The Hero’s Journey
The season is turning from summer to fall, and we are turning to uplift ourselves, our souls, and each other. And yet, how hard it is to truly turn and start anew. We may want to step more fully into our lives. But how do we write new words? And sing a new song?
Every year around this time, I’ll think “What perfect timing…”, considering an unhealthy habit I’ve been wanting to break, a goal I’ve been meaning to accomplish, a lifestyle change that’s well past due. Rosh Hashanah, for me, is a reminder to simplify, cleanse, refresh; to spend less time on my phone, to eat healthier, to stop doing so much, to relinquish control, to be more gentle and forgiving with myself and others….. And so often the ripeness of this season comes and goes, and there I am, still standing at the edge of that cliff, not yet feeling ready to take that step and let go.
It is often fear that holds me back from making the changes I want to make. It’s difficult to turn toward my fear—my deep conviction that the world is not safe, that I am not safe, that my needs won’t be met. It takes great faith and courage to walk through fear and trust the journey is worth the taking.
It is through taking the journey that we’re transformed. Like every great tale, the protagonist must travel from their place of familiarity to some new land, come face to face with their fears, walk to the edge of their comfort, and past it, to achieve what they never thought was possible and experience themselves in a wholly new light. And they return, changed. Bilbo Baggins did it, and Frodo; Harry Potter; Luke Skywalker; and Mary Lennox, who from dreariness, brought the secret garden back to life. And yet as triumphant as their journeys were, they did not—could not—do it alone. They all had help, whether from friends, wizards, or Jedi masters.
And so this, The Hero’s Journey, is what we all must undertake to transform ourselves, to live this day, this year anew. We’re all given this holy task of returning to who we are, letting go of what no longer serves us, and taking on what we feel called to pursue. But we need help from others, and we need help from the Source within us.
The changes we hope to make this year may be small, but they may still require great faith and courage. In what ways can we ask for help and make space for Divine intervention? How might we open to receive what is ours to be had? The truth is, we have all walked this journey many times, in different ways, and have come out the other side. We wouldn’t be here if we hadn’t. Every time we showed up to what was, surrendered and accepted our circumstances, paused and got quiet, prayed in earnest, listened for Divine guidance, journaled, called a friend, cried through it, moved through it, made art in response to it, we overcame and succeeded. What was it like? In what ways did it embolden you? Change you? Tell me about that holy experience. Celebrate it. Sing a song for it. Raise your tambourines, take out your fiddles, and dance! If we let our gratitude speak, we will never be alone. And not alone, we’re given the courage to continue venturing forth.
Upon returning from their journey, the Hero is changed. We are that Hero. That is our story. Through it, we come to look upon the world with new eyes and feel the world with a new heart. Where once there was shadow, now there is light. Where there was fear, now love. Colors are brighter, details more vibrant, the air is sweeter, the ground softer. We live more within the current of Divine presence, more able to say “yes” to what serves us, trusting in our own discernment and in our Higher Power’s care. We live a more uplifted life, and are more inclined to uplift those around us. We cherish this new day and give thanks to this new life.
