Create the Life You Imagine~April 2018
We Begin Alone
“Where there is a way or a path, it is someone else's way. Each knight enters the forest at the most mysterious point and follows his own intuition.” ~ Joseph Campbell
The myths of the West remind us that the knight always had to begin his journey alone. Where there was a well-trodden path or others to follow, it inevitably led to the hero’s death. The teaching in the East is that you must swim in your own river or die. As we commit ourselves to walk the hero’s journey, we must chart our own way. We must remember who we are and set off on the path that only our soul can perceive.
After Dorothy lands in Oz and meets the munchkins that live there, Glinda, the Good Witch of the North, floats in on a beautiful pink bubble. She thanks Dorothy for killing the Wicked Witch of the East and magically places the ruby slippers upon Dorothy’s feet. When Dorothy asks how to find her way home, she is directed to the Great Wizard of Oz in the Emerald City for assistance. Dorothy asks Glinda how she will get to the Emerald City and is told that she must walk. She asks where to begin and is told that the best place to begin is at the beginning, and her attention is drawn to a path beginning under the ruby slippers on her feet. Unwinding in a golden spiral in front of Dorothy is the beginning of the yellow brick road to Oz.
Glinda and the muchkins can wish Dorothy well, but they can’t travel the path with her. As Dorothy begins her journey she begins alone, wearing the ruby slippers and with only Toto to guide her. Toto represents her intuition. The ruby slippers represent her connection to her soul. The yellow brick road represents the spiral path of consciousness that we all must travel if we are to find our way home.
When we really commit to walk into our own stories—leaving the well-worn path and the crowd behind—we often feel as though we’ve walked into a dark alley permeated by an eerie silence. Our first impulse is to find a brightly lit highway and follow anything that moves in an attempt to reorient ourselves and to feel connected to something familiar. Following the the crowd, the bright lights and the voices that shout from outside “Go this way” or “Go that way” feels like the smart move when we’re alone, afraid and unsure.
It takes courage and faith to begin navigating life from the inside out. It takes practice and patience to learn to hear and trust our inner voice to guide us along the way.But as frightening and confusing as the unseen future may seem at times, the only place to begin our own story is indeed at the beginning, placing one foot in front of the other and walking, step by step, stage by stage through the uncomfortable and the uncertain, sure only of the inevitability of the journey.
We must remember that the connection that truly keeps us safe is the connection to our deeper Self, to our soul, to the small inner voice that says, “Go your way.” This voice whispers to us in the dark, “don’t be afraid, this is the way, trust your Self.” This voice tells us to just start walking from where we are. This voice reminds us that there is a mystery unfolding in front of us that we cannot see. This voice reminds us that we can never be lost when we follow our soul. This voice reminds us that we are always connected to the very source of our being, and we are never alone.
Wishing you courage, blessings and light as you continue this journey to create the life you imagine.
Tracy
