Answer the Call

We have not even to risk the adventure alone, for the heroes of all time have gone before us. The labyrinth is thoroughly known. We need only to follow the thread of the hero's path. And where you had thought to find an abomination, you shall find a God... And where you had thought to travel outward, you shall come to the center of your own existence. And where you had thought to be alone, you shall be with all the world.

- Joseph Campbell from The Hero With A Thousand Faces

Every great adventure in life begins with a calling...a call to leave the old life behind and venture forth to explore what is possible beyond the horizon of present circumstances. The stories we love most, have this hero's journey motif running through them. We love these stories because they awaken a sense of longing in us to be more, to experience more, and to stretch the limits of our current understanding of life and self.

Initially, we may interpret this call as dissatisfaction, malaise, or discontent for life until we recognize that it is an inner urge to explore the life beyond what we currently think is possible. Of course, this scares us and we are likely to reject these inklings at first. Or, we may categorize these feelings as caprice of the ego and write them off. However, if this urge to leave the comforts of home persists despite our attempts to deny its validity we can know this is the real deal; a mandate of the soul; a divine calling. It is the soul's call to realize more of itself through our human journey.

The Bible has many stories depicting the hero's journey. Moses, Abraham, Noah, Mary, all were called out of their comfort zones to experience more, and to stretch the limits of their current understanding of life and self and to be more. Cinematically, we saw it in Alice in Wonderland, who was prompted to venture down a rabbit hole, Dorothy's discontent lead to a whirlwind that carried her far from her comfortable home in Kansas, Harry Potter was summoned out of an oppressive life so that he could learn of his great powers. Each of these characters displayed disbelief and a reluctance to answer the call at first. In each case, something extraordinary happened to convince them to say "yes" and embark on an uncharted path to an unknown destination. Everything that lied ahead was obscure; the only certainty was the calling. If subtle insight is not our strong suit, we may need a burning bush, or a talking rabbit, or an angel in the night, or a house full of owls carrying letters to convince us to move!

Once we begin something deep in us, now awakened, calls us forward, to follow its lead, despite the dangers, despite the uncertainties. Perhaps we intuit a tacit promise, even in the absence of outer assurances, that we will become more for having taken the journey.

The promise of the spiritual journey is that we will discover more of who we truly are. This motivates us, while it also scares us. We want the boon of knowing the deep truths about ourselves while we fear the dragons that devour our beliefs that keep us small but safe.

As Joseph Campbell noted, we can be encouraged by the many that have gone before us on this treacherous journey of self awareness. The labyrinth is known, and marked, by the thread of intrepid seekers, master teachers, and ordinary heroes who answered a call, faced down their fears and were led to a greater life.

Everyone is called; few choose to listen, and even fewer accept the call. Free will means we can choose. Given the choice, let us choose life over fear. In our community, you do not need to risk the adventure alone. We are with you.