🌀🐇 #38 The Journey of Re-Enchantment

Reuniting with the world of wonder  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ​ ​ ​ ⚡️ Enlightening Bolts In this issue, we explore The Journey of Re-Enchantment. The links can be found deeper in the issue. Here are some of the key points and resources we'll explore: 👁 A Hero's Journey Alternative: The Journey of Re-Enchantment 🦁The Camel, The Lion, And The Child: Friedrich Nietzsche’s Guide to Conquering Your Existence 🎈Liminal Spaces: Videos of a dreamy nostalgic aesthetic that feels comforting and unsettling at once. 📈Potential: A TEDx Talk from Jordan Peterson on The Nature of Potential Did someone forward you this email? Get this newsletter every week when you [sign up here.](​ 🎇 Image of The Week ​ This photo depicts what are called Blue Java Bananas. If their color wasn't strange enough, apparently they taste like vanilla ice cream. This Willy Wonka-esque fruit was chosen as the image of the week for a reason. Its existence can provoke wonderment in even the most rigid minds. As children, the simple existence of a banana or a scoop of vanilla ice cream was sufficient to blow our minds. But as we grow up, that changes. This week we're going to explore how we're born into wonder, how we lose it, and how (some of us) are summoned to recapture the magic. 🎩 Returning To Wonder “Indeed, the first and most essential service of a mythology is this one, of opening the mind and heart to the utter wonder of all being.” -Joseph Campbell 🦸🏻‍♀️Over the past few weeks, we've explored [The Hero's Journey]( and then asked what lies [Beyond The Hero's Journey.]( In this issue, we are going to explore a different mythic pattern that we can use as a lens to describe the experience of having, losing, and reuniting with the wondrous aspects of reality. 🏡There is a trend of sharing "liminal spaces" that have a "dreamcore" aesthetic. For some people, these videos can evoke a trippy, nostalgic feeling of a home that can't be had. This is a [good example.](=) These videos can feel simultaneously comforting and unnerving. It can speak to the alienation from the world of wonder we used to inhabit. 🐰But you can plunge back down the rabbit hole into this world of enchantment. And that journey follows a pattern. Our summoning into it can feel like this: 💡"If you notice, and you notice that by paying attention to the things that manifest themselves to you that shine forth as interesting, they grab you. And where you're grabbed is where the obscuring map you live in, isn't obscuring the reality that's underneath, it's like there's a hole in the map. And the light shines through that and you're attracted to that, and that will pull you along." 🔨This quote is from [Jordan Peterson's TEDx talk on potential](=) in which he describes the openness we possess as children, the narrowing we experience as we venture into adulthood, and the re-opening that can occur as we gain mastery of our specialized skills. 📚The Journey of Re-Enchantment is a mythological model described by depth psychologist and professor Craig Chalquist that vividly outlines that steps along the path of reuniting with the world of wonder. This framework invites us to re-enter the world of enchantment that we were born into but lost touch with as we've grown. 👁 The Journey of Re-Enchantment: The following is Craig's outline of the 10 stages of re-enchantment: 🏝 Stage 1: Islands and Oases of Childhood Magic We all come in with this, even when born into impoverishment. Dolls and plants speak to us. Animals make magic. Fabulous beasts hide under the bed. Dream and daytime merge. 😴 Stage 2: Disenchantment, Forgetfulness, and Adaptation As we get older we learn to adapt to the outer world, and to societies often unfriendly to the world of fantasy in which we live. Birds stop speaking to us. Imaginary friends go away. We try to be grown up. 😞Stage 3: Alienation from the Magical Often we stand apart from the magic for so long that we forget it was there at all. From this springs the odd idea that fantasies and fairy tales are only for children. Creativity gives way to commutes, paperwork, and “practicality,” as though loss of wonder were practical. (My impression is that about 80 to 90 percent of Americans live at this level. The rest don’t say much, in public anyway.) 🐲Stage 4: Rupture and Underworld Descent (if you’re lucky) When we detach for too long from the numinous, glamorous, intuitive side of life, it has a way of summoning us, usually through our own unconscious in the appearance of symptoms, nightmares, or just prolonged dissatisfaction. Troubles may confront us. What we take for normal and real turns inside out; nothing is as it seems. This is life telling us, “You were made for more.” The truly unfortunate are they who receive no further signals. 🔎Stage 5: The First Seeking What more? We go looking, discontented, confused, but resolved to seek what meaning and revelation can be found. We ask the big questions of ourselves. We question values and begin to study the worldview we look through instead of taking it for granted. 🌱Stage 6: Reemergence, Gradual or Otherwise Usually this phase ends with a feeling of relief. Vital energies flow once again. We haven’t found The Goal, perhaps, or The Source or The Prize or whatever the great answer is, but the very act of sustained searching for a path brings renewed life and yearning. 👀Stage 7: More Seeking So we keep looking, learning new truths along the way, entering new relationships, finding mentors, discarding toxic people who deplete us, perhaps finding new occupations, certainly new interests. A common thought in this stage is, “Perhaps things weren’t so bleak as they seemed.” You’re right: they aren’t. 🚪Stage 8: Finding the Magic Door In Hermann Hesse’s novel Steppenwolf, lost and discontented Harry Haller walks down a dark, rainy street one evening and comes unexpectedly to an alley containing a neon sign with flashing words: Magic Theater — Entrance Not For Everyone. Eventually he goes inside — and awakens to the richness of his own imagination. You round a corner one day, and suddenly things make sense in a deep way. What was fragmented connects. Meaning appears. Your heart opens. 🌏Stage 9: Learning to Live in Both Worlds Campbell refers to being a “master” of both worlds, but for the less heroic, the role of the wayfarer or witness might fit better. We learn to live in the liminal zone between cultures, identities, spiritualities, aware of conscious decisions and unconscious promptings, logical rules and imagined ideals from the depths, the dayworld of consensus reality and the moonlit realm of intuition and dream. We have outgrown the urge to reduce each dimension of being to the other. 🤝Stage 10: Opening the Door for Others Which prepares us for mentoring others in how we got to this stage. The Hero would go on stage, appear before the royal court, lead a tickertape parade; we might prefer informal conversation, a bit of writing, a presentation or two, civic participation. We share how we moved from innocence to disenchantment to reenchantment and invite others to find their own path. ​[You can read more about Craig's thinking here.](​ 📩 Inbox Inspiration We are always trying to find other inspiring creators to help fill your inbox with wisdom. I first discovered Ed Latimore on Twitter and was intrigued by his success across multiple domains. Not only is he a former heavyweight pro boxer with 13 wins and only one loss, he also executes high-level strategy as a competitive chess player and shares stoic street-smarts as a full-time author. [Subscribe to his newsletter filled with hard-hitting truth and get a weekly boost of motivation.]()​ 🤓 Learn This Word Nowstalgia: 1. The feeling that you are currently experiencing a moment that you will look back fondly about in years to come. 2. A feeling of longing for the present, or of gratefulness that you are no longer in the past. ⏳ From The Archives A hand-picked classic HighExistence article. The 3 metamorphoses of the Camel, Lion, and Child as described by Nietzsche share some parallels with the journey of re-enchantment. If you're not familiar with it, I encourage you to soak in its wisdom. ​[Friedrich Nietzsche’s Guide to Conquering Your Existence](=)​ In Nietzsche’s most popular book, Thus Spoke Zarathustra, he described what would become one of his most memorable theories — that of the Übermensch. In English versions of the work of Nietzsche, “Übermensch” is translated as “Superman” or “Overman”. The term “Superman” has adopted many connotations as a result of the comic book hero in popular culture, so for many scholars today, “Overman” is the more suitable term. “Overman” refers to Nietzsche’s conception of a man who has literally overcome himself and human nature. In essence, an Overman is one who has superseded the bondage of the human condition and reached a liberated state — one of free play and creativity. This state can be seen as the state of the pure individual, a person unencumbered by the influences and authorities of society and other people. This person wills their own destiny, creates their own values, and dances with the game of life to the tune of their own spirit. In Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Nietzsche writes of three spiritual metamorphoses that must be undergone for the individual to reach the state of Overman. These transformations are rather prescriptive in nature, and thus can be seen as a sort of guide to becoming Overman, or liberating one’s spirit. Let’s take a closer look at them. ​[Continue Reading](=)​ 🎬 Endnote We hope you enjoyed this issue of Down The Rabbit Hole. Feel free to reply and tell us what you think. Want to help us spread the word? We love sharing these gems of wisdom and wonder with you each week. If you love receiving them and want to help us spread the word, here is one quick way you can do that: Forward this email to one friend. That's it. It will take 5 seconds and will help us spread the good vibes and reach more people. We appreciate you. With Wonder, Mike Slavin & The HighExistence Team P.S. Did a friend forward you this email? Read previous issues and sign-up to receive future issues here: [(​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​[Unsubscribe]( | [Update your profile]( | 40 E. Main St. #1137, Newark, DE 19711 [Built with ConvertKit](