8/3/2019 Reflections on the Heroic Journey
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Reflections on the Heroic Journey
With the passing of Steve Jobs, it is inevitable to reflect on
the archetypal "heroes journey." Few
people will disagree that Steve's birth, and life is indeed
that, a heroic journey...
But the heroic journey is not only the preserve of a few. It is
a charge we all could, and indeed have
to fulfil so that at the end of our lives we can say like the
Roman philosopher Life, if well lived, is
long enough In reflecting on this, specifically from an
archetypal perspective, one needs to look at
philosophers, scholars, authors, poets and even shaman's for
guidance. For example, it is not
accidentally that TS Elliot writes in his famous poem "we shall
not seize from exploration,"Socrates
states "the unexamined life is not worth living,"and reflecting
on the trials and tribulations of life
Dylan Thomas tells us "Do not go gentle into that good
night....
Maybe it is the poem of Thomas Gray, who brings us back to the
reality of the end of the era of
men big and small:
"The boast ofheraldry, the pomp ofpow'r,
And all that beauty, all that wealth e'er gave,
Awaits alike th'inevitable hour.
The paths of glory lead but to the grave."
For me, the choice is clear; it is either a meaningful journey,
or one that ends in sadness, the sadness
of the unlived life. In terms of this the archetypal heroic
journey helps to clarify the path and the
challenges we need to overcome:
As a child we start with the known. As humans we are inevitably
born premature, but it is also this
that makes us special, with the capabilities to command our
environment and indeed our world, to
reflect on our place in the universe, to be spiritual and to
reach out. It is the nurturing of the
archetypical family that helps us through to adulthood
At some stage we however receive a calling, a charge. Maybe this
charge is prescribed by the culture
and in the early parts of our life we have to forego the calling
from our heart the inner voice for
this cultural imperative. But we also pay a price for this if we
do not give voice to this inner drive,and if we do not find a way
to express it we are in danger of living an unauthentic life.
Accepting this calling brings us in contact with the trials and
tribulations of life. While often difficult
it has the ability (and maybe purpose) enlighten us - to brings
us closer to our purpose, our calling
and to transform us. If we have lived an unauthentic life, as a
result of our decisions, maybe our
trials and tribulations give us an opportunity (in the middle
life?) to rethink and pursue the calling
from our heart, the inner voice. Because then we can be
transformed.
The transformation enables us to really know ourselves, what is
important to us and to reach out
and share our uniqueness with the world around us. The
psychologist Erik Erikson refers to this as
the Generative Phase of life. However if we are not transformed
the trials and tribulations of life
8/3/2019 Reflections on the Heroic Journey
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becomes despair, a self-destructive cycle and an inability to
integrate your life experiences for the
final stages of our journey. It is Victor Frankl who said
sufferingwithout meaning is despair
If our transformation brings meaning, the ability to be
authentic and ensuring that the unlived life is
not a source of longing and sadness, the home coming is joyful.
This is the time we integrate our life
experiences, where we really know ourselves and make a
contribution because it is aligned with our
inner voice and values. To get here the greatest challenge is
maybe to know you, really know
yourself and also to accept yourself. In doing so we can also
fully accept others. CG Jung was indeed
right when he said Knowing your own darkness is the best method
for dealing with the darknesss
of other people. Or to conclude where we started, the words of
TS Elliot:
We shall not cease from exploration. And the end of all our
exploring will be to arrive where we
started and know the place for the first time
