You're the Hero of Your Own Story

You're your own savior, genius, and lover

More on the Hero’s Journey & Heroine’s Journey: https://tinyurl.com/TwoJourneyVariants — Heroine’s Journey image by Gail Carriger.

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In his book The Lover’s Dictionary, David Levithan advises lovers and would-be lovers to tell each other their very best stories.

"Not the day’s petty injustices," he writes. "Not the glimmer of a seven-eighths-forgotten moment from your past. Not something that somebody said to somebody, who then told it to you."

No, to foster the vibrant health of a love relationship—or any close alliance for that matter—you should consistently exchange your deepest, richest tales.

This is always true for everyone, of course, but it's especially true for you.

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P. L. Travers wrote the children's books about Mary Poppins, a nanny with magical powers. She was thoroughly familiar with folklore, ancient myths, and the occult. The character of Mary Poppins, Travers said, was a version of the Mother Goddess.

But in her writing process, she drew inspiration mainly from what she thought of as the vast dark nothingness.

She wrote, "I’ve become convinced that the great treasure to possess is the unknown." To generate her tales, she listened to silence and emptiness.

I recommend you emulate her approach as you create your life story.

It’s hard to find modern stories that don’t depend on endless conflict to advance the plot. I understand the attraction to such stories, but I don’t understand why they dominate storytelling.

Are authors and filmmakers really unable to conceive of the possibility that entertaining adventures might emerge from pursuing discovery and excitement and joy as much as from overcoming relentless conflict and difficulty?

Read what Ursula K. Le Guin has to say about the subject.

“The Hero has decreed that the proper shape of the narrative is that of the arrow or spear, starting here and going straight there and THOK! hitting its mark (which drops dead); second, that the central concern of the narrative, including the novel, is conflict; and third, that the story isn’t any good if he isn’t in it.

“I differ with all of this. I would go so far as to say that the natural, proper, fitting shape of the novel might be that of a sack, a bag. A book holds words. Words hold things. They bear meanings. A novel is a medicine bundle, holding things in a particular, powerful relation to one another and to us.”

“One relationship among elements in the novel may well be that of conflict, but the reduction of narrative to conflict is absurd.

“Conflict, competition, stress, and struggle, within the narrative conceived as carrier bag or medicine bundle, may be seen as necessary elements of a whole which itself cannot be characterized either as conflict or as harmony, since its purpose is neither resolution nor stasis but continuing process.”

—In The Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction, Ursula K. Le Guin writes much more on these subjects: https://tinyurl.com/ykures5a

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We need stories almost as much as we need to breathe, eat, sleep, and move. It’s impossible to live without them. The best stories nourish our souls, stimulate our imagination, and make life exciting.

We humans need nourishing stories almost as much as we require healthy food, clean air, pure water, and authentic love. And yet many of us get far less than our minimum daily requirement of nourishing stories.

Instead, we are barraged with nihilistic narratives that wallow in misery and woe. If we want a break from that onslaught, our main other choices are sentimental fantasies and empty-hearted trivia.

You are of course free to seek remedies for this problem: by hunting down redemptive chronicles that furnish your soul with gritty delight; by finding parables and sagas and tales that fire up your creative imagination and embolden your lust for life.

Let me expand on the idea that we flourish by expressing discernment about the stories we absorb. It’s also key to acknowledge that not all of the stories we tell ourselves about our own lives re healthy for us. We may even cling to worn-out old narratives that make us miserable and sap our energy.

I think we have a sacred duty to de-emphasize and even jettison those stories—even as we honor and relish the rich stories that empower and inspire us.

In conclusion, I invite you to stage a week-long holiday in which you dispose of bad old stories and gathering and creating the good ones.

PS: Psychologists have done studies that suggest we subconsciously adopt the qualities of fictional characters we read about or see in movies.

That's not a problem if those characters are smart, ethical, highly motivated people whose ideals are similar to ours.

But if the heroes of the stories we absorb are jerks who treat others badly and make messes wherever they go, our imitative urges may lead us astray.

I encourage you to be extra careful about the role models you allow to seep into your imagination. You may be especially susceptible to taking on their attributes. I say, be proactive: Expose yourself intensely to only the very best fictional characters who embody the heights you aspire to reach.

One of my readers, Jay O'Dell, told me this story: "After my cancer surgery, a nurse said to me, 'You may as well try magical thinking. Regular thinking hasn't helped.' I said to the nurse, 'Well, why the hell not?' That was seven years ago."

In bringing O'Dell's testimony to your attention, I don't mean to suggest you will have health problems that warrant a strong dose of magical thinking. Not at all.

But you may periodically get wrapped up in psychological twists or spiritual riddles that would benefit from magical thinking.

And what exactly is magical thinking? Here's one definition: The stories that unfold in your imagination have important effects on what actually happens to you.

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Even nightingales can't be fed on fairy tales," says a character in Ivan Turgenev's novel Fathers and Sons.

In other words, these marvelous birds, which sing sublimely and have long been invoked by poets to symbolize lyrical beauty, need actual physical sustenance. They can't eat dreamy stories.

Having acknowledged that practical fact, however, I will suggest that you regularly require dreamy stories and rambling fantasies and imaginary explorations almost as much as you need your daily bread. Your soul's hunger often reaches epic proportions, and it's time to gorge.

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Text for the above three memes: I took a passage from a letter that Henry Miller wrote to Anais Nin, and I chopped it up and rearranged it and added to it.

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DEMOCRACY IN CRISIS

One of my main reasons for being alive on planet Earth is to help alleviate the world's suffering and enhance the world’s well-being — among my fellow humans as well as animals and plants.

That’s why I’m voting for Kamala Harris. In my estimation, she is far more likely than Trump to alleviate suffering and enhance well-being.

Below are links to my three ELECTION EXTRAS.

Read Part 1 of my ELECTION EXTRA.

Read Part 2 of my ELECTION EXTRA.

Read Part 3 of my ELECTION EXTRA.

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FREE WILL ASTROLOGY

For the Week of November 7

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): In the life cycle of a butterfly, the earliest stages are larva and pupa. As a larva, the future beauty crawls around as a caterpillar, cramming itself with nutritive substance. After it transitions into the pupa state, it’s inert for a while, working on the inside of its cocoon to transform itself into its ultimate form. I don't want to be too literal about the comparison, but my sense is that your time as a larva will last another two months, whereupon you will begin your pupa phase. When will you emerge as a winged creature? It depends on how earnestly you work as a pupa, but I expect no later than March 2025.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Brian Wilson, co-founder of the Beach Boys, is one of the most innovative and imaginative songwriters ever. Many of his compositions have become bestselling hit tunes. But he had a rough start in his craft. The first song he ever wrote was “Surfin.’” He submitted it to fulfill an assignment in his high school music class, but his teacher gave it an F, the lowest possible grade. Fifty-eight years later, Wilson returned to the school for a visit, and the new principal changed his original grade to an A. I foresee a comparable event occurring in your life sometime soon: a vindication, restitution, or reparation.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Earlier this year, 79-year-old rock singer Rod Stewart performed his greatest hits during a multi-city tour in many countries. "I shall never retire!" he proclaimed. Can you guess what astrological sign he is? Capricorn, of course. Many members of your tribe age very well, displaying stamina and vitality into later life. I bring this to your attention because I think you are close to discovering new secrets and tricks that will serve you well as you ripen. Here are some meditations that might be helpful: 1. What haven’t you been ready to do before, but might be soon? 2. What fun things would you love to be doing years from now, and how could you seed their future growth?

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Scientists have discovered the fossil remains of over 700 dinosaur species buried underground. But the experts agree there are many more down there. Previously unknown species are still being unearthed every year. Let's use these facts as a metaphor for your life in the coming months. According to my analysis of the astrological omens, you could learn a host of fresh truths about your history. You may have imagined that your past is finished and finalized, but it's not. I encourage you to have fun hunting for revelations and investigations that will transform the story of your life.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): You haven’t fully tapped into all of your vast potentials, Pisces. Latent talents and aptitudes within you may still be at least partially dormant. It’s even possible that some of your future powers are so foreign to your self-concept that they will feel like magic when they finally come into full expression. Now here’s the very good news: The coming months will be an excellent time to figure out what you need to do to express a more complete version of yourself.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): I rarely recommend acquisitive behavior. But my analysis of the astrological omens tells me you now have cosmic authorization to indulge in a sublime version of voracity. We might also refer to it as a license to practice a spiritually correct variety of greed. Here’s the fine print: You should NOT interpret this as permission to amass materialistic treasures and status symbols. Instead, the things you gather will be rich feelings, encounters with inspiring beauty, epiphanies about your divine purpose, and exquisite states of consciousness. You can also ask for and receive colossal supplies of love and affection.

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TAURUS (April 20-May 20): The last time I ate a hamburger was in 1994. I doubt I will ever eat another. Why? The taste is not enjoyable to me, and no matter how well I chew it, my stomach always rebels. There's an additional problem: For several reasons, cattle farming is a significant factor causing the climate crisis. I would rather not contribute to that decimation. Does my attitude toward hamburgers mean I am a judgmental, close-minded zealot? No, it doesn't. I don't proselytize to those who relish burgers, especially if they take other measures to reduce their carbon footprint. In this horoscope, dear Taurus, I am illustrating an approach I hope you will cultivate in the coming weeks. Be extra zealously devoted to your ideals and proclivities without condemning and dismissing those who don't share them.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): There are numerous approaches to getting good results from meditation. One is to sit silently and still in a tranquil sanctuary. Another is to lie on the ground under a dark sky and beseech the stars to bestow inspiration. One of my personal favorites is to sing rowdy hymns to birds, insects, and trees while hiking vigorously in nature. How many other varieties can you imagine, Gemini? The coming weeks will be a favorable time to develop and expand your meditation skills. Here's a key consideration: How can you achieve maximum fun while meditating? I recommend you free your mind to experiment with a host of interesting approaches.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): If there was ever an appropriate time for you to indulge in creatively rowdy thoughts and inspirationally unruly behavior, it would be now. Life is giving you license to de-emphasize decorum and formalities—and to emphasize boisterous enthusiasm and plucky adventures. For the sake of your mental health, I believe you need to engage in experimental improvisations that include maverick expressions. What areas of your life need liberation? What feelings need to be released from their constraints? What worn-out old theories and opinions should be abandoned?

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Are your talents even slightly underrated and overlooked by others, Leo? Have your gifts received less than the full appreciation they deserve? Could you be of greater service and inspiration to your fellow humans if only your offerings were better known? If you answered yes to any of those questions, I’m pleased to tell you that the coming months should bring remedies. Life will be conspiring with you to help spread your influence and boost your clout.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): I wish it were true that the forces of darkness are lined up in opposition to the forces of light. Life would be so much easier for you. But I'm afraid it's not that simple and clear. In my view, a more accurate metaphor might be that the energies of smokey grey are squaring off with the energies of dusky beige. Each side has a touch of both wrongness and rightness, a bit of ugliness and beauty. So what is the most honorable role you can play in this showdown? My suggestion is to develop a third side, an alternate way.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): In the early part of his career, Libran author Mario Puzo wrote short stories and novels, but never a screenplay. At age 49, he was asked by director Francis Ford Coppola to co-write the script for the film The Godfather. It turned out to be a sensational rookie effort. He was ultimately awarded an Academy Award for it, and later garnered another Oscar for his screenplay for The Godfather Part II. It was only then that Puzo realized he had found his calling and decided he should study the art of screenwriting. In the first chapter of the first book he bought about the subject, he read with great amusement that the ideal screenplay was the one by Mario Puzo for The Godfather. I bring this story to your attention, Libra, because you are approaching a time with resemblances to Puzo's situation before Coppola solicited his work. Trust your rookie instincts!

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