Awakening to a Superhero
Awakening
There is a superhero within each of us with unlimited powers to awaken and overcome the limitations we create in our minds. Most people, however, never realize the true potential of these powers, due to the unconscious influences of fear, doubt, and judgment, which subtly act as kryptonite, keeping these powers subdued and the truth of who we are trapped in an illusion of our more mild-mannered alter egos.
The truth is, that beyond our identity of who we think we are, we are truly unlimited and invincible beings. And this, at its root, is the journey that each of us is here to discover.
The Hero’s Journey
This can be illustrated best by what renown mythologist, writer, and teacher Joseph Campbell referred to as the “Hero’s Journey’. After dissecting all major myths and stories from different cultures throughout human history, he found that all myths were linked by a common theme and elements, and were essentially the same story just told with different details. Through this work, Campbell outlined seventeen stages that the hero of every story goes through in order to complete his or her quest, and along the way discovering their true purpose and potential in life. It’s these stories and myths that point to the underlying story we are all playing out in life, as we each discover who we truly are and awaken our own hero within.
“The privilege of a lifetime is to be who you truly are.” – Joseph Campbell
So how do we discover what are these powers are and awaken our inner hero? Below are five key powers that everyone has at their disposable at any time. Realizing the full potential of each of these does take responsibility, however. But with practice, we each have the ability to master these powers and uncover the mystery of what lies beyond.
#1 The Power of Presence
At first, presence might not seem that extraordinary, but it’s an incredibly powerful superpower. It’s literally the key to accessing all the other powers hidden within you. Presence is the kryptonite busting energy that cuts through and dissolves the fear, doubt, and judgment that is unconsciously blocking your higher self. Powerful people understand this and have learned that these limiting ways of seeing the world are an illusion, and only exist in the past and future thinking within our minds.
The key to accessing the power of presence is to be able to dis-identify with your mind. Somewhere along the way, we became identified with the idea that our thoughts are who we are. But we are not our thoughts; we are the consciousness observing our thoughts. The key is to become conscious of your thoughts through the stillness that exists beyond your mind and be able to play a role in directing them from a place of presence. From here you can access the powers of manifestation, and begin to awaken your true superhero nature.
#2 The Power of Gratitude
Didn’t know gratitude was a superpower? Well of course it is, but realizing its full potential can be much more challenging than you might think. When you think about it, it seems pretty easy to practice gratitude for things we enjoy in life. But real gratitude is at its root a function of forgiveness. So the key to unlocking its full potential is to be able to come full circle and forgive the people and experiences in our lives that have caused us deep pain and suffering.
Ultimately when you are able to come to a place where you can see those experiences as the greatest gifts you could ever receive, it opens the door to a way of seeing and experiencing life on a whole new level. It unlocks your ability to let go of the past and move forward in manifesting what you truly desire in life without these limitations. This is the real superhero level of gratitude, and when you discover how to tap into its power, the effect you can have on the world around you becomes heroesque.
#3 The Power of Play
Yeah, that’s right playing is a superpower. You now have permission to go out and hit the playground. But seriously why wouldn’t play right up there with some of these other powers. A wise person once told me that that simple of goal of life is to end up sitting at the kid’s table again. Of course, this might be clear to anyone with kids, but from where I sit there’s one thing this world has way too much of, seriousness!
If you really look around and observe the world for any length of time you may come to find that’s it's totally and utterly absurd to the point of insanity. So instead of trying to control and change it, why not just laugh at it. In fact, this is what powerful people have come to understand. The world is a perceptual illusion, and we’re not here to change anything. We are here to enjoy the ride, to see the beauty and to experience the awe and wonder of it all.
The key to play is to recognize that if you can’t laugh at something, there is no way you can truly understand it. That’s why being able to laugh at yourself is one of the most important skills in life. Once you can truly laugh at yourself, you can access the incredible power to break down your walls and free yourself and others from the illusion. You become the kind of hero that can bring laughter and joy to any situation, and inspire the world around you through play.
“The moment of awakening may be marked by an outbursts of laughter, but this is not the laughter of someone who has won the lottery or some kind of victory. It is the laughter of one who, after searching for something for a long time, suddenly finds it in the pocket of his coat.” – Thich Nhat Hanh
#4 The Power of Courage
Okay, so courage is a pretty obvious superpower. But what does it really take to unlock the true power of being courageous? At its core courage is really just the ability to let go. And letting go is simply your ability step beyond your fears and embrace the unknown. And by fear, I’m referring to psychological fear, rather than physical fear. So if you find yourself being chased down by a lion at some point, by all means, feel free to turn tail and run.
The key to unlocking your courage is to understand that fear isn’t real. It’s an illusion created in your mind. It’s just one way the ego is overstepping its mandate and attempting to keep you safe from something it’s threatened by. The paradox is that fear isn’t something we should be running from and trying to get rid of. Fear is a compass that’s pointing the way through life. Put another way it’s the universes way of putting a huge billboard in your path saying “this way out of suffering”.
Once you learn to step into fear and let it go, you open the door to one of the greatest superpowers on earth, Love.
#5 The Power of Love
There have been songs written about this one, so it’s a pretty obvious superpower. But what does it look like to be really able to access the power of love? The key is to let it all go and stop worrying about what’s going to happen. Call it trust, faith, belief or whatever you like. But at some point, we all come to the threshold of the truth and learn that we are really not in control. Not to say that you’d don’t have free will, but in every situation in life you really only have two choices, fear, and love. Think about it!
The key to accessing love is to see that it exists everywhere and is literally the fabric that makes up the universe. It’s the unifying energy. You, me, everybody and everything is love. When you can come to this place and are able to see and feel the beauty in it all, even in the darkness, seeking literally comes to an end. The identity of your limited self, falls away, and your unlimited nature is revealed and expressed in who you truly are. In the words of one the wisest of superheroes of all time…
“For my ally is the force. And a powerful ally it is. Life creates it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us and binds us. Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter. You must feel the force around you. Here between you…me…the tree…the rock…everywhere!” – Yoda
Words by: Rob Harsh
Source: Awakened Adventure