We all a love a good story, whether told orally, in a book or film; and the best stories entail the hero’s journey. Such a story portrays the hero being drawn to a course of action, often taking it reluctantly, in which he or she must leave all that is known and familiar and sets out to accomplish a noble and selfless goal. The nature of such a story is such that it entails the risk of death or actual death and then an eventual return or rebirth and the attainment of something new, better and more expansive. Carl Jung called characters and themes found in stories around the world archetypes—so pervasive and enduring are such stories that they belong to the collective unconscious.
Powerful stories can carry you places, even as does beautiful music—which is its own sort of story telling. It can be useful to see your life as a living narrative, to see it as a hero’s journey. The hero seeks out truth and is willing to go anywhere, do anything to attain what he or she is seeking. We can certainly see this pattern in Mother’s life. As we studied her time with Papa during our last retreat, or her meeting her master, Paramhansa Yogananda, we saw that she was inspired to fulfill something she had always known she was to do, a destiny that was important not only for herself but for the world at large. This knowledge, that she had a calling, something she must do, that must be realized, drove her beyond all reason and caution to journey into higher and higher states of consciousness—to her full God-realization.
You can think that such stories are only true for great spiritual masters such as Mother, Papa or Master, but that is not acknowledging that God is the indwelling Presence in you as well. As Master once said, “The same God that is in me is in you.” What a wonderful truth for him to confirm, a fact that is true for all creatures—for God is the seed-force in one and in all. In truth, God is the driving power behind everything you think, say and do; whether it be mundane or spiritual. For, everything in your life is orchestrating events so that you might come to your ultimate hero’s journey.
There are many journeys of a hero’s nature we have over time. It can be a simple thing, such as telling the truth when it would seem easier or more expedient to tell a lie. Or, it can be a more difficult test, doing something that is the right thing to do, but doing so may cost you a great deal. You create a pattern for yourself when you face a difficulty and overcome your fear, you do what is right whatever the potential cost. As a result, you grow stronger and the integrity of your soul shines out from you. Ultimately, you are being purified by such experiences–prepared for the final mile of God-realization.
Whether you find yourself on the first rung of this story or the final mile, the pattern you follow is the same—you stay true to the higher light of truth, love and universal service in all you think, say and do. As happens in any hero’s journey worth its salt, the hero may fail to live up to the standards of a noble path along the way. But, the hero does not give up, rather he recovers and keeps going—that is what makes it a hero’s journey. And that is your hero’s journey, to recover, to keep going no matter what; it is the sure way that leads through darkened places and into the light. You, we, are here to individually and collectively walk upon this path of the hero, to make your way to the portal of the Infinite, then to enter into that portal and go beyond all that you have known before. In truth your life is the greatest story ever told; so, make it a good one, make it count.