This hero is enticed by a new possibility or forced out of his old comfort zone and as much as he may fear the changes that are occurring or wish it was all over as soon as possible, he is going to have to go through a number of transformations that require pressure, paradox, discomfort and confusion to grow. Like a caterpillar to a butterfly this gestation period of discomfort is necessary for the next way of being to come into existence.
The hero must learn to deal with the light and the dark of the world by facingtrials, expanding his being, learning skills and developing new strategies. In terms of the Hero within ourselves this means that we must face our inner
critics and shadows and evolve through them with personal growth tools and mentors. When a dark or heavy energy, emotion, concept or circumstance is present in our lives we are required to raise ourselves out of its grips by becoming more aware, connected to our creative source and through that becoming more resourceful and able to shift our being into doing.
Just like a hero in a story if we don’t learn to develop our character through challenge and new courageous experience we become one dimensional and stagnent. This is one of the primary dangers of our modern day culture. It prescribes a set of ideals that are increasingly shallow and ignore, deny and brush over the real deep meaning, complexity and relations that are the foundation of our real human potential and forward evolution. This depth and meaning that is the real container of our evolution has been replaced with an array of shiny things that bedazzle and distract us from the real work of engaging with our being and the challenges of grounding that mystery into our everyday world in action.
Similarly if we don’t learn to love the light and the dark in a healthy balanced way we run the risk of being unable to cope with these energies when they show up in our lives. Learning to deal with the shadow and the light is a vital part of life. They are just two sides of a spectrum of energy or two phases in a creation, destruction cycle that go on within and around us all the time. To deny one end of the spectrum or try and grasp and hoard one is only a recipe for suffering. This is like trying to trap some daylight for yourself so you can always have the day or trying to stop the sun from going down so the night doesn’t come. It’s an illusion.
Never before have we been so easily distracted and trapped in our own complexity, but paradoxically never before have we had so much freedom and potential to create a new reality for ourselves both as individuals as well as collectively in community.
In practical terms this means becoming better friends with both ends of the spectrum and filling in the gaps in our consciousness, connecting the dots and creating a world of more relevant and aligned meaning for ourselves and others. Instead of running from shadow energy and trying to ignore it instead go inside it and embrace it with love and compassion.
A major aspect of becoming a man is recognising and stepping up to the call of the hero’s journey. The hero’s journey is an archetypal evolutionary process of self-transformation from boyish immaturity to a state of deeper maturity and
resulting in effectively relating in the world. This is all about reclaiming your heroic potential and engaging the process of evolving as an embodied creator in creation with other creations and creators. This whole journey begins with a call for change and is completed with a home coming to the truth of the hero’s core being and awareness. It’s not always an easy task and sometimes we may even fail but the beauty and romance of the hero is that he always arises again to a new day of possibility and the journey begins again.
This is a journey from dependence to independence then interdependence and beyond. It’s about balancing being and doing and learning to have goals, direction, morals and integrity whilst also being flexible, capable of change and enjoying the process of evolution.
The following diagram outlines the steps in the process that take place in this journey into a larger world. As you can see this is a process of change and transformation that encompasses the challenge of fully embracing and living Life.
The hero’s journey is something that each of us on the Natural team have embraced through life in our own distinctive flavour.
I have spent 15yrs in intensive training and developing understandings of the world and relationships with an aim towards fully understanding and liberating myself and others from existential conflicts and challenges. Through explorations in consciousness, shamanism, sexuality Tantra, body work, mindfulness and the myriad forms of relationships that I have experienced along the way. I have gained knowledge and wisdom that has proven to be of immense benefit to myself and those that I share with that come in to contact with me.
Join Shae, James, John, Lohnatan and Gareth for the ultimate seduction hero’s journey – The Euro Tour. Final applications HERE.
