THE HERO'S JOURNEY & THE MAGICAL POWER OF NATURE #2

THE MYSTERY OF THE NUMBER 4

4 WINDS & 4 RIVERS AROSE OUT OF EDEN TO ANIMATE ALL CREATION

We can enhance the Hero's Archetype by paying attention

to these Four Key Factors described in Kabbalah.

Four Seasons

Four Directions (and Power Animals in the Medicine Wheel)

Four Beings: Still, Growing, Wild, Talking

Four Elements: Air, Water, Fire, Earth

(To be discussed in future blogs)

Four Archangels

Uriel, Gabriel, Rafael, Michael

Four Colors for each direction

In addition we can include

Four BasicArchetypes: 

Healer, Teacher, Warrior, Visionary (who is usually the Hero/ine)

Four Phases of Life

Child, Adolescent, Adult, Elder or Crone.

During the journey it is optimal to spend a day

in each of these stages of life to see what issues in the past may

now be blocking one going forward.

THE FOUR DIRECTIONS 

"So the young man went North seeking the “Singing Stone.”After many adventures

he arrived in the North and found his grandfather sitting upon a stone

waiting for him. The Singing Stone is not to the North said the grandfather, it

is to the South. So he journeyed South and after many adventures

he found a dragonfly. The Singing Stone is not to the South sang the dragonfly

it is to the West. So he journeyed West and found a mouse.

The mouse answered, the Singing Stone is not to the West it is to the East.

So he journeyed East and after many adventures he arrived at a strange camp.

He headed towards the camp but pulled up short when he saw the paintings and signs

on the lodges were foreign. He decided to go ahead in spite of the

“Bow of Tension Pulled within Him.” Finally he reached the circle of lodges.

Then his sisters, mothers, brothers, fathers, grandmothers, grandfathers,

uncles and aunts and all his relatives came out to greet him saying,

welcome to our Counsel Fire Singing Stone." H. Storm

 Arnold Van Gennep originally described initiation rituals (or the Hero Archetype

in indigenous peoples as occurring in three stages.

Separation, Threshold and Incorporation.

These were expanded and made more meaningful by Joseph Campbell.

The Hero's journey is a tortuous and convoluted one and may require more than one attempt.  

We can draw on Indigenous wisdom and the Four Directions (or six - Up and Down) to help us.

The Four Directions and the Medicine Wheel

were also part of the Vision Quest of the Native Americans which Westerners

have now copied and usually condense into Four Days

of fasting and going inwards to find one's purpose on the planet.

Although the Four or Six directions are not unique to the Native Americans - Isaiah

the prophet described them in a vision eons ago - they belong to everyone.

However, the Medicine Wheel with its directions are distinctly Native America.

This is a sensitive subject to many indigenous tribes of North America

who have been compromised by Caucasians and then find us adopting their culture

to help us with our own lives after compromising theirs'. If done with integrity, sensitivity

and respect for

its origins, this seems reasonable, though it may not be to its founders. 

Descriptions vary among the various tribes and I have expanded these principles

and the Hero archetype by combining them with understandings from Kabbalah and Yoga.

You will need to formulate your own, unique to you.

You may want to take a 'Medicine' walk' before your journey to formulate the polarities

on your way that can assist you. At the same time decide on what you really need for

the adventure, knowing that wants will get in the way of going inward.

The less we have between us an Nature the more powerful the connection.

Below can be a template for you, to design your own, according to

what feels right for yourself.

There are no rules except to have gratitude for their origins.

The Chakras, and the four basic Archetypes are added

to assist you in your own journey.

The different tribes have their own varying descriptions

of how to work with the wheel, so that nothing is cut in stone.

The Chakras and the Elements also coincide with

the increasing vibration that occurs as one travels clockwise around the wheel. 

We travel from the

South - Child - Earth - First Chakra - Survival - Healer - Summer - Red

(the wounded child of the south needs healing and often becomes a healer)

SEPARATION

to

West - Adolescent - Second Chakra - Water - Procreation/Digestion/Elimination

Teacher - Fall - Black

(the adolescent usually needs a skillful teacher to guide him/her to the North)

THRESHOLD

to

North - Adult - Third Chakra - Fire - Our Ego/Power Base - Warrior - Winter - White

(the chief of the tribe is also ideally a visionary who guides the tribe through

the challenges of providing for winter and also keeping them safe)

ALSO PART OF THRESHOLD

to

East - Visionary (Hero/ine, Elder, Crone) - Upper Four Chakras

- Air/Ether - Spring - Gold

The East represents New beginnings for becoming an artist, musician, guru, priest,

shaman, sage, healer, mystic... etc and the final phase of the Hero and

INCORPORATION

The snake shedding its skin and being 'reborn' again.

To keep its simple use the diagram below as a template and add or subtract

whatever suits. There will be other options you may want to add in later blogs.

'

I have omitted power animals which are for you to choose depending on what ecosystem

you best relate to. Your power animal may not necessarily be the animal you want to be

but the one you need to be eg. an ant for being more industrious

or rabbit or mouse for humility. They may come to you through the energetic

power of your guides - that manipulate them to you at the right time.

For that reason the Power Animal may not be behaving 'normally.'

In Native American tribes; the bear is commonly in the West - the Fall

since this is the time for bear to hibernate and 'go inwards.'

The West is often the dark night of the soul which occurs in the beginning of Threshold

when we face all our outer and inner fears.

In some Native American traditions

the white buffalo - the spirit animal of mastery - is in the North.

A raptor; eagle or condor with their site and insight is in the East

but these are predators and some may prefer a more spiritual rather than a warrior energy

for the East such as a water bird like a heron or another animal.

The Medicine Wheel applies especially to the seasons in the Northern hemisphere

but can be adapted to the Southern. The colors shown are arbitrary.

Isaiah's vision of the Four Directions (actually six, including up and down) also included

an archangel to guard it. Uriel is in the North (Eagle,) Gabriel in the West (Buffalo,)

Rafael in the South (Talking Beings) and Michael in the East (Lion.)

These angels also follow you in whichever direction you go, with

Uriel always in front, Gabriel on the left, Rafael behind

and Michael to the right. Uriel is light, Gabriel strength and courage,

Rafael healing and Michael lovingkindness.

Anyone can call on them at any time for support.

They are also associated with their respective Wild Beings.

Above is Panther stalking. Below is Bear for dreaming.

(Judgment in the North and Ego in the West only apply to the Tree of Life

which has corresponding directions in six of its Sephirot.)