Ouroboros: Eternal Symbol of Endings and Beginnings

The symbol of a snake curved in a circle and eating its own tail is goes back to Ancient Egypt, appears in old Alchemy drawings and can be found today on album covers and tattoos. Secret societies have also used this symbol throughout the centuries.

In the simplest of terms, the Ouroboros symbolizes the eternal cycle of life. In many traditions, the circle represents wholeness, or One-ness, because a circle has no beginning or end. (This is part of the symbolism behind the wedding band, but that's another topic for another day). The Ouroboros snake appears to have a beginning (head) and an ending (tail), but since these are joined together, it points to the fact that the two are actually one in the same. Here, the "ending" is really a new beginning and the cycle starts over again.

The Great Cycle of Life that shows up time and again is one of the most significant aspects of Nature itself. All living things, as well as planets and stars, have their life cycles. In the case of an apple tree, the dead apple that falls to the ground and starts to rot is actually the fertilizer that nourishes the seeds inside, which in turn grows into a new apple tree, and so on. The death of the apple makes it possible for the birth of a new tree. Some spiders do the same thing; the mother guards over the egg sac and when the babies are hatched they will consume the mother to help in their survival.

So what about humans? Most everything we eat, including vegetarians, was once alive and then killed for our consumption so that we may survive. Symbolically, the Ouroboros can represent the "death" of the child so that the adult can be born (aka puberty), or, that the death of the bachelor heralds the birth of the husband as he takes the vows of marriage. Generally speaking, we want to "kill" the lesser so that the greater may emerge. In mythology, the Mentor or teacher must die at some point (actually or symbolically) so the Hero or student can then become the master.

Many Near-Death Experiences involve a passage through a dark tunnel where there is light at the end where loved ones are waiting to welcome you into the new world. Is this not the same as our birth, when we move through the birth canal into the light outside, where our parents are waiting for our arrival?

Circles and cycles are not difficult to understand: we see the seasons change and change back again; the death of the night announces the coming day and the death of the Sun brings the night and nocturnal creatures to life. Each month the New Moon begins the waxing phase and the Full Moon begins the waning phase and so on. This cyclical motion of constant change and then starting over again is just about everywhere you look if you care to observe.

In Science, we have the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics (or conservation of energy) that states, "Energy cannot be created or destroyed, it can only be transformed." So really, the place where the death becomes the birth is the point of transformation, and in the long view, the transition from one to the other is seamless. That is, even though one form "dies," it doesn't really go anywhere - it just takes on a new form.

In the spiritual tradition of the Phoenix, the bird that lives for 500 years eventually consumes itself in its own flames, only to be born again. [As a side note, it may be that the Bald Eagle of the United States is really a Phoenix in disguise.] This "born again" motif shows up in Christianity, where the old "sinner" self has to die so that the "saved" Self can emerge and thrive. Think of the Ouroboros when you consider what Jesus meant when he said "I am the Alpha (beginning) and the Omega (ending)."

In our own lives, the Ouroboros can be a powerful and practical symbol to conjure up in our minds (or tattoo on our bodies or use as a wallpaper on our iPhones) when we are faced with any kind of ending or new beginning. The lesson from the snake eating its tail is that endings such as death, loss and change can be seen as new beginnings, new life, new love. The circle represents the Eternal; the head and tail the death and rebirth of the Temporal. Most religious traditions and philosophies agree that, while we have only a short finite life in this world, we are part of an eternal existence in the Universe.

Change is perhaps the greatest of fears, and we meet it with such resistance because it often feels like a death. It can feel like we're dying when we make a significant change - even with changes that are for the better, ones that we actually want to change. Actually it IS a kind of death - the death of some part of our way of life that have known up to this point, and often exchanging it for a new way that is unfamiliar and probably scary. This may be the inspiration for the phrase, "Better the devil you know than the devil you don't," and why some people stay in abusive or dead-end relationships because it's the one we know. This relationship between death and change is represented in the symbolism of the Tarot cards as well - the Death card does not mean death; it means Change.

Even when we make it through the first part, accepting and adjusting to the new way can also be difficult. We say "Out with the old; in with the new!" every December 31st as we ring in the New Year. But it's when we don't let go of the old, and try to hang on to some of the same beliefs and attitudes that we get ourselves in trouble. The new way won't allow for the old habits. The security blanket of our childhood needs to be traded for the responsibility of adulthood. Cultivate the Faith that the net will appear WHEN you leap, and not before. Believe that gifts on the other side of the river will worth making the crossing. Let the bachelor pad and womanizing lifestyle die to the past, and don't bring them into your new marriage.

So use the Ouroboros to help you through the changes of life. Know that the ending is really a beginning. Believe that it's better to exchange the lesser for the greater, even if the greater is unknown. If it feels like death, then administer Last Rites. Light the funeral pyre of transformation so the Phoenix can consume itself in the fire and allow a greater one to rise from the ashes. Complete the cycle of living and move from death to life. Nail Jesus to the Cross so that He may rise as the Christ.

So go ahead, and stick your tail in your mouth. Do it now (or not). Better to do that than to stick your head in the sand...or up your ass:)

© Chris Sheridan

2009.10.15

The Hero's Journey Pt 1: The Story of Myths, Movies and Mankind

All good stories (and even the not so good ones) all seem to share the same three universal components: The all have a beginning, middle and and end. From Myths of antiquity to blockbuster movies at the mall, they all start with some version of "once upon a time..." and end with "The End," that is, of course, unless there's going to be a sequel, in which case the end is followed by an "...or is it?" If you're a screenwriter, you'll begin your masterpiece with "FADE IN" and end with "FADE TO BLACK." Same thing. Oh, and a bunch of stuff happens to people in between.

Theseus and the Minotaur

Living things, including you, seem to follow this same theme: You're born, you live, you die. Some creatures go through this cycle in mere hours, while stars may take billions of years. And stuff happens to us as well, filling the space between the bookends of our lifespan.

This three part theme plays out again and again in the stories of our lives: Boy meets girl; boy loses girl, boy wins girl over. I came, I saw, I conquered. Psychologically, this theme shows up as something like: We believe in Santa Claus, we don't believe in Santa Claus, we become Santa Claus. Or, the more cynical: We love our parents, we hate our parents, we become our parents.

And spiritually, the wise sage tells us that: When you begin the path of enlightenment, trees are trees and mountains are mountains, as you travel along the path of enlightenment, the trees and mountains are no longer trees and mountains, and finally, when you reach illumination, the trees are once again trees and the mountains are once again mountains.

The point to this recurring theme, whether in fact of fiction, is that some significant event or catalyst will set a person or character into motion, cause them to go through changes in both their inner and outer worlds, and then return back to a place that resembles the beginning but is somehow different because it is the the person who has changed.

In writing movie scripts, this is called three act structure. Joseph Campbell, in his book "Hero With 1,000 Faces," calls this the Hero's Journey, and it too has three acts: Departure, Initiation, and Return. Campbell maintains that this "monomyth" is universal in all cultures across time, as told in myths and wisdom tales, it shows up in movies like Star Wars and many others, and it is the same journey that we take as people, several times in our lives. In addition to the "big" journey of birth, life, death, this patten repeats in the various adventures we take such as going off to college, marriage and family, career to retirement, or even just getting out of bed in the morning, facing the day with all it's challenges, and returning at night with something gained from the trip.

There is much more detail and many more layers to Campbell's "monomyth," but for now, let's stick to the three main parts:

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DEPARTURE:

This is the home world, one that the hero is comfortable with, the one he knows. This is very important because it is from this place, the known, that the hero will depart and enter the unknown. Campbell states there is THE CALL TO ADVENTURE which sends the hero off on the journey, but not too fast, as there is an initial refusal of the call. This reminds us that big challenges and facing change can be difficult for us, so it's natural to be reluctant at first.

So the beginning is a sort of ending. Often, it's the last day of the soon-to-be Hero's life as he or she knew it up till this point. And that's about to change, and set off an adventure that will change the Hero forever. The call is answered, with or against the Hero's wishes, and we're on to the next phase.

INITIATION:

Like being inducted into the military, or getting married, the Hero is now in a different situation entirely, a strange and wonderful realm of new discoveries, trials and tests, and victories and losses. Often there is a sort of Gatekeeper figure and the Hero must prove worthiness to be allowed entrance into the "forest." For about the fist half of Initiation, the Hero rises to the tasks and passes the challenges, and, he or she meets the 'sacred other,' or the love interest, to borrow a Hollywood term.

Then just when things are going so well, disaster strikes. Things start to fall apart and the Hero seems powerless to stop them. Eventually things digress into the underworld where there is a MEETING WITH DEATH. This can be a close brush with death or an actual death of someone close, someone important to the quest such as the Mentor or Guide. Or it can be a symbolic "death" in that something once near and dear to the Hero is taken away. It could be all of the above, but the purpose is to bring the Hero to a point where s/he cannot solve the problems or surmount the obstacles; these difficulties have become to much to bear and all hope is lost.

It is at this very moment of despair and defeat that the Hero DOES give up, almost immediately followed by a visitation from a supernatural entity or power, or a deep inner realization that rises from the ashes of hitting bottom. This is THE transformative event that will now get the Hero back on his or her feet and with a renewed sense of purpose and resolve.

RETURN:

Aided by a power beyond (or witin) himself, victory in the final battle is all but assured, yet there is more ahead. This is the Return Home, a sort of journey in itself, when the Hero takes all s/he has learned and lost along the way, aided by a higher power, and brings it all together to solve the outer goal and satisfy the inner need (more on this later). And, one of the most important aspects of the Return, in addition to "slaying the dragon," is that the Hero brings back the Wisdom and gifts gained from the experience, so that all members of the home world will benefit from the Quest. This, then, becomes a kind of new beginning, and here is where we end the story.

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One obvious benefit of understanding the universal Hero's Journey is that it enables us to better understand ALL Myths, since they all draw from this "monomyth" to some degree or another. Such stories are really Wisdom tales, handed down over the generations, that tell us something about ourselves and how to make it through the many challenges of life.

Some of our better movies serve the same function as myths, as the Cinema is the modern storyteller. But modern in appearance only, as the stories, while cloaked and adorned in current or future attire, underneath it these stories are the timeless myths, told once again. And, amazingly not that different than their ancient counterparts, the surround speakers and silver screens of the movies are just the modern versions of an elder storyteller next to the flickering light of the fire, whose booming voice stirs the imaginations of the audience sitting out there in the dark.

So the Hero's Journey can help us understand movies on a deeper level as well. For instance, the three phases of the Hero's Journey relate directly to the three act structure of screenplays and movies:

STAR WARS:

ACT 1 - DEPARTURE:

After initially refusing the call, Luke goes with Obi Wan to bring the Driod to the Princess. This is a grand departure, as he is not just leaving his village or country; he's leaving his home planet.

ACT 2 - INITIATION:

The Threshold Guardian is represented by the Cantina scene: Luke proves he's man enough to hold his own, but the Driods weren't allowed entry. Obi Wan, the Mentor, trains Luke and more challenges are met. In the 2nd half of this act, things go from bad to worse until the meeting with death (Death Star, dead planet Alderran, dead Obi Wan. The death of the Mentor is common in ancient myths, a necessary thing to happen so the student will then become the master. Supernatural help comes in the form of Obi Wan's disembodied voice, the compassion of the Princess and the higher duty to help save his comrades from destruction.

ACT 3 - RETURN:

Armed with everything gained on his brief yet very eventful journey, Luke is able to defeat the enemy, and he returns with the Force, the all-but -forgotten tradition of sacred wisdom, for the benefit of all.

In general, say in a love story, the lovers meet - it's rough at first but they fall in love and eventually move in together (Departure). Now they are in unknown territory (Initiation) and they work through any difficulty until things are just fine. Then disaster strikes, in the form of an ex-lover from the past or due to some misunderstanding, and the relationship is on the rocks. Finally it's shipwrecked when one has an affair (or almost) and it's called off (meeting with death). Then cupid or eros plays a part, true unconditional love intervenes, and the one who was screwing up realizes he needs to change and does. Then in the third act, (Return), he wins her back over by proving his love and loyalty, and the gift they bring back is that of love itself - and with it, the hope for other lovers to also have a successful relationship.

More movie breakdowns will follow, so in the meantime read Christoper Vogler's "The Writer's Journey," which is basically Campbell's Hero's Journey, specifically geared for screenwriters. Many producers, executives, and directors swear by this book and for over 10 years it has sort of been an industry "bible" for storytelling in the movies.

This Universal Myth can help us better understand the stories IN our lives, and it can also help us understand the stories OF our lives. On a personal note, I found a strong parallel to the Hero's Journey when I broke my back in a plane crash and had to adjust to life in a wheelchair. The departure was from a life of being able bodied and pretty much taking that for granted. Then when I crashed and broke my back and became paralyzed, I was instantly initiated into a new and strange world of hospitals, surgeries, pain and wheelchairs. I made progress, got out of the hospital and then just wallowed in misery. The pills just made things worse along with the booze. Then as was about to give up hope, my brother intervened with a little help from Nature (an alternative to the pills), and brought the healing power of humor and music to my spirit once again. Then I was able to get out in my chair, learn how to drive again, and finally enrolled in college, back in the world again. The return was completed when I made a short film about my injury/recovery experience and shared it with the rest of the world, hoping that it would benefit at least one other person.

Even for smaller problems or situations, there are smaller journeys, and they follow this process as well. The process of buying a house or making a work of art can take a similar route: The decision to buy a house or the inspiration to sculpt a figure takes us out of our comfort zone, and we accept the challenge of the task in front of us (Departure). We learn much about real estate or sculpting clay. The possibilities grow, the sculpture takes form. Then disaster hits and we lose a bid or the credit is rejected and we want to go back to renting an apartment. We question the reason for making this sculpture and as any artist must, we question our own reason for existing and think maybe we should just forget sculpture altogether and trash the piece we've spent so much time on. As we give up, we open ourselves to other possibilities - any other possibility - and the right property shows itself, or the light hits the clay just right and we "see" the finished masterpiece and get back to work. Moving in to the house marks the return home, and maybe even the start of a family, and finishing the sculpture and displaying it is the gift of art for others to enjoy.

So if we know the process, and the journey is pretty much the same for just about everything, we can find where we are along this particular journey and have a road map of what will come next. So when we're at the state of despair and want to give up, we can recognize this as just part of the process and we are right where we need to be to succeed. This can take a lot of the anxiety and confusion that come with difficult and unknown situations, and remind ourselves that we have a purpose for doing this, that there is something valuable to gain and share with others, that makes the current challenges all worthwhile.

This is just an introduction to this subject and more will come regarding the other characters in the Hero's Journey, the inner and outer aspects of the journey and the personal inner transformation that must take place in order to satisfy the outer goal of the story.

Wonder Woman Wisdom

The modern comic book superhero, Wonder Woman (circa ~1942), may not seem like Ancient Wisdom at first glance, but a closer look will reveal timeless concepts and ideals which surround this fictional character. Often times, what appears to be contemporary fictional characters, are actually modern re-tellings of mythological figures and the Archetypes they represent. (Archetypes are universal patterns of personality types and character traits that can be played out in an infinite variety of ways, yet still retaining their original theme or idea. Much more will be made of Archetypes in future posts). So even wrapped in a modern cloak, these universal elements still remain and, once they are properly revealed, can be a source of wisdom for solving difficulties that arise in one's experience.

There is much mythology inserted in the Wonder Woman character, such as her Amazonian origin, etc., but for this essay, we will just focus on on the relation between disguise and true identity.

Wonder Woman © Adam Hughes - used without permission:)

Coming up with a disguise and concealing one's true identity is a hallmark of just about all the comic book superheroes. Peter Parker puts on a leotard and spandex hood to become Spiderman; Bruce Wayne dons a mask and wings to become Batman. Both conceal their true human identity through their disguises. Others go through some sort of physiological transformation to become the Werewolf, or the Hulk, usually after some incident triggers the event. But, Wonder Woman - and Superman - stand alone as being fundamentally different when it comes to their true identity. For them, Diana Prince and Clark Kent are actually disguises to conceal their true identity, which is their superhero self, not the human one. Diana Prince is the impostor, and to "become" Wonder Woman, she actually strips away her street clothes by spinning around Dervish-like, for it's what's underneath that counts. To sum it up, Batman is actually Bruce Wayne in disguise, and, conversely, Diana Prince is actually Wonder Woman in disguise.

Why is this important and how is this useful for me? The distinction is a vital one, and examples from art and religion can provide further insight. A sculptor does not chisel a sculpture into being, rather, she chips away at the pieces of marble that are NOT the sculpture, which already "existed" in the rock in the first place. From Buddhism, we learn that our true Buddha-nature is already inside us, we just need to strip away the attachments to desire and "clinging to self" that get in the way of experiencing this illumined existence. Christianity too reminds us that "It is the Father within me that doeth the works," and, "...this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." Psychology makes the distinction between the "small-s self" and the "capital-S Self," that there is a higher Self that we can become once we strip away our persona (which means "mask") and let our true nature shine.

The practical application of this concept can have a profound impact on various areas of our lives, particularly concerning Self Image, Health and Spiritual Enlightenment. Many today are experiencing a sort of identity crisis, both as an individual and as a nation. So much time and effort is spent on bringing in adornments from the outside, rather than releasing attributes from within. An honest assessment of ourselves will quickly show that we are not "all that," and that we are not all that bad either. Again with the popularity of the "law of attraction," our focus tends to be on what (or who) we can bring into our lives that we don't have already. We are seeking, looking here, looking there - everywhere but within. It may be the case that in reality, we need to get rid of old ideas, beliefs, wounds, fears and other forms of psychic clutter before we can bring in new ones. And if we take inspiration from Buddha or Wonder Woman, we realize that we don't really need to bring anything in, rather, we need to let something out, so that WE bring something to the world. We probably were much closer to our true selves when we were children, and since then we've been bound by societal norms, cultural expectations and personal self-censure, which have distracted us and covered up our true being. So, on the subject of personal identity, we need make and honest assessment of ourselves and determine which aspects of our personality are our true self, and which ones are disguises that we put on because we "feel we should," for whatever reason. In the words of Joseph Campbell, "Follow your bliss." This is sage advice, since your bliss emanates from your true self.

In the realm of health and healing, Wonder Woman can be useful as well. If we consider HEALTH to be a natural state, the rule and not the exception, then we see dis-ease as being something unnatural and a distraction or diversion from our true healthy self. Most of todays ills are a result of putting the wrong things in our bodies, on our skin, the wrong images and thoughts in our minds, the wrong words in our ears and coming out of our mouths, and an array of emotional anxieties, doubts, fears and betrayals which have poisoned our otherwise healthy being. Seen this way, our ailments are our disguise, tricking us into thinking and feeling that we are something other than healthy. Like the Christ within or our buried Buddha-nature, this healed self is already there - pre existing and continuous - and what we need to do, instead of bringing health into our lives, is to strip away the unhealthy behaviors, attitudes and situations so that we can release the healthy being within.

Finally, in regards to Spiritual Enlightenment, as the afore mentioned Christ Consciousness and Buddha-Nature examples have shown, from a Wonder Woman perspective, enlightenment is not so much that the Light from above shines down upon you and enters your interior darkness, filling you with peace and security. Actually, the word Illumination is perhaps a better term, in that there is already the Light within, and that we need to remove the darkness heaped upon it that obscures its radiance, and return it to it's original luminous nature so that we can shine our Light and bring peace and security into the dark and discouraging world around us, and to help others - by demonstration of our own example - to let their own light shine.

So, we can draw Ancient and Timeless Wisdom from contemporary figures, whether they be real life people or fictional characters. And, like all wisdom, this releasing our Higher Self is not something to just talk about or "understand" on an intellectual level, rather, it has to be EXPERIENCED first hand, so that it is a living fact. Therefore, you can use the archetypal image of Wonder Woman (or Superman) as a touchstone that reminds you that your true self, your healed state, and spiritual enlightenment ALL exist within, complete and lacking nothing additional from the outside. Just strip away all that is not YOU, and you will find yourself comfortable and confident in your own skin, healed from a myriad of ailment and deeply connected to the Universe and Life itself.

2005.10.07