January is a time for inner reflection and new directions. We often find ourselves making resolutions that are broken within a few weeks. With each resolution that slips by we might find ourselves creating a story about how hard it is to make changes – reinforcing old thoughts and beliefs.
Are you unconsciously holding on to old, redundant myths about yourself? How do you release those old, out of date beliefs so you can create new directions that will sustain your wellbeing?
In his book, One Spirit Medicine, Alberto Villoldo, Ph.D., speaks about upgrading your mythology. He writes that by changing the myths that you hold, your values and beliefs change, and then the facts of your life change accordingly.
To change your mythology, Dr. Villoldo suggests actively engaging archetypal energies that will reorient your beliefs, values and actions. When we work with myth and archetypes to upgrade our old belief systems, we can recognize the outdated beliefs and let them go without becoming caught up in the stories we personally create.
Below is a short exercise from One Spirit Medicine that will get you on the road to upgrading your mythology. Using this exercise you will be able to identify the old unconscious programs that hold you in the past, so they may be released and you will be able to create a new narrative based in wellness.
Personal myths are deep and unconscious programs that reveal themselves through dreams and fairy tales. Each of us is the hero or heroine of our own personal mythology, but if your guiding myths are keeping you tied to a limited and disempowering worldview, then finding a new, more empowering personal mythology is essential for your health and well-being.
• The first step to finding a new narrative is to identify the old myths and stories that no longer serve you. Write a short fairy tale – no more than one page – about a man or woman locked up in a castle dungeon. How did the prisoner come to be there? What are the beliefs and fears keeping him or her there?
• Sit quietly and allow a new vision for yourself and your life to emerge. Write a new story in which you are free, leaving the castle for the unknown, meeting challenges and opportunities, crafting a new destiny. Identify the strengths and beliefs on which your new narrative is based.
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Learn more about One Spirit Medicine.
