Are you considering enrolling in massage school. Here’s a unique perspective!
Whether you know it or not, when you enroll in massage school, you are on a classic Hero’s Journey. If you ever get the chance to read Joseph Campbell’s Hero with a Thousand Faces, you won’t be disappointed. However, if you don’t have the time, watch “The Matrix”, “Finding Nemo” or “Lord of the Rings.” These movies have more in common than you would think. They all tell a tale that is as old as the oldest myths on the planet.
The main parts of this journey are:
- The Call (red pill or the blue pill)
- The hero is often drafted against his/her will into a great adventure or quest
- The Old Man of the Forest (Morpheus, The Oracle, Gandalf)
- They receive magical techniques, spells, potions, amulets from a supernatural being – however, the “Old Man” usually advises against the perilous journey
- The Quest (the bulk of the movie)
- The Boon (saving the people in distress)
- If the hero is bringing a re-birth for the entire world, then the hero dies or is re-born in a new form
The Hero/Healer’s Journey
You, by choosing to be a massage therapist, are just such a hero.
The call is to commit fully to the Healer’s Journey, even when it’s challenging. You must be dedicated to the health and healing of your clients – there is nothing more important than health and happiness of this world!
You will receive magical techniques involving your mind, body and spirit
– basic and advanced massage techniques.
You will engage in the quest for knowledge – learning anatomy, physiology, pathology, and psychology so you can really understand people and how they work.
You will emerge with the boon – bringing more peace of mind, body and spirit into this world that needs peace so much! And,
Lastly, new friendships will form along the way, new knowledge will transform your understanding of human body and mind, and you will receive in class many transformational sessions of bodywork of powerful physical and energetic depth.
Life will change us, no matter what we do. But, if we commit to the hero’s
journey, we will change our lives , we will be re-born, we will make our dreams come true, and help others do the same, in just such ways as the great myths speak of.
What about the Tree?
Well, in the hero’s journey, if there is the call and the person doesn’t respond in most myths that person is turned into a tree. So don’t turn into a tree!