THE HERO/INE’S JOURNEY #1 

May the Hero/ine awaken from forgetfulness and transcend all anxiety and sorrow." Upanishads

SEPARATION

There has never been a better time to look at the archetype of the hero/ine. If we look at the challenges that Covid offers we can see all the parameters needed for a Hero's journey. Those in the front lines of the pandemic are heroes but the dynamics of the challenge need to be honored in order to be fully actualized. We all have this opportunity now, even if we are not in the Covid trenches.

“This above all, to thine own Self be true and it must follow, as the night follows the day, thou canst not then be false to any wo/man.” Shakespeare

“Hold to your vision. Be true to your myth!” Joseph Campbell

“There came a time when staying tight within the bud was more painful than the risk it took to bloom.” Anais Nin

“Zidele amathamba – Give yourself up, bones as well.”        Ndebele Saying

The search for the Self is intimately tied into the hero’s journey and our destiny. We usually go through life doing numerous hero’s or more likely warrior's journeys - the latter for our self-concept, self-mastery and self-actualization – all with the small s in mind. The true hero's journey is a step towards Self-realization or what the ancestors call “Becoming” and attaining a certain level of spiritual mastery. Whether it is a warrior or a hero’s journey will depend on whether we bring back the “grail” in order to help others. When we do this we are also fulfilling the principles of karma (service) yoga as long as do are doing it for its own sake and with no ulterior motive (the Mother Theresa archetype.) 

 "At first you must learn to do the humble things and often they are the most difficult to do. In those humble things ... to find true happiness. I do not know what your destiny will be but I know one thing, the only ones among your who will be really happy are those who have sought and found how to serve." A. Schweitzer

The warrior keeps the grail for him or herself, the family or the corporation – the hero gives it away. Our modern way of life is replete with successful warriors in business, athletics and elsewhere. 
The hero’s journey is also one towards our ultimate destiny. It is my belief that we go through numerous such “journeys” to ultimately and hopefully arrive at what may be our final destiny mission. It is also my experience that the dynamic becomes more subtle and less dramatic as we get more sophisticated and become congruent with our true Self and unique archetype, “yoga type,” or core strength. I doubt, at least for myself, that there is ever only one “journey” that we take in the duration of a life time. It may also take future lifetimes to eventually get "there." 
The journey of the hero/ine is such a powerful one that the movie industry will often adhere to the three phases of the journey in their films because they are so powerful to the psyche and also popular. The tension between light and dark, good and evil where the former prevails is not only captivating but profitable. The hero has been there from the beginning of time not only in the bible but also in all our stories, legends, myths and fables. There are few hero’s today amongst our political leaders, but many heroes who go unrecognized and without praise.

“Be what you is, coz if you be what you aint, you aint what you is.” Tombstone in Arizona

Arnold Van Gennep looked at the initiation ceremonies in indigenous peoples and recognized three distinct phases of the process; 
Separation, 

Theshold - the journey itself,

Incorporation – returning with the “grail.” 

For most of us the grail may only be a small but meaningful change in direction or an aha response where we begin to see who we truly are. The hero’s journey belongs to everyone and not just to the few we read about in books or we see in the movies and that we aspire to be. 

“Balance is achieved by harmonizing polarities. Dualities come into harmony by negotiating a third or middle path, a path not of assimilation but a path of coexistence.” The Ancestors

“The fundamental notion of equilibrating the opposites is omnipresent in all beliefs. This universal truth is crucial to our understanding of how we, heal, transform and “Become.” Dave Cumes (Inner Passages Outer Journeys.)

Nature is usually a preferred environment for the journey when we can go back in time to when we were all hunter gatherers. Wilderness has many doors and windows to spirit that balance the polarities and help us find Buddha’s “middle way” and the metaphors that assist us in our transformation. Such as; up/down, hot/freezing, terrified/tranquil, day/night, hungry/satiated, thirsty/quenched, exhausted/rested ... When we encounter our indigenous or primal self apart from our religion, culture, education, and conditioning we may recognize this “self” as being closer to the real Self.” 
Going into wilderness may not be an option for many of us. We can, however, be creative with the different polarities in our current Covid related circumstances. For instance a woman battling breast cancer can formulate her experience into a heroine's journey if all three stages are recognized and validated. 
We are all being confronted with the dragon of Covid in the forest of our psyche. What are we going to do with it?

How shall I talk of the sea to the frog who has never left his pond? How shall I talk of the frost to the bird of the summerland if he has never left the land of its birth?  How shall I talk of life with the sage if he is prisoner of his doctrine? Chung Tau

Separation

“Accept surprises that upset your plans, shatter your dreams, give a completely different turn to your day and who knows, your life. Leave the Father free to weave the pattern of your days.”  Dom Helder Camara

“…put out to sea! Save your boat’s journeying soul and your own pilgrim soul, cost what it may.” Dom Helder Camara

“20 years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did. So, throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor, catch the wind in your sails.
Explore, dream, discover.”  Mark Twain

“I only went out for a walk and finally decided to stay until sundown, for going out, I discovered, was actually going in.” John Muir
We can still take advantage of nature as a profound catalyst but we must go and be alone.

Fear is part of all three phases of the Hero’s journey. The first phase is a call to a spiritual adventure, to leave the safe harbor and what has been secure behind. It is a yearning for the extraordinary but one must overcome the first level of resistance. With Covid looming around us we have already left our safe harbor whether we know it on not or even like it or not. Covid is a calamity of biblical proportions. We need to build a metaphoric ship, like Noah did, to spiritually survive.

“…A possibility is a hint from God - one must follow it.”              Kierkegaard.

Classically the first step in the journey is separating from friends, colleagues, family and others warning you of the dangers ahead or the futility of your search. This can be challenging. But separation is essential, and if one submits to outside pressure one may always regret it. Once committed, the hero is given an instrument of power. In days of old the knight might have been given a sword to slay the dragon but in modern times it is likely to be less dramatic, such as reading an inspiring book or listening to a captivating lecture or a friend who has just been on a journey. 
Now the parameters for such a separation are somewhat different but the principles are the same. Most of us are together - maybe in cyberspace - but alone. The advantage is that the only level of resistance we have to face is our own reluctance for the undertaking and being creative in the process while still recognizing the three phases we are undertaking.

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