first the book I picked up in an antique mall in georgia
The Hero Within by Carol S. Pearson
(resting on a cramped bookshelf
really, the alter-ego of my own shelves
all of those books coinciding with various phases of my own:
raw food cookbooks, spiritual goo, language lovers
it all looked so familiar)
then, an article in spirituality and health
about the hero's journey
what's there for me?
I have some vague, whitney houston love song approach to it all
like it's some grand status or place to be
I've never thought about it like a journey...
only the western white man slays dragon -
gets girl - becomes king - they live happily ever after
sort of thing
what do I have on hero?
not me - something to measure up to - responsibility
selflessness - powerful - brave - male energy
action - struggle against norm or evil
knight on horse - waiting to be rescued
maybe I felt I was not grand enough to be a hero
like only the privileged few tackle that one
pearson’s book helped me see there are all kinds of heroes
all on different paths, leading to the same direction:
knowledge of self, grasping that big "I"
hero doesn't mean slaying dragons,
doesn't mean denying my feminine nature
it is strong, innocent, self-sacrificing, lonely, trusting and magical
all at different steps along the way, all at once sometimes
why is this important?
heros in the old stories see coruption and set out
on a quest to bring happiness/love/peace back to their land
Heroism for this age requires us to take our journeys, to find the treasure of our true selves, and to share that treasure with the community as a whole - through doing and being fully who we are. To the degree that we do so, our kingdoms are transformed.
- Carol S. Pearson
what treasures are awaiting your discovery?
what jewels can you unearth and bring them back
to your world, your family, your job
gleaming and glistening like diamonds?
