Several years ago I had a discussion with a good friend of mine, Eric Deggans, in response to a chapter I had written for Become Your Own Great and Powerful. My chapter was entitled "Adventures of an Unlikely Superhero" which led Eric to question whether "Superhero" was a bit presumptuous. I heartily disagreed.
The truth is, legend, myth, classic stories of good and evil, the lives of saints and sinners and other classic literature all have high relevance for our lives today. While we may not feel a direct connection to the peoples of ancient Greece, Rome or other highly developed cultures, it behooves us to remember that they were also human beings, subject to the full range of emotions, inner turmoil and external demands we are. The details may have changed, but the stories are hauntingly familiar. Myth and legend have the power to elevate your vision from one's personal predicament to the universal significance of the challenge.
There is good news in that. There is a lot to be said for the aerial view. Those who thought to record their trials and tribulations as well as their victories and revelations have left us some wonderful roadmaps (with a few gorgeous illustrations, to boot) that can help orient us during our own periods of confusion. There can be a profound comfort in knowing that the path we are on, no matter how seemingly lonely in the present, has been well-travelled with many a chance for salvation along the way. (Pitfalls, too. Also well marked.)
One of the tasks of No Safe Distance is to bring to life some of these stories for you in practical ways so that they can do the work they were intended to, by serving as guides and signposts along the way. In so doing, I will encourage you to utilize these stories as tools to help you reconceptualize your challenges in a way that will allow you fresh perspectives on how you might proceed with facing them.
It can be tricky, of course, to move from the high level theoretical or metaphorical view to determining what your next steps should be in the "real world", especially when you are so close to your situation. Emotions can also make it difficult to establish a solid sense of center. I would caution you as we get rolling here against becoming so intrigued and gaining so much insight from contemplating universal stories, tracking your dreams and experiencing the odd synchronistic event that you forget you actually have to DO something. You may get all the signs you want from the Universe that a favorable wind is blowing but it won't do you a lot of good if you forget to put your sail up.
Just so happens, I can help you quite a bit with that.
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