Insolent monkey!
Stole that chili corn cob right out of Grace's hand
as we climbed the stone teps of Elephanta Island
lined by the trinkets of India
("Very good price, madam")
On our way to see Shiva
Oh great god,
who dances the world into being
who has dreads and smokes a chillum
who is worshipped as a stone-cold phallus
This journey has not been easy
Why I gotta fall in love with the Destroyer?
Friday, December 10, 2010
Musings on Leaving Home
The literature on the hero's journey- the journey of transformation that one must take to be the star of one's own life- agrees on four main phases: leaving home, ordeals, transformation, and the return. I believe there is another, unacknowledged part of this process that begins before and during leaving home. I call it the "Oh, shit, what am I doing" phase. For me, this part of my journey took the form of thoughts such as:
*Maybe I made a huge mistake by not going to Mexico and learning Spanish instead. That would have been way better for my career.
*That new Johnny Depp movie looked good, and I bet they won't have memory foam at the guest houses in India.
*If I stayed at home, I could have more time enjoy the jeggings trend.
As difficult as it may be, I believe the task of the "oh, shit" phase is to see it for what it really is, the last ditch effort of the ego to not have to die. For the only real certainty on the hero's journey is that when the hero returns, if she returns at all, she will be a new person. Hopefully a more inspired, integrated, whole person and all that, but certainly a person who will need to reacquaint herself with her world. And that is a very scary thing.
*Maybe I made a huge mistake by not going to Mexico and learning Spanish instead. That would have been way better for my career.
*That new Johnny Depp movie looked good, and I bet they won't have memory foam at the guest houses in India.
*If I stayed at home, I could have more time enjoy the jeggings trend.
As difficult as it may be, I believe the task of the "oh, shit" phase is to see it for what it really is, the last ditch effort of the ego to not have to die. For the only real certainty on the hero's journey is that when the hero returns, if she returns at all, she will be a new person. Hopefully a more inspired, integrated, whole person and all that, but certainly a person who will need to reacquaint herself with her world. And that is a very scary thing.
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