You can discover hidden powers and unexpected talents with your Hero’s Journey story. It is a transformational lens that can illuminate every aspect of your life.
Three of the many ways to use it are:
To explore each barrier story as its own descent into the underworld, and get past it as a limiter.
To apply archetypal roles to examine where you may have lost storylines, or blocked them by never developing fully.
To see your entire life as preparing you for the heroism of taking on your Sacred Dream.
Let's explore!
Explore Each Barrier Story As Its Own Descent
Take the life story you’ve written down so far. Which of your story fragments do you tell over and over again? To tell can be to others, or simply to yourself. They’re the familiar old fragments that you, or your inner self-talk, trot out on a regular basis. Write a list of 3-5 of these that you want to get rid of or transform.
Review that list. What era of your life are these from, childhood, young adulthood, the recent past? What do these tell you about your limitations, your life, your potential? Until now, have you considered these the sum total of who you are?
Are there any you use as reasons why you can’t, shouldn’t, or aren’t able to do the things you want to do? Focus on these first. These are your Barrier Stories. You’ve used these as reasons to stop at a certain point, as limiters, as barriers, as should-nots that block your achievement.
Now, pick a Barrier Story and retell it as a Hero's Journey into the Underworld, WITH the corresponding ascent back into the regular world bearing NEW knowledge.
What did you learn? What can you teach?
If you’ve never yet come out of the underworld on this particular Barrier Story (for example, “I am a shy introvert, and I was beat up in school as a smart kid, so I’m still shy and hide my smarts even now at events and meetings to avoid being ridiculed”), now’s the time! Create that new story for yourself now - write it down. Grasp your sword, stand tall, and walk back into the light with your new knowing.
For example, “Sure I’m an introvert, but with my smarts, I’m exceptional at creation, brainstorming and insights for my team; and I come back to the surface world with the new knowledge of being able to draw out the intelligent ideas of others who are silent, because I know exactly what it feels like to be that way. And now to take it into action, I will _________ [fill in action here].”
Realize that every aspect of your life is heroic. It is a living tapestry of possibility and opportunity. There has been magic in your life from the very first.
Explore Archetypal Roles; which one are you?
Plug these archetypal roles into your Hero’s Journey and see what they reveal. Do this by examining where each figure appears in your story, or, what there story is as a chapter in your overall Hero's Journey arc.
Child. Begin with the Child, the learner, filling their basket of knowledge, surviving in the family, learning from the world others model. The Child takes on family beliefs without having other filters or knowledge, and so, believes it all as true. What was your childhood like? Were you encouraged, ignored, shamed, restricted? What is your Child like now, in the present? How much sway does the Child’s fears or survival modes have in your everyday career or personal choices? Do you still take time to encourage, nurture, and praise your inner Child self, in the way an ideal parent would? What story can you tell that adds to your Child story's happiness and growth?
The Child as Mother’s Child, Father’s Child. Were you more your mother’s child, or your father’s? What is the differing energy between the two possible ways you were raised by one or the other? Observe how this has impacted your story arc. Were you raised to be the home helper who holds back to never grow beyond family? Were you raised to be the independent creator, the one who heads out to make his/her fortune in the world? Was it OK to be one but not the other? Was your independence a threat to either parent? Now that YOU’RE writing the story, how do you change these influences to create more of what you want out of life?
King or Queen. Observe your King or Queen, the mature manifestation of your power that has come through all the learning, fire, and storm of the Hero’s Journey. In this role, you are in command of your own kingdom. You rule wisely, compassionately, and justly. You have wisdom, knowledge, and make decisions well. Is this who you are yet? If not, are there parts of your life in which you ARE your King or Queen? This is who you want to be as taking on the full power of your life. What actions can you take to be more of this wise, active person? Tell your story with the King or Queen questing to make all parts of the kingdom secure, safe and prosperous. How does this transform your story?
Were you interrupted at any point along your story arc? Are there areas of life in which you’re still more the Child role, other areas in which you’re already the King or Queen? You may find different aspects of your life or presence have grown at different rates. This can give you insights into who you are, or why you want what you want out of life.
Explore using other archetypal roles. There are many more than the roles noted above - experiment with your story stucture as reflecting Soldier, Warrior, Healer, to name a few. These too can enter and transform your story and yourself.
Review and reflect, and see how you can become MORE of the self you want to be, which is the true self of your heroic story.
Review Your Story As Preparation For Taking On Your Sacred Dream
How has your entire life until this point, even the balks and failures and struggles (perhaps especially those), prepared you to take on your Sacred Dream now in amazing, wise, courageous ways?
To quote Alberto Villoldo,
“Discovering a sacred dream requires courage. You can no longer be a passive (and anxious) bystander watching others have a meaningful life. The sacred dream will not come knocking at your door: It requires that you leave the familiar and embark on a quest. It requires that you not compromise your integrity. It demands that you not allow yourself to be seduced by ‘the easy path.’ It calls you to fight the lie that your daydream is adequate and will continue to keep you comfortable.”
Take your life story until this point, and tell it again as your Hero's Journey. As you do, hold in mind the awareness that ALL of it has been preparation for you to have the strength, knowledge, grace, and smarts to take on the quest of your Sacred Dream.
Let every smallest aspect, even the ugly or unlovely parts of your story, be part of a seamless rainbow tapestry that has prepared you. It's given you all the heroism and guts you need to be able to take the next step - the step you’ve been secretly aching for in growth and expansion.
What is your Sacred Dream? What is the next step leading your Hero's Journey to your Sacred Dream? How do the two connect?
Homework: Use one of the ideas above to transform your story.
Pick one or more Barrier Story and explore it as ascent with new knowledge you can use today.
Explore Archetypal Roles - what insights do you see?
Explore how your story has prepared you for your Sacred Dream.
How will you transform your story today?
Keep Growing,
Katherine Lieber coaches and trains on self-leadership, limitlessness, energy health, inner power, and healing the wounded professional to recover core vision, joy, and high-powered performance in the workplace. She is the founder of TitaniumBlue Leadership. Be limitless - be the hero in a world that needs you.
References
Villoldo, Alberto. "The Heart of The Shaman: Stories & Practices of the Luminous Warrior". Carlsbad, California : Hay House, Inc., 2018.
© 2019 Katherine R. Lieber & TitaniumBlue Leadership
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