It is such an incredible journey, so heroic, so impossible of achievement, so fraught with dangers and triumphs, that it is the greatest story in the world.
We find it told over and over symbolically in all the ‘holy’ books as the binh of the holy child; the journey of the hero/ ine; the creation of the world—our consciousness, the journeys of Moses. All penain to the difficulties and means we use to be; to the an of keeping balance amidst the multitude of forces acting on our human psyche.
The hero/ine is the one who dares, even though they feel afraid and in pain.
The avoidance of fear and pain in our society, where chemical anodynes or tranquillisers are sought to remove any tiny discomfort, is a great tragedy. Not that we need to become mas- ochists, but we miss our own wholeness through fear of our own power of experiencing. In other cultures the ability to meet pain and fear were considered spiritual strengths. They still are.
The following example shows one dreamer meeting his own fear and uncertainty. Example: 4I was in an ancient room. It had the feeling of being an old church. Then my wife and I were in bed in the room.
A middle aged woman was in the room. She was a ghost. I felt afraid of her, but to meet the fear I tried to confront her. I reached out my hand to her. I was crying out in my sleep from fear. As she took my hand I was amazed and shocked to feel it was physically real’ (See also: Christ within this entry, above). [1]
The hero/ine frequently depicts our initiative and unexpressed potential. We might see our highest ideals as coming from an exterior figure such as Christ, and so miss touching the depths of our own being, avoid responsibility for our urges or actions. What happens to the hero/ine shows how one’s own creativity and expressed love fare.
See also: Christ, hero/ine and the self under archetypes; religion and dreams. [2]