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Initiations by Fire: Forgiveness, Loving, Surrender, Healing
In this Reflections series, we will explore yet another facet of Spiritual Direction – the experience of personal initiation. Initiation experiences are archetypal as well as deeply spiritual. They have been a part of the human journey for thousands of years. The initiation experience is a very specific archetypal journey meant to challenge you to discover unknown resources of power within you. Extreme conditions are either chosen (as in going on a Walk About when a young Aboriginal man comes of age), or presented to you through unforeseen life events such as illness, accidents, death, divorce, or any other life circumstance that starts a person on this extraordinary experience. As is often the case today, most people do not even recognize that they are on an initiatory experience, as it is a spiritual journey hidden within the chaos of ordinary life. In fact, it requires the chaos of life to unfold.
Initiation is a transformational journey of the spirit that, like all archetypal experiences, has a well-marked path. The initiation journey has a pattern to it. The Wounded Healer, for example, must be wounded. But it is not an ordinary wound. The wound stands out for the following reasons: In some way, it is life-threatening; that is, the wound may come in the form of an illness, an accident or a deep emotional crisis that threatens the quality of a person’s life. With most injuries or wounds, we can seek help, including our emotional and mental wounds. This initiatory wound is fairly impenetrable to outside assistance. The challenge of this wound is: Heal yourself before you can heal others. Confront your own weaknesses or be consumed by them. You can only come to believe in the power of your spirit – and the Spirit – by needing that power yourself to survive. Then you can speak about that power with respect and reverence, and the Spirit will assist you because you understand how to pray with humility.
The Wounded Healer must first heal herself.
In this series, we will explore four Initiations by Fire, including the Wounded Healer and the many ways that initiation expresses itself in contemporary society. Each initiation has its own purpose, its own end point. Yet each one is an isolated journey, as is every initiation. Every journey transforms the initiate in some profound way.
This will be a four-class series, each 90 minutes long. I hope you will join us for a closer examination of this crucial part of the human journey.
I hope you will join me for this exciting next series.
All my love,
Caroline
Lesson 1:
Initiation by Fire: Forgiveness
Each initiation has its own purpose, its own end point. Yet each one is an isolated journey, as is every initiation. Every journey transforms the initiate in some profound way.
This initial class will explore the following:
- Why and in what way does Forgiving qualify as an Initiation?
- A description of the Initiation journey of Forgiving
- A mystical perspective
- Shifting center place
- Shattering justice
- Aging
- The mechanics of synchronicity
- Fire walking
Lesson 2:
Initiation by Fire: Loving
Each initiation has its own purpose, its own end point. Yet each one is an isolated journey, as is every initiation. Every journey transforms the initiate in some profound way.
This class delves more deeply into:
- Why and in what way does Loving qualify as an Initiation?
- A description of the Initiation journey of Loving
- Stages of love
- The inevitable experience of abandonment/loss
- Should you love me more or should I love you more?
- Love or loneliness – the wall of pride
- Fire walking
Lessons 3:
Initiation by Fire: Surrendering
Each initiation has its own purpose, its own end point. Yet each one is an isolated journey, as is every initiation. Every journey transforms the initiate in some profound way.
Some of the topics covered in this class include:
- Why and in what way does Surrender qualify as an Initiation?
- A description of the Initiation journey of Surrendering
- What exactly is “surrendering” and what is the purpose of surrendering?
- Fears and superstitions classic to surrendering
- Exactly “who” are you surrendering to?
- Are there multiple forms of surrendering?
- What happens after you surrender?
- Fire walking
Lesson 4:
Initiation by Fire: Healing
Each initiation has its own purpose, its own end point. Yet each one is an isolated journey, as is every initiation. Every journey transforms the initiate in some profound way.
The final class in this series will examine:
- Why and in what way does Healing qualify as an Initiation?
- A description of the Initiation journey of personal healing
- A description of the Initiation journey of the Wounded Healer
- Fear of healing and being a fully conscious
- Personal health and healthy environment/relationships – too much health for one person?
- Fire walking
About Caroline Myss
Caroline Myss is a five-time New York Times bestselling author and internationally renowned speaker in the fields of human consciousness, spirituality and mysticism, health, energy medicine, and the science of medical intuition. Caroline established her own educational institute in 2003, CMED (Caroline Myss Education), which offers a diverse array of programs devoted to personal development and draws students from all over the world. In addition to her written work, Caroline maintains a rigorous international workshop and lecture schedule and has produced more than eighty audio/visual products on subjects that include healing, spirituality, personal development, and the study of archetypes.
