THE REAL DEAL: Preface - Vision Quest

Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth with Bill Moyer’s, is one of my favorite pieces of work and speaks to a vision quest motif that resonates deep within my soul. I quote from his work, Martin Luther King had a dream, “I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight and the goal of the Lord will be revealed and all flesh shall see it together”. Joseph Campbell, “We have not even to risk the adventure alone because the hero’s of all time have gone before us, the labyrinth is thoughroly known. We have only to follow the thread of the hero path and where we had thought to find an abomination we shall find a God. And where we had thought to slay another we shall slay ourselves. Where we had thought to travel outward, we shall come to the center of our own existence. Where we had thought to be alone we shall be with all the world”.

Joseph Campbell speaks to the reality of transformation based on the experience of life and our willingness to jump off into the unknown and enter the deep dark forest; in the vision quest, the adventure we call life. When I was a young man entering high school we had a small group of friends who were young and very inquisitive about life. We were like sponges soaking up information and experience with good intensions and a lot of promise. We grew up in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. living in Mclean, Virginia and living the reality of our times. Popular music, Neil Young, Bob Marley, John Lennon, Bob Dylan, they were singing about the Viet Nam war and the drug scene and the hope of our generation. We were living in Rome, at the foot of the Acropolis, at the seat of power for our age, Washington D.C...

We were coming of age and our lives were a reflection of the times we were living. We had the best teachers in the world and our educated backgrounds formulated our thinking. We were all encouraged to think about everything, and we did. We as young persons asked why and we were willing to step out into the unknown with the hope of finding answers to our questions. I was not alone in my thinking or in my vision quest reality. We smoked pot during our lunch breaks, at Langley High School, and took LSD on the weekends in the hope that we would unlock something hidden. It was not all about drugs but rather about kids growing up in turbulent times and reflecting the reality of our age.

All of us, in that group, had dreams of changing the world and stepping out into the unknown, the deep dark forest, in order that we might slay the Dragon and change the world. The world that presented itself to us as dangerous; mixed up and lost in its direction and a world in need of total and complete transformation. We were idealistic in our thinking but completely well intentioned and motivated to change the reality, world view, in our lifetimes. All of us felt we were on a mission from God chosen for a special purpose and we would share our dream and articulate our plan when we spent time together. I was not alone in my thinking and I have fond memories of the people and the times that we shared during my formative years at Langley High School, in Mclean, Virginia.

Idealism is a wonderful thing but put in practice it can be dangerous and misdirected. One must differentiate from what is doable in the short term or what may take generations to accomplish. The test is to pick your fight and the timing in order to achieve your objective. Well intentioned people make mistakes and pay the price for their actions. I was well intentioned but failed to understand the consequence of my actions due to my youth and idealism.

It has been said, “Timing is not everything but it is much.” I am driven at this time to share my story in the hope that the timing is right and my vision quest journey will resonate and entertain, and also spark something from within so we are all brought foreword. It is my belief that all illumination is channeled from a higher plane of consciousness and we can all be senders and receivers if we will open our hearts and empty ourselves so the God within can seek its self expression in and through us. Consciousness is something that expands and always seeks more. We live in an expanding universe and it is natural to seek a greater awareness. My story is one of growing up in a sheltered life and embarking on a vision quest journey into the unknown, the deep dark forest, not once but time and time again.

It is my purpose to bring the vision quest motif alive through the words in this book not just for entertainment value but for a higher purpose. I think it wise when we can find a greater purpose and give it our energy and focus in the hope that it will expand and find its own way. My life, at times, has been filled with excitement and danger and through it all I have felt a higher direction at work. In the deepest valley’s I have felt the hand of God directing my paths, pushing me foreword even when I was going the wrong way. When I have been on the highest mountain I have felt his Super Consciousness at work and even now with the words in this book I feel his hand directing me.

What’s it all about Alfe? If we just live and die then what’s the point of struggling through this life. If we don’t have a vision quest purpose then why all the pain and suffering. I believe it is through the struggle that we bear witness to the Creative Conscious Energy to share and experience Joy and Abundance with us. It is through the expanding of our inner soul that we experience joy and abundance. Struggle means an expanding awareness and an expanding awareness leads to joy and abundance.

Not one to dig up the past and live in the memories of my mind I rather choose to live in the “NOW” and seek the wonderment of the future unknown. To experience the “what if” side of life. I now ask you to join with me on a journey through my past not to look back and relive my past, alone, but to find the meaning through my journey and share in my experience. Senator Edward Kennedy quoted his brother, Robert F. Kennedy, “Some men see things as they are and ask why? I dream things that never were and say why not.”

It is through a purpose driven life that one finds meaning from every experience, good or bad. Finding purpose is the steam that drives the engine. In truth my purpose is threefold. To grow through the creative process and in the process bring the reader along on my journey in the hope that they too will grow. Secondly, since I do have a story to tell, I share mine in the hope that it will enlighten and motivate others to dig deep and experience the joy and abundance that comes from the journey. And three, to shape the future by sharing the what if side of life, stepping out into the deep dark forest on a vision quest, taking a chance and expanding through the adventure of life. Everyone has a story to tell and now it is my turn to tell mine. I am reminded of a great spiritual truth; we are not humans having a spiritual experience but rather spiritual persons having a human experience. What a wonderful truth. Enjoy the trip……………..