The Magic of Myth II with Elizabeth Duvivier

THANK you for your interest! This class in now CLOSED.

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for me, the door to the woods is the door to the temple  – Mary Oliver

I have long believed that myth is not merely a bridge from the physical world to the wild fields of imagination, but a lens through which our life can be experienced as the heroic journey that it is. Taking the time to gain clarity about the myth we are living is an extraordinary gift as only then can we be sure that we are walking our true path and not unknowingly following someone else’s footsteps. Most importantly, to understand your life as myth is to mobilize courage.

I must create my own myth
or I’ll be subject to someone else’s.
– William Blake

WHY a FULL YEAR?
In the past three years, I have twice offered The Magic of Myth, an online workshop grounded in the myth of Psyche and Amor, as well as in-person classes Writing Your Own Myth and Living Your Own Myth. There have been tremendous awakenings in each of those settings, but I always felt we had barely scratched the surface and the class was over.

More time will allow us to fully integrate the teachings into our daily life and experience the world with more ease, more grace and greater meaning. We all lead busy lives in a busy world. To effect genuine change, we need the space to practice, refine, try again until the changes we want to make in our life can truly surface. This is not a matter of talking our way into the next chapter of our story. This is the steady work of paring away habits and responses that hold us back; this is the hard work of carving a new path. We will journey mindfully through each turn of the four seasons and it will be astonishing to see what a difference a year can make.

WHAT is this about?
End of the Quest builds upon what was explored in the first half of The Magic of Myth, an enchanted journey, but there are no pre-requisites; this is an entirely stand alone class.

• We will be looking at our life through the lens of myth, specifically the hero’s journey.
• We will bring consciousness to the habits, behaviors and thoughts that we choose each and every day.
• We will experience the increased freedom and ease that results when we live from our source.
• We will be deliberate in considering the role of fear in our life with the full understanding that it is neither desirable nor acceptable to live a life governed by fear.
• Our creativity, curiosity, intuition, kindness and generosity will be the rich resources guiding this journey.

Be advised, we are flipping the traditional “heroic journey” on its head. We are no longer going outward, no longer expecting the magic to be somewhere outside of us. Unlike the search for the holy grail or other heroic tales where the search is outside of ourselves, the true journey is an awakening of consciousness, finding and connecting with our unique self. Psyche, remember, is not only the myth of the development of the feminine consciousness, it is also the Greek word for soul.

We are grounding, going inward, arriving home. It is the end of the quest and, just as T.S. Eliot wrote, we will arrive where we started but know it for the first time.

We are meant to be our full self which will,
by definition, not be like anyone else.
Why do we fear and resist this so?
– James Hollis

CAN’T I DO THIS ALL ON MY OWN?  Yes. Most definitely. But here’s the thing: we can wish and daydream how we want our life to feel — it’s another thing entirely to make it happen. It’s hard. Challenging. We hit resistance every step of the way and too often, it is our own unconscious that is sabotaging our efforts. It can be hugely frustrating. This workshop is designed to to provide insight and support as you take the bold steps to bring into being the life you came here to live.

You might be thinking, I’m no big deal. What difference could it possibly make if I put all this focus on me? My life is just not that important. Um, actually? It is quite the opposite.

According to ancient texts including some heavy hitters
like the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita, when we awaken
the one soul we can reach — our own– we become
a lighthouse for everyone around us.

Of course, part of the reason we hesitate to start is that we know the first step of the journey is to get lost and who wants to be stumbling around in the dark? Once you understand that the mystery (including our shadow self) is nothing to be afraid of —  getting lost becomes a call to adventure and learning to navigate the wild terrain of our inner world proves to be fiercely satisfying.

“never to get lost is not to live,
not to know how to get lost brings
you to destruction and somewhere
in the terra incognita in-between
lives a life of discovery.”
– Rebecca Solnit

WHY should I sign on for this?
First of all, if it doesn’t call to you, you definitely should not sign up as your path is in a different direction. However, if a quiet voice is nudging that this is exactly what you need, here’s one reason you might want to listen to it.

• This class is an invitation to begin following prompts from our inner spirit, our psyche. As the mystics have been telling us for centuries upon centuries, the quest of the human experience is to find wholeness. To do this we have to go within– get quiet, listen, and observe what comes up which requires courage and faith.
• When we do the hard work of going inward we are able to see and feel more clearly why we are here.
• As we make conscious choices each moment, each day — our self-esteem and strength magnifies. We feel the full power of what it is like to live a life brimming with forgiveness, humility, clarity and love.

“Despite all our noble efforts to reach some treasured peak, be it a
dream of wealth or love, we carry the summit within,” – Mark Nepo

Many of us race around in the world seeking everything and anything that might bring comfort and distraction from feelings of fear, disappointment, inadequacy, failure, emptiness, anger, sorrow. We burrow ourselves down into facebook or twitter, binge on food or tv, pour our energies into work or relationships — anything to avoid connecting with the world within and feelings that threaten to overwhelm us.

We try so hard to find what we need or want outside of ourselves — wanting to control another person’s behavior or, imagining the next pair of shoes, the new job, the perfect mate, the winning lottery ticket, etc. will be the thing that makes us feel better. And, for a little while it does– but not for long. As long as we continue to believe that what we need is outside of ourselves, it’s only a matter of time before the next empty feeling calls to be fed.

Our thinking mind is a wonderful thing, but without clarity of intention and strength of will, it can wheel us off into desolate lands of frustration, a sense of helplessness or, most destructive of all, hopelessness.

Human beings need meaning in order to flourish and meaning cannot come from events outside of us. “Meaning can only come from within: from the way we see the world, informed by wisdom, compassion, understanding, love and trust,” writes Eknath Eswaren. This workshop is designed to help strengthen our mind and spirit so that we might learn to identify with the Self within and have the very best impact on the world around us.

You are that which you are seeking.
– St. Francis of Assisi

ENTER the FAIRY GODMOTHERS!

Best of all? We are never alone on our journey — there is always help! Of course mystery and surprise are the best parts of walking into the mystic, but I thought you would want a glimpse of what is in store for you.

Yes! There will be fairy godmothers! We will be joined by three wondrous beings of creativity and light who will be sharing their warmth, insights and wisdom with us: TIF FUSSELL, MARCELINE SMITH and ANN WOOD.

TIF FUSSELL will be on hand to help us call in COURAGE

MARCELINE SMITH will illuminate the importance of COMMITMENT

ANN WOOD will nurture our IMAGINATION

And, you will find many other treasures waiting for you — some that I have arranged and some that manifest from your own investigations– but, remember, the best gifts always arrive when we least expect it — when we hold an open heart and gentle curiosity up to the face of the great unknown. Mary Oliver expressed it best in her collection of essays, Upstream:

Knowledge has entertained me and it has shaped me and it has failed me. Something in me still starves. In what is probably the most serious inquiry of my life, I have begun to look past reason, past the provable, in other directions. Now I think there is only one subject worth my attention and that is the precognition of the spiritual side of the world and, within this recognition, the condition of my own spiritual state. I am not talking about having faith necessarily, although one hopes to. What I mean by spirituality is not theology, but attitude. Such interest nourishes me beyond the finest compendium of facts.

WHAT have people said about Magic of Myth, an enchanted journey?

I STILL am not certain what exactly compelled me to say yes to this course. But it was instinct, and it was right. I wish I could somehow download your videos to keep and rewatch when I’m feeling in need of a friend. Every moment of this course has inspired me and comforted me and lit a fire in my heart. – Tara

Thank you, Elizabeth, for this beautiful and inspiring experience. I’m basking in the warm sun that is this course. – Jenn B

I have loved every minute of this course. The beauty, the camaraderie, the inspiration (off the hook!) and the encouragement. I’m truly inspired. And i hope to take the class again when you offer it again – Elizabeth.

So so lovely. I love your natural way on video, such a surprising depth of connection and intimacy for an e-course. Magic. How’d you do that? 🙂 Grateful from the depths of my heart. Thank you for being you and for sharing your beautiful self and work with the world. – Erin Geesaman Rabke

Wow,…this has been incredible. Thank you SO much Elizabeth… I loved, loved, loved every moment and appreciate all the energy and kindness and thought you put into this amazing adventure. I’ve had the best of the best six weeks sitting here with you (thousands of miles away) and am really excited about the new insights and ideas that have emerged because of this class.. Many Blessings, much appreciation, and lots of love, – Wendy Kehoe

I wish I could show you what you’ve done for me. I’ve had a difficult year battling post natal depression and truly THIS COURSE showed me the place that is home. I have followed the dim light and slowly heard my deepest, earliest, rawest being calling. THAT BIG. And that ordinary – kind of plain as day and always there like the sky behind clouds. It all scared me but I stuck with it and somehow poems and books have come into my path that are so pertinent it is as if they were written for me. In my life this moment there is poetry, fragments of thrilling inspiration and deep dreaming. Thank you, Elizabeth, from the bottom of my healing soul!!!! XXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xXXXXXXXXXXXXX – Tavs

I’ve had so many light bulb/ephiphany moments here, reading comments, learning from everyone, being guided by you Elizabeth, and I just have to say I don’t think I’ll be able to go back to being the same! Thank you Elizabeth. You are DEFINITELY a change maker, a sage, a mentor, a force for good in this world, and it is absolutely my honor to bump into someone like you – Cinnamon Rose

thank you sooooo much for this course, the images, the thoughts, the poems, the inspiration! It has brought me back to that place of longing for more creativity in my life, and expression of that creativity. It has been wonderful to share this space with you and all those treading on this mythical path. – Latifa Lipton

Thank you for this, Elizabeth. How hard was it for me to see myself as the hero of my own life? You know, I hadn’t really thought about this before now. For a long time I saw myself as the hero of other people’s lives – the one who would save the day. And for an even longer time I saw myself as not wanting to take full responsibility for my life, waiting for rescue, waiting for someone else to make big decisions. But now, sitting quiet and still, feeling and listening to my heart, to my surprise and satisfaction I can say I am the hero of my own life. And now, tears. Wow. Knowing this about myself, wow, my soul yearned for me to learn this. xoxo ~ Melissa

This course has been magical. Thank you so much for being ever so inspiring, kind, magical and loving. – Fotini

Taking this class is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made 🙂 – Candace

This course was awakening for me. Thank you from the deep of my soul Elizabeth, arrivederci a presto! Xoxo – Giusy

Oh my, tears, Elizabeth, tears all over my face. That’s what this course has brought me. I allow myself to FEEL and to cry of joy and of loss and of anger and of peace. It has connected me from head to toe. And right now I am crying because the world is again full of stars and I am feeling every bit a part of it. Oh god, emotions. I had forgotten how that feels. Forgotten. The revolution has already started. You are a light-bringer, you. xoxoxo – Kati Mohr

This class has been transforming. So I can only believe that it is woven together with LOVE. I have learned SO MUCH. Thank you so much, Elizabeth. You are definitely MAGIC personified. I always had that feeling, now I have proof! Sending much love to you. Xoxoxo – Megsie

I have tried all day to form the words I wanted to say without them being heavy-laden with emotion, but all day I have been pulled by emotions. So many showed up today: happiness at the wonderful experience of this class, awe when I look at how much I have changed in only six weeks, sadness at the thought of this congregation ending, appreciation to the wonderful souls of this group who taught me so much, inspiration when I look over the notes I took, and anticipation of how the lessons learned will be manifested in my future. In the end, all I have is emotion and a very full heart. This class and this group has changed me, improved me, and healed me. The only thing I dislike is that I cannot give each of you a hug. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. – Rita Herrmann

Thank you for sharing how you live your life so mindfully and for providing the specifics. Reading this is truly a treasure for me and paints a picture in very practical ways of how you live creatively. What a gift. – innergy

Elizabeth, this has been such a special gift of wisdom, light, transformation.
May you walk in beauty. – Sharon