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

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 suffering without 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