Good morning, and thanks for reading my blog. I appreciate the feedback, and I’m glad that some of you have found the posts helpful. I really enjoy writing them. However, I’m getting worn out and I need to take a break.
I truly admire people who can work full-time and still write. I just don’t seem to be one of them. If I try to keep up this pace, the posts will start being really grumpy. That kind of defeats the purpose, don’t you think?
And something else has been nagging at me. I have the sense that there are more urgent matters that need to be addressed. Specifically, the shredding of the U.S. Constitution, and the sports tournament that we call an election, which allows us to choose between Tweedledum and Tweedledee, on voting machines that do fishy things.
I still have another fun dragon story and will plan to finish it in about a week. In the meantime, I’m thinking maybe I should follow my own advice. I’m going to take a nap and then go for a walk in the woods.
Thanks again for your feedback and encouragement.
One more thing – if you live in the United States you might want to consider getting some of your news from at least one source outside the U.S. It’s easy to do on the Internet. Just a suggestion.
Karen
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Thursday, March 13, 2008
March 13 Dragons
For Western cultures, the classic hero is the Warrior. The hero must prove he is a Warrior, usually by killing a dragon. When we encounter a dragon, the implication is that we only have two choices: kill the dragon or be killed.
But after a while, that story gets old. Eventually we have found every possible way to kill dragons. We become weary of patching up the Warriors who return alive but burned, gored or hobbling. We start to wonder whether the battle is worth the cost, or if there is another way for the hero to prove his worth.
If we have more than one kind of hero, there must be more than one way to handle a dragon. And so it was for Jerome the frog.
In Philip Ressner’s children’s book Jerome, he is turned into a prince by a witch. The townspeople inform him that since he is now a prince, they expect him to slay the greasy, smelly dragon that is burning up their houses and forests.
(I believe the description of dragons as greasy and smelly is supposed to make us more willing to kill them. But I digress.)
Jerome finds the cave where the dragon lives and announces that he plans to slay him. But the dragon protests, saying that he can’t help himself. He says that breathing fire is what dragons do.
This puzzles Jerome, who did not expect an assertive dragon. He thinks for a while, and then proposes a deal.
Now the dragon burns the town garbage on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The other days he rests and tells lies.
But after a while, that story gets old. Eventually we have found every possible way to kill dragons. We become weary of patching up the Warriors who return alive but burned, gored or hobbling. We start to wonder whether the battle is worth the cost, or if there is another way for the hero to prove his worth.
If we have more than one kind of hero, there must be more than one way to handle a dragon. And so it was for Jerome the frog.
In Philip Ressner’s children’s book Jerome, he is turned into a prince by a witch. The townspeople inform him that since he is now a prince, they expect him to slay the greasy, smelly dragon that is burning up their houses and forests.
(I believe the description of dragons as greasy and smelly is supposed to make us more willing to kill them. But I digress.)
Jerome finds the cave where the dragon lives and announces that he plans to slay him. But the dragon protests, saying that he can’t help himself. He says that breathing fire is what dragons do.
This puzzles Jerome, who did not expect an assertive dragon. He thinks for a while, and then proposes a deal.
Now the dragon burns the town garbage on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The other days he rests and tells lies.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
March 12 The Hero's Journey
The Innocent comes through the journey and finds peace. The Magician comes through the journey and provides healing for the self and the world. The Magician goes beyond ordinary reality.
We can see the Magician in champion athletes who play with elegance and grace, without apparent effort. They achieve this grace only after years of discipline and practice. But once in the game, the baseball pitcher doesn’t think about every detail – the wind speed, the curve of his arm, the position of the batter. Instead, he lets go and lets his body do what it knows how to do.
The traditional Western warrior fights directly against the opponent, perhaps using a battering ram to break down resistance. But Magician warriors use Eastern martial arts such as aikido. In this style of combat, they do not fight against the challenger but instead turn around and move in the direction the challenger is going. The opponent then becomes unbalanced and falls.
Just as the aikido practitioner aligns with the force of the foe, the Magician harmonizes with the forces of nature. The Magician physician understands the wisdom of the body and its natural ability to heal, and plans treatment that will enhance this ability. Balance is important for the Magician. Just as in the martial arts, where grace and balance are more powerful than brute strength, our bodies and lives need to be in balance if we are to heal.
The Magician does things we think are impossible. But this is partly because they are willing to try. Certainly more people could do “impossible” things if they were willing to make an attempt, and then had the patience and discipline to perfect their skills. Sometimes magic is in believing you can do something and then doing it. To be a Magician, we must go beyond apparent boundaries and give up self-imposed limits.
Magicians understand that we are all connected. They know that we are all children of the Creator and that truth wears many faces. Magician Warriors have respect for their opponents and see divinity in them. For the Magician, the world is too small to have enemies. The goal is wisdom, harmony, and peace.
We can see the Magician in champion athletes who play with elegance and grace, without apparent effort. They achieve this grace only after years of discipline and practice. But once in the game, the baseball pitcher doesn’t think about every detail – the wind speed, the curve of his arm, the position of the batter. Instead, he lets go and lets his body do what it knows how to do.
The traditional Western warrior fights directly against the opponent, perhaps using a battering ram to break down resistance. But Magician warriors use Eastern martial arts such as aikido. In this style of combat, they do not fight against the challenger but instead turn around and move in the direction the challenger is going. The opponent then becomes unbalanced and falls.
Just as the aikido practitioner aligns with the force of the foe, the Magician harmonizes with the forces of nature. The Magician physician understands the wisdom of the body and its natural ability to heal, and plans treatment that will enhance this ability. Balance is important for the Magician. Just as in the martial arts, where grace and balance are more powerful than brute strength, our bodies and lives need to be in balance if we are to heal.
The Magician does things we think are impossible. But this is partly because they are willing to try. Certainly more people could do “impossible” things if they were willing to make an attempt, and then had the patience and discipline to perfect their skills. Sometimes magic is in believing you can do something and then doing it. To be a Magician, we must go beyond apparent boundaries and give up self-imposed limits.
Magicians understand that we are all connected. They know that we are all children of the Creator and that truth wears many faces. Magician Warriors have respect for their opponents and see divinity in them. For the Magician, the world is too small to have enemies. The goal is wisdom, harmony, and peace.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
March 11 The Hero's Journey
We start our life’s journey as an Innocent. For a time, our needs are taken care of and we live in paradise. For those with a happy childhood the Innocent journey continues, a time of being loved and appreciated.
This Innocent stage, however, is shorter than it was a generation or two ago. The harsher realities of the world intrude through television, music, and other influences. School may be a place of bullying and shaming. Schools often have a Winner Ladder as rigid as any we will ever face in our lives. Too soon, we encounter the Orphan and the journey begins.
Each stage of the journey has a gift of wisdom. The hero becomes skilled at handling the pitfalls along the way. Those who persist, facing their fears, coping with dragons and muddling through the dark woods, encounter a surprise. As they come out on the other side of the woods, they find themselves in paradise again.
It is paradise because it meets our needs. It might not be a paradise for someone else, but because we have taken the journey, we know ourselves and what we need. We can ask for what we want without fighting. We know who we are and we don’t bother trying to fit somewhere we don’t belong.
The Innocent finds peace as a result of going on the journey. Peace comes because we have nothing to fear. We know that to be loved the secret is to be loving. We no longer have anything to prove. We have turned the journey into wisdom, and when we know how to solve problems, they have no power over us.
However . . . .
The journey is not a straight line but a spiral. So the end of one journey is the beginning of the next. Eventually something happens, we are thrust onto a new journey, and we are on our way to greater wisdom.
This Innocent stage, however, is shorter than it was a generation or two ago. The harsher realities of the world intrude through television, music, and other influences. School may be a place of bullying and shaming. Schools often have a Winner Ladder as rigid as any we will ever face in our lives. Too soon, we encounter the Orphan and the journey begins.
Each stage of the journey has a gift of wisdom. The hero becomes skilled at handling the pitfalls along the way. Those who persist, facing their fears, coping with dragons and muddling through the dark woods, encounter a surprise. As they come out on the other side of the woods, they find themselves in paradise again.
It is paradise because it meets our needs. It might not be a paradise for someone else, but because we have taken the journey, we know ourselves and what we need. We can ask for what we want without fighting. We know who we are and we don’t bother trying to fit somewhere we don’t belong.
The Innocent finds peace as a result of going on the journey. Peace comes because we have nothing to fear. We know that to be loved the secret is to be loving. We no longer have anything to prove. We have turned the journey into wisdom, and when we know how to solve problems, they have no power over us.
However . . . .
The journey is not a straight line but a spiral. So the end of one journey is the beginning of the next. Eventually something happens, we are thrust onto a new journey, and we are on our way to greater wisdom.
Monday, March 10, 2008
March 10 The Hero's Journey
The Wanderer’s journey leads away from home into the unknown. The journey is a search for healing of the self and the world.
Wanderers are pulled onto the journey by a feeling that something is missing, although they may be unable to name it. They may feel trapped, as if they are in a cage. They sense they no longer fit into their lives, or maybe that they have never fit. They escape from a world that seems hostile or empty.
In the fairy tale, the prince goes looking for Cinderella, visiting every home in the kingdom to see who will fit the glass slipper. When he arrives at Cinderella’s house, he finds that one of the stepsisters has cut off part of her foot in an attempt to fit into the slipper.
This is what many of us do. We cut off part of ourselves in an attempt to fit into the role we are trying to fill. Parts of ourselves are numb or missing because we don’t accept them or we fear that others won’t approve of them. When we are the Wanderer we search for our missing parts; we seek wholeness.
Many people avoid going on the Wanderer journey. They may be obsessed with safety or bound in fear. They may be afraid that the journey would change them, and they are probably right. They forget that life is supposed to be an adventure.
Eventually the Wanderer returns from the journey, bringing answers to problems, answers that were not available at home. These solutions bring new life to the kingdom. But the hero gains the treasure only by going on the quest. The prince would never have found Cinderella if he had not gone looking for her.
Wanderers are pulled onto the journey by a feeling that something is missing, although they may be unable to name it. They may feel trapped, as if they are in a cage. They sense they no longer fit into their lives, or maybe that they have never fit. They escape from a world that seems hostile or empty.
In the fairy tale, the prince goes looking for Cinderella, visiting every home in the kingdom to see who will fit the glass slipper. When he arrives at Cinderella’s house, he finds that one of the stepsisters has cut off part of her foot in an attempt to fit into the slipper.
This is what many of us do. We cut off part of ourselves in an attempt to fit into the role we are trying to fill. Parts of ourselves are numb or missing because we don’t accept them or we fear that others won’t approve of them. When we are the Wanderer we search for our missing parts; we seek wholeness.
Many people avoid going on the Wanderer journey. They may be obsessed with safety or bound in fear. They may be afraid that the journey would change them, and they are probably right. They forget that life is supposed to be an adventure.
Eventually the Wanderer returns from the journey, bringing answers to problems, answers that were not available at home. These solutions bring new life to the kingdom. But the hero gains the treasure only by going on the quest. The prince would never have found Cinderella if he had not gone looking for her.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
March 9 The Hero's Journey
Each of the archetypes is an important part of the spiritual journey; each has a gift for the journeyer.
The Altruist teaches us to care for others.
The Warrior, the “official” hero, is revered and celebrated in the media, but in reality most of us spend our time and energy being an Altruist. We provide for our families, we look after our neighbors. A great many of us donate our time in volunteer work. Collectively, we contribute huge amounts of money to charities. We are everyday heroes.
The Warrior’s separateness and individuality are a valuable stage of the journey; the Altruist provides connection. With the Warrior we learn freedom; with the Altruist we find meaning. To ask whether the Warrior or the Altruist is more important is to ask a Winner Ladder question. In fact, both are necessary.
We are all connected, and we all affect each other. The Altruist teaches us to go beyond ourselves, to look to the needs of the family, the community, and the world, even to those who are different from ourselves. We learn to give something back.
Higher-level Altruists want to give, not out of obligation or fear of what comes after death, but because they want to, because they believe they can make a difference.
The shadow Altruist’s gifts come with strings attached. These people want to control others and do not respect their boundaries. They are the helicopter parents, who hover over their children even when they go away to college. The shadow Altruist may try to live through others instead of taking the individual spiritual journey.
Most Altruist jobs are poorly paid, low on the Winner Ladder. But they are essential. Many, many people give up higher-status jobs to take an Altruist job that provides meaning and a sense of satisfaction.
It is hard to live in peace when others around us are not doing well. If we are to have peace, we must look after the needs of everyone.
The Altruist teaches us to care for others.
The Warrior, the “official” hero, is revered and celebrated in the media, but in reality most of us spend our time and energy being an Altruist. We provide for our families, we look after our neighbors. A great many of us donate our time in volunteer work. Collectively, we contribute huge amounts of money to charities. We are everyday heroes.
The Warrior’s separateness and individuality are a valuable stage of the journey; the Altruist provides connection. With the Warrior we learn freedom; with the Altruist we find meaning. To ask whether the Warrior or the Altruist is more important is to ask a Winner Ladder question. In fact, both are necessary.
We are all connected, and we all affect each other. The Altruist teaches us to go beyond ourselves, to look to the needs of the family, the community, and the world, even to those who are different from ourselves. We learn to give something back.
Higher-level Altruists want to give, not out of obligation or fear of what comes after death, but because they want to, because they believe they can make a difference.
The shadow Altruist’s gifts come with strings attached. These people want to control others and do not respect their boundaries. They are the helicopter parents, who hover over their children even when they go away to college. The shadow Altruist may try to live through others instead of taking the individual spiritual journey.
Most Altruist jobs are poorly paid, low on the Winner Ladder. But they are essential. Many, many people give up higher-status jobs to take an Altruist job that provides meaning and a sense of satisfaction.
It is hard to live in peace when others around us are not doing well. If we are to have peace, we must look after the needs of everyone.
Saturday, March 8, 2008
March 8 The Hero's Journey
When we suffer a loss and find ourselves adrift, the Orphan archetype is prominent in our lives. We may feel abandoned or betrayed, thrown out of our comfort zone. Maybe we trusted someone who let us down, or the perfect job turns out to be awful. Perhaps we lose money on a house or a business.
We have this idea that life should be smooth, that if we have problems we have done something wrong. But all of us have wounds of some sort, and the wound is what propels us onto the spiritual journey.
The Orphan teaches us to be more realistic and to trust wisely. We learn that we can take what life dishes out, that we can survive the problems and the dramas and still be standing. We learn that we must each be responsible for our own happiness; if we entrust our happiness entirely to someone else, they will sometimes let us down.
Those caught in the shadow side of the Orphan remain caught up in anger and bitterness and never grow beyond the loss. Those who remain stuck in the pain pay the price of the Orphan journey without collecting its gifts.
The journey out of the loss may be long. It may be that you don’t recover from the loss in the sense of returning to who you were before, but move forward into something new, something you have never been before. The problem, the loss, allows you to move ahead and live a larger life.
Peace is not living forever in the Garden of Eden. Peace in this world is knowing that you can handle what will come along in the future.
We have this idea that life should be smooth, that if we have problems we have done something wrong. But all of us have wounds of some sort, and the wound is what propels us onto the spiritual journey.
The Orphan teaches us to be more realistic and to trust wisely. We learn that we can take what life dishes out, that we can survive the problems and the dramas and still be standing. We learn that we must each be responsible for our own happiness; if we entrust our happiness entirely to someone else, they will sometimes let us down.
Those caught in the shadow side of the Orphan remain caught up in anger and bitterness and never grow beyond the loss. Those who remain stuck in the pain pay the price of the Orphan journey without collecting its gifts.
The journey out of the loss may be long. It may be that you don’t recover from the loss in the sense of returning to who you were before, but move forward into something new, something you have never been before. The problem, the loss, allows you to move ahead and live a larger life.
Peace is not living forever in the Garden of Eden. Peace in this world is knowing that you can handle what will come along in the future.
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