Summary
The path of spiritual awakening is the original hero’s journey. In this month’s edition of The Seekers Forum, we look at the adventure of enlightenment through the lens of the Hero archetype, and what this mythic perspective can teach us about the stages of self-realization and discovery. What are the parallels between the seeker’s path and the evolution of the Hero? How can the heroic archetype accelerate the process of self-liberation? What are the differences between heroism and egotism in the seeker’s life, and how can we avoid grandiosity on the road to realizing our true nature? Imbuing spiritual life with a sense of purpose helps to motivate our quest for awakening.
SEEKERS SESSION RECORDING
GUIDED WRITING SESSIONS
Tuesdays @ 5 pm Eastern
4 pm Central, 3 pm Mountain, 2 pm Pacific, 22:00 London, 7 am +1 Sydney
In these live weekly Zoom sessions, Mark guides you through a series of writing prompts designed to spur insight and self-development. Using his Writing to Awaken method, these hour-long sessions provide a space to explore the program theme, share questions and epiphanies, and engage in dialogue with fellow members. They lively sessions can help you develop an ongoing writing practice, and offer an opportunity to interact with Mark, who offers additional personalized writing prompts. Each session is recorded and links to the video and audio playback are posted to the website. Members can also share any work or thoughts in the easy to use forum.
More information on Guided Writing Sessions.
GUEST INTERVIEW WITH CAROL PEARSON
Posted May 12
About Carol Pearson
Carol S. Pearson, Ph.D., D.Min., is an internationally known authority on archetypes and their application to everyday life and work. Her early work in this field, upon which she has expanded over time, produced books and monographs that have helped people all over the world find their purpose and live more fulfilling and successful lives through increasing their archetypal narrative intelligence. Such books include The Hero Within: Six Archetypes We Live By and Awakening the Heroes Within: Twelve Archetypes To Help Us Find Ourselves and Transform Our World. Together with Hugh Marr, she also developed the Pearson-Marr Archetype Indicator™ (PMAI™), a tested instrument that helps individuals discover the archetypes that motivate them at a deep level, along with a supporting workbook, What Stories Are You Living? Discover Your Archetypes–Transform Your Life, that allows them to discover which of their active archetypes is a core archetype, which might be related to an area of unlived vitality, and which might cause them problems if they fail to connect with it. This system is also implicit in her mythology-based book Persephone Rising: Awakening the Heroine Within, written for both men and women.
Dr. Pearson’s more recent work helps individuals and leaders not only achieve personal success in their careers but also to develop workplaces that are healthier for employees and that enhance the ability of organizations to achieve their goals. Publications on this subject include The Hero and the Outlaw: Building Extraordinary Brands Through the Power of Archetypes (co-authored by Margaret Mark); Mapping the Organizational Psyche: A Jungian Theory of Organizational Dynamics and Change (co-authored by John Corlett); Magic at Work: Camelot, Creative Leadership, and Everyday Miracles (with Sharon Seivert), and The Transforming Leader: New Approaches to Leadership for the Twenty-First Century (ed.), which grew out of a three-year project with the Fetzer Institute that she co-led. As part of that project, she also wrote a pamphlet that uses an archetypal analysis to help readers understand contemporary American culture: Maturing the American Dream: Archetypal American Narratives Meet the Twenty-First Century. In addition, she developed the Organizational and Team Culture Indicator™ (OTCI™), a tested instrument that identifies archetypes in organizational cultures. The OTCI was acquired by Kenexa, a global human resources firm, in 2008 and was renamed the Kenexa Cultural Insight Survey™ (KCI™). It is used for internal branding and to enhance employee satisfaction, effectiveness, and retention.
A respected scholar and higher education administrator, Dr. Pearson served most recently as Executive Vice President/Provost and then President of Pacifica Graduate Institute. Previously, she was Professor of Leadership Studies in the School of Public Policy at the University of Maryland and the Director of the James MacGregor Burns Academy of Leadership. During her tenure, the Academy was the incubator of the International Leadership Association (ILA), and Dr. Pearson was a member of ILA’s Board of Directors. Currently, she is an author and educator in private practice.
RECOMMENDED RESOURCE
Posted on May 19
Mark’s recommendation of a video, podcast, article, book, or teaching, that offers further insight into the program theme. The Recommended Resource is posted on the third Sunday of each month.
PROGRAM REFLECTION
Posted on May 26
Mark offers final thoughts and takeaways from the monthly program. The Program Reflection closes each program and is posted on the fourth Sunday of each month.
ABOUT MARK AND THE SEEKERS FORUM
Mark Matousek is a bestselling author, teacher, and speaker whose work focuses on personal awakening and creative excellence through transformational writing and self-inquiry. He brings over three decades of experience as a memoirist, editor, interviewer, survivor, activist, and spiritual seeker to his penetrating and thought-provoking work with students. His workshops, classes, and mentoring have inspired thousands of people around the world to reach their artistic and spiritual goals.
The Seekers Forum is Mark’s online community dedicated to the cultivation of self-awareness and spiritual awakening through dialogue, writing, and self-inquiry. It is an online refuge and wellspring of wisdom for those seeking personal knowledge and the chance to connect with seekers from around the world, in an atmosphere of camaraderie, inclusion, and encouragement. Mark modeled The Seekers Forum after the Sufi notion of sohbet, “the spiritual talk of friends.” He wanted to create a non-sectarian, open-minded fellowship where no faith is required, and like-minded people from all traditions can come together to talk about the things that concern us all. What is the purpose of our lives? How does spiritual practice change us? How can we live in uncertain, often frightening, times as conscious, compassionate human beings? How can we balance the mind, body, and spirit, wake up to the truth of who we are, and deepen our connection to this astounding creation?
As Shakespeare wrote, “There’s more between heaven and earth than is dreamt of in our philosophy.” This is what interests us in The Seekers Forum. We hope you will join us!