The mentor reminds us that though we may aim for the moon, we will at least fall among the stars. And so we are driven to fix our gaze even higher, surpassing our supposed pinnacles to heights we have yet to imagine.

            This reaching is not done in vain under the auspices of fame and glory, but with the understanding that just as the lunges taken by those that have gone before us have propelled us further along, so will our leaps inspire those we love and for whom we fight to follow in the wake of our own victories and yet surpass us. The hero is not concerned solely in his own progress, but in the service it will offer to those who depend upon him and those who follow after.

                        Patanjali said that when you set out with an intention, unseen forces will rise to your aid. Thus, as the hero embarks upon his quest, forces rise to help him on his way. In our journeys toward excellence, we will meet with allies to stand beside us, trials to sharpen us, and challenges to strengthen us.

            Throughout our journeys, we will stumble upon a myriad of forces, seen and unseen. Though some may be seen as obstacles that would deter us from our endeavor, we must remain steadfast in the knowledge that we are the heroes of our stories and are fated with victory over every challenge that stands before us. For there truly are no obstacles to achieving our fate, but only challenges which guide the way there.

Furthermore, though the allies that would stand with us may offer to help us to carry our load, let us still not forget our place in our own story, neither to hand off our burden to them or to take theirs upon ourselves. For just as you are living you own mythology, each ally you meet must also rise to the level of his own hero, whether conscious of the fact or not.

When you make the commitment to become your own hero and strive to go beyond even your own imaginings of what that entails, you will begin to hear the echoes of the calls that go out to those you meet along the way. In the new mythology, there is the understanding that the same essence of valor that has extended throughout time and tradition, through the stories of heroes past, is open to each and every one of us.

With the realization that each of the allies that accompany us on our journey, for however long they hold our company, are on their own hero’s journey, we find one of our greatest resources. To cultivate this resource, it becomes our simple imperative to inspire our fellow aspirants to reaching beyond the length of their capabilities. In so doing, they in turn inspire others and the personal mythology we are developing becomes a social paradigm, making our rise to heroism all the more glorious because it is shared.

It is with this knowledge that we serve as mentors for others on their journeys. As each of us rises to the level of hero, the collective of humanity rises with us. It is up to each of us to encourage our brothers and sisters in the knowledge we have gained and the experiences we have surmounted. It is up to us to help each other realize the hero in us all.

            In the end, we find ourselves alone. For the journey we take, though many share in it with us, we take it alone, for each of us must blaze his own trail and follow his own path. But as we mature into our place in the annals of heroism, we realize that though we were alone, we were on the same voyage as everyone else. And though the scenery changed and the challenges differed, the journey was the same. For the hero who has died to himself and been resurrected as the selfless being of service realizes that, though our stories are told in different languages throughout different cultures, though they are echoed throughout different generations by way of different mediums, because the essence of our valor is one of Spirit, we are all One.

            Though we have completed our initial course, we will be eternally ready to stand as the heroes that we have become. We hold victory in our hearts and will accept nothing less in any venture that comes our way. We dedicate ourselves to heroism. We dedicate ourselves to valor. We dedicate ourselves to excellence.

            When we are called to return home, to go back to the life we lived before our adventure, we are often reluctant. As we have dedicated ourselves to heroism, we can surely rationalize how the doldrums of our old lives would do nothing to contribute to our new way of thinking and new mode of living. However, with a deep breath of contemplation, we realize that the journey of the hero is not in our outside endeavors, but  in our hearts where our valor and the convictions of our conscience create the characters we truly are.

            So we return to the life we once knew, but we don’t return to the same type of living. There is a simultaneous spring in our step and purpose in our gait. There is a newfound interest in everything that we have seen before, as if we are seeing it for the first time. And indeed, we are seeing the place again for the first time. Because we are new creatures, wiser, stronger, and more able than ever before.

There is the temptation to forget this and to truly return to life as it was before our victory. There is the temptation to look at the outward world, to see that nothing has changed in it, and to forget about the change that has occurred within us. We must remember that who we are lies within and emanates from there. As we return to the world we once knew, let us bring the change they are longing for.

            Emerging from the cave with our sword in hand, we now wear the epaulets of the hero, and we are no longer the creatures we were when we went into the cave. We have killed ourselves. We have been born again. We realize that holding to the past and the demons therein that clamored for us to remain with them was death for us. By killing that part of ourselves, letting go of the old, we have allowed for the opportunity to embrace life, and made room for the new.

In our new role, we stand ready to face all of life’s challenges. Though we have finished one journey, we must embark on yet another, and another after that, each time vanquishing the inner demons and outer challenges that face us, forever realizing that we are more than conquerors. In each task we accomplish, we are born anew, with new knowledge, new skills, and new abilities to better achieve the next goal.

This is when we seize our sword. This is when we truly realize ourselves as the hero. When we can, in the face our own psyches, not allow our pasts, our fears, our neuroses, or our supposed mental disorders to assault us anymore. We hold our sword aloft with great fervor and a new understanding and control over who we really are. We sever our attachments to the past. We swing through our fears, dissipating them into the nothing they really are. We parry and thrust through neuroses and disorders, conquering all of our demons with one fell swoop, standing for a single instant as the master of our destinies, and swearing to carry that moment for the rest of our lives.

As we swing, as we attack, and as we fight, we realize that we are fighting ourselves. All of the fears and neuroses and each moment of our past that has developed into a current problem are part of who we are, or at least who we’ve come to accept as who we are. But by plunging the sword through our own hearts and killing the person that we were, we defeat all that stands against us. We die to ourselves. We let go. We wait for the second coming.

As we crossed the First Threshold, we thought ourselves as heroes. When we face our fears in the Inmost Cave, we wrote the name of Hero across our hearts. Facing the Supreme Ordeal, we turn our thoughts and words to deed.

In the culmination of life, one might say that the Supreme Ordeal is Death. And indeed, the Supreme Ordeal of the Hero’s Journey is death as well, for through this ordeal, we forever die to the person that we are and unequivocally leave the Ordinary World behind. Reaching the completion of the holy trinity of Thought, Word, and Deed, we create the actuality of Hero.

            Part of our journey toward heroism is the journey inward, where we find that still point in our souls that lets us know that all things are as they should be, giving us the innate ability to find the true, and as yet unseen, value in all things. With this great gift, we are able to truly appreciate the grand resourcefulness of life and the brilliant tapestry that comprises our journey through it.

            Progressing upon our Hero’s Journey, we come to a point where we must face our greatest fears, those which reside inside of us and have fooled us into thinking that they are actually a part of us. As we approach the climax, having conquered many a challenge, these specters return to us whispering their vile diatribe into our ears, filling our minds with doubt, and barraging us with attacks upon our self esteem. At the height of our journey, when we feel most strong, that is when we are most greatly attacked. And though we have glimpsed the hero within, we falter in the face of this new challenge.

            However, the hero is not judged by how many times he falters, but by how many times he rises from it. Though we are attacked and assailed by every remnant of memory from times past that taught us bad lessons of our worthlessness, that attempt once again to overcome us with despair, the sword of our spirit has been sharpened and tempered. And in the inmost cave, where all of our worst fears conspire to overcome us, we stand brazen and bold, knowing without doubt that we surely do have the strength to overcome anything.

Even our greatest fears are without merit as False Evidence Appearing Real. It is here that we must realize the potential of Forgiveness as we apply it to the person that we were. It is here that we realize the true meaning of Reincarnation, as we are reborn from the ashes of our former selves. It is here that we realize Salvation, as we conquer the demons of our past with the full knowledge that even in our inmost cave, the Light of Truth shines brightly. We are, each of us, heroes inasmuch as we are capable of believing It to be.

            It often seems like there is so much to do and so little time in which to do it. Is it really necessary to find the time to rest? Can’t we just rely on a good six hours of sleep or so and get on with our lives? Surely will all of the recreational activities offered in America, we’re finding plenty of rest. The truth is that we don’t rest nearly as much as we should. Though we still have traditional weekends, only regular churchgoers and Chick-fil-A consider Sunday the day of rest anymore. We’ve just got too much to do to slow down. However, more people are finding that without adequate rest, they are coming to a grinding halt.

            Life has two processes that continually interplay: catabolism and anabolism. Catabolism is involved with activity. It is the rigor that we exert throughout our work week and all of our actions, be they hobbies, volunteer work, or even entertainment and exercise. Anabolism is the process of replenishment. It is the period of renewal needed for catabolism to continue. It is the period of rest. Ultimately, if one of these processes stops, so will the other. This is the balance of living in a dualistic world. We have up and down, good and bad, light and dark, inside and outside, and yes, we have activity and rest.

            So what kind of rest do we need? How do we actually get it? While sleep is a part of rest, it is not the complete process. In actuality, the body doesn’t necessarily need to sleep, only the brain and central nervous system do. However the body does need rest, as do the mind, heart, and spirit.

            Because it carries us everywhere we go and performs every task we imagine, our body takes a lot of wear and tear. Most of us are pretty good about finding rest for our bodies. After all, most of us have televisions that require our bodies to be inactive. However, although television or sitting and listening to music is restful for the body, the mind and senses are still active and are unable to get the rest they need to replenish themselves. Entertainment is stimulation, and stimulation is an active process. It allows for some rest, but not the rest that a whole person needs.

            Contrarily, exercise and recreation, while restful for the mind, is exertion for the body. And though many of us try to find rest from the day in the historic coffee break, the stimulation of the caffeine doesn’t truly give us rest, but only further stimulates us to work through our fatigue. In addition, the alcohol and recreational drugs that are so often used to unwind after a long day are actually just pushing the body further and creating more physiological activity from which we will need to rejuvenate.

            So what’s the best way to recuperate from all that we put ourselves though? What about the rest of our rest?

            Active resting is a great necessity in maintaining a peaceful mental equilibrium, allowing us to rest our bodies, minds, hearts, and spirits. Active rest is most greatly achieved through meditation, allowing all thoughts of worry and fear to drift from the mind like smoke so that the mind can truly be free to rest and rejuvenate itself. This type of rest can be achieved by typical mediation practices or by simply reconnecting to the natural flow of life with a trip to a park or beach. There was a reason Jesus said to consider the lilies of the field and the birds of the air. Go watch them and consider how stressed they are and how much rest they get.

            Resting of the senses can also be achieved through meditation. As we rest our bodies, minds, and senses, we need to rest our emotions as well. We spend so much of our daily lives in reaction to all that happens around us. Every time the body reacts to the mind, emotions are stirred. True relaxation allows us to fully rest, easing our minds, rejuvenating our bodies, stimulating our senses, and calming our hearts.

            Finally, and hopefully simultaneously, we will find rest of spirit. As we become active in the world around us, so much of our energy is expended ‘out there.’ Rest gives us the opportunity to sit quietly and reflect on what’s going on ‘in here.’ This is the reason every religious text proclaims the need to rest in one’s practice, the reason the Judeo/Christian heritage has devoted a complete day to it. It is necessary for us to rest so that we can reconnect with the Source of our being.

            For every process of activity, a time of rest is necessary. Football players have halftime. Blooming trees have winter. Union workers have coffee breaks. Paint has the time to dry.

            There truly is a lot to do in the world around us. There is so much to be passionate about in such an abundant place. There is so much to be excited about and involved in. But let us not forget to take time to replenish ourselves so that we may fully enjoy this experience of life and fully give ourselves to it.

Should we refuse the call, as so many of us are apt to do, as it is indeed a step in the journey of every hero, the call will still go forth. For even if the answer is ‘no’, the call is still there awaiting the hero to become the affirmative he is destined to become. Every hero, when beckoned to rise to his natural stature, must first face the specters of fear, doubt, comfort, and security that beg him to remain in his complacency. It is a natural response to lean on the foundation of self preservation and wait for someone else, surely someone more suitable for the task, to take up the gauntlet and answer the call we try so desperately to avoid. Nevertheless, the call will persist until we come to the realization that if we are not the heroes to our own stories, there will be no one else to rise to the task.

The Hero may find several reasons to refuse the call to adventure. He may bring up familial obligations. He may not think he has what it takes and has intercepted someone else’s call. He may simply be selfish. Or he may be afraid. In all actuality, whatever reason he may cling to, it is usually based in fear. Indeed, whenever one of us shirks from a challenge, it is often fear which motivates us.

Perhaps we are afraid of letting down our loved ones or losing their respect. Perhaps we are afraid that we are unable to succeed so we opt not to even make an attempt. Perhaps we are afraid of losing out on something which is dear to us, to let go of our security blankets. Or perhaps we are afraid of our own success.

Marianne Williamson puts it extremely poignantly in her book A Return to Love when she quotes A Course in Miracles and states, “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.’ We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we’re liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

For each of us, in whatever adventures we may be called to, no matter how big or small, let us remember that we are never given a problem to face without the means to achieve it. Though we may flinch, or balk, or run the other direction, let us realize that we truly do have the power to face any challenge and accept the success we envision.

In his interview with Bill Moyers on the Power of Myth program, Campbell stated that we needed a new mythology. Although we have multiple myths that are drawn from our legends and folklore, our religions and histories, and even our books, movies, and TV shows, it would seem that the influx of these stories has somewhat diluted the message as it has been spread all around us.

I think that we are at a point where it’s not that we need a new mythology, but we need to bring the mythology inward and realize that we are the heroes that we have been waiting for. Throughout our cultures we have told tales, written stories, and enacted adventures about other beings that have risen to heights of which we can only dream. But we have dreamed them. And the fact that we have created them means that we can attain them. This Hero’s Journey which has encased our consciousness is our story, and on some level, we have created a map to follow in order to become that which we dream of.

This is the new Call to Adventure. Not to necessarily write a new mythology, but to Become the new mythology. As we face this world we live in and the myriad of problems that comprise it, we are called to supply the answers to the very questions we are asking. Though the task before us may be daunting as we look out on a world ravaged by centuries of war, irresponsibility, hatred, and misuse, it is important that we realize that just as there is no up without a down, no right without a left, and no north without south, there is no problem without a solution, and no call without an answer.

In all of our stories and legends and prophecies, there must come a point where they intersect with reality. Our history is an image from our past. Our prophecies are images of our future. But our Lives must take the essence of them and culminate them into the moment of Now.

This is our new Call to Adventure. To become the heroes we have been waiting for.