Thoughts on the Way

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So – let’s take another step into discovering some of the heroes and characters that populate the stories of our lives. Last time we looked at the Innocent – and perhaps you wondered if the Innocent can really be a ‘hero’. Well, there’s a tremendous gift in innocence, you know – there’s something liberating and refreshing about that level of trust. I certainly hope I never lose it.

Again, you may find the stories and character of the heroes we meet speaking to you, and when you do, you’ll also find that you find your place on the story line – understanding where you are in the journey.

The stage of the journey

Here we’re still in Preparation for the journey. Remember that we started out in Innocence – and, by the way, to Innocence we will return. (Sorry, plot spoiler there, but it’s worth remembering!). If we remain in Innocence, then nothing will happen – for sure, you’ll be safe – but that’s not what life is about. Somewhere, someone, some event, some opportunity or disaster will push you out of the nest and force you to learn to fly. At some point we have to develop muscles and power – we have to take action into our dreams.

So here’s where we find ourselves when we step beyond the naiveté of the innocent: we discover the Orphan.

The orphan discovers that the world is not always a friendly place – that pain and difficulty are all too real. This sudden collision with reality is what spurs into action – otherwise, why would we leave the peace and safety of our innocence. This is where Luke Skywalker finds his aunt and uncle dead and the farm destroyed. This is where the Sorcerer’s Apprentice finds his curiosity met with disaster.

The nature of the Orphan

It isn’t necessarily a genuine physical orphaning, of course – but that sense that not everything is candy pink in FairyLand – that dragons and demons are only too real and that danger lurks round every corner. Every illusion that the innocent held is shattered as a harsher reality sets in. Often, though, we don’t question whether the painful realities of the Orphan are any more or less real than those of the Innocent. What if the Innocent is right and the world really IS a friendly place?

Yet without the revelation of the Orphan, there will be no discovery and exploration. There will be no understanding that the world is greater than that occupied by safety and security, and that risks will need to be taken. The knowledge that we are incomplete allows us to step into something more – to take on new characters as we develop and grow – for sure, the Orphan knows that she is not enough on her own. Its the energy of the Orphan that draws companions and mentors into his life. These companions and mentors help our new hero deal with the crazy chaos that he’s just stepped into – they help him make sense of this jumbled world and help him to function in a space where danger lurks round every corner.

Another way of seeing the Orphan is as Everyman – the ordinary joe trying to make his or her way through life, often amazed at the difficulties that arise, confused by the chaos and complexity that is uncovered, and yet doggedly determined to simply keep on going.

The Goal

Having just stepped into the path from Innocence into Orphan, the primary goal of the Orphan is quite simple – stay safe. It’s a natural tendency to run from danger and from insecurity into secure safety. Yet simply turning round and stepping back isn’t an option. The safe harbour is no more – the ‘fruit of the tree knowledge of good and evil’ can not be un-eaten. The cataclysmic event that launched us on the journey cannot be undone. The Orphan has seen that something else is possible… and the dragon stands at her back urging her onward.

In Indiana Jones (and, for that matter, in Shrek and a thousand other films) there’s a rope bridge that spans a chasm. We step onto that bridge running from danger – or seeking the prize – and find ourselves half way across with rotting planks and fraying ropes. The bridge swings precariously while every gust of wind threatens to hurl us into the abyss below. To return or to go on? Yet there really is no choice: in every story, the only way is onward. If we even consider stepping backward to the side we have just left, then the danger behind us begins to breathe fire, while the ropes begin to unravel – always it’s the far side that’s the only safe option… even if it doesn’t seem that way. Safety lies in stepping forward, never in running backward.

Primal Fear

The Orphan has discovered that not all is sweetness and light. Suddenly the possibility of danger exists – and with it the possibility of being exploited and victimised. Up until that point everyone was kind and generous – now danger lurks in every kindness. The Orphan sees danger around every corner, and any step forward may lead to disaster. Although the Orphan knows he needs help on the journey, he will have to learn to trust others. And yet, that basic lack of trust will forge the friendships that last, the companionship that will last in the white heat of the trials to come. When Luke meets Han Solo, he is wary and dismissive – distrustful of Han’s motivation and of his boasts in the abilities of the Millenium Falcon. As the hobbits set out on their journey they are distrustful of those who will turn out to be their greatest allies – the mysterious Strider for one.

Response to the challenge

The dragon has appeared, and disaster has struck. The immediate response of the orphan is to seek help and rescue. In our modern world when independence is lauded and individual heroism is praised, it is a brave man who calls for help when needed. If the initial panic and search for a saviour can be tamed, then the Orphan’s response is one of maturity – who can help me, who has been here before, who has the skills I need? Who can I join forces with?

The key to maintaining our power at this point is knowing that we are the leaders of our own destiny – that only by retaining our own desires in the situation can we hope to get the outcome we want. Anything else leads to surrender, to cynicism and to mere meek compliance – led away like sheep to slaughter and surrendering our own dreams to those of another.

A Heroic Task

You might think that this powerlessness has no merit or application. And yet there is an essential task for our orphaned hero – to truly step into the pain and disillusionment of our loss, to truly process that pain, to embrace it fully rather than running from it. Only by truly facing our pain and letting it shred us as fully as it can will we be able to transform it and step beyond into something else. Here, ‘everything is working out perfectly’ is not naïve assumption but something that has to be held in faith – despite appearances, knowing that things will work out and throwing ourselves into recovering paradise.

The Gift

Stripped of safety and yet not yet grown into power – what gift can the Orphan possibly hold? What will she bring to the journey to aid others? Having stepped into the harsh cold wind of danger and loss, having experienced what it’s like to have all security ripped away, the Orphan is best placed to provide empathy and understanding of how we are all dependent on each other. It’s all too easy to forget how we were once lost and helpless, how we took our first fumbling steps on the journey. The Orphan reminds us to look back in love and support for those who follow us, and reminds us of the need at all times for companionship and those who will simply walk alongside us. Only by overcoming the pain of betrayal and loss can we step into new and powerful supportive relationships.

The shadow Orphan

At its simplest, the Orphan leads to understanding and ultimately to hope. However, the shadow side is always real and can drag our hero down into the darkest places. Without hope, we can become cynical and harsh. We can begin to use our victimhood to manipulate others and to find ways to get our way while remaining thoroughly stuck and entrenched. Often we will not see this as what we are doing – we will simply see ourselves as needy and helpless – and yet the secret of success and recovery always lies within. As Luke discovered, the Force was already growing strong within him and would lead not only to his salvation but to the restoration of peace to the galaxy. Frodo would look deep within himself to discover resolve and power that would save Middle Earth. And you and I will find new resources to allow us to step bravely into the future with the aid of those around us.

Levels of the Orphan

The Orphan is called into being by some trauma in his or her life. That may be as simple as growing up, or by some sense of loss. It may be loss of a job, death of a loved one, or a personal trauma. At some point, everything that kept us safe is stripped away – everything on which we relied for security disappears like smoke.

Initially the Orphan will feel abandoned, unloved, helpless and victimised. Powerless to step forward, we look back to the golden years where all was well, or despair of a future that we cannot see and do not have the resources to reach.

Steadily, though, the Orphan begins to acknowledge possibilities – that there is always hope. Reconciling himself to his plight, the Orphan lays a base for a realistic evaluation of the situation. She begins to realise that the answers lie within rather than some mythical rescuer – and that others have been here before her.

Although a recognition of her own inner core is rising, our hero begins to acknowledge the need for others, and welcomes the assistance and friendship of companions on the journey. No longer is the answer sought in institutionalised authority, in government or in religion, but is understood to be something that we create in interdependent relationships – that we will not be rescued but will join together with others to forge our own pathway out of crisis.

The Orphan’s story

The archetypal story of the Orphan is that of losing Paradise where all is well, and where safety reigns, into a place of loss and abandonment, of fear and alienation. There is no way back to security – the only way is onward into the unknown and those steps must be taken alone. Yet on the journey they discover the power of companionship and of what can be achieved by working with others.

The Orphan begins to see the possibilities of a new paradise – it may be far off, but faith begins to grow and hope is strengthened.

Exercises and dreaming

Think back to places and times in your childhood (or in your recent past) when you found yourself betrayed, or when things no longer went the way you expected. What were the real moments of loss in your life? What have you learned from them that gives you faith for the future? What doe you know now that yields an answer and gives you hope – and if you can’t see that right now, what would it be like if you imagined you knew the answer.

Consider your life at the moment. Where are you resisting the friendships and relationships that will enable you to step forward?

Next time

Next we’re going to start to step into the responses of power – to look at the Warrior – but for now, look at where the Orphan appears in your life, and where maybe understanding the gift of loss that brings you hope and faith might help you move forward.

Until next time – enjoy the journey!

Find out more at www.timhodgson.org

PS – If you missed any of the preceding parts of the programme – catch up here: PREVIOUS CHAPTERS

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Aloha! It’s time to put the pedal to the metal and start to meet the cast of this hero’s journey – our exploration of the stories that rule our lives. As we go through, you might find yourself resonating with one or more of the characters and stories that we uncover. Remember also the hero’s journey – the typical journey starts out with someone naïve and inexperienced, who goes through several stages of transformation on his or her journey to enlightenment, redemption, victory and wisdom.

In introduction

These characters, our heroes, are called archetypes – they embody typical characteristics and patterns of behaviour and belief… but you’ll recognise them – both in yourself and in the myths and stories that we tell. Because, remember, the only reason we tell stories is to embody truth. (What? You mean you thought they were to entertain? Only on the surface….)

As we go, we’ll look at the characteristics of the archetype – we’ll look at their task and the gift they bring, at their fears and the way they deal with danger, and how they evolve. We’ll also look at the shadow side – what happens when that particular characteristic is given too much power. And as we go, consider the strengths of the individual archetypes – one or more may be at the forefront of our lives, but to operate as a rounded and whole individual able to deal with everything that life brings, we need to have balance.

I found out, for example, that the warrior archetype was quite weak for me. That meant that it was easy for people to trample across my boundaries and take me for granted – with a subsequent knock on effect in the rest of my world. By paying attention to that part of my psyche, I built a strength and a resistance to being taken advantage of – along with an ability to fight for what is right rather than meekly accepting it.

The stage of the journey

We start out at a stage of our personal evolution called Preparation. This stage is our learning stage – a stage where we are being made ready for the challenges we face. Here the basic traits that are going to be essential to our evolution and our survival are created and strengthened. For sure, we’re going to learn more on the journey – through experience, through our teachers and mentors, and through divine inspiration – but the core skills, the core beliefs, the core understandings of life are created here.

And so let’s introduce the first of our characters – the Innocent

We all start out here, you know. Obviously, as children, we are naïve and trusting, expecting everything to work out for us. We rely on others to do the work for us, to love us and care for us. There is something wonderful and refreshing about that innocence, that sense that life is meant to be easy and simple, that doors will automatically open for us, and that the Universe itself seeks our good. As Einstein himself is rumoured to have said “The most important question a person can ask is, ‘Is the Universe a friendly place?’” The Innocent will be certain that the answer is “Yes”.

The nature of the Innocent

There is of course a sense of trusting and of believing that all will be well – and of course some of that is born out of simple naïvety… but go deeper beyond that and you’ll find a deeper and more primal trust in the rightness of things – that everything is in its place and works perfectly. That’s not ignoring the facts – that’s actually the core and deeper truth at the heart of the Universe – that things are set up to work for us rather than against us.

The Goal

The primary goal of the Innocent is to stay safe. Sometimes that means hiding from danger – or from any change that may eventually lead to risk, or feeling unsafe. It’s the primal need for all of us to be secure. But secure is dull and boring – secure doesn’t lead to adventure, or enlightenment, or fulfilment. Secure is stable, for sure – but only the risks associated with change will bring depth of character and true purpose. The Innocent will always seek to fit in, to avoid creating waves or standing out.

Consider Luke Skywalker in his dull yet safe life on Tattooine: everything is safe and secure, but does it actually mean anything? Or Frodo Baggins, living a life of simplicity and gaiety in the Shire, unaware that any darkness lay beyond the boundaries of his idyllic paradise.

Primal Fear

Of course, the main fear of the Innocent, as it is of the newborn, is being abandoned. Abandonment leads to change, to the need to stand on one’s own two feet. And the innocent will go to any lengths to avoid this – stepping into relationships to avoid being alone, sticking with a company for fear of what ‘going it alone’ might bring – avoiding change at all costs in order to seek safety and security – the bliss of consistency.

Response to the challenge

When danger appears, and the dragon rears its head, the Innocent can respond in only one of two ways. The first option is to bury his head in the sand and deny that a problem exists – if you can’t see it, it can’t hurt you. The second is to call for help – to look for some power beyond yourself to rescue you.

For some, that rescuer might be the government bailing us out of a deep and dark hole. For others, it might be a retreat to the safety of friends or family. Others seek their answers in spirituality or religion, looking to a deity to rescue them and make everything all right again.

A Heroic Task

Yet there is a task for the Innocent, something that only the pure of heart can achieve. The Innocent demonstrates that Paradise can be regained, that it is possible to walk through life in trust and honesty. The Innocent will seek the best in everyone and holds up a goal for others to reach – to cease their striving and struggling and relax, trusting that all will be well, or, as my Huna teacher says “Everything is Working Out Perfectly” (or, for short, EWOP).

The Gift

Despite the apparent weakness of the Innocent, that very innocence bears great gifts – gifts that, in our worldly wise cynicism we tend to overlook. The Innocent is, at heart, trusting, optimistic and loyal – thinking ill of no man, expecting the best at all times. Such is the power of trust and belief that the Innocent truly believes in the inherent ‘rightness’ of the world – and by holding on to that belief, actually makes it so. Such is the power of true innocence in the world.

The shadow Innocent

Of course, such naïvety has its weakness. Our hero can find herself shackled to irrational optimism, even in the face of obvious difficulty. Reliance on others for assistance can lead to putting off dealing with problems, relying on ‘it’ll be alright in the end’ or expecting that some knight in shining armour will rescue them – or that God will hear their prayers. It’s also easy for the Innocent to fall into dull conformity – the sense that it’s always been done this way… and that it’s dangerous to stand out or to make waves.

Levels of the Innocent

Although the Innocent is usually the starting place, we can often find ourselves called back here – whenever a desire for stability and safety overrides our desire for adventure and our call to purpose. This is what finds heroes in a cave, unwilling to step out and face the challenge again – this sense that once upon a time all was just darn peachy – or that, having set out on the adventure, things were much better back at home. The hobbits on their journey dream of breakfast – and second breakfast. Alice wishes she was safe on the riverbank and had never followed the rabbit.

Initially, the Innocent is unquestioning, unaware of danger and trusting of everyone, especially of authority. However, that innocence cannot last and disillusionment and disappointment set in as the world is not seen to be as perfect as expected, that authority figures have feet of clay and that truly we are responsible for our own happiness. However, the Innocent will retain faith in human nature and a belief that deep down inside all men are good. And that experience will allow us to grow in wisdom – retaining that innocence yet without naïvety or dependence on others.

The Innocent’s story

The archetypal story of the Innocent is to step from apparent paradise, peace, calm and tranquillity, where all is safe and secure into a world where those foundations are rocked. The Innocent retains faith that all is well, and that very faith sustains them, rebuilding a new paradise in the certainty that everything is as it should be.

Exercises and dreaming

Find yourself an icon of childhood – perhaps a well loved cuddly toy, or perhaps a place that you loved to visit. Or go and hug your mother or father – or even cuddle a baby. If you haven’t got access to the physical reality, then bring a memory of that to mind. How does that make you feel – relax into the sense of being safe, of total well being.

Consider your life at the moment. Look at the good things, and at the not so good stuff. Is it just maybe possible that everything is working out perfectly? Could it be that in the heart of any difficulties you might be facing are hidden the seeds of the answer?

Next time

Next week we’re going to look at what happens when we step beyond Innocence, and consider the Orphan – but for now, look at where the Innocent appears in your life, and where maybe recovering some of your true Innocence and faith might help you move forward.

Until next time – enjoy the journey!

Find out more at www.timhodgson.org

PS – If you missed any of the preceding parts of the programme – catch up here: PREVIOUS CHAPTERS

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So welcome to week 4 of ‘Walking with Heroes’. I hope you’re seeing some of the parallels starting to emerge in your own life as well as starting to see the themes and stories that are woven into literature, into the movies and TV shows we watch, even into songs and into fairy tales, into books and comics and more.

Next time we’re going to start looking at the characters that make up these stories – the people that we can find on our journey through life – and the people that we are and the stories that we retell through our own lives. But for now… a little more on the story.

Now, you may well be thinking ‘I live a dull boring life in suburbia – all these stories of adventures and epic heroics are nothing to do with me’. I’m not so sure.

For some of us, we are already on that journey. We’ve recognised the call to do something great with our lives. Something, somewhere has called to us and we’ve answered. That might be a call to create – perhaps to build a business or an organisation. You will have been just going through life, going through the motions – when suddenly (or not so suddenly) an idea occurs to you and a vision begins to emerge. You might well have met someone wiser than us who can mentor us – or be thrilled by the success stories of others who have gone before us. You’re on the journey.

Perhaps yours is a great romantic adventure – the call is the call to love, to care for someone. That in itself is heroic. There will be someone that you respect who will offer you wisdom – or you will model your love after someone else. There will (you know there will) be trials and tests, hard times and difficulties. There will be friends and companions to support you. There will be a ‘dark night of the soul’ for you where you weep and despair. And you will emerge from the tough times with a new strength, a new capacity to care, a new determination. And there will be something that tries to drag you back to old fears just as you are stepping out of them.

Perhaps you will find your journey in parenthood. You find yourself thrust into a new and scary journey where everything is mysterious and difficult. There will be those around you who support you – and sometimes you will feel that the world (and your children) is set against you. Again, you emerge from the journey transformed – deeper, wiser, more caring, more powerful.

You might have a vision to do something of service to others: to start some crazy global initiative that will change the planet, or something local that will benefit the local community. That vision will take you through tough times when all seems dark. It will force you to confront your own weaknesses and the weaknesses of others. You will have to fight against unexpected obstacles. Yet you will give birth to something in all of that which makes a difference – which is a gift to you and to the world.

You might not yet be on the journey… yet perhaps there is something that calls to you, some change that you know you need to make, some great initiative that you find yourself returning to time and again. You see, I know that each one of us is called to be a hero, to achieve something amazing and wonderful in this life. That might be a huge initiative on the world’s stage, or it might be something smaller, something closer to home… but the seeds of greatness are in each one of us. That call may be loud and obvious, or it may be quiet and subtle.. yet it calls to each one of us, if we let it.

I know I’ve been on this journey several times – but perhaps the most recent for me was when I decided to leave my nice safe well paid job to create a business that served people rather than technology. The call for me came in several ways: from those around me, from those I respected – both international leaders and teachers and those closer to home. It was definitely an adventure that I stepped into and chose for myself.

I learned lots on that journey – through several mentors who pointed the way, and through friends that I met on the way.

The dragon I confronted was that of personal failure.. without going into it too deeply, the business didn’t work out as I wanted it to, largely because I was thinking too small, and I found myself confronted with deep feelings of inadequacy, a sense that I had been abandoned – by those around me, by those who had the opportunity to help me, and, in the end, by God. I definitely experienced that ‘dark night of the soul’ as I walked by the river trying to work out how to move forward.

Yet I did discover new meaning and new truth in all of that – the journey grew bigger as I took time out to travel, and that became the gift, the reward – yet I knew in all of that that I was bringing something out from that experience that would benefit others – allowing me to return to the ordinary world with a gift to give… which is why I am creating this programme and others to share what I’ve learned.

Getting stuck

Now, particularly when things go wrong, we can find ourselves stuck in our own story. Somewhere along the route, our experience has left us unable to move forward, for whatever reason – and I often see this with people who are stuck and unable to move on.

For example, they might be running a story of unrequited love – there is something tragically heroic about someone who loves and yet ultimately fails to find happiness – the stories of Romeo and Juliet, for example, or the plots of any one of a hundred romantic movies where the guy fails to get his girl…or the girl fails to get her guy. If we’re stuck in that story, we’ll find ourselves continually in relationships that don’t fulfill us, or in love affairs where the love isn’t returned – because to us, that story is heroic, and we keep retelling the story with ourselves as the main character.

Or maybe we’re stuck in a story of success against all the odds – where we keep fighting setback after difficulty after disaster in pursuit of our goals. Every time we clear one obstacle out of the way, another dragon rears its ugly head. We’re locked in the drama of the story, knowing that if we were actually successful, then all the drama would go away.

(In a later part of this series, I’m going to take another look at some of the stories that shape our lives… but before that we’re going to need to meet some of the characters that we’ll encounter on the journey)

‘But what do I do if I’m stuck in the story?’, you might well ask. ‘What is it that I can do to escape this story that keeps retelling itself?’ Well, the first thing to do is to recognise that it is only a story. The only reason it exists is because you keep retelling it. We’re so vulnerable to the things we tell ourselves..’I’m too old’, ‘I’m never going to meet anyone’, ‘every time I try something new I fail’, ‘I guess I’m just plain unlucky’, ‘I’ll never get out of debt’. We keep telling ourselves these things… and yet what if they weren’t true? What if they are just things we say to keep us in the drama of life?

The only time we have is right now. The only thing that we can affect is what’s happening right now. The past is a memory, and the future is just a possibility. Neither of those things actually have any meaning right now – unless we decide that they do. I used to have a real fear of speaking in public after a minister (who should have known better) stood and ranted at me after I had taken a service in his church. I could choose to believe his comments – or I could choose to move on.

In the same way, I found myself continually stepping back to a situation that hadn’t worked out… and so I wrote a new story. I created a whole new adventure for myself – I set it in a time of knights and princesses, and chose to create a story where I travelled the world (for sure) and found a new purpose and destiny. Writing that story broke me free from the old ‘stuck’ story that I was in the middle of. Try it – it might work really well for you. (It’s actually a really good visualisation tool anyway, even for those of us who aren’t ‘stuck’ – write a screenplay of your perfect day when you achieve a goal, or when you are living the life of your dreams. Write it in detail – what are you doing, who’s there with you, what’s life like, what are you eating or drinking, where are you… every single detail.) Creating such a strong image will do two things – it’ll create something that draws you to make that true, and at a metaphysical level it will start to attract the situations and resources that will make that dream real.

We really can just drop the story. Take the lesson, learn what needs to be learned, then (and it really is this simple) move on. The only thing that stops us is when we have something invested in a decision not to move on – when it actually serves us to stay stuck. Perhaps it feels safer to stay single rather than move into a new relationship with the risks that brings. Perhaps it feels safer to say ‘I could have been great’ rather than writing that story, or singing that song – rather than creating that business, or going on that trip round the world. When would now be a good time to decide to turn the page and write a new story? Because, and you can trust me on this… there is a story that needs you to write it. There is a story that will make your heart sing, that will thrill you, excite you that will make you say ‘that’s why I am alive’. If you step into it. That story will call to you. Receive it. Take hold of it. Own it. Because it’s the reason you are here.

In conclusion

Stories are all around us. We create them and weave them, and we’re influenced by them all the time. We can use them as frameworks to create our lives, to inspire us and lead us onward…but we should never let them ensnare us and hold us back…

Find out more at www.timhodgson.org

PS – If you missed any of the preceding parts of the programme – catch up here: PREVIOUS CHAPTERS

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Hi there! Last time we too k a look at the Hero’s Journey. There’s more to tell, so I’m going to use some movie examples to illustrate the journey – you might like to use your own movies, stories, TV programmes or fairytale, to see how the monomyth is present in different stories and legends.

So here goes…

Home ground – when we meet the hero it’s in the normal world. It might be remarkably dull and boring – or he might be getting along just fine, enjoying life and having fun, maybe even engaged in something significant. And yet the normality of his world is just a surface feature. Underneath the every day façade, a different and more magical world awaits – a world so radically different from that which our hero has experienced so far. When we discover Luke Skywalker in Star Wars, he’s on the dreary dull planet Tattooine, vapour farming with his uncle and aunt and cleaning droids. When we meet Frodo Baggins he’s at a party in the Shire, eating and drinking with his friends.

The call to adventure – something strange or unusual happens in our hero’s life. It may be that tragedy strikes – or the receipt of a strange and mysterious invitation. Perhaps some natural event changes the course of the day, or something seemingly insignificant causes the whole path of the future to shift. In ‘Sliding Doors’ a child gets in the way and causes Helen to miss her train, setting in place a whole series of different outcomes. In Star Wars Luke discovers a message from a mysterious stranger hidden in R2D2’s memory. Or it may be a realisation that there must be more to life that causes our hero to set off in search of fame and fortune, adventure and dreams.

Meeting the guide – at some point in the adventure a wiser mentor appears. Sometimes we don’t recognise the teacher at first, passing them off as irrelevant, out of touch or just plain dull. And yet something continues to attract us to that guide. Sometimes that’s a real person, and sometimes it’s an author who profoundly influences our understanding of the world. Luke, of course, met Obi Wan Kenobi. Arthur was brought face to face with the mysterious Merlin, while Frodo developed a new understanding of his long time friend Gandalf.

Refusal of the call – oftentimes we will turn away from the call when we hear it, stepping back into the world of normality, seeking to cling on to the safe, to the familiar. And yet the call will continue, insistent, pressing. Ignore it too long, perhaps, and it will fade, become familiar. Yet it will never truly be forgotten. Luke chooses to return to his uncle’s farm, convinced that ‘old Ben’ is simply crazy.

At this point we begin to pass from the known world into the unknown, stepping over (or being dragged through) the threshold of adventure. From here on in all bets are off, as we see just how deep the rabbit hole goes.

Confronting the dragon – at some point we meet a danger to our lives or our sanity – the dragon that guards the mysterious new realm. We can choose to flee back to the safety of our quiet little world, or we can plunge on into the unknown. Often times the dragon forces us to step into the mystical – there is no way back into the safe and secure as bridges are burned. For Luke, it’s the moment when the Imperial forces kill the only family he knows, destroying his livelihood and provoking him to seek justice.

Tests, trials and allies – the true story begins in earnest. Our hero will be tested and learn new skills, drawing on hidden resources within. There will be challenges that will forge a new inner strength and tough resolve. In the end, this is one reason for the journey – to create change in our lives. Whether that’s increasing our magical power and connection to the power that lies within, as in Luke’s case, or understanding our true determination to succeed against the odds, as Frodo found – or increasing our ability to love, whether romantically or in dedication to humanity. As we go we draw helpers to ourselves – some we recognise as true companions, while others rub us up the wrong way. Luke, of course, finds himself in a love-hate friendship with Han Solo and the wild, untameable Chewbacca. Frodo learns who his real friends are with his companion hobbits, and an unlikely collection of men, elves and dwarves – and the one who will threaten him yet ultimately save him, Gollum.

Approaching the cave – often with fear and caution, but sometimes just rushing in, our hero steps into the inner cave, the place where the supreme ordeal must be faced. This may (in myth) be the descent into hell – for Luke it is walking into the bowels of the death star. Frodo, of course, must face Mordor itself – and a series of similar challenges along the way, including the false sanctuary under Mount Moria.

The dark night of the soul – each and every hero must face this moment – the time they feel they cannot go on. When hope has been sucked out of them, and it seems that their life has become one of failure. Drawn into this mysterious new world, it seems that whichever way they turn, disaster follows. At this point the hero faces the supreme ordeal – and often times finds that the enemy they face is themselves. Luke had to face the truth that his greatest enemy was his father – and watching his mentor die at the hands of Darth Vader. Frodo continually tempted to use the power of the ring to escape – and of course facing the loss of Gandalf to the Balrog fire demon.

Seizing the treasure – discovering the reward – as the hero triumphs over ultimate evil, or over his own weaknesses and fears, he discovers a great gift – whether that be Arthur discovering Excalibur, or Frodo and friends receiving the gifts of the elves. The reward may be a new understanding that needs to be taken back to the world. Or it may be the discovery of great love, in the case of Sleeping Beauty, or Luke rescuing Leia.

The return – flushed with success, our hero begins the journey back with his prize. Yet often the challenge is not over. Our hero may elect to remain within the other world, reluctant to return to dreary normality. Or if he does make his way back, further trouble awaits. Here the great pursuit scenes follow, as the dragon seeks to regain its mastery. Luke and Han find themselves pursued by the Empire. Frodo struggles with the despair of crossing the plains toward Mordor. We find ourselves trapped within the story, unable to speak of it clearly in the world we are familiar with.

Resurrection and rebirth – emerging finally from the rigours of the journey, our hero steps back into the known world. Yet even so, this world is not as it was before. The adventures have created a new understanding – of the nature of reality, or of inner strength and gift. The companions met along the way create a new wider life, a web of friendship that opens up new worlds. The gift won at such great cost helps transform the world as we know it. For Frodo, of course, peace is restored and the shadow that has hung over Middle Earth is dispelled. Luke discovers new worlds and a family that he didn’t know – hidden in the story in the form of one of his closest companions. Our hero returns altered from the experience – in many stories our hero dies (or appears to) before resurrection – ET on the operating table, Luke in the trash compactor.

Return – for some there are fêtes and parties to celebrate victory. The father of the prodigal son throws a feast. The Republic celebrate Luke’s destruction of the Death Star. The hobbits of the Shire get merrily drunk. The prince marries his princess. Yet the hero is changed by his adventure and nothing will ever be the same again. For many that will be the call to a new adventure, for others it will be the application of new wisdom applied to ruling the land.

Reflection – no true hero’s story is told without discovering inner truth. Luke’s world is changed by his discovery of ‘The Force’ – the magical and miraculous truth at the heart of the universe. Arthur rules in wisdom and justice having learned the secrets of power from Merlin. And there is a sense that all is well in the world – at least for the moment – as Luke is surrounded by the wraiths of his mentors, Yoda and Obi-Wan… and of his father.

Anticlockwise from the top!

In brief

Although it may take many forms, the mythical path of the hero’s journey is the core, not only of the lasting stories of our time, but also of our own lives. Next time, we’re going to take a look at how that story plays out in our own lives. But for now, in six sentences, the story…

The hero is introduced in his ORDINARY WORLD where he receives the CALL TO ADVENTURE and MEETS HIS GUIDE. He is RELUCTANT at first to CROSS THE FIRST THRESHOLD into the UNKNOWN WORLD where he will encounter TESTS and TRIALS, meeting new COMPANIONS and ENEMIES. He reaches the INNERMOST CAVE where he endures the SUPREME ORDEAL, the DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL. He SEIZES THE TREASURE and is pursued by the forces of darkness on the ROAD BACK to his world. He is RESURRECTED and transformed by his experience. He RETURNS to his ordinary world with a treasure or GIFT to benefit his world.

It’s a fabulous journey . .

Find out more at www.timhodgson.org

PS – If you missed any of the preceding parts of the programme – catch up here: PREVIOUS CHAPTERS

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Hello again, and welcome to the second part of our adventure ‘Walking with Heroes’. This time we’re going to look at the Hero’s Journey – the timeless saga that underpins the great stories told around the world – and is also the heart of my story – and of yours, too.

The journey

When we look deeply into the structure of the great sagas, whether they be ancient stories like those of Jason and the Argonaut, or more up to date tales like Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, or Harry Potter we find a pattern. That pattern’s there not just because it’s good story telling – but because that’s the pattern of the story of our own lives, woven deep into the warp and woof of our own journey, our own saga.

The concept of the Hero’s Journey was identified by mythologist and author Joseph Campbell – he referred to it as the ‘monomyth’ and outlined it in his book ‘The Hero with a Thousand Faces’. Campbell believed that the monomyth was the great underlying spiritual story of mankind, and that’s why we find so many echoes of it in storytelling around the world. The story then embodies what’s at the core of our lives… that this is, in essence, a spiritual journey.

When we start to realise that our lives are not just aimless wanderings from birth to death, through highs and lows, peaks and troughs, through the ordinary and mundane to the sublime and wonderful – when we realise that each one of us is part of a bigger story, the story told from before time – then suddenly each one of us can know that we are living a life of significance, that our individual contribution is important. We are not here by chance – we are here because we matter, and because our lives matter.

The meaning of myth

In Campbell’s work, story and mythology have four functions:

To awaken a sense of awe before the mystery of being – because deep truth cannot be explained in words or images, story that awakens the soul allows us to connect to the deeper hidden mysteries.

To explain the shape of the universe – to find a way to explain the infinitely complex in patterns and in analogies that can be grasped by humanity, and to reconcile the scientific with the spiritual.

To validate the existing social order – to preserve the constructs of society and the values and morals of civilisation.

To guide the individual through the stages of life – to provide a framework for each of us to use as we step through our own individual journeys.

I’m going to focus on this last role, because it helps us to understand our lives, creating a cosmic context for our experience, making sense of what may feel like a random and chaotic journey.

Each of us will have had a moment when we identified with a character in a story. That might be with the despair of Cinderella when she is left behind, unable to join in the merriment and excitement at the ball – until, that is, until magic arrives in the shape of the fairy godmother and transforms bleak despair into hope and joy. That might be with the youthful Luke Skywalker, left alone on the desert world of Tattooine – until, that is, a chance encounter with a mysterious old man leads him into an adventure that spans the galaxy.

That identification is no coincidence. The echo of the story calls to each one of us, calling us to believe in something greater, something that will give our life meaning. We may believe that we are stuck somewhere in our story – but the truth is that we are not – that we can choose to write our own ending and create life as we want it to be. We are both the hero and the storyteller – the protagonist and the voiceover, and we can choose our own adventure and our own storyline.

In the movies

In the mid 1980s Chris Vogler, a story consultant for Disney, became fascinated by the concepts of the hero’s journey, particularly as he saw the themes of the story laid out in the movie ‘Star Wars’. He wrote a seven page memo to the Disney executives explaining how he saw the mythic themes presented in the Star Wars storyline. Yet this mythic framework echoes back many long years – way back to before Hollywood, before Tolstoy, Dickens, Homer, before the authors of the Bible – way back to when stories were told around the camp fires by the wise men of the village, where stories became the way that culture and tradition was passed down from one generation to another – but also where hope, and meaning, values and ambition were woven into something much richer.

I can remember watching the ground breaking movie ‘The Matrix’ in an American cinema. I had no idea of the storyline or the concept, and yet suddenly my understanding of the world was turned upside down as the screenwriters forced me to question the very nature of reality. Many of those concepts are now embedded into our understanding of how truly ‘real’ this world is, and how much of it is an illusion.

Stages of the Journey

So, what is the journey? Well, it would seem unfair to leave you on tenterhooks waiting to discover the nature of this mythic story – waiting to discover the patterns and shadows that shape our lives. It would seem cruel to leave you waiting for the nature of the greatest story of our lives to be laid out in front of us.

And yet, that’s the story teller’s secret – to leave his audience waiting for the next chapter to unfold.

Find out more at www.timhodgson.org

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So here we go – the first part of ‘Walking With Heroes’. I’ve found that looking at our lives through the eyes of myth and story to be really helpful, and so I am really looking forward to passing on to you what I’ve learned – so you can take that and build on it, use it and adapt it to your situation.

I spent a lot of time in big corporate organisations, and so I have done a lot of work with personality assessments: wonderful titles like ‘Myers-Briggs’ and ‘Belbin’, the Enneagram, Creativity assessments and more. One thing always frustrated me though – they all wanted to put me in a little box, to define how I behaved based on a questionnaire. And immediately someone tries to put me in a box, I tend to find ways to leap out of that box and defy their expectations.

So this work on what Carl Jung and Joseph Campbell called ‘mythic archetypes’ and we’re going to call ‘heroes’ as a form of personal analysis allows me to look at my life and respond to life at an emotional rather than an intellectual level. It allows me to find out what my heart is telling me, rather than what my head believes should be true.

(Time for a comment on terms – I’m going to use the word ‘hero’ for both male and female rather than talking about ‘heroines’ – it makes writing easier, and it feels more in keeping with modern usage)

In creating this series, I am hugely indebted to those who have come before me – to Carl Jung for his work on archetypes, for Joseph Campbell for his work on the hero’s journey, for Jean Houston for her work on myth and legend, and to Carol S Pearson, whose work ‘Awakening the Heroes Within’ was the beginning of my adventure in these ideas. I’d also like to thank storytellers everywhere, in particular some of those who have taken time to tell me shamanic stories out in Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Tibet and Hawaii, or tales of magic and other worlds, of angels and beings of light, of heroes and wise men….

Story time

Once upon a time, story was the way that truth was passed on from generation to generation.. and even now, whether in the written word, on TV, in movies or in the tales told around a campfire or a dinner table, stories have the power to change, to transform, to captivate, to heal, to set free.

Did you have a particular story that you loved when you were younger? Was there a particular hero of those stories that you loved? Somewhere in those stories, there’s a resonance about who you are. You see, particularly when we’re younger, the expectations of the world haven’t started to crowd in on us. Anything and everything is possible. We haven’t started listening to the demands of our teachers, or the rules of our religions, or the expectations of our parents. We’re allowed to be free and to imagine, to live a life where anything is possible. And (if you believe in these things) we are more connected to our life’s purpose and our true being when we are younger than when we get older and the pressures of making a living and being successful, of conforming and fitting in start to pressurise us.

So when we read a book or watch a movie or a TV show, or when our parents or grandparents read to us, or tell us a fairy tale, then we find in those stories the echoes of a deeper truth, a reality that calls out to us. And somewhere we connect to them.

I used to fascinated with stories of magic and wizards, with worlds that lay beyond our world – and as I have grown older and wiser I have reconnected with those stories, and begun to understand the true nature of what those myths and legends hid in plain sight. Heroes like Merlin, Gandalf, Estarriol – tales of magic and dragons. As I grew older I became intrigued by stories that took us out of our current abilities and into a new level of human evolution – stories of the Tomorrow People, the X-men, or people like DareDevil who had developed new abilities beyond their own humanity.

And those stories have stuck with me, helping me to understand that part of my gift is to help others reconnect with their own true magical power, to learn and grow and develop – to become, if you like, super human – more truly human than they knew.

So what’s your story? What did you love when you were younger? What stories truly resonated? What did you ask your mother or father to read to you over and over? What books would you pick up again and again? What did you play – what models did you make, what did you build out of Lego or out of clay?

Take some time to think back, and then imagine what that might mean. What parts of that story are you living out? What have you let go of?

About heroes

When we start to look at our stories, there seem to be a number of heroic characters that keep popping up. The king, the hermit, the fairy godmother, the wizard. The princess, the jester, the joker, the warrior. The adventurer, the wise woman, the innocent. All these are archetypes – models of particular traits and characteristics, forms of behaviour. Each of these find different ways to deal with the world around them. Each one of them has a different way to deal with the dragon that faces them – the difficulty to overcome, the challenge, the battle to be fought.

Each of these characters has unique strengths, unique talents and abilities that help them be heroic. And each of them has weaknesses too, their own Achilles heel that can cause them to falter.

One of the reasons why we’re unhappy or frustrated is that we don’t allow that heroic nature to be expressed. It sounds too, well, heroic. It sounds like a million miles away from the daily commute, from the office, from housework and home repairs, from hobbies and church and the factory floor. Yet each of us carries within us those elements of heroism. Not one of us is left out. We are, each of us, powerful beyond measure. We are, each of us, brilliant, talented, brave, heroic. Sometimes it might be a bit hidden… and now it’s time to get the armour out of the cupboard, shine it up and step into the truth of who we really are.

Because the world needs heroes.

It needs men and women who will step beyond the mundane and the ordinary and demonstrate their greatness. It needs you. We’re each one of us coded for it, by the way. Deep in our DNA is hidden a greatness, a wonder, a gift that we bring. And without your gift, the world is poorer.

Over this series, we’re going to look at each of the mythic heroes one by one, and look at their response to the world. We’ll look at their mythic story, and we’ll find echoes of those stories hidden in our own lives. You’re not restricted to one particular character, by the way – many of us are combinations of characters (I resonate with at least four!). You’ll also perhaps find characters that you don’t resonate with – or where you have been forced to behave in a certain way – yet that doesn’t feel ‘right’. For example, I have tried many times to act as the Ruler in my life, and it’s a pattern of behaviour that doesn’t suit me. I’m far better letting go of that and exploring what it might mean to be an Adventurer, where every day is taken as it comes, or finding the Magician – leaving the day to day running of the kingdom to others and allowing magic to heal the things that matter.

Oh and, by the way, even if you do find that you’re clearly behaving according to one of these characters, there’s absolutely nothing stopping you deciding to change character mid story. This is your story after all. The orphan Luke Skywalker became a great warrior and eventually a great magician.

Meeting the heroes

You might not see yourself in this list yet – although one of them might reach out and speak to you, and you’ll say ‘of course. That’s who I am’. We’ll introduce each one of them to you and at some point you’ll say ‘yes, that’s me’ or maybe just ‘I can see a lot of that in my character’. So as you read it, just let your soul take in each one and imagine what they might be..

So here they are:

Innocent

Orphan/Everyman

Warrior/Hero

Caregiver

Seeker/Explorer

Lover

Destroyer/Revolutionary

Creator/Visionary

Ruler

Magician/Wizard

Sage

Jester/Fool

Any of those suddenly leap out at you? Doesn’t matter if it didn’t – you’ll find a resonance with at least one of these as we go through this programme.

Yet as we go, you might find yourself drawn back to a book you hadn’t read since you were young, a TV programme that you’d forgotten – or you might find your dreams suddenly and strangely peopled by new characters and threaded through with new adventures. Because story releases truth.

Next time, we’re going to start to look at the hero’s journey, the cycle of our lives.

Until then, enjoy what comes up and what appears in your life – it might be more significant than you think…

Find out more at www.timhodgson.org

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