Opération Quest: Untapped Potential

Joseph Campbell wrote that we're all born with great potential, and even if we don't realize that potential, it still remains, waiting for us:

"All the ogres and secret helpers of our nursery are there, all the magic of childhood. And more important, all the life-potentialities that we never managed to bring to adult realization, those other portions of ourself, are there; for such golden seeds do not die." (Hero With a Thousand Faces)

Doesn't that remind you of the ending of The Wizard Of Oz, where Dorothy is told that the power to return home was with her all along?

There's also a children's book, based on Hindu mythology, that perfectly illustrates this idea. It's about Hanuman the monkey whose childhood powers got him into trouble, so the elders asked that he be made to forget them. As an adult he goes on a dangerous adventure to help Prince Rama, and saves the day because he's reminded that he can jump super far, grow to the size of a giant, and fly.

I wonder what "golden seeds" we might still have in us, that only a dangerous adventure will reveal? Hmm.

 

ADDED READING

LONGER SUMMARY OF HANUMAN BY ERIK JENDRESEN AND JOSHUA M GREENE

Like all children, Hanuman the monkey had great powers. But he was also very curious and always getting into trouble, and one day when he jumped as high as the sun he was struck down by a god and broke his chin. The elders prayed for him to forget his powers. He grew up to be the Commander of the monkey army, but with no memory of his real potential.

One day Prince Rama's wife Sita was kidnapped by the baddie Ravana--or He Who Made the Universe Scream--so Rama turned to Hanuman to help him. As the search parties spread out, Rama told Hanuman: You can do more than you know.

Hanuman's party came to Ravana's island, but it was far away over an ocean--monkeys can't jump quite that far, so Hanuman wasn't sure what to do. But his friend Jambavan reminded him of what Rama said, and that he'd broken his chin jumping to the sun. And Hanuman remembered. And he jumped.

Hanuman saw Sita in captivity, and learned that she had two months before Ravana would force her to be his wife. He jumped back and found Rama, and their armies built a stone river across to the island. A horrible battle ensued, led not by Ravana but by his giant brother. Again they appeared,defeated, but Jambavan told Hanuman he could grow to the size of a giant. Hanuman grew, and defeated the brother.

But Ravana's son unleashed a weapon that killed everyone else including Rama. The dying Jambavan told Hanuman: You must use your power to fly to the mountain Himavan and bring back the herb that restores life. So Hanuman flew away and, not knowing which was the right herb, flew back with the mountain.

With everyone restored to life, Rama's brother killed Ravana's son, and finally Ravana himself emerged. Ravana had once forced the gods to make him immune to all gods and demons, but didn't think of monkeys and humans. Rama let fly an arrow towards him, and Ravana looked into Rama's eyes, and perhaps overcome by the goodness he saw there, didn't defend himself. The arrow pierced his heart. Sita and Ravana's slaves were free.

Hanuman thanked Rama for helping him. Rama said: "All of these gifts you were given long ago. You have followed your heart and found these gifts inside of you. All that I can do is make you the keeper of our story. Tell the world what a monkey who follows his heart can do." Hanuman asked for a reminder, so Rama said he'd give him a daily reminder and made the sun rise. And Hanuman realized this was Vishnu, come to earth in human form.

Then he returned home to tell his story.

 

Opération Quest: Here we go!

"With the personification of his destiny to guide and aid him, the hero goes forward in his adventure until he comes to the threshold guardian .... Beyond them is darkness, the unknown, and danger." Joseph Campbell, The Hero With a Thousand Faces

So I've been getting ready to leave. Emotionally, I mean.

1 THE MEDITATION

While catsitting I was regularly overwhelmed by the grief of leaving my fambly--my husband and Haley and Minion. So I practiced meditating until the sick feeling in my stomach would subside. Mostly just calmly breathing and telling myself over and over: This moment is perfect, this is how my life is supposed to be rit now, in this second. This moment is perfect. (It really worked. Took about 10 minutes each time.)

2 THE BIG CRY

When my beloved childhood cat had to be put down, I waited until I was alone ti have my big cry. I put on a song from The Rescuers that embodied my love for him* and had the Big Ugly Cry.

So I did this yesterday with my Leaving. When I was in Nanaimo and packing to leave my dad kept jollily singing "Leaving in a Jet Plane" and getting it in my head, and making my monkey crazy! Cause the song is so sad! He sang it so many times I've been regularly getting it in my head. So I gave in, put on the song, andhad the Big Ugly Cry.

All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go
I'm standin' here outside your door
I hate to wake you up to say goodbye
But the dawn is breakin', it's early morn
The taxi's waitin', he's blowin' his horn
Already I'm so lonesome I could cry

 

3 THE SHNOOGLES

Haley's been very attentive and cuddly, and Minion's been almost constantly attached to my finger.

4 THE FUTURE

As I talked about yesterday, I did the vision board.

5 THE FIGHT

My husband and I had a fight that led to me getting some fears out of my head. Feeling some relief now.

6 THE POST FIGHT CHAPPELLE

And then we cuddled and watched Chappelle Show, until he went to bed.

7 THE OPRAH

And as I wrote this I watched the latest Oprah's Life Class (excellent, I so recommend, especially the previous Deepak episode, watch here) and did a Tony Robinson exercise that made me cry again.

READY

So. ...I'm ready! I actually have to finish packing. Before going catsitting I threw at my suitcases all the things I was considering bringing. Now I have to go lay it all out and pack up the bags, see what fits. Then Fernando's up at 6 AM so I'll see him one last time. Probably cryyy cryyy cryyy again. Get a little sleep. Then go to the airport in the afternoon.

But first I'll write up tomorrow's post in advance. The long awaited episode on interpreting dreams, it's vair nice, vair cool. See you back on the coast!

 

Childhood Potential: still up for grabs!

I was reading today about someone who was remembering what she was like as a child--cheerful, bright, creative--and how she hopes to get back to being that child. She wants to be Like Herself again, as reflected in the above song.

A worthy goal! :-D  We all feel that way sometimes (albeit this is someone who's had a very hard life and I tip my ten gallon hat to her.)

So today I want to post another of my favorite Joseph Campbell passages, for her. Because Campbell promises us that our Inner Toddler Goofball never goes away! Yay!

...the infantile unconscious. ...We carry it within ourselves forever. All the ogres and secret helpers of our nursery are there, all the magic of childhood. And more important, all the life-potentialities that we never managed to bring to adult realization, those other portions of ourself, are there; for such golden seeds do not die.

If only a portion of that lost totality could be dredged up into the light of day, we should experience a marvelous expansion of our powers, a vivid renewal of life. We should tower in stature. Moreover if we could dredge us something forgotten not only by our entire civilization, we should become indeed the boonbringer, the culture hero of the day--the personage of not only local but world historical moment.

In a word: the first work of the hero is to retreat from the world ...

 Here's my inner child. She's got a book and a cat. Big surprise eh?

Choose Life! (Because the alternative is less than dignified)

If I had to represent the last few months of my life in a metaphor, I'd choose a big pot of stew. Something that takes a long time to cook, that has at times been at a boil, at other times at a simmer, and into which a big variety of ingredients has been thrown. (Vegan ingredients, bien sûr.)

(Moroccan stew!)

Now the pot is pretty much ready. I've straightened all my ideas out, cleared up my head (and heart, where some more personal issues were concerned) and I'm simultaneously energized and... going nowhere.

"Lord Ronald said nothing; he flung himself from the room, flung himself upon his horse and rode madly off in all directions.

Thank-you Stephen Leacock. Just too much is ready all at once. Like the hundred ideas I have to write about on this blog, and each night I'm on the horse, going nowhere.* But here's one attempt.

Here is the full theme to Oprah's new network, written by will.i.am:



It reflects one of my favorite life ideas, that came back to me just this week, from Deuteronomy 30:19...

"I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life." 

My excellent friend Mae asked me once if this means I think death is bad, so I want to be clear that I don't. I think it's natural, and life comes from death. But even at a genetic level we're programmed to fight for life, like cutting of our arm if it's trapped under a boulder, or saving those dearest to us.

Once death comes, okay, it's meant to come. But in the meantime... When we finally put my poor sick Sherringham cat down, he was so weak, he wasn't moving anymore, he wasn't drinking or eating, he pretty much wasn't choosing life anymore, and I was feeling guilty for having waited longer than I should have. But when it came for the pre-needle, the one to relax him, the little bugger fought it! He reminded me of the Dylan Thomas poem, raging against the dying of the light.

So we need to support our bodies. Choose life. This isn't meant as a shaming for those who commit suicide, because it takes a hella lot to get to the point where you don't want to live (boulder boy!) so I have only compassion for those who do. But short of that...

I don't want to say: We need to get out of bad situations, because that's obvious. No one wants to be in them. But we need to get out of the truly mediocre ones. I don't mean every aspect of your life has to SpArKLe! There's a lot of peace and beauty in normalcy, or ordinariness. Eating pasta and watching Jersey Shore. Your job doesn't have to be your dream job to be Just Right, and your home doesn't need to look like Architectural Digest or an Ikea Catalogue.

But sometimes we settle for situations that slowly bury us alive, one shovel full at a time. And you might not realize it until the dirt is choking you. Romantic relationships, poisonous friendships, or even just the non-choices. Not doing the therapy, or starting that class, or making that decision.

Years ago my husband got a coffee at Starbucks with this quote printed on the side, and it reminded him of someone (not me) so he kept it on his bookcase for, like, ever:

"Failure is hard, but success is far more dangerous. If you're successful at the wrong thing, the mix of praise and money and opportunity can lock you in forever." (Po Bronson)

He never gave it to the person he was keeping it for, but I never forgot it was there. It would occasionally draw me to its side, and I'd flip over the crumpled cardboard and read the quote again, then float guiltily away. Over and over. Like a clean load of laundry I just don't want to fold and put away. ...Okay so sometimes the dirt can be landing on you, you're aware of it, and you still don't get up out of the hole.

Choose life. However you can, whenever you can. When you can muster up a little strength.

Daedalus simply presented Ariadne with a skein of linen thread, which the visiting hero might fix to the entrance and unwind as he went into the maze. It is, indeed, very little that we need! (Joseph Campbell)

And if you can't muster up the strength, I've discovered the secret failsafe built into the universe. If you stop choosing choosing between life and death, blessing and cursing, Life comes along, grabs you by the scruff of the neck...

And dumps you in a big pot of stew.

_________________________________
*I asked urthalun how she keeps up with her wide blogatude reading and she replied she's a sans-young-kids, doesn't have a job, doesn't clean, and stays up very late. I LAUGHED. I have no kids, no job, don't clean, and was reading it at 5 AM, just before going to bed. :-D There's just no excuse for me!!