The call to adventure
Know your archetypes, know yourself
Greek mythology has a couple of themes that have endured the passage of time.
The first, the concept of “The Hero’s Journey” has become a blueprint for an adventurous life. We leave the comfort and familiarity of home, do battle with forces in the outside world, and transform ourselves into someone worthy of respect and praise.
The second, “Know thyself” is etched into the Temple of Apollo at Delphi. It served as a reminder to all those who entered that the answers they were seeking came from within.
The Ancient Greeks, unaware of the irony, would visit the Oracle at Delphi to get advice about how to defeat their enemies and extend their real estate.
These days we’re more aware that a true Hero’s Journey is one in which we slay our own inner dragons of fear, self-doubt, guilt, and imposter syndrome, so that we can live a creative life… a “spirited”, fun, joy-filled life. A life where we can make choices without the fear of consequence. (Wouldn’t that bring a sigh of relief).
This is harder than it looks. We are conditioned by archetypal patterns into behaviours that seem locked in our DNA. Rather than face our inner dragons (so that we can release our genius-level creativity) we either become distracted by the infinite vastness of the internet, or we become obsessed by one small part of it.
Distraction or obsession. Or both! If I waste too much time in distraction, I’m annoyed with myself which makes me obsessed by the urgent need for chocolate.
In my Greek Retreat, I’m going to go through these six major archetypal patterns in the place where archetypes were “invented” (or “discovered” because strictly speaking all the inventions of humans (like electricity or the internet) were already there, just waiting for us to connect the dots.
Having said this, what else might be there in the ether, just waiting for us to focus our attention long enough to realize it… (in other words “make it real”.)
Manifestation is just the practice of taking things from the energy world (of thoughts and ideas), and bringing them into the physical one. The reason so many of us struggle with this, seemingly simple process, is our tendency to bypass those dragons. This leads us into all sorts of dead ends and complex gyratory systems.
If you’re interested in a different kind of Hero’s Journey and/or you’re intrigued to “know yourself” a bit better, come with me to a Greek Island 21-28 May 2025.
Format = wake up to sunshine and sea views. Morning discovery sessions of archetypal patterns and the various ways they have stymied our creative impulses. Afternoon thinking, writing, drawing, swimming. Private one to one coaching on individual projects. Evening dinner and stories from Greek mythology
DM me if you’re interested and we can have a quick chat to see if it’s a good fit for you.