5th Degree Of Fire: Separation to Initiation

 

 Only by discovering alchemy have I clearly understood that the Unconscious is a process and that ego's rapports with the unconscious and his contents initiate an evolution, more precisely a real metamorphoses of the psyche. - Carl Jung 

 Alchemy is much more than the historical predecessor of metallurgy, chemistry and medicine -- it is a living form of sacred psychology.  Alchemy is a projection of a cosmic and spiritual drama in laboratory terms.  It is an art, both experiential and experimental.  It is a worldview which unifies spirit and matter, Sun and Moon, Yang and Yin.-

by Iona Miller, 1986

5th Degree of Fire: From Separation to Initiation 
5th Day of 42 Out at Sea...
If the hero is swallowed by the monster and ends up in the Belly of the Whale, he must get out.  The Initiation stage is the next phase of the hero's journey.  This the favorite part of all stories.  This is the part where the hero is tested, proves his talents, finds his strength and defeats his enemy.  Sometimes this enemy can be himself.  In our modern world, it is more of an internal battle.  Some of us do not have a ship to be swallowed by, so our journeys are shrouded in the everydayness of living.  This part of the journey is also called the Road of Trials by Joseph Campbell.  To actually be in the belly of the whale is no small experience.  It can be terrifying, dangerous and difficult.  
If you are a first engineer on a giant cargo ship in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, you are ripe for the Road of Trials.  The  hero of the 42 Degrees of Fire saga is in the middle of the Belly, separating himself from the Luxury of Land.   Physical labor is part of the tasks of the first engineer.  Getting dirty with the oils and machinery is part of the tasks that he must maintain.  It is an ongoing test, to read, watch and identify crisis before it happens or when it happens.  Storms, port maneuvering and regulations all pose challenges to the Merchant Marine.  There is the outside challenges and the inside challenges that plague the journey of the hero.  
Does this sound like a initiation?  It may not seem so at first.  It is not a conscious purposeful initiation  like those that took place in the ancient tribes all of the world.  Yet it is apparent now after all of the studies on psychological issues that these ancient tribes had balanced individuals.  They had very obvious symbols and rituals that gave them purpose.  It is not about the ultimate truth, but what helps individuals deal with the trauma of being alive.  The Native American tribes of the Northeast had severe initiation rituals for their braves soon-to-be warriors.  These required unbelievable amounts of pain and suffering before they became official warriors.  In our modern world we have not rituals to mark the way of male or females before they become adults.  The pain and suffering may seem to not exist, but when you look closer at the teens and what they do to themselves it would equal the "on purpose" inflicted pain that the ancient tribes experienced.  Teens cut themselves, pierce, tattoo and do drugs incessantly to erase pain or other purposes that have deep psychological connotations.  The ultimate issue is that having some sort of ritual of initiation may help people identify their unconscious feeling of emptiness with a conscious set directions or understandings.  Going through some massive pain, task or test helps people feel that they are worthy and accomplished.  
I have included a myth to show the tests of a unusual hero.  This hero is female and it is does revolve around a love affair.  It is more adaptable to our modern culture because many of us do not get to leave our world and experience another one.  Mostly it is meeting new people and or new jobs that drop us into the hero's journey.  



The Story of Psyche and Eros Dr. C. George Boeree

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Psyche was one of three sisters, princesses in a Grecian kingdom.  All three were beautiful, but Psyche was the most beautiful.  Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, heard about Psyche and her sisters and was jealous of all the attention people paid to Psyche.  So she summoned her son, Eros, and told him to put a spell on Psyche.Always obedient, Eros flew down to earth with two vials of potions.  Invisible, he sprinkled the sleeping Psyche with a potion that would make men avoid her when it came to marriage.  Accidentally, he pricked her with one of his arrows (which make someone fall in love instantly) and she startled awake.  Her beauty, in turn, startled Eros, and he accidentally pricked himself as well.  Feeling bad about what he had done, he then sprinkled her with the other potion, which would provide her with joy in her life.
Sure enough, Psyche, although still beautiful, could find no husband.  Her parents, afraid that they had offended the gods somehow, asked an oracle to reveal Psyche's future husband.  The oracle said that, while no man would have her, there was a creature on the top of a mountain that would marry her.
Surrendering to the inevitable, she headed for the mountain.  When she came within sight, she was lifted by a gentle wind and carried the rest of the way.  When she arrived, she saw that her new home was in fact a rich and beautiful palace.  Her new husband never permitted her to see him, but he proved to be a true and gentle lover.  He was, of course, Eros himself.
After some time, she grew lonely for her family, and she asked to be allowed to have her sisters for a visit.  When they saw how beautiful Psyche's new home was, they grew jealous.  They went to her and told her not to forget that her husband was some kind of monster, and that, no doubt, he was only fattening her up in order to eat her.  They suggested that she hide a lantern and a knife near her bed, so that the next time he visited her, she could look to see if he was indeed a monster, and cut off his head if it was so.

Her sisters convinced her this was best, so the next time her husband came to visit her, she had a lamp and a knife ready.  When she raised the lamp, she saw that her husband was not a monster but Eros!  Surprised, he ran to the window and flew off.  She jumped out after him, but fell the ground and lay there unconscious.
When she awoke, the palace had disappeared, and she found herself in a field near her old home.  She went to the temple of Aphrodite and prayed for help.  Aphrodite responded by giving her a series of tasks to do -- tasks that Aphrodite believed the girl would not be able to accomplish.
The first was a matter of sorting a huge pile of mixed grains into separate piles.  Psyche looked at the pile and despaired, but Eros secretly arranged for an army of ants to separate the piles.  Aphrodite, returning the following morning, accused Psyche of having had help, as indeed she had.
The next task involved getting a snippet of golden fleece from each one of a special herd of sheep that lived across a nearby river.  The god of the river advised Psyche to wait until the sheep sought shade from the midday sun.  Then they would be sleepy and not attack her.  When Psyche presented Aphrodite with the fleece, the goddess again accused her of having had help.
The third task Aphrodite set before Psyche was to get a cup of water from the river Styx, where it cascades down from an incredible height.  Psyche thought it was all over, until an eagle helped her by carrying the cup up the mountain and returning it full.  Aphrodite was livid, knowing full well that Psyche could never have done this alone!
Psyche's next task was to go into hell to ask Persephone, wife of Hades, for a box of magic makeup.  Thinking that she was doomed, she decided to end it all by jumping off a cliff.  But a voice told her not to, and gave her instructions on making her way to hell to get the box.  But, the voice warned, do not look inside the box under any circumstances!
Well, Psyche received the box from Persephone and made her way back home.  But, true to her nature, she was unable to restrain herself from peeking inside.  To her surprise, there was nothing inside but darkness, which put her into a deep sleep.  Eros could no longer restrain himself either and wakened her.  He told her to bring the box to Aphrodite, and that he would take care of the rest.
Eros went to the heavens and asked Zeus to intervene.  He spoke of his love for Psyche so eloquently that Zeus was moved to grant him his wish.  Eros brought Psyche to Zeus who gave her a cup of ambrosia, the drink of immortality.  Zeus then joined Psyche and Eros in eternal marriage.  They later had a daughter, who would be named Pleasure.