Ilchi Lee Healing Society Blog

Ilchi Lee

Why did we anticipate the release of the final Star Wars film so eagerly? Why do children get so excited about Harry Potter sequels?

It is simple—people love stories about heroes.

In a cynical time of shamed presidents and celebrity misdeeds, when the media alternately tears down then builds up our real-life heroes, hero stories still resonate in our collective psyche.

“Everyone is a hero in his birth,” wrote mythology scholar Otto Rank. If we follow Rank’s line of reasoning, we are the true heroes of our own lives. When we root for Harry Potter and Luke Skywalker (Star Wars), we are essentially cheering for ourselves.

The Hero’s Journey

The story of the hero dominates the ancient literature of the Western world, in the classics Beowulf and Homer’s Odyssey, for example. While we may no longer gather in the mead hall to hear the scop recite his epic poem, the archetype is just as compelling today, as evidenced by the latest blockbusters Batman Begins, Fantastic Four, and Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

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Ilchi Lee

Journey to the Soul: Reflection
Lee describes the soul’s journey in three successive stages: reflection, awakening, and choice. His words on the soul are simple, straightforward, and genuine, as they emerge from the journey of his own soul.

“Who am I?” “What is the purpose of my life?” These questions arise spontaneously throughout our lives, either unbidden or through conscious intent. Anyone who wishes to live an authentic life must answer these questions regardless of whether they believe in the existence of the soul or practice a religion. If these queries remain unanswered, life will more than likely remain superficial and empty, in spite of any material abundance. If you wish to make the soul’s journey, then I suggest you ask yourself these questions relentlessly and ruthlessly, and listen carefully.

There are many types of sounds within us, such as those of our body, thoughts, and emotions. If we are attentive, we may notice that something or someone is constantly speaking. When we remain silent and listen intently as others speak to us, we are not hearing an outside voice only. Something is continually speaking within us. That being reacts to all the information that we see and hear. In fact, that being is reacting even as you read this.

Our experience and knowledge are constantly being edited as we think. ‘I feel cold.’ ‘I feel hot.’ ‘I am hungry.’ ‘That person is attractive.’ Sometimes, when our mind is at peace, we can hear a different, distinctive voice.

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