Hello Brilliant Friends,
>> Here’s the AUDIO for today’s newsletter
Last week I attended The What Summit held at Skywalker Ranch in northern California.
A mentor reminded me that this was the same location where Bill Moyers interviewed Joseph Campbell, the foremost scholar of mythology, back in 1988.
“Campbell believed the most heroic of all acts is the courage to discover who you are and what you would like to be. To slay the savage dragon of the ego and to follow your bliss to the truth of your life.”
–Bill Moyers in “Joseph Campbell and The Power of Myth with Bill Moyers”
Just the mention of “The Power of Myth” opened a portal into my past. I vividly remember my 20-something self seeking clarity about my life’s purpose. I remember having a voracious appetite for spiritual guidance and finding comfort in Campbell’s universal themes and stories.
Now, fast forward 25 years later, I’m re-entering those conversations with the same eagerness and rapture of my youth. (You too can enjoy the series on Netflix.)
I can’t help but contrast who I am now with who I was then.
Different abilities, experiences, belongings, now married with two teenage girls, owner of a coaching practice and personal-transformation brand, no longer sporting 80s hair.
But the desire to delve into the depths of spirit for belonging and insight–that is still there, perpetually new.
I connect now the longing I have for Pause (an intentional stepping away that deliberately employs silence, ritual, movement, awe and reflection) with the call to the Hero’s adventure.
Campbell describes a “spiritual hero” as someone who has learned or found a mode of experiencing the supernormal range of human spiritual life, and then come back and communicated it. It’s a cycle, it’s a going and a return, that the hero cycle represents.
We are all spiritual heroes when we answer the call to go inward through pause.
We leave the ordinary, meet our inner guides, vanquish old, limiting beliefs and return to our present day, transformed.
The heroic life is expressed by Campbell as a continuous journey, a series of going and returning.
It is also a cycle of unconscious and conscious, moving from limited awareness to ultimate mastery.
That’s why I think of pause as a rebellious act.
It rejects the known and the normal. It requires self-discovery in the face of routine and habit.
It flies in the face of productivity because it values the journey over the destination, the process over the product.
Pause requires coming back into your own authority without outside approval or validation.
And how terrifying that can seem when there’s no one to tell us that we are good or if we are worthy. There are no soothing shortcuts or easy deeds on this inward path.
There is only your own authority, your own calling, your own reluctance, your own demons, your own ultimate, embracing of change.
I am playing these days with this question, What if the only authority I need is my own?
What if I can access the truth of my life just by taking a break and tuning in?
What if it could be that simple?
If you are hearing the call to your own Hero’s Journey, or wish to deepen your self-authority but have no idea how to step into that, I can help.
Join me for an upcoming virtual retreat or grab a quick call.
I’m here to help you gather the resources you need to embark on your next heroic adventure.
Meredith Vaish
Chief Clarity Officer, Pause Box
P.S.
Pave the way for a powerfully-intentioned 2020!
Registration for my next virtual retreat, Friday December 6th is open now.
It’s a great way to get clear on any questions you’re facing in your life and take inspired, confident action.
Here’s what participants have said about the Recharge and Get Clear Retreat:
“The exercises provided thought-provoking insights… I also feel more confident about some recent choices I am pursuing.”
“I woke up this morning energized and excited to move forward.”
“Meredith’s insights are mind-blowing.”
I hope you can join me.Early Bird pricing is available through Thanksgiving 11/28.