Paul Dunion, EdD

We are encouraged to see times of loss, failure and longing as simply unfortunate. We might gain some wisdom regarding these times of challenge. Mythology is filled with examples of heroes and heroines losing their way, confused, frustrated and unable to compete some assigned task. Might we be able to gain some insight into living from these stories? The first step is to ask what might be the purpose of a Descent, a going down? What happens to us when we lose our grip, falling away from a comfortable path? It may be that only in a Descent, characterized by failure or loss, do we get the opportunity to allow the magical beliefs of childhood to die. What beliefs do you notice have come into question while you were experiencing a Descent? Were you able to let go of some magical belief without becoming cynical? Being mentored through a Descent can be extremely valuable. The responsibility of the mentor is to allow for the unraveling of the old belief and not to rush us into feeling good. The mentor supports the expression of grief which accompanies the death of some belief and guides the construction of a new story which adds to our empowerment. Lastly, the mentor holds a vision of us living in the new story until we are able to actually live in it.