Heroes & Hobbits
A day in the life of the Human Journey
Photo Credit: Natural Success Academy Create Your Destiny Program
Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey is a wonderful metaphor for the Human Journey and a model I use for seeing and appreciating my journey through life, the more familiar I become with it the more multi-layered my experience.
There is the hero's journey of my whole life, then there is the hero's journey of getting an project off the ground, or getting to the airport on time, or having that hard conversation. My life is a web of hero's journeys.
I know when I am in hiding, resisting life and believing that I am a 'peasant', I have experienced the 'wise man' in the most unexpected moments and the most serendipitous of places or conversations. And then before I can quote Bilbo Baggins....
“Sorry! I don’t want any adventures, thank you. Not Today. Good morning! But please come to tea – any time you like! Why not tomorrow? Good bye!”
...I am off on a quest - trying to keep my feet on the road and wondering "What am I going to get out of it? and am I going to come back alive?”
And then there are dragons, the trepidation of meeting them - I would prefer not to - and the terror of facing them but it must be done - dragons are the guardians of treasure, the treasure that the hero brings back home to share with the world.
I had two opportunities today to reflect on my relationship with this last and final phase of the journey to bring the treasure back home. Because I live life supremely grateful to have survived another quest on this road of never ending quests the treasure is the peace and relief of surviving the dragons rather than my learnings, my enhanced mastery, my resilience of a host of other jewels that might be available to me.
In my Hobbit heart - I have no use for adventures. "Nasty disturbing uncomfortable things! Make you late for dinner! I can’t think what anybody sees in them.”
It is a beautiful treasure to be alive another day but what a waste of an adventure to return to the beginning with only the relief of it being over. What treasure is this?
Today my eyes were opened to seeing that there is more to reclaim from my hero's journeys. In my haste for horrible adventures to be over I can neglect to appreciate the beauty of all of life; the sunny days and the dragon nights both are jewelled and beautiful. I can forget to appreciate my courage and fortitude, my determination and curiosity, the example I set and the tension I can hold to step into the unknown again and again, not just to live my life but also to create my business. It isn't the normal way to do things - to be intuitive, to go against received wisdom and proven practise at times.
With new eyes I look forward to collecting and sharing bigger hoards of treasure now that I have received the gift of living content with my own worth and the companionship of true friends who choose this path with me.
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