In the spring of 1968, Joseph Campbell learned that a mental disorder that affect more people than we would like was also an inward journey that could be closely associated with the hero journey as he so deemed the process. The illness I'm speaking on is Schizophrenia. I know a thing or two about this illness that affect the thinking as well as produces audio and visual hallucinations. It is a disease that can be related to the shaman's initiation and for some stricken with the dis-order it presents a chance to give something to the world, if it's just a well adjusted child or a friendly face that knows there is more to this world than what meets the eye.
In Lady Agape & The New Dimension, Agape has to deal with the illness on both sides of the spectrum. First her father is in the mental hospital due to schizophrenia and has been in and out of them since his wife died. Agape was just a child of 12 when this all started; so she know no stigma around the illness that affect her by handle. In the first chapter I have her visit the mental hospital where her father is dealing with visual hallucinations and I show how a loving family member interact with the dis-eased one. I wanted to show the family's side- even if just briefly. The rest of the story Agape has to deal with the antagonist, Nancy Stone, who is triggered by the illness after killing her entire family (as in parents, siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, nieces, and nephews) and two voices arise to help her navigate through the mess she's created. My dealings with Nancy is more in depth with the illness as she is separated from her self and decide to continue walking with her illusions. I mean this was a strong young woman that had everything going for her until greed convinces her to murder. If coming too (as all with the dis-ease does from time to time) and realizing what you've done to that which you love and knowing that you must now deal with the consequences doesn't make her you separate from yourself again I don't know what will. That is, unless you're a natural born killer which Nancy is not. Afterwards she is initiated. Her initiation involves the conflict between her and the protagonist, Lady Agape, who is an unseen ancestor in this dimension- another voice, another shadow. Nancy makes it through on the other side, even with the voices and the sights. And like it or not she becomes Queen; which is her return. (But that's not the end of Nancy's Journey.) When I was brainstorming the story of Lady Agape, I knew that I wanted to deal with this mental illness and show at least two of the many sides of it. As the story continue to manifest from a private idea to a thing that can be shared, I see that even with a antagonist that has schizophrenia there is still much wiggle room left. But I can only put so much into one story. The thing I hope most is that I do the illness some honor and explain what it's like for some to the best of my ability. I see them as the brave ones who are called to take the journey of the hero by having a mind considered to need medicine in order to operate when in reality the medicine only present an obstacle at best and prevention of potential at worst. That is until the patient becomes stabilize and the medicine makes no difference because the journey has been taken, the lesson has been learned, and chemicals have been altered. For the shaman that means acceptance of who they are, that is the ultimate return that is the ultimate healing. You go shaman! In an era when all journeys are inward, maybe we all suffer from schizophrenia or at least the lucky ones. -Thanks for listening
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AuthorOne of those writer folk telling stories, reviewing the writer's adventure, and presenting the hero's journey. All wrapped in Spirit, the Kingdom of God, the Sanatana Dharma, the Tao, the Way, or the Absolute. Archives
February 2020
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