The Hero’s Adventure (Journey into the Soul)

Summary

Just how far down the rabbit hole do you want to go? The mythic self explorer must recognize the rabbit hole, leave behind Adriande’s thread, and sojourn deeply. However, the rabbit hole is obscured by a thicket of modernity, theology, and even primitive culture. Worse still, the rabbit hole masquerades as something else. Scythe the thicket, unmask religion’s holy disguise, and mine the holey depths.

Analysis
Campbell sets forth the two types of heroic deeds: physical and spiritual (152), but the transformation of consciousness is the underlying value. “Either by the trials themselves or by illuminating revelations” (155). He also understands the importance of trials to illuminating revelation; transcendence on steroids, mastering Everest. The trials of two shamanistic rabbis are instructive: Moses and Jesus. They ventured into the desert, were spiritually awakened, and returned with altered consciousnesses; Moses in 40 years, and Jesus, a speed sojourner, in only 40 days (see Evelyn Wood for speed sojourning).

Modernity replaces the hero’s adventure with voyeurism: reality shows and sports. A thicket of sound bites, puerile rot, and mythologically vacuous stories obscure the rabbit hole. “Our society today is not giving us adequate mythic instruction…” (175). So what of those rabbit-hole-quest pilgrims who actually clear the thicket? They still must unmask religion’s holy disguise lest their myth be reduced to theology (See 174). Dogmatically substituting theology for mythology creates a false sense of spirituality. It kills the soul.

Opinion
Society places a premium on conformity and convention. Even myths actualized by ritual are circumspectly performed with social purpose; momma’s boys aren’t good hunters. I would submit that primitives used mythology as medievals used religion and moderns use shopping, to keep the general population from delving too deeply into their rabbit holes. What if the “enlightened” being emerged from the rabbit hole and refused to hunt, tithe, or shop?

The real problem is not societal brainwashing, but fear of the interior unknown. While primitives were more in touch with their inner selves, moderns create introspection-avoidance-devices: religion and consumerism. Brains focus on trivia and desire for the external. Nature is rejected. For example, man learns about himself from animals then invents religion to deny the obvious. Why not commune with nature instead of destroying it? “That’s too personal!” Denial of self and self loathing may explain this attitude. During the 1980’s I lived near the World Trade Center. Every morning I was struck by the New Jersey commuters exiting the Path Tubes—crestfallen, sleep deprived zombies—vanguard of the moderns. “Night of the Living Dead” incarnate.

Greed is fear’s bookend. If you enter the forest in search of gold, you will leave with sand. However, if you enter the forest in search of yourself, you will leave with gold. We need to transcend fear and greed with ego suicide. Either kill the ego or suffer a dying soul. Life cannot have meaning when ruled by fear and greed. Let go. After all, in the end, nothing matters, all roads lead nowhere. “It is a good day to die.”