JOURNEY TO NOSTOS

The following audio musings or podcasts are personal enquiries and may have some value to you as you journey through the Hellenic world.

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Throughout history, storytelling and myths have been used to understand life. Through the combination of parent and child storytelling, the sharing of stories has created a connection between generations across time. The Odyssey is a classic that has been passed on from generation to generation. With my series, The Return Home, I want to revisit The Odyssey with you and reflect on how these ancient stories can guide us in developing less anger and greater understanding for the boys and men in our lives. Just like Odysseus, we all experience our own storms at work, at home, and inside ourselves. Therefore, we should explore together what might be learned from these ancient stories in order to find new opportunities in our world today. The beginning of The Odyssey is on the battlefields of Troy, filled with the blood and memories of war, a society where men were shaped by their experience of war and violent incidents. I see Odysseus there with his hands covered in blood and his heart heavy, surviving on instinct. After the war ended and the warriors had to bathe and cleanse not only themselves of the blood of war, but also their souls from its depth; this cleansing ritual is indicative of the deep wounds caused by war that have been experienced throughout history. When Odysseus has turned his face to Ithaca, the gods did not send him to Ithaca without some sort of trial, but instead made him wander, lost in storms and temptations, longing to return home.In the course of his trip, I have had the opportunity to observe the challenges that men encounter in the contemporary world: the fight against their past, sitting within the expectations of others, and searching for their true selves. Throughout the last decade, Odysseus has developed into a man who has witnessed and endured many things. He is different from the young hero he once was. His heart carries the burden of sadness and yearnings. His experience serves to illustrate the long and arduous journey that many men must undertake toward deeper self-understanding.

Assisted by my Jungian psychologist and a fellow Hellenophile, we will journey together through the Odyssey to discover how touch points exist between Odysseus' stories and our lives. In his stories, we will find similarities—the internal battles we all face at various times, uncertainty about ourselves, and a desire to belong to home and other relationships. The Odyssey teaches us ancient lessons about being human: on how to go inward and outward during our lifetime; to discover equal measures of action and feeling (to be a man) as well as to balance logic with humility and our thoughts with our emotions.

It is my hope that you will feel supported and heard when we come together in group sessions. During each session, we will examine a specific part of The Odyssey, discussing what it means to us and how it relates to our lives today. After that, we will divide into smaller groups to reflect on and share our findings.

We will bring the lessons we discover to life via role playing or recreating (in our own fashion) our myths, thereby allowing these ancient myths to speak through us. At the close of each session, we will gather together in a circle and take the time to listen to and share from the heart of each participant's story.

I invite everyone to join this journey of discovery—to listen, reflect, and share your story with others. What can we learn from these myths about living our lives a little kinder and more compassionately to ourselves and the people we love? Please bring your stories to the sessions, and at the end of each day, spend a moment giving thankfulness for what you have. This will allow us to incorporate and share the wisdom of these stories in and around us.

AUDIO OR PODCASTS HERE