Introduction to Your Heroic Journey
Guided by: Sparrow Hart, River Strong, and Adam Wadel
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Introduction to Your Heroic Journey
$450.00
What is a Heroic Journey?
In The Hero With 1000 Faces, Joseph Campbell observed that the countless myths, stories, legends, and folktales throughout history were all variations of one worldwide narrative he called the Heroic Journey…its universal appeal a result of providing a map of how humans grew and transformed. The adventure required the protagonist venture into another order of reality, a landscape of magic and mystery… eventually to return with gifts and powers he lacked before.
The journey had three parts — The Call to Adventure … Entering the Realm of Primal Forces … and The Return. This workshop will teach you not only the parts of the heroic journey, but introduce you to what they mean in your life today.
In the Call to Adventure, destiny has summoned the hero, shifting his spiritual center from within the pale of his society to a zone unknown. This fateful region of treasure and dangers is variously represented as high mountains, underwater realms, underground passages, the sky above, or profound dream states, but it is always a place of shape-shifting beings, unimaginable challenges, superhuman feats, and incredible delights. We call it “The Unknown.”
The Unknown is far greater than the known — vast and boundless. When we remove the “self” from the center of our attention, the world around it grows exponentially. The methods of all spiritual traditions — at their core — share one thing in common: a removal of attention and energy from the “self” in its ordinary and consensual reality, and a corresponding emphasis on what lies beyond — the changing fluid, magical, and mysterious world of the Unknown.
The hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder. He encounters extraordinary forces, achieves a decisive victory, and returns from the adventure with the power bestow gifts or grant blessings to others.
When the hero is called to adventure, he says goodbye to all that’s familiar — whether in the outer world or in his psyche. Leaving that behind, he finds himself in a place where all his usual strategies of seeking power and attention are useless. In this new realm, there are monsters and allies; fear and excitement walk hand in hand, and he must give up all that is old in order to find new commitments, capabilities, passion, purpose, and vision.
Even with all this excitement and danger Campbell emphasized that the greatest danger was to refuse the call. When that happens, regret, anxiety, disillusionment, hopelessness, and depression—conditions that are epidemic today — fill the empty space where a meaningful life should be. This workshop will introduce you to that call, give you tools to recognize and techniques to expand its presence within you.
The Ego — The ego is you as you currently think of yourself … “You” in relationship to all the commitments of your life as you understand them. The larger Self or Soul encompasses the whole range of possibilities you’ve not yet imagined. When you’re mired in your ego, you’re stuck in your past. Self-knowledge rooted in past experience limits our growth, because those experiences are already behind us.
This workshop will help you define yourself differently. It will guide you to move your center of gravity from the stories of where you’ve come from and plant it firmly in where you are going. You will learn to see yourself as someone on a journey—a heroic journey—in passionate pursuit of a far-larger and more authentic identity calling to you, even if you cannot yet fully perceive it.
The workshop will be held at Stumpsprouts Retreat Center in Hawley, MA. Fields, ponds, woodland streams, and stunning views adorn the area.
Sparrow Hart created the Mythic Warrior Training in 1994 and has led vision quests, workshops, and adventures of the spirit across the U.S. for over 35 years. He is an author, counselor, and teaches courses and workshops on shamanism, the hero’s journey, and the path of the warrior. He founded and directed the Men’s Wisdom Council at the Rowe Conference Center for over 20 years and has been involved in the men’s movement for almost twice that.
The cost of the weekend is $375 (if you register before April 8, and $450 if you register after) The weekend will begin on Friday evening at 8 P.M., concluding early Sunday afternoon. Directions and further information will be sent upon enrollment.
Common Questions
What are the sleeping arrangements? Showers? What do I need to bring?
- Sleeping: Stump Sprouts provides beds with mattresses; you bring your own bedding (sleeping bag or sheets/blankets). Stumpsprouts can accommodate over 20 people divided up into bunkrooms with 2-4 beds. Come prepared with whatever might arise in a group sleeping situation (e.g., snoring, CPAP machines, etc.)
- There are four bathrooms, each with a shower: Bring your own personal toiletries
- What to bring:
- Bedding (sleeping bag or sheets/blankets)
- Personal toiletries
- Weather-appropriate clothing for outdoor activities
Other useful information?
- Stump Sprouts features fields, ponds, trails, and stunning mountain views
- Early arrival on Friday is encouraged: Come early to explore the space, settle in, and connect with the land.
Does the location have cell signal and WiFi?
- Yes and…it depends: Stump Sprouts offers a limited WiFi signal. Rural Massachusetts locations like Hawley can have limited cell coverage depending on your carrier.
- Embrace the disconnect: Part of the transformative experience is stepping away from daily distractions and being fully present with the work and community.
- Plan accordingly: Let family/work know you may have limited availability during the weekend.
- Emergencies: Talk to the facilitators directly if reliable connectivity is essential for emergencies
Food & Lodging
For information on lodging — see the tab “What to bring”
The weekend will begin at 8:00 PM on Friday night and end at approximately 1:00 to 1:30 on Sunday. We recommend that you arrive a little early — to relax, to unload whatever you’ve brought, to walk the land, etc. — so that we will be able to start promptly at 8:00. Plus, directions are easier to follow in daylight.
Food: Our meal plan will be somewhat flexible to accommodate the timing of the various exercises and activities we will do on the weekend, but in general it will look something like this: Friday evening — no meal, but snack food will be available. Saturday mornings Coffee/tea/light snack early, followed by brunch — a major meal, generally happening around 10:30 AM. Dinner will be the other major meal of the day and may happen as early as 6:00 or as late as 8:00, depending on our work together. Snacks will be available. Sunday morning will include breakfast, after which we’ll clean up and finish our work.
If you have any questions, call or email Sparrow Hart at 971-239-6463 or sparrow@together.net or call Adam Wadel — 781-775-7582 … or River Strong — 802-343-2222 We look forward to seeing you.
Transportation
Stumpsprouts Retreat Center is in Hawley, MA
From Boston or eastern Massachusetts: Route 2 runs east-west across the whole state of Massachusetts. Take Route 2 West to Charlemont, MA. Then, take Route 8A South 6 miles to West Hill Road. Turn Right and continue up the hill for one mile.
From Hartford, New York City or most of Connecticut: If you are coming from Connecticut or New York, get yourself onto Interstate 91, which runs north-south from Hartford and New Haven to Vermont. Take I-91 to Route 2 in Greenfield, MA (Exit 26). Then take Route 2 west to Charlemont, MA. Next, take Route 8A south 6 miles to West Hill Road. Turn right and continue up the hill for one mile.
If you are coming from Vermont, take I-91 south to Route 2 west. Then follow the directions above.
If you have any difficulty, on the weekend you can leave a message at 971-239-6463. For information before the weekend, call 802-387-6624 or email sparrow@together.net
Good Luck !
What to Bring
Bring clothing appropriate to the weather. (Please check!) We will be spending time outdoors, and it’s important that you bring clothing that will keep you comfortable. Rain gear is recommended.
Stumpsprouts provides beds with a mattress, but you must bring your own bedding. Most people bring a sleeping bag, but you can bring sheets and blankets if you prefer. Also bring whatever personal toiletries you require, a writing pad or journal, a pen or pencil, and whatever sacred or ritual objects are important to you. We will often have a central altar to remind us of our commitment to Spirit, and you can add your energetic presence to that space by bringing things that are significant to you. Drums, rattles, and musical instruments are also encouraged. Part of reclaiming our lost selves is learning and expressing ourselves in ways outside of the ego and its obsessions — a) talking and living in our heads… b) focusing on personal history and the past.
