International Lifestyle Magazine Issue 56 | Page 59

O P E N U P. B E F R E E ! P erhaps in the busyness of your life, you’ve heard those words. You’ve been told to open up and be free. But in the midst of the tornado of your life, how do you figure out what that means? We long to be just ourselves, our True Selves, in each moment. And yet, modern life has us running on a Hamster Wheel of doing…. Striving… Trying to get where it thinks we should go. Is this satisfying? Does it bring you the joy and meaningful life that you truly want? You may be noticing that this path is no longer working for you. And yet, what else is there? The Heroine’s Journey. Your Road Map to more authentic expression and fulfillment. A Path that calls you to evolve into the inspired and beautiful human being that the world needs right now. In the Wizard of Oz, Dorothy, who never asked to take the Journey to a strange land where little munchkins sang and danced and wicked witches wanted her dead, came to a crossroads. Which way would lead her to the Emerald City, to the Wizard who might help her get home? You may feel you are at a Crossroads in your life too. There are choices to be made – one way steers you towards a safe, familiar world that you recognize and know how to navigate; the other into the Unknown. Territory you have not yet explored. It asks you to find your innate intelligence, heart and courage. Dorothy is the classic Heroine. She takes a Journey filled with many unanswered questions and strange new experiences. She learns to rely on her best self, and the Inner Guidance that knows the Truth. Fifty years ago, an American cultu ral historian, Joseph Campbell, created a structure for this called The Hero’s Journey. It captured the mythological symbolism of hundreds of cultures throughout history. A Hero, A Call, A Journey through the Unknown, and an evolution that ends with the Hero returning, bearing gifts for his Community. But this story needed an update for life today on Earth. The story held too much violence, not enough compassion. It needed a feminine point of view. True Life Coach Victoria FittsMilgrim has updated this model to one with a feminine perspective that can serve all of us as we learn to navigate our own evolution in stressful times. www.internationallifestylemagazine.com