Joseph Campbell created a framework for the spiritual path which he called “The Hero’s Journey.” The heroine, who is always flawed, starts out on her journey filled with hope and inspiration, endures a few dark nights, and faces repeated run-ins with her weaknesses. At the pinnacle of her suffering she has a breakthrough, realizes that she and God are one, and is inspired to be of service to others. (LRH, Self Belonging)
In the midst of our collective pre-election jitters, we lost Sir Thomas Sean Connery, a 20thcentury movie icon, who died on October 31st at the age of 90. A big fan, I felt it was my moral imperative to re-visit one of his films in celebration of his life. I chose Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, in which Steven Spielberg directed the well-matched pair of Harrison Ford as Indiana and Connery as his father, Henry. Together, they create a classic “hero’s journey” set in 1938, just before Hitler’s army invaded Poland.
Much of the film is devoted to Indiana’s search for Henry, a holy grail scholar kidnapped by the Nazis to lead them to Christ’s chalice and bestow them with eternal life. Once Indiana and Henry were re-united they set out to find the grail together, before the Nazis. Nonetheless, they all eventually ended up together at the Temple home of the chalice, where a series of death-traps had been placed for keeping it in place.
Once his dad was shot at the scene by the Nazis, Indiana faced the ultimate task of saving him and the Chalice by negotiating those death traps—the last one being to step out into empty space above a deep ravine. Henry mutters, “You must believe, boy,” when a bridge suddenly appears beneath Indiana’s feet, manifesting the benefit of his “leap of faith” and paving the path to the Holy Grail.
Dear hearts, as we all know, these are chaotic times when we too often feel poised on the edge of a ravine, wishing for a magic bridge. It is a time to decide whether to retreat in utter fatigue or exercise our own version of faith (on steroids). I don’t care who you voted for or what you think he or his party represents, can any of us afford the luxury right now of celebrating or anguishing the outcome of our recent election—regardless of how things may appear or play out?
Is it possible that people in America have not been so tribally polarized since the beginning of the Civil War, 259 years ago? Just 85 years earlier, in 1776, The Declaration of Independence was signed, representing a United States bound together with unalienable rights decreed in our Constitution. Today, we appear to be two nations in one, separate and distinct, living in the shadow of both events, within a society rife with primitive hatred, pandemics, and general pandemonium. What on earth will bring us together now, as the world watches those of us fortunate enough to live in “the home of the free and the land of the brave?” What do we want them to witness?
What continues to fuel our competitive nature—the compelling force that keeps coaxing us to escape defeat at all costs—are instincts rooted in our primal past, thwarting our conscious evolution. (LRH, Self Belonging)
From my lens, I see a mighty Force that supports all warriors of light (however cheezie that sounds), stalwart in their commitment to usher in whatever it takes to transcend these dark and troubled times—which in my view no President or President-elect is solely equipped to resolve. Instead, I believe it is up to those of us who have had more than a few twists and turns on our own hero’s journey to summon the stamina necessary in support of triumph over darkness—whatever we might interpret that to mean. And yes, while at it, I suspect we’ll have even more obstacles to overcome, and some real leaps of faith of our own to step into. Can we hear Henry’s voice say “you must believe?” The alternative is to stand by and let the forces of primal entropy run rampant—while in fact this is rich, fertile territory, inviting us to join forces and make real changes in the landscape.
In being totally transparent with you, I have to admit: I am not liberal, conservative, or any grey place in between. Rather I am a citizen for consciousness. What does that mean? It means I am interested in making whatever contributions I can at this advanced stage of my life for the upliftment of humanity by connecting to others with the same objective. I know, it sounds sanctimonious, but if you’re reading the words on this page my hunch is that you understand and you want to participate too. Perhaps, together we can recognize that in serving as examples for others we have to let go of any primal persuasion for competition or the “winners and losers” paradigm, while fortifying our individual and collective vision on what’s best for the greater good.
Believing in you…
Love,
Luann
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