My Path

... is to translate complex ideas into a popular-culture dialogue

Make me think that you're the one that I adore...

"Comedy as satire is acceptable, as fun it is a pleasant haven of escape, but the fairy tale of happiness ever after cannot be taken seriously; it belongs to the never-never land of childhood, which is protected from the realities that will become terribly known soon enough..."[1] Our lives are in general hopeless - we will anyway die some day - that's the tragedy of a human being. But we do enjoy our lives, don't we? That happinness of being alive, being able to do things that give sense to live... Making yourself the hero of your own adventure. Let's rephrase: - Life, LET me think that you're the one that I adore! :-) 1) J. Campbell. The Hero With A Thousand Faces.

Declaration

"You may charge me with murder — or want of sense -
(we are all of us weak at times):
But the slightest approach to a false pretence
was never among my crimes!" (Lewis Carrol. The Hunting of the Snark (1874))

Key Points Learned From Myths

1. Spiritual adventure must have a question to answer. If you have a question - all your choices have a base
2. Spiritual adventure is full of hazards and obstacles - this is the way to improve
3. Difficulties either break you or make you stronger
4. When you feel the defeat - you can call to the soul, and the soul will show you the way to the best results
5. "Replace" is sidestepping, we are looking to "find"
6. Secret-keeping is an enemy to the phyche
7. "We will have another episode, then another, in which there will be opportunity to change course, to see and do differently—and better." - human life is longer than a myth and gives us chances to change the story.

"The idea, since forever, has been that story is a conveyance, a vehicle, to use in order to think, to move forward through life. At the end of a life that has meaning, the point is not that one is perfected, but that one will still carry a view of self and the world that is divine—and not just some kind of lazy drift. The point is to have enough stories that guide —that will allow life's closing act to end with one's heart still bright, despite the gales that have passed through it —so that it can be said that one has lived with spiritual audacity."

Fall to Rise

"It would appear, were we to follow the long genealogy of heroes and heroines in mythos, that it is via the soul being stolen, mismanaged, disguised, disrupted, pre-empted or trodden upon, that some of the purest features of the psyche may rise up and begin to long for—call for—the return of that radiant companion and counsel."[1] This introduction will continue my discussion of how failure helps to find new and, hopefully, better ways. Failure is a break from a common path, that was supposed to be successful. If we do not fail - there is no reason to revise, improve, change. - Dad, why does the sun rise on the east each day? - Does it? - Yes - Did you test it? - Yes - Cool, don't touch it, son - it works! But how would you know if something works the best way if you never challenge it? It's scary to change things that are comfortable and "working". But ... hmmm.... where is the sense of adventure? If you are looking for a companion, somebody whom you can stand for a long time, who would you select? My answer is "a player". If you do not challenge your life - do you actually move anywhere? And how do you even know? What story can you tell if everything is "allright"? Boring, isn't it... 1) Introduction to 2004 edition of "The Hero With A Thousand Faces" by J.Campbell

The Myth

Inspired by the introduction to "The Hero With A Thousand Faces" I wrote a myth. I wrote it for a special occasion, but through writing it, I grew up and the occasion was left in my past. But the myth is still present and alive, and that's a good reason to share it with anyone who might ever need it: I was woken up in the night with a cry. My baby was crying. I felt like crying myself. This cold, endless winter has drained all my energy and now my baby was ill and I knew that I can't postpone it anymore: I had to take him to the hospital. The time was midnight, the snow was covering the earth with a wind dragging it across the street. The hospital was 10 km away and there was no way to get there in the night like this except for walking all the way. I've dressed up, tried to console my baby a bit and went out of the door into the wind. The baby stopped crying, probably shocked by the cold and wind and we started our way. Monotonous walking made every minute the same, they were just passing by unnoticed. Luckily the wind stopped and the moon showed up among the clouds. Suddenly I've noticed a shine on the snow. I walked to the side of the road and to my surprise picked up a heavy gold bracelet covered with colorful stones. Nobody was around who could have claimed the ownership. I thought for a second and found no reason not to take it. The baby moved uneasily in my arms, apparently unhappy with me stopping and paying attention to something else. But I've put the bracelet on my wrist and we continued our way. The bracelet turned out to be quite uncomfortable addition, scratching my already tired arm, but its colorful shine was joyful and reminded of sun and happy days of summer. After minutes or hours of walking (everything is the same in the night) - I've heard steps behind and when I turned to see who it was - I saw - a stranger. You see, he was looking for the bracelet. It was a pity to part with the charming bracelet, but after all it was not mine. At least my journey was a bit easier now and I sighed with a bit of a relief - at least I do not have to carry the bracelet anymore, my wrist was already sore from it. I kept on walking, but the sound of steps behind me did not disappear. Finally the stranger came closer and suggested to walk with us, offering us company and protection. And by the way he wanted me to keep the bracelet as a present. It sounded weird and I tried to find an explanation in my own memory. It came quick and clear: a present is a sacrifice, but how do you make a sacrifice if you only have a bracelet? Right - give it to a stranger. So I accepted and put the bracelet back onto my wrist. It was even heavier now. And we walked and walked and walked. Finally I saw the lights of the hospital in front of us - it was not more than 1 km away - soon the journey would be over. Suddenly I felt something like a release - I looked to the side - my strange companion was gone and so was the bracelet. "What a weird dream" - I thought. After all, we've arrived to the hospital, it was warm and light. The sisters helped us to get comfortable in the room that was assigned to us. The treatment time passed easily and my baby got his smile and liveliness back. The only strange thing - the kind doctor who was looking after my baby wears the bracelet. Yes, that same one.

Why Life Is Either Difficult Or Boring???

I Asked for Wonder

"In ancient Hebraic, this concept is known as tikkun olam; meaning repair of the world soul. This is a living concept, for it requires endeavor —a daily one, and sometimes even an hourly one. It is a commitment to a way of right conduct, a form of living meditation, a kind of contemplative pragmatic. I understand it this way: Tikkun olam is giving one's attention and resources to repair that part of the world that is right before you, precisely within your spiritual, psychological, and physical reach—according to soul's sight, not ego's alone." (J Campbell. The Hero With a Thousand Faces. Introduction to 2004 edition) This is wonderful, isn't it? Just change the world, the part that is in front of you. I always knew that of course. I wonder why do I always feel that I was stupid before - this post dates 3.5 years back and not much changed. I wonder if I actually develop in any way? What did change? I can't answer... Recently I've been discovering my old writings, still in Russian. I feel I was more clever back then. I had the power in my language...Unfortunately, I can't estimate my English. It's hard to recover years of reading. My English is too instrumental - just say what you mean, there's no game, no throwing words around where the top layer hides layers and layers of sense underneath. You can unfold the sentences. I think I've remembered about it reading about Obi Okonkwo, how he distilled the multitude of associations coming from a simple Ibo folk song, a song which seems to have no meaning at all to somebody with no knowledge of the relevant traditions. Kamo gryadeshi...where am I going? I feel like I went into the field for these 3 years and collected loads of data..I want to make sense of it now. Can I repair the world in front of me? Should I? Should I repair myself? Should I create a new world?

Timeless Wisdom

"Whosoever desires to explore The Way —
Let them set out — for what more is there to say?" [1]
This was written 900 years ago.
Should I go? - Yes, you should.
When should I start? - Now
Why? - because "Each person is born with the wherewithal fully intact" - use it or lose it.
And ""Somehow it seems to fill my head with ideas – only I don't exactly know what they are!" [2]

1. J Campbell. The Hero With A Thousand Faces. 2004
2. Lewis Carrol. Alice Through the Looking Glass

Fool Tales

Fool tales teach us that following the traditional path does not fulfill your life potential. It is not your path. You won't find your jewels where everybody is looking for them.

The Hero with a Thousand Faces

Why did I do it only now? The practical guide to my journey, Campbell's "most influential book of the 20th Century" (1): "The Hero with a Thousand Faces" - got it now! Can't wait till the afternoon to start reading. It's my passage way to the world of dreams, the map of the mystical world of my own hero. In this research journey he will show one of his 1000 faces, but there are many journeys and adventures in life. And I'm going to make them interesting!






1)http://www.skepticfiles.org/atheist2/hero.htm
2) Joseph Campbell "The Hero with a Thousand Faces"

Time to Move On

One day you will feel like you can't write another word, think another thought and you will be too exhausted to even care - and I do not even remember who said it. I'm not exhausted, but I'm really lost and very entertained by this fact. I know that I'm not going anywhere and feeling good about it. Well, almost...
Being honest with myself - I must collect my scattered mind and get ready for the symposium. After all - that's the path I've selected, not so?