Joseph Campbell said, “Where you stumble, there lies your treasure. The very cave you are afraid to enter turns out to be the source of what you were looking for.” – Reflections on the Art of Living: A Joseph Campbell Companion.

Also called “The Abyss,” this crisis stage of the Hero’s Journey hits all of us hard.  It is quintessentially human to be afraid to go down into the dark place. About 20,000 years ago, children, women, and men all ventured into caves in Lascaux, France and left their marks on the walls: handprints, montages of hunts, portraits of animals sacred to their culture. What made them brave enough to keep going down into that cave?

What has had you stumbling on your Journey?  Where are you afraid to go?  What strikes a deep fear that holds you back?

For me, I had heard of Louise Hay’s “Mirror Work” for a while, and I even had a copy of the book from which to work the exercises.  I had that copy for over two years before I was brave enough to stand in front of a mirror and do the first step. Here’s a part:

1. Look into your eyes. Use your own name as you say, I’m willing to learn to love you, [Name]. I’m willing to learn to love you.
2. Throughout the day, each time you pass a mirror or see your reflection, please repeat these affirmations, even if you have to do it silently.

It was very hard for me to do at first.  I cried a lot.  Even just holding my own gaze was tough.  Moving through it, though, was so worth it.  Now I can easily have loving conversations with myself that I missed out on for over sixty years.

What’s your Abyss?  What’s your Cave?  Trust us:  go in and you will find the treasure there.

Photo by Robert Thiemann on Unsplash