Day 15: May 22, 2012 ~ The Hero's Journey

Day 15: May 22, 2012 ~ The Hero's Journey

"We must be willing to let go of the life we planned so as to have

the life that is waiting for us." 

~Joseph Campbell

In yesterday's post I shared a dream that came to me in the midst of a difficult and painful time in my life, a beautiful dream that gave me vision and hope. I'd like to continue on that thread today. I am reminded of a book called Mindful Dreaming, by David Gordon, that offers a unique way of working with nighttime dreams, suggesting that our dreams reveal to us where we are on the path of our 'hero's journey'. I like the idea that our path to wholeness, toward becoming who we truly are, is like a mythic or heroic journey—which has four distinct phases: the Calling, the Quest, Illumination and Return.

Like the great stories and myths about the hero's journey, we may be brought to a point in our lives where we experience a Call for healing or change, where we leave the familiar to go on a Quest. On the quest we encounter challenges and difficulties. In doing battle with our 'dragons', in meeting the challenges and facing our greatest fears head-on, we become stronger and wiser, we discover inner resources we didn't know we had. Then is the Illumination phase—like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, we realize that we had all that we needed within us all along, the courage, the intelligence, the heart. In the Return stage we 'come home to ourselves', we integrate our new learning into our lives and share our insights with others.

This model has given me great vision when going through difficult times, when confronted with frightening circumstances or unforeseen obstacles. There is an arc! Things get rough, but it does get better in time, and in fact we have the potential to emerge stronger than we were before.

I am learning to give thanks for the challenges, for I know they contain great gifts and hidden blessings. Wishing you wonderful adventures of discovery and illumination on your journey this day!