hero

A Hero treads the razor sharp line that splits the soul in two, yet sees it as a broad road, and knows it as a path with heart.

The Hero is the nemesis of the monster, and in battling the monster, the Hero battles itself. The monster and the Hero are really the same being, but how does the monster split off from the Hero? How is the Hero's strength twisted into the monster's brutality? More often than not, monsters are created simply by making cruelty and brutality acceptable.

Sometimes the monster attempts to repent and identify with the Hero, but it is doomed, for the monster, in the misguided effort to deny itself, sacrifices its own essence, and therefore its identity. Identity is something the Hero has, but the monster craves. This is why the monster finds identity in the treasures it hoards, and why the monster lives in fear.

Sometimes the monster gains enough energy to rip itself free of the inner Hero that holds it in check. This can free all sorts of perverse psychic energy to be tapped by whatever entities are unfortunate enough to be open to it. Today's exorcists usually fail to deal with these phenomena because their formulae do not teach them to expose the monster to itself, or rather the light of the heroic within, which breaks the bonds of its false own ego.

Sometimes, the monster remains imprisoned within the Hero, or the Hero is hidden within the monster. The Hero may not recognize the monster within, or the monster cannot feel the Hero inside. In these cases, the inner antagonism manifests itself as a fatal weakness like Achilles' heel, a constant reminder of this fragile detante.

Sometimes heroes are severely conflicted and try to live the monster's life as well as their own. This is why there are so many monsters falsely glorified as heroes. In this dark age, the meaning and magic of the heroic have become more like spent leaves than delicious tea - only a reminder of something worthwhile.

Sometimes neither the natural nor the sociopolitical environment is capable of supporting the Hero. This will cause the manifestation of a collective monster, as in Nazi Germany, Burma, Bosnia, or almost any modern industrial-military state.

Sometimes one is afraid to face their own monster; this fear is food for the monster and encourages its growth. Eventually the growing power of the monster overcomes everything in its sphere, including the Hero. A glimpse of the inner nemesis makes the monster faintly aware that it has no true identity, that it is only a root for the heroic. This awareness starts a chain reaction that purifies the monster, usually in a catastrophic fashion. It could be said that the destiny of the Hero is to purify the monster, and the purpose of the monster is to summon the Hero.

The Hero need not be the strongest, smartest or bravest of beings, the Hero need only face, accept, and consequently vanquish the monster. Yet most people are so afraid of the monster that they try to deny it out of existence, not realizing that this denial breeds familiarity, which makes the monster all the more terrifying in form and action.

We are all heroes; we are all monsters. Every day we can choose value or vacuity. Every moment we can have self awareness, or we can be blinded by the mirrors and jewels of the treasure trove the monster substitutes for an identity. Every person will be confronted by the monster in their lifetime, and if the Hero survives, they can move beyond this transformation and be what they truly are - compassion, joy and truth.