Join us, if you will, on the hero’s journey. The spiritual path is not the same as the religious path. The spiritual path has no ready-made answers. There is nothing to submit to. There is no comfortable pew from which to listen to sermons. You must dig deep in places you have never even imagined, and find your own answers. This path is not for everyone.
But it does ultimately provide infinite freedom. Immeasurable joy.
It’s a one step program. One step onto the path.
The path then whisks you away.
It doesn’t matter if you end up back where you started. The final destination is of no importance. What matters, the great myths tell us, is that you take the journey, for it is in the journey that you discover what even the most devout faith cannot reveal. Even the most powerful heroes, shamans and spiritual leaders of all ages could not forego this passage.
As you take this walk, you learn to give up your attachment to your personal limitations, your idiosyncrasies, hopes and fears, and no longer resist, in Joseph Campbell’s words, “the self-annihilation that is prerequisite to rebirth.”
Reality, unfortunately, is rarely what we imagine it to be. The exhilaration of departure soon melts into the darkness of our fears. We panic, if only momentarily. It’s not too late to turn back. What a crazy idea! A spiritual quest. A heroic journey. Who am I kidding anyway?
In truth, the hero is the woman or man who can step outside the norm, without falling prey to the spiritual regimens which can become an obsession in themselves, leading us away, not toward our inner longing. As John O’Donohue cautions, we become so desperate to learn the ‘how-to’, that in the process “our lives pass, and we neglect the practice of being.”
As Socrates said, “real understanding must come from within.” It cannot be imparted by someone else. Only the understanding that comes from within can lead to true insight.
This quest is the essence of all great mythologies. But change can be very daunting. Frightening even. If, however, you are one of those who sense a gaping hole in the unfolding of your life, then set down your limiting thoughts for it is time you boldly step forward onto your path to wisdom.
Trusting what is authentically true for us is the only meaningful way we can change our lives. Ask yourself, what do you really want? Most likely you want to become more of what you already are. The heart is the only true compass. Find what you love, nurture it, face the fear, and do it anyway.
Most of all, listen to yourself. Allow yourself to be consumed by the ache that calls you toward the most tantalizing exploration of the depths of your soul. Allow yourself to take the first step. The journey beckons. It burns like a fire in the belly.
Lili Fournier
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