Say “No!” to the Nothing

Recently my dear sister gifted me with a wonderful event we shared at the local performing arts center: the Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban film, accompanied by a live soundtrack and choral music by the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. This was a truly sublime performance. However, just before the show was to begin, the conductor said something that alerted my attention.  He was encouraging the audience to be interactive with the film, which was fun.

                                      “Cheer for Harry; heck, cheer for Voldemort, if you want.”

This last part, an open invitation to cheer for evil incarnate, struck me as a sour chord. I have seen too much of this invitation to align with the Dark Side over the past fifteen years or so in popular media.  It was soon after the release of The Hunger Games (March 2012) on the big screen that the Sandy Hook massacre (December 2012) of children occurred. That was preceded five years earlier (May 2005) by the portrayal of Anakin Skywalker’s initiation into the Dark Side in the Star Wars saga by deliberately murdering Jedi ‘younglings’ in Revenge of the Sith (Episode III). Fast forward to the Disney version of The Force Awakens, where Darth Vader’s grandson Kaylo Ren murders his own father, the beloved Star Wars hero, Hans Solo. And I don’t even include here the many violent video games, some of which appear on main stream media ads, because I won’t go there to look.

The mass murder at the Aurora, CO theatre, near where I was living then, was during the opening of a dark Batman installation, and the murderer was dressed as The Joker.  At all Star Wars movies, some young people dress as Darth Vader or later, as Kaylo Ren, to attend the shows.

All of these images remind me also of the advancing of The Nothing as depicted in The Neverending Story (July 1984). Here the young hero learns he must resist and counter encroaching Negativity–of bullies in his life but more archetypally of the encroaching Darkness of materialism and narcissism in the world.

As well, I find a flaw in many of these blockbuster fantasy sci-fi stories in the salvation of Darth Vader and Kaylo Ren, for example, in the concluding episodes of their series.  After recklessly destroying whole planets and and maliciously murdering countless individuals with commands like “Kill them All!,” somehow we are yet encouraged to celebrate these same evil characters’ ascension into the Light for having acknowledged the evilness of their actions just before their deaths.  To me this plot element is unfortunate, unacceptable and just plain wrong.  Karma has yet to wield its ‘balance’ on the actions of these evil and fully culpable characters.

The true Balance of the Force, I would argue from a Better Endings perspective, is the Middle Path. As we wind through our Soul journeys we aim to find that balance by recognizing and accepting the full consequences of our harmful thoughts, words and deeds; eventually (over many lifetimes perhaps) coming to embrace and extend life affirming, generous actions, and overall developing unconditional, detached love for all life.  We need not be for nor against anything to Hold to the Center; we acknowledge responsibility for all of our thoughts, words and actions, knowing that to truly unfold spiritually we must balance our immature or evil tendencies with awareness and total acceptance of the consequences of our misdoings.

The cultural images of anti-heroic characters like Darth Vader, Kaylo Ren, or the Joker are expressions of shadowy archetypal potentials usually submerged and checked by more life affirming, positive human potentials. I recommend to not release the Kracken in ourselves, although to recognize such tendencies and seek therapy can be highly beneficial.

images are from pixabay.com

Better endings benefit the Whole… of humanity, and of our Selves. May we anchor to that solid core of Balance, to discover and celebrate the Light.

Celebrate the Idealist / Amelia Earhart

This week I heard a news account about Henry Worsley, a man who aimed to cross Antarctica alone and on foot. He completed all but thirty miles of his arduous journey, then he succumbed to the effects of a brutal infection he had been battling and perished.  So close, I think almost all would agree that Henry achieved his goal.  People like Worsley who aim for the highest achievements possible to test their own human endurance and capabilities—people who climb Mt. Everest or set out to achieve world records of any form—embody and express their Idealist nature. These bold individualists often set the standards of being a Dreamer higher for us all.

This month we explore and celebrate the IDEALIST Archetype persona. To start us off on our adventure, let us envision the life and success and the fateful final voyage of Amelia Earheart. The History channel over the past couple of years has broadcast a biopic of Amelia including what is now known or surmised about her final days.  Experts now believe that she crash landed with her mechanic, Frederick Noonan, near a small island in the Pacific and perished there.  Amelia’s jacknife nd some other probable pieces of evidence have been identified. The details are not so important here; apparently Amelia endured a gruesome death succumbing to crabs on the beach that may have ultimately claimed her body. Noonan perished sooner from an injury incurred during the crash landing in the waters near the island.

Because Amelia Earhart fully embraced her inner Idealist; because she broke the mold of what women could expect to accomplish in her day; because she presented herself as a fearless adventurer for whom the Sky was No Limit, I cannot myself but imagine Amelia on that tropical beach finding serenity and finally welcoming her transition into the afterlife Beyond. Perhaps how Spirit took her was ultimately her own Better Ending: alone on a beach, with several days to reflect, to contemplate her life and to prepare for the Beyond. Let us collectively imagine Amelia finding fulfillment and aiming even further on that beach than what one meager lifetime has to offer.

images from pixabay.com

No human experience is wasted, of this I am sure. We accomplish what we have come here to experience (whether planned for or not), and we take the lessons, the insights and wisdom and strength of character forward as we continue Soul’s Journey of eternal proportions.

So please join me in celebrating the IDEALIST–in you, in the collective consciousness–this month.  Who are some Idealists whose stories inspire and encourage you to reach for the Stars and Beyond? What have been some of your own Idealist moments when you have aimed high and achieved your goals? How can you inspire others to never sell themselves short; to envision and to manifest their own Better Endings?

I welcome YOUR insights and stories!

Mystic and Descender, a Match Made in Heaven

The archetypes of the Descender (known as the Dark Mother in Sumerian astrology) and of the Mystic are often paired in the life experience of the individual. Descender is associated with exploring the depths of life, reaching to the bottom of things, as it were; whereas Mystic has the propensity to accompany your descent and to bring your lessons to the surface, or to soar to the illuminating heights of self-knowledge and spiritual insight.

 

The Mystic is a “dissolving” phase archetype (along with Teacher, Communicator, and Healer), meaning that it allows for a cycle of experience to be resolved, the lessons learned and integrated into greater awareness. So, Mystic can sink to the depths and soar to the heavens, bearing a transcendent wisdom. That is why it is helpful to inquire of your own inner Mystic nature when seeking insight or illumination about a troubling situation or decision. Trust your inner guidance to lead you well.

We find the pairing of Descender and Mystic archetypes often portrayed in mythic fiction or epic fantasy tales.  Arthur has his Merlin to call upon in the darkest moments of his Quest; Dorothy has her Glinda; Harry his Dumbledore; Luke his Obi Wan or Yoda. All of these mystic Wizard or Master figures have the capacity to encompass the lowest and the highest orders of experience and awareness, and the fact that these heroic protagonists have access to these Mystics is a projection from their own spiritual and psychic natures. These Mystic figures appear to be advanced in their unfoldment relative to the hero, yet it is the destiny of the hero to realize these Mystic abilities within themselves; they have projected these external Mystic helpers which mirror aspects of themselves. Do you see?

Archetypes, whether external or internal, reflect our own inner spiritual and mental potentials. In fact, both villainous and heroic Mystic forms are projections; but it is in the heroic nature of Soul, ultimately, to overcome or tame the negative energies while developing their positive attributes of Being, Knowing, and Seeing. These are Mystic traits, inherent in each of us. It only takes YOU to develop and to integrate your fullest potentials.

Of Great Valor: Heroic Leaders

When tragedy strikes a community, the Elder Leader rises from the masses as heroic individuals step up to the tasks of search and rescue, repair, and restoration. One of the clearest examples in our current times is responses to terrorist attacks on innocent, average people. When the attack on the Twin Towers wreaked havoc in NYC, firefighters and a host of other officials including police, politicians, journalists, psychologists, doctors, nurses, social workers and emergency vehicle personnel rushed immediately to the horrid scene to recover victims and tend to the injured of both body and heart. Many of these heroic leaders have sacrificed their own lives or health while trying to rescue as many as possible from the rubble. The Leader steps forward where others might shrink away from fear of a dangerous situation.

Sometimes people who demonstrate heroic action, like a neighbor rushing into a burning house to rescue a child or a pet, might ask themselves later, “where did that come from?”, referring to their own instant courage and ability. It is at least in part from their Elder Leader archetype stepping forth to conduct their behavior.

Then there are the driven Leaders like Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mother Theresa, who step up in full exercise of their leadership strengths to bring about positive change by their examples for the entire world.

So get to know your own Elder Leader persona. I invite you to dialogue with your Elder Leader part-of-Self this week, or to write about how and when your Elder Leader has been most active in your life.  The more you reflect upon your deep archetypal potentials, the better “integrated” they will become, and the more available to your conscious awareness and outlook.

And re-blogging from Finding My Inner Courage on this Martin Luther King Jr. holiday:

https://findingmyinnercourage.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/img_0655.jpg

I welcome your insights and stories!