--the hero's journey--
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Myth of the hero... A myth is far more than a story. It is a tale which resonates with meaning far beyond that which the conscious mind can grasp. It evokes feelings and awareness of the interrelatedness of the smaller self and the greater Self - between the individual and life as a whole.

Being aware of myths which seem particularly relevant to your life at any particular time can bring a sense of meaning to events or experiences which are hard to make sense of. The myth of the hero's journey can be particularly helpful in learning the art of handling transformations. It can help us approach the experience of chaos with more security since it gives structure to what is essentially an experience of the dissolution of structures - an experience where old forms and worldviews are destroyed to make way for new ones. As such, hero myth can create the safe cocoon in which the caterpillar dissolves into white gel before being metamorphosed into a butterfly.

hero's journey

The myth of the hero comes in as many forms as there are cultures out of which these tales have grown. It describes beautifully the archetypal process of transformation. It gives us the opportunity of playing out our own transformations in a way that offers order and the control of ritual in which the world of space and time and the world of eternity interpenetrate. It can help replace the experience of toxic fear in the face of change with a great space into which ones daily life can become illuminated by the eternal.

The myth of the hero, no matter where it comes from or what period of history, goes something like this: The hero is usually someone whose life works well in the family and social context in which he or she lives yet who has a yearning for something greater. She hears a call to adventure. The call can come from outside in the form of a request from someone or something or it can arise from within as an inner imperative - a message from her core. In any cast it tells her, "Wake up, there is something more to life than can be found in the way you are living it." The call resonates deep into her being where it remains until it is either silenced by other voices which will not allow the freedom of following her own heart, or until the hero acknowledges its worth and sets out on her journey.

Of course every call sets up resistance at first. For the status quo in your life - your job, the relationship, the place one lives, your obligations - all these things have to be acknowledged before the hero can begin her journey.

She sets out. Along the road helpers appear - animals, guides and friends, who warn her of dangerous places and encourage her in her quest. At some point a spirit guide arrives bringing with it some instrument of power to arm her in her tests within the mysterious land in which she walks and to help her do battle at the gateway to the new world. Cinderella is given a ball gown by her fairy godmother to take her to the ball; Luke Skywalker is given a light sword by Obi Ben Kenobi; Athena hands Perseus her shield to protect him.

Armed with her talisman, the hero proceeds onwards towards the threshold of adventure. This is usually a tunnel, a gateway, an opening into a dark forest which leads to another world. There she meets a dragon, a monster, a guardian of the threshold, which represents the second level of resistance - the self-sabotaging and self-destructive forces in her own consciousness - which she needs to confront and conquer. On being defeated, sometimes the monster itself becomes transformed into helpmate and accompanies her into the most mysterious of all the inner worlds.

Here at the enchanted world of the mysterium tremendium she comes upon all things new and strange. But strengthened by having done battle with her enemy, and wielding her instrument of power, she feels herself capable of dealing with anything that appears. Appear it does in the form of a supreme ordeal which she must encounter. A monumental struggle ensues in which she emerges triumphant. Only now, after this, does she earn the reward of her journey - the treasure, the Grail, the inner mystical union which she had been seeking. The golden dawn that comes after a dark night of struggle. She has won the gift of life which heals all wounds and banishes all fear. Then, leaving the magical world behind, but carrying her gift the hero returns. Her journey has been completed. She herself has been renewed, reborn. She is coming home with greater strength, new understanding and a sense of inner fullness with which now her ordinary life will become endowed. She has passed through the process of transformation and emerges a magnificent butterfly.

power for transformation

Each time we hear such a journey described it echoes in the deepest realms of our being. It carries with it the resonant power of transformative energy that transcends toxic fear in our own life passages. Master of mythology, the late Joseph Campbell, described the journey of the hero as the journey of the ego or the self's search for Self. That is why it has so much meaning in the process of health - the process of becoming who you really are.

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Journey to Freedom is a practical and highly personal course which marries the most ancient technique known for accessing power and expanding awareness - shamanism - together with tools from mythology, leading-edge physics, biology, systems theory and the rapidly developing science of consciousness itself to create a user-friendly, well-tested path to freedom. Journey to Freedom workshops offer you a technology for liberation. It is simple and practical. The skills you learn are like a rope you use to climb to the top of Freedom Mountain. Once you get there, you can throw the ropes away.