Your ultimate adventure in life is calling you to step out of The Shire and into the Unknown... but why should you?
How The Fellowship of the Ring should have gone if Frodo was really in his right mind:
“There’s no way in hell I’m taking that bloody ring to, where did you say? Mordor? Into an active volcano? And horrendous monsters will be trying to kill me the entire way… get out of here you crazy old man!”
Fair enough Frodo. I get it.
Why would you put yourself in so much danger when your life is so utterly quaint? It would be so much simpler to tend to your garden and go fishing with your hobbit mates on the bridge.
Isn't it much safer to stay well within the bounds of the Known? The lovely, beautiful well known Shire. Where there are nicely tended gardens and neighbours who care far too much about pumpkins.
The gall of Gandalf for even asking — this is what gets me. Asking someone the size of a child to wander into dangerous forests and fight literal ghosts is beyond rude, it’s psychotic.
But we love this madness!
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy is one of the most endeared stories of all time. We soak in that story in our cozy homes and it all sits perfectly well with us. We read our children this story, hoping that it will inspire them.
You want your kids to follow a crazy old man into the most dangerous journey of their lives? OK, fine.
Look the truth is, I really wish that a quaint life in the Shire was the ultimate deal in life. I really would like for the hardest thing in my life to be choosing the right field to frolic in.
But dammit — I actually don’t want that! I want that bloody adventure. I want to punch a Ring Wraith right in the face and slice a couple of orcs for getting in my way. I want to encounter the Unknown.
What Waits For Us in the Unknown?
I've rewatched The Lord of the Rings so many times and it reveals wisdom and brings me to tears every single time — It is the perfect depiction of The Hero's Journey — the mythological narrative we embark on when we choose to follow our passions.
The Unknown is that mysterious veiled landscape on the edge of your imagination, cloaked in danger but beckoning with excitement.
In order to pursue your Bliss you will cross the threshold of the Known into the Unknown.
It is the threshold of your own consciousness into your subconscious mind and encounter the gifts & challenges that wait for you in there.
It's stepping out of The Shire into landscapes never travelled before. That landscape could be physical, as in travelling to new lands, or it could be metaphysical - a landscape of novel thoughts and ideas.
The Hero's Journey is an ancient road map told throughout novels, mythology and stories of old and it really is an insane concept but let me try to explain this insanity…
Take The Ring — Follow Your Bliss
When I said YES to The Call in early 2020, it didn’t come with a run sheet of tasks to set towards and no map of the valleys & mountains to traverse, but still, I said yes. Yes to crossing the threshold of the Unknown. Yes to that undefined Bliss. Yes to adventure. Yes to slaying unknown demons along the way.
Because it was exciting.
It’s completely terrifying and utterly confusing but what would be worse is the regret I would have faced if I had chosen safety instead. That really would be hell. It wouldn’t have mattered how quaint my life was, I would have lived out my life in torment of what could have been.
Besides, it's not all orcs and dragons - there are some magical parts of this journey.
The Gifts You Find Along the Way
A Vehicle of Inspiration
Shadowfax — The Lord of all horses. Now, what significance does this gorgeous boy symbolise? In Greek mythology, we have Pegasus, the winged equine companion of Bellerophon, who rode him on his conquest of the monstrous Chimera.
In mythology & literature, Hero and Horse meld together to fight battles and traverse distances with ease. Horses bring to this union their strength, their beauty and their spirit of freedom.
The Hero who tames this beast, this beacon of inspiration, uses this energy to pursue their aim with elegance and potency.
Friends to Lighten Your Load
Where would Frodo be without Samwise, Merry, Pippin & his Fellowship of Protectors? Laughter, play & frivolity are such essential aspects of the journey — they are, in fact, built into this strange system. Approaching obstacles with a playful, childlike spirit tunes us into the solutions with ease and friends help us to get into this frequency.
Never underestimate the power of a hobbit or a playful spirit.
Clarity does come, don't worry. You won't wander in the fog of confusion forever.
We have moments of fighting our way through Fangorn Forest, not knowing which way is up, down, left or right but we also have peaceful, restful stints in Rivendell where wisdom and encouragement are offered freely.
Clarity comes and goes but each time it comes back, it stays for a little longer and shines a little brighter.
Guidance finds its way to you also.
Gandalf fleshes out the ancient archetype of The Sage that is characterised as a seeker of truth and giver of wisdom. Your own intuition embodies this archetype within you. It is always guiding you to follow that golden thread hiding just around the next corner … guidance comes in many forms.
Reading this article is one way that it has guided you. I hope you might take the elixir, the armour or the sword that is being offered to you inside it.
The Ultimate Gift Is Found In Your Wound
"The wound in the place where Light enters you."
—Rumi
Now, this is the kicker. This journey will not keep you safe from hurts. It is by no means bereft of danger. It leads you into the cave with horrid giant spiders (seriously, spiders have been a major fear of mine since I was a child, I have to hide from that scene) and the nazgûl blade goes in deeper than you want it to.
"The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek."
—Joseph Campbell
Fear & pain are our greatest teachers. On our Hero's Journey, pursuing our aim & deepest passions, we will be led into facing these wounds so that we might integrate their energetic shadow potential.
Look Your Ring Wraith in the Eye
The thing about your demons - the ring wraiths that stab you in the heart...
— They could be your fear of being seen & putting yourself out there
— They could be your inability to get through a full riding session with your horse
— They could be the voice that speaks to you through the mirror every morning
— They could be the blocks represented by people, circumstances or your emotions repeating over and over
... They have their cloaks of darkness over them but they are just asking for you see through the pain into the heart that desires love and empathy. Those swords that cut through to our hearts reveal where our true gifts lie.
You might think that this whole Hero's Journey is too absurd
It’s fair enough if you want to refuse that call when it comes knocking. I completely understand. The Unknown might seem like it's just a big ol' pit of demons that whisper horrid things like:
—It's too hard
—I'm not qualified
—What if I fail?
—I don't have the time
—There's too much at stake
—I'm not good enough
—What will people think?
If you have thoughts like these running through your mind right now I'm just gonna say this:
You know it's your true path is calling you when the voice of fear rises up to resist — The stronger the call, the more vehement this voice plagues you
As you consider all of the ways it could go wrong, the fearful demons that you will face and the peaceful life that you would be turning away from — I would ask you to just pause & think about how exciting it would be!
Think of all the greatness on the horizon... allow yourself to dream.
To live out the adventure of your Hero's Journey - to encounter your own shadow and integrate it along the way through its many various forms - is the ultimate form of Bliss.
This path brings more than happiness, it brings true fulfilment. Not only do we experience the beautiful moments high up on the mountaintop, we feel the full spectrum of life as it is laid out for us. Past, present & future align within us as we live our true paths of meaning.
The Lord of the Rings is one point of entry into understanding the Hero's Journey
I take note of my intuition when I decide to pick up this story again and as I watch it, I observe each character as if they were me.
Other stories illustrate the monomythic Hero's Journey also - finding a story that speaks to you most is as close as you're going to get to a blueprint on how to live your life.
A poem to leave you with
