss or profound equanimity and fuses into One thing and for a brief period of time you become the rainbow or sunset.
“Rapture” is a way of being, a way of experiencing whatever can be sought wherever one is. We can hear it in the sound of rain, feel it in a fallen feather and see it in a spider's web...
The Ancestors
The Ancestors
This description by Bunnell, one of the first white people to see Yosemite valley describes his Oneness Experience.
"Haze hung over the valley, light as gossamer and clouds partially dimmed the higher cliffs and mountains. This obscurity of vision but increased the awe with which I beheld it and as I looked a peculiar exalted sensation seemed to fill my whole being and I found my eyes in tears with emotion.” L. Bunnell
"...What greatly differs is the vastness of the territory, variety of the forces, purity of the pristine and magnitude of the drama and majesty. The more splendid and awesome the less need for a teacher other than itself and you.
Yet there are everyday wild wonders that are unheard and overlooked which seem far remote from wilderness until we realize how perception of the smallest bit of wild can connect to our Higher Self. Nature reveals, inspires, encourages and shows the way."
Yet there are everyday wild wonders that are unheard and overlooked which seem far remote from wilderness until we realize how perception of the smallest bit of wild can connect to our Higher Self. Nature reveals, inspires, encourages and shows the way."
“The most profound sound of all is that of silence - not the silence that is the absence of noise, of quietness, but that in which we hear the longings of our heart and ponder our response.”
“God’s breath is heard in quietness and felt in stillness. Beware the noises and clamor of ego which drown out the Divine whisper.”
The Creator wants a personal connection with each one of us - humility is the gateway.
The Creator wants a personal connection with each one of us - humility is the gateway.
“The soul's fulfillment is through the experience of the senses.
The soul's conversation is not of the mind. It is best heard with the senses.” The Ancestors
The soul's conversation is not of the mind. It is best heard with the senses.” The Ancestors
Nature, music, dance, drumming, spiritual practice, somatic awareness and dreams can assist us. A journal is a good idea but not if it will distract. Resist taking a photo of anything mystical or magical on your smart phone - it will take you out of the moment and make you lose the power of the experience. Keep it simple. One can always journal in the Incorporation phase.
“To experience the still beings of nature, you must touch them;
the growing beings, you must listen to them; the wild beings, you must dance with them and the human beings you must feel with them. We are all connected, some of all in each. All are spirit manifestations an exist in one another.”
the growing beings, you must listen to them; the wild beings, you must dance with them and the human beings you must feel with them. We are all connected, some of all in each. All are spirit manifestations an exist in one another.”
“If you want to learn the language of rocks and trees you must first slow to their pace which is different from animals and wild flowers.
Although they are soundless they are not silent, so listen long and deeply in order to hear what hearing ears do not.”
Although they are soundless they are not silent, so listen long and deeply in order to hear what hearing ears do not.”
“Being of the breath of God, all creation is responsive to love, gratitude and petition.
Each as it is acknowledged becomes receptive to giving and receiving.
That is how we experience the other.”
If you pick or harvest a plant say thank you or better still make a small offering.
Each as it is acknowledged becomes receptive to giving and receiving.
That is how we experience the other.”
If you pick or harvest a plant say thank you or better still make a small offering.
“An increased awareness of our natural connection with rocks, trees, plants, animals, all the still beings, the growing beings and the wild beings, not just the speaking beings, is transformative.
It will help us feel the spiritual kinship we have with earth, air, water, fire, sun, moon and stars and the sacred oneness of all creation…”
The Ancestors
This is a good time to connect with the "Beings" and the elements in a deeper way wherever one is. It only requires intention, receptivity and gratitude.
One leaves the sacred space of Threshold and enters the Incorporation phase with a new awareness; an aha experience, a knowing who we truly are or may become, the grail of realizing the true Self or even a new appreciation of our own unique archetype or core strength. The real you was probably the you during the unfolding of the Threshold or during the evolution of the Incorporation phase to follow. The key outcome of the journey is to give the grail away and bring it back to the planet and all Beings; Still, Growing Wild and Talking.
Click on the link and play
01_Let_the_Days_Go_B..>
01_The_Four_Beings.mp3
01_Travelers.mp3
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It will help us feel the spiritual kinship we have with earth, air, water, fire, sun, moon and stars and the sacred oneness of all creation…”
The Ancestors
This is a good time to connect with the "Beings" and the elements in a deeper way wherever one is. It only requires intention, receptivity and gratitude.
One leaves the sacred space of Threshold and enters the Incorporation phase with a new awareness; an aha experience, a knowing who we truly are or may become, the grail of realizing the true Self or even a new appreciation of our own unique archetype or core strength. The real you was probably the you during the unfolding of the Threshold or during the evolution of the Incorporation phase to follow. The key outcome of the journey is to give the grail away and bring it back to the planet and all Beings; Still, Growing Wild and Talking.
Click on the link and play
01_Let_the_Days_Go_B..>
01_The_Four_Beings.mp3
01_Travelers.mp3
For those interested there are two Zoom classes sponsored by the school below that you can attend next week and the week after.
Messages from the Ancestors - Wisdom for the Way has two sessions, each a week apart.
Saturday, June the 6th and 13th both at 10 a.m.
The flyer and talk content were drawn up way before Covid so my intention now has changed somewhat, so that the Ancestors' teachings can help guide us on the way to a much needed spiritual recovery. Our paradigm has changed and will continue to change radically and now is the time to go inward with some of their tools.
Unfortunately you will need to register on line and pay for the class to get the link.
There is a possibility, if there is a good response, that in the future they may be free. Zoom, however, has its vibrational and energetic limitations so all of this is on trial. For the first time, however, it gives me chance to reach folks outside of Santa Barbara County,
Maybe I will see some of you in cyberspace.
Maybe I will see some of you in cyberspace.
Go and stay well
Dave
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