Day: May 13, 2009

Posted in Uncategorized

Are you living a mythic life?

Posted on by Rev. Greg Katz, MS, PhD

Stories have been a part of our lives since our childhood.  I’m sure you have a favorite story that was either told to you verbally or was a favorite bedtime story read to you over and over again.  How big was the story?  Not the number of pages, but the characters in the book, were they larger than life?

Myths are great parts of every culture because they embody who we are as humans.  They take into account universal themes and that makes them accepted throughout the culture.  It’s the universality that allows buy-in from the masses and once the story is adopted people begin to use it as part of their personal history.

Following your diagnosis did you begin to have thoughts or dreams of Atlas or Hercules?  Are there other mythic stories that represent your journey to wellness?  Your diagnosis was your initiation to the underworld.  Following the diagnosis your energy is focused on ascending the ladder to health.  Knights slew dragons, Harry Potter fights evil energy, and you are taking on your illness.

Once the shock of the diagnosis wears off you come to a place of understanding and determination to overcome the challenge.  You begin to call in all your knowledge and support to conquer your dragon.  Obviously it’s not an easy task.  If you ask those who have reached a place of acceptance, whether or not they were cured, you will hear them speak of their personal transformation.  This transformation is the culmination of winning the battles along the way.

What story does your life tell?  Is it of mythic proportion?  Would you like it to be?  If so how will you make it so?  Myths are rooted in our soul connecting us all to one big story.  I hope you’ll tell your story because we don’t want any gaps in the bigger story.

Posted in after the diagnosis, coping with chronic illness, coping with life threatening illness, living with chronic illness, Living with Illness

Journey to the Deepest Parts of Your Soul

Posted on by Rev. Greg Katz, MS, PhD

I know that you’re searching for the answer to all your questions about health and healing.  You’ve most likely been indoctrinated into believing that you need to get into a support group as soon as possible and I believe that to be true.  The trouble is believing that all your questions will be answered in the group.  Groups are great because they create their own consciousness but a group can’t be all things to all people.  If that’s the case then what’s next?

Groups can provide nurturance, information, and be your best cheerleaders.  The problem is that at some point it’s important to consider the inner journey.  The journey inward, for some, is scarier than the original diagnosis.  The illness can be a form of initiation, an initiation into the underworld.  Are you ready for such a journey?  Believe it or not you have one of two choices, accept the challenge or struggle through the difficult situations overcome with the burden of “why did this happen to you?”

How far will you go to unearth the demons you’ve been holding on to for way to long?   Those nagging thoughts and voices asking if you have you been treating yourself with loving kindness?  Do you treat yourself with the same dignity and respect you show others?  How often do you put yourself at the top of your list?

These questions and this journey is not about blame.  It’s not about wondering why the illness showed its ugly head.  It is about finding the best and more effective ways of rejuvenating and invigorating your immune system.  The ability to treat yourself with understanding and compassion means that the tug-o-war between winning and being right is inconsequential.  There are no winners and losers only those who choose not to participate in their own journey to wellness, and that’s a travesty.

Cross the line in the sand and take the heroic journey to the depths of your soul.  Uncover the answers to questions, revitalize your spirit and create new pathways for health and healing.