Authentic Spirituality: The Direct Path to Consciousness - Softcover

Richard N. Potter

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0738704423 ISBN 13: 9780738704425

Publisher: Llewellyn Publications, 2004

Synopsis

In this groundbreaking book, Richard Potter, an academic and a mystic, sets forth a revolutionary thesis: to evolve personally, spiritually, and globally, we need a new concept of spirituality that is not tied to culturally specific beliefs and practices.

The idea that any one religion has a monopoly on the divine is a concept that has led to bigotry, bloodshed, and war throughout both the ancient and modern world. Recent global events have increased our awareness of the violence that can be unleashed by extremist followers of religions who claim to promote peace while waging war.

The time has come for a spirituality of consciousness. By focusing on consciousness instead of dogma, it becomes possible to realize the core truths of world religions without being bound to outdated beliefs and customs that no longer serve humanity.

Learn core consciousness-expanding practices including meditation, breathwork, sound work, and retreats. Explore ways to open your heart, achieve self mastery, evaluate spiritual teachers, and attain spiritual freedom, all steps on the path to greater contentment, clarity, compassion, and a profound sense of inner peace. Take a spiritual adventure beyond the bounds of time and place with one of today's most original spiritual thinkers.

 

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About this title

About the Author

Professors Richard and Jan Potter (Nebraska) are married and have taught at Dana College in Nebraska for over twenty years. Former members of the Sufi Order of the West, a universalist mystical school, they are experienced as spiritual guides and have led workshops and seminars in the area of spiritual development.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

PART ONE
Transforming Old Habits
WE MUST FACE head-on the lack of a central myth in today's postmodern
world.What can we look to when meaning is drained from our world? It is
time to look closely at the mythology, cosmology, and morality that try to
make sense of the great mystery that is life and ask ourselves some very
basic questions. Can our present religious and scientific perspectives
make sense of our world and bring meaning to our lives, or
are rationality and meaning mutually exclusive? A new
world cannot be born until the old world has
been put to rest. The time is ripe to
re-evaluate our too literal and
too limited perspectives on
the nature of reality.

ONE
Stories and Myths

ALONG WITH LANGUAGE, myths, and
stories are the bones of culture. Myths and stories tell us who we are,
why we live the way we do, and how to handle life's difficulties.Today
we do not have a central myth, except possibly for science, and without
a commonly accepted mythological foundation,Western technological
culture flounders in a sea of competing ideologies and moralities. Stories,
too, have lost much of their ability to inform us about how to meet
life's challenges and crises, because the prevailing worldview sees them
as stories, nothing more. If myths and stories are the bones upon which
the fullness of a culture is built, then trouble with those bones will show
up in all aspects of a culture.
Just as the physical body provides a vehicle in which human mind,
emotion, personality, and consciousness can function in this world, culture
provides a body in which groups of individuals can function.
Human beings create their cultures but do so in slow, mostly unconscious
ways over long periods of time. Cultures are all-pervasive and
provide the basic template as well as the material for all interaction,
understanding, motivation, and meaning in the lives of their members.
Cultures persist by being constantly reinforced in everyday life. For
example, if the myth of a people tells them that they are God's chosen
people, all community events are interpreted in the light of that belief,
reinforcing the belief, and it will be obvious to everyone in the community
that they are God's chosen ones. Culture is like the air we
breathe, and often it is just as invisible.
Language is also at the heart of culture. Language determines what
can and cannot be said-even what can and cannot be thought. Language
reinforces cultural realities when it provides many choices of
words, phrases, and idioms in relationship to experiences that are central
to the culture. By providing few or no words for those experiences
that are outside of the cultural perspective, language discourages our
considering alternative realities. Those who speak several languages
know that some languages are better for expressing emotions such as
love, while others are better for conducting business. Language shapes
us but is also shaped by us, in one of life's many circles.
Language is also inextricably tied to the stories of a culture. Stories
are the way in which cultural ideals have always been transmitted. Language
is the medium not only of story but also of much of the communication
that serves the function of socializing people into their
cultures. Just as it limits people's perspectives to the prevailing cultural
perspective, language limits what can happen in stories. Stories are
greatly influenced by the richness of their language in describing particular
situations, emotions, and subtle worlds.
Cultures that are closely related to nature have a lot of interest in
the natural world and have many words about natural phenomena.
These cultures often produce far more rich and complex stories using
animals, places, and weather than do societies where most people are
somewhat distanced from nature. Societies that stress human actors and
minimize the natural world generally have languages that are much
more attuned to complicated family and emotional interactions and
are less descriptive of nature. Some groups, such as many North American
First Nations, have developed languages that are rich in words
related both to nature and to human relationships. Even though the
stories of some types of culture tend to focus on more limited topics
most suited to their interest and language, their stories still need to
meet the needs of individuals going about their daily lives. Basic
human questions like "Why do I exist?""What happens when I die?"
and "Why do humans suffer?" will still need to be addressed, but each
language and culture will vary the answer based upon its available
strengths and unique perspectives.
Few individuals go very far beyond the boundaries of their cultures.
Some hardy persons do venture out beyond the limitations of their
societies' geographical boundaries and cultural perspectives and succeed
in developing uniquely broad and deep personalities. Occasionally
individuals who explore the regions beyond the cultural perimeters
without adequate guidance may become psychologically unstable.
Some mystics and sages have the ego strength to go beyond cultural
limitations and later return to their societies to widen perspectives of
others, but this is even rare among the wise.
The fascinating challenge of today's global culture is that cultures are
losing their hold on more and more individuals, which creates the
potential for both psychopathology and enlightenment.We no longer
need to be global adventurers or seekers of spiritual truths in order to
find ourselves ripped out of our cultural encapsulation; it can happen
through a multitude of ways. Even though culture is powerful and holds
most of us in a vice-like grip, breaking the cultural trance requires inner
motivation combined with experiences like extensive travel, emersion
in scientific or social scientific education, disillusionment, or other
forms of social marginalization. And then what? Once outside of the
boundaries how are we to function?
I have known several returned Peace Corps volunteers who, upon
returning to their own cultures, have experienced difficulties building
meaningful lives in their former social contexts. I have also known
people who experienced great loss when their conservative religious
views crumbled during the process of postgraduate education. Some of
the social activists of the 1960s became so disillusioned that they found
ways to "drop out" and exist outside of the mainstream culture.
There are, however, important positives associated with emerging
from the cocoon of one's culture. Many of the returned Peace Corps
volunteers who experienced some degree of alienation from their own
cultures went on to become dynamic and creative individuals, sought
after by business and governmental groups. Some of the disillusioned
1960s activists returned to work within organizations to create positive
change. Some of those who lost their conservative religious convictions
went on to develop rich spiritual lives. How did these people
manage to overcome their alienation?
Stepping outside of our cultures can prepare us to approach Sophia,
the goddess of wisdom, as an empty vessel waiting to receive the nectar
of illumination. Creativity often requires some degree of alienation
in order to give the creative person perspective. It all depends upon
our readiness for the experience. In other words, it depends upon the
degree to which our consciousness has been developed.
There is a Sufi story that addresses this question. David Less, a spiritual
mentor and friend, tells this story best, and it has always been one
of my favorites.This is my version.
A Tavern Story
There is a tavern that is occupied by everyone you know and everyone
I know (it is a pretty big tavern). Like most taverns, it is dark, smoky,
and full of a lot of activity. Most of the activity occurs near the bar
where the bartender, a rather magnetic fellow, serves the various drinks
to the patrons. For one person, he pours from a bottle with the word
"depression" written on it; for another, he finds a bottle with the label
"hate." There are many bottles, and he pours from them such exotic
concoctions as greed, pettiness, gluttony-well, you get the picture.
Imagine that you take your particular drink (related to your current
propensity) and settle in at your table at the back of the tavern. After a
while you become restless,maybe feeling as the old song goes,"Is this all
there is?"You begin to explore the more remote recesses of this large
tavern. Suddenly you notice light filtering in from a window with curtains
drawn, and, fascinated, you walk over to the window.You pull the
curtain back and are blinded by the light.You quickly turn away and
return to the bar for another drink.
A little later your curiosity draws you back to the window. This
time you are prepared for the shock of the light so you turn your head
a bit and allow yourself to get used to the light, so you eventually are
able to look out of the tavern window.You are amazed by what you
see! There is another world out there in the bright light, a world
whose existence you had never imagined.There are flowers and trees
and grass and an incredible sun overhead.You stand mesmerized for
what seems like an eternity.Then you decide that, whatever the cost,
you must find a way to get out of the tavern and into this strange and
beautiful new land you are seeing.
You look around the room, but cannot find a door.You become
mighty thirsty.You feel a compulsion to return to the bar for another
drink, but your fascination with finding a way out keeps you occupied
enough to tolerate your thirst.Now you devise a plan.You figure that if
you circumambulate the perimeter wall of the tavern you should be
able to find an opening to the outside. Slowly you make your way
around the tavern wall until you discover a door frame and door knob.
You open the door slowly and again are blinded by dazzling light.
You step outside and stand there for a while until you are able to
see. Even before your eyes are completely accustomed to the sunlight
you feel warmed by the sun. Sweet fragrances drift in on a light breeze
and lift your spirits.You look around and see flowers, trees, plants and
animals, all living in natural splendor. It vaguely reminds you of
another time and another place that you just can't quite remember.You
feel happier and more contented than you are capable of comprehending,
and you just wander in this scene for a while.
Suddenly you feel the presence of another being.You feel a tap on
your shoulder.You turn around to behold a person who appears kind
and gentle, and who says that you must make a choice. It is not possible
to remain outside of the tavern and live.You are welcome to remain in
this land, but in order to do so you must cease to exist. If you wish to
remain alive, you must return to the tavern.The kind person suggests
that there are those in the tavern that need you and are depending on
you.Your heart sinks! Never before have you known such beauty, clarity,
and freedom. Never before have you been sober and free of the
weight of your stupor.You realize that what you had thought was life
was really a sort of sleepwalking brought about by imbibing the various
intoxicants served to you in the tavern.The messenger smiles, nods, and
says, "The gift that you take back with you is to remember." So you
take a deep breath of the fragrant air of freedom and return to the tavern
armed with the "gift of remembering."
Once inside you realize how thirsty you are.You remember that no
one can remain within the tavern and not drink, so you return to the
bar and ask for a drink. The bartender starts to pour you a glass of
"anger," and you say,"No, thank you." Everything becomes hushed; it's
not normal to refuse what the bartender offers. He reaches for a bottle
marked "depression" and you say, "No, thank you." Now things are
getting a bit tense-everyone is looking to see what will happen next.
The bartender is getting upset and growls back at you, "So what do
you want?"
You peer over the top of the bar and see some old, dusty bottles on
the bottom shelf."What's in those?" you ask. He picks one up, blows
off some dust and replies,"Hmmm, I haven't seen this one in a long
time-it's kindness.""Yes, I'll have some of that," you say. A soft sense
of well-being fills your chest, and you realize that you did it-you
remembered! From this day forward, you will remember. Every time
you approach the bar you will remember that world outside, and that
will give you the freedom to choose what you wish to drink in this tavern
of life.
This story shows us that a spiritual discipline bestows upon the brave
soul who chooses to step outside of his or her culture two gifts: the
knowledge that one cannot live as a human being without participation
in a culture, and the freedom to choose how to participate.Without
knowledge, self-discipline, and love (all key elements in the story),
the choices are grim. Without these qualities, people can become
depressed, angry, or cynical and withdraw from society or even worse.
Some may experience emotional and mental disorders that are the
result of losing a sense of order and meaning in life.With the requisite
knowledge, self-discipline, and love, the wise can participate in the
game of life, while remembering that every thought,word, and deed is
a choice. It is possible to make these choices out of love for the dear
ones that populate this earth.This perspective is similar to the Buddhist
concept of the bodhisattva, the one who has achieved Union with the
One Mind, and yet chooses to continue incarnating to serve others.
As we leave behind our cultural blinders,we have to choose the stories
and myths that will provide the patterns that guide our lives.When
the central myth of a culture can no longer bring meaning and purpose
to our daily life pursuits, how might we find the stories that could
help us? We are fortunate in this global community to have access to
stories from around the world. Some of these stories can help us to
understand and even to recreate the cultural stories that were changed,
suppressed, and lost as the dominant Judeo-Christian myth rose to
prominence.
As the Christian story spread across Europe and the Americas, its
missionaries were quick to merge local stories into Christian stories.
Many of the birth and miracle stories in the New Testament are borrowed
from religions such as Mithraism extant in the Roman Empire
at the time. These stories follow the archetypal patterns set up for
"heroes,""sacrificial kings," and "sons of the sun" in Egyptian, Sumerian,
Babylonian, and ancient European cultures. One would think that
the consolidation of these myths in a dominant new package would be
useful, but the Christian story had one devastating flaw that still haunts
us today.That flaw has led not only to the loss of many stories but also
to the loss of whole cultures.
Christians said that Jesus was the only Son of God. This twist to a
familiar story negated all other myths and stories for all other people. It
required all people who wanted salvation or redemption to believe in
only the Christian story.This tragic flaw opened the door for the murder
of millions of people and the wholesale destruction of countless
cultures-in the name of the Christian story. Most Christians today are
appalled by what has been done in their name and have moved far
from this narrow, ethnocentric view of their religion, but unfortunately,
the growing wave of fundamentalist Christians has not seen the
need for change.
Stories that could not be incorporated into those approved by the
church in Christian Europe were branded either "pagan" or heresy, and
those who told or valued the stories were persecuted.The Inquisition
and the witch burnings from the twelfth through the sixteenth centuries
in Europe are chilling examples of the suppression of stories and
the beliefs that they represented. If we sometimes feel cut off from our
roots, unaware of the true nature of our tribal origins, whether they be
in Asia, Africa, Europe or the Americas, it may be this suppression of
early stories and myths that is at the core of the problem.
All of our ancestors, no matter where we are from,were members of
tribes or clans. If you scratch our surface, you will quickly discover,
underneath the thin veneer of "civilization," a tribal person. In the history
of the evolution of the human species, the present rational, industrialized,
urban, cosmopolitan, and often monotheistic culture that we now
inhabit is a brief episode. Our longer and psychologically more powerful
inheritance is of living in close, intimate, extended family groupings.
These groups bonded cooperatively with other groups in tribes or other
social units that shared their oral traditions, histories, stories, and myths,
often around the fire at night. Because of this history, which is lost to
many of us,we still respond deeply to stories, poetry, and other oral traditions.
We feel most alienated and alone when our stories are lost or
cannot relate to the lives we are living.
Fortunately, the human storytelling urge is unstoppable. People like
Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm collected European fairy tales, and one can
now find collections of stories and fairy tales from every part of the world
in our neighborhood bookstores.With movies and television we are constantly
retelling old tales, embellishing the best of the timeless stories, and
perhaps even creating a new mythology (at least the outward symbols) for
the times. It would not be an exaggeration to say that we now have more
access to a full range of myths, sagas, fairy tales, and stories than ever
before.This is due to the omnipresence of television and movies as well as
the written word and traditional storytelling.These media reflect motifs
from around the world, in addition to our own national or cultural
myths.Trying to stay parochial is getting harder and harder.
Marie-Louise von Franz writes in her classic Interpretation of Fairy
Tales: "In myths or legends, or any other more elaborate mythological
material, we get at the basic patterns of the human psyche through an
overlay of cultural material. But in fairy tales there is much less specific
conscious material and therefore they mirror the basic patterns of the
psyche more clearly"(von Franz, 1982:1). If we heed the implications
of this distinction we may find a clue to salvaging the heart of our
mythological inheritance while leaving behind some of the cultural
baggage.We can look at myths and stories as bringers of common messages
but under different circumstances.We may be able to find in fairy
tales the distilled versions of larger cultural myths and recreate their
deeper meaning without having to buy into the ancient worldview
that they carry. As they rise to the level of fairy tale, stories have often
been purged, through their repetitive telling, of the religion, politics,
morality, and economics of the time.They speak directly to the unfolding
of consciousness through the human self.
Myths are linked to a people. When we think of the myths surrounding
the Trojan War, we think of the Greeks; when we think of
White Buffalo Calf Woman we think of the Lakota Sioux.These myths
may make less sense for other cultures, as each speaks to the unique
history and nature of a single culture. Still, the myths contain archetypal
motifs that speak to the development of the human self, a self
that is situated in a time and place.
Along with the psychological-spiritual components, myths often
carry historical information and in some cases involve actual historical
people. The stories in the Old Testament reflect the embellished and
ethnocentric stories of the Hebrew people but certainly contain some
useful historical information for those capable of disentangling it.
While many have doubted the historical authenticity of the Trojan
War, there is now a developing body of knowledge to suggest it did
indeed occur.We need to recognize the cultural usefulness of history
that has become mythologized, but we also need to be able to tell the
difference between historic material and content whose purpose is the
promotion of the growth of consciousness.
Edward Edinger, discussing Jung's "new myth," is very much in step
with the idea of the development of a postmodern Western consciousness-
based mythology when he says:
The new myth postulates that the created universe and its
most exquisite flower, man, make up a vast enterprise for the
creation of consciousness, that each individual is a unique
experiment in that process; and that the sum total of consciousness
created by each individual in his lifetime is
deposited as a permanent addition in the collective treasury of
the archetypal psyche (Edinger, 1984:23).
While myths are paradigmatic and give meaning and direction to the
existence of large groups of people during a particular historical epic,
stories contain the wisdom of our ancestors concerning living one's life.
Stories give insight into the trials and tribulations of growing into maturity,
the tasks required at various key points in one's life, initiations that
need to understood and endured, the meaning of our feelings, the bad
things that happen to good people, the good things that happen to bad
people, and the individual pathless path to awakening. In short, stories
instruct us about the meaning of life events and the qualities and attitudes
required to live a good life.
Creating New Stories
We don't need to look far to discover new stories that can touch the
depths and instruct our new generations.There are stories being written
constantly that convey the wisdom of the psyche. Many of these
stories, which are available to each new generation, are almost (but not
quite) as free of cultural bias as a fairy tale, because they are emerging
out of a multicultural, postmodern, and intellectually free society.They
do, however, often carry the biases of modernity, rationalism, and individualism.
Many of the writers of the stories and directors of the films
made from them have searched outside of the cultural boxes for fresh
ways to package these timeless teaching stories.
Film is an exceptionally powerful way to impress important stories
upon people.There is nothing entirely new about this. Our ancestors
from Greece to Elizabethan England have used stage plays to share the
cultural stories.This type of medium allows individuals to give themselves
over to the story, lose themselves in it, and find lost pieces of
their psyches in the characters of the play. Film, especially with the
incredible special effects now available, can capture and immerse the
mind in a manner unparalleled in our history.
My wife Jan and I sometimes teach a course that we call "Our Stories,
Our Lives." It is all about seeing and understanding symbolism in
stories.The students read stories and fairy tales, watch films, and write
autobiographies using myth and symbol, rather than straight prose.The
last time we taught the course, the power of some of these stories was
impressed upon me again.This is an intensive three-week course, taught
in three-hour blocks each day. On the third day, after seeing some of
Joseph Campbell's Power of Myth videos, talking a lot about the sequence
of the "hero's journey," discussing the meaning behind a couple of stories
I told, and watching The Dark Crystal (Jim Henson's beautiful little
myth) the students were about ready to revolt."Who cares about all this
stuff anyway!" was a pretty common sentiment. "Why not just get a
good job and have a nice life?"was one student's comment, and who can
argue with that?
The next day I showed the movie The Matrix. They changed from a
rebellious street gang to a group of innocents with seeking hearts.We
talked about why Neo (the lead character) would give up his normal
life in search of something more. They shared moments from their
own lives when they had glimpsed something greater, using Robert
Johnson's term "grail castle experience" (Johnson, 1974:49).We talked
about the names in the story: "Neo," meaning new, and Trinity (the
anima/soul figure in the movie), referring to Knower, Known, and
Knowing, or Love, Lover and Beloved, the full trinity of life. Could this
mean that when the two of them unite we have a new life, a new
world, new consciousness? The students really got into it. It was the
turning point in the class. This is the power that myth continues to
exert. Each generation needs stories to which they can relate, and
when they find them, they will respond to them.There are many other
films out there that are carrying important stories; I will share a couple
of my favorite scenes.
I am always captivated by a scene late in the film Return of the Jedi.
Han Solo, and Princess Leia, symbolically represents for me the questing
heart and the soul respectively, are fighting below on the forest planet,
and Luke, representing the individual spirit or higher will, is confronting
the emperor and his father, above, on the Death Star.This "as
above, so below" sequence powerfully portrays the qualities of courage
and daring (below) and mastery (above) that are needed to overcome
one's own hidden barriers to growth.
Recently Jan and I went to see The Fellowship of the Ring, the 2001
version of Tolkien's story about hobbits, a ring of power, and a dark
time. A scene that struck me as beautiful was that when Boromir, who
had been the protector of Gondor, but never its king, was dying, and
Aragorn, the rightful king, was comforting him. Many in the theater
were sniffling or sobbing, but my eyes were mostly dry, although they
had not always been dry during that movie. I was moved not by loss,
but by the mythic image of the lower self that had been carrying the
burden in the absence of the king, now turning over the task to the one
destined to accomplish it, the king, or higher self. It was an awe-inspiring
and powerful image.
There are many other little myths out there that I love and that have
affected my life greatly. I especially like Joe Versus the Volcano, Ladyhawke,
The Emerald Forest, and Excalibur. Sometimes these stories have come
along just at the time when I needed something that they had to teach,
or when I was down and needed a shot of the "hero's journey" or
"alchemical marriage" to boost my resolve or give me courage.We
don't always need to seek out spiritual guides or wise mentors; sometimes
the stories around us can teach us all we need to know, once we
have learned to speak the language of myth.
Myths We Can Do Without
I am often very concerned about two types of stories that I feel have
outlived their usefulness and may be more a hindrance to growth than
a help.These two motifs are the "tragic love story" and the "sacrificial
king story." Both story types are incredibly interwoven into Western
culture.They reflect a development of consciousness and a paradigm
that has become outgrown. I think the damage that they can cause far
outweighs their possible benefit.There are other ways to promote the
growth to which the stories point.
Tragic Love
From Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, to the movie City of Angels, tragic
love stories promote the idea that "true love" cannot last in this world
of the flesh. Maybe it is thought that love as profound as this can only
be hinted at on earth and must be waited for until we go to another
world beyond this one. It might be that "true love" is seen as a
metaphor for our relationship with God, and therefore can never be
consummated between mortals. Possibly, from a psychological perspective,"
true love" is an externalization of the conjunctio oppositorium within
(the marriage of the inner feminine and masculine) and needs to be
owned rather than projected.Whatever the reasons for the continuation
of the tragic love motif, I believe it is a grave mistake.
Love is one of the greatest, most sublime, most transforming, and
most useful of human emotions-why should it be doomed to failures?
Yes, we certainly have difficulty in maintaining our loving relationships,
but this could be partially a result of faulty mythology, not its
cause. Following the lead of the Sufis, the medieval troubadours sang
of a love that could not be fulfilled in life but rather became an ideal
for which to live.
The romantic love of the troubadours had a civilizing effect on a
brutish European culture, but it has changed greatly since that time.
Today, at least in the West, love is the foundation for marriage and
long-term commitment.Today, love is one of the few counterforces to
a faceless, soulless machine-like existence. Love is an affirmation of
commitment and a rejection of transience. Love rescues us from the
isolation of individuality and challenges us to be "in relationship." Love
requires us to go beyond our adolescent preoccupation with ourselves
and consider at least one other person. Love is also a crucible that
refines our personalities and opens our hearts.
Love serves us in all of these ways, and instead of supporting the
powerful functions of love, our culture continues to propagate the story
of tragic love. Could it be that love is too radical an activity to be easily
accepted by monolithic states and religions? Love might require us to
work fewer hours, to dedicate ourselves to our beloved and our families
rather than the workplace. If we loved we might not be as willing to
dismiss this life as inferior to spiritual realities. Love might keep us
home during times of war, rather than leaving our loved ones to fight
for the state. Love is a very radical political activity. Love not only transforms
individuals but is also capable of transforming the world. Love is
dangerous to the status quo. I am not hinting at a conspiracy here, only
saying that old ways die hard, especially when they have a way of preserving
things as they are.
What if we began telling more stories where "true love" was triumphant?
Would that have a "snowball effect" and create more support
for people seeking guidance in their own process of loving? Would the
psychological effect of learning to love more completely have an
impact on the inner process of uniting the masculine and feminine
sides of the individual? Would more outer and inner harmony between
lovers, between anima (the inner feminine) and animus (the inner masculine)
begin to heal the cultural divide between men and women? I
believe it is time for us to try.
The Sacrificial King
In a darshan (an in-depth spiritual interview) some years ago, a spiritual
guide told me that I was "too impressed with sacrifice." I know that this
is true. I know that I resonate very deeply with the archetypes of the
sacrificial king and sacred warrior. If you would bore to the center of
my being and divest me of all other qualities and identity, you would
find the sacred king archetype.After much soul-searching, I believe we
need to develop a new view of this ancient construct.
The sacrificial king is more difficult to discuss than tragic love. It is
far more ancient, and it has a more crucial spiritual component.The
idea that the chief, king, pharaoh, or emperor somehow embodies the
spirit of the people and that his (and it is a "he") life is a reflection of
this relationship, carries a power and inner truth that cannot be ignored.
If the ancient insight that "woman is life, and man is its protector" can
be taken as indicative of a certain understanding of inner reality, then
the "king" of our psyche, the ego, must be periodically sacrificed in
order for soul to grow into the fullness of its life. The ego must go
through a death and rebirth when it is too small to support the next
step of the feminine side of our life, what we sometimes call the soul.
There are outer manifestations of this process, when the ego of the
culture, often reflected in the leader or leadership, has too limited a
perspective to lead the culture into its next great stage, and must be
changed. The reality behind the stories of sacrificial kings, from
Mithras to Jesus to Arthur, is profound and necessary and needs to have
its place in our cultural stories. My concern is with the extent to
which we have replaced "living" with "sacrifice." I think it is better to
live for my country than to die for it. I think it is better to live for my
family than to die for it.The sacrifice of lower desire for the benefit of
the community or the growth of the individual has become, in the
hands of nation-states and religions, a horrible weapon.The affirmation
of life, which is what the inner meaning of sacrifice is all about,
needs to be placed back in the forefront of the myth of sacrifice. Martyrdom
for state or religion can no longer be seen as affirming of life,
but instead as a bringer of death at the behest of a bureaucracy.There
will most likely still be times when individuals must sacrifice their lives
for higher ideals, but I would like to suggest we also need a mythology
and stories that provide us with multiple pathways to live for our ideals
and propose sacrifice only when the more life-affirming paths prove
ineffective.
Life is by no means always rosy-as a matter of fact it seldom is-but
we almost ensure failure to make life better when we continually
impress upon the psyche that the only way to make life better is
through death. Sometimes, especially when it is metaphor, death brings
about a rebirth, but all too often death is simply death. It may be that
the most radical idea that I will continually return to in this book is that
of the affirmation of life. Life lives and death dies. If the hidden treasure
that is the divine is to be found anywhere, it is in the sweet, vibrating,
ever-present, yet ephemeral moment we call life. While sacrifice is
sometimes the act of a great heart, it is sometimes more important to
learn how to live for your purpose rather than die for it.
Myths and stories shape our world, sometimes for the better and
sometimes to our detriment. Humans can be said to evolve through
their cultures, and we are a species that is at a turning point in its evolution.
Much of the world has moved beyond the stories that have
given their cultures meaning and stands poised to take a leap into an
unknown future. It will be crucially important which myths and stories
we choose to take with us.

Edition details

• Publisher: Llewellyn Publications
• Publication date: 2004
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0738704423
• ISBN 13: 9780738704425
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 264