The King's Archer
The King’s Archer was about to lose his beautiful wife. In desperation he sought the advice of a wise man who lived in the mountains. He was told that in order to keep his wife he must cross the River of Fire and enter the Land-Of-I-Know-Not-Where and bring back with him I-Know-Not-What so as to defeat his enemies.
The chief archer, although a warrior and a very brave man, was afraid of the River of Fire which burned day and night. He knew of no one who had ever crossed it and lived. But the wise man had said that he must find a way. After several scorching tries, the warrior returned again to the wise man to ask him “How?” The wise man replied “Perhaps your dreams will help you.”
Exasperated with such a silly answer, the archer left in anger. After several more exhausting attempts to cross, he was full of despair and ready to totally give up. But then he decided the next morning that he would swim across, even if it cost his life. Living alone just wasn’t worth living anyway.
While he slept that night, he dreamed of riding on the back of a Giant Frog. When he waked he remembered the words of the wise man, and he began a search for this mythical frog. After a long journey, the archer came to a cave in which there was an underground stream of water.
Inside this dark cave, he heard the loud awful croaking sounds of a monster frog. He was amazed when he saw the size of this frog-god. Making himself a rope of vines, he finally captured the Giant Frog, led him out of the cave, and rode him across the River of Fire in one giant leap, into the Land-Of-I-Know-Not-Where and he found I-Know-Not-What, and was able to defeat his enemies and regain his beautiful wife.
What a tale! Notice that he sought the help of a wise man who lived high in the mountains. Wisdom always comes from some higher dimension. He was told that had to cross the river of fire, which is the archetypal chasm between the mind and the heart. The archer knew of his physical prowess and he relied on his mental cleverness, but it wasn’t enough to cross this great obstacle. The challenge to go deeper into love than just the physical and mental seemed an impossible task, a dangerous task, a foolish task. He tried all his strategies and tricks, but none of them worked.
Then he returned again to the wise man for more help. He overcame his masculine pride. His lover was more important than his pride. And so, he had turned to the wise man for diagnosis, as to what was wrong. Actually, the wise man diagnosed his problem as his lack of heart. He cared but not totally, and he didn’t understand that everything would be required of him. Good intentions would not be enough for his task.
He had no idea of the territory of himself that he had not known. And so he had to go to the land of I know Not What if his love was to become full. He was not yet a spiritual lover. He was merely a king’s archer, a warrior with other men. He had not become a spiritual warrior. He had not come to terms with himself. Secondly, based on his diagnosis, the wise man prescribed a treatment by pointing the seeker to his dreams, to his deepest desires, to his soul territory, for help. Our desperate seeker decided he would make one last ego try, but this time it would be different: he would risk his life totally. It was when he let go of his caution and pride totally, that he had a dream. His soul spoke. He must search for something bigger, a Higher Power, a frog-god. Now more accustomed to the language of the soul he went on a search. He risked entering the land of Not-Knowing and he risked not even being able to say what he needed to find. He still risked all, but he had opened up his spiritual powers. He had transcended the fear of the river of fire and he was transformed, and you know “the rest of the story.”
This archetypal hero made many “you decide’s”. His pride turned into foolishness; his relative safety turned into absolute danger; his human knowledge turned into not-knowing; possibility turned into impossibility. He made the longest journey from the head to the heart. Everything was transformed. He found Rumi’s field beyond good and evil, and met Love there.
The chief archer, although a warrior and a very brave man, was afraid of the River of Fire which burned day and night. He knew of no one who had ever crossed it and lived. But the wise man had said that he must find a way. After several scorching tries, the warrior returned again to the wise man to ask him “How?” The wise man replied “Perhaps your dreams will help you.”
Exasperated with such a silly answer, the archer left in anger. After several more exhausting attempts to cross, he was full of despair and ready to totally give up. But then he decided the next morning that he would swim across, even if it cost his life. Living alone just wasn’t worth living anyway.
While he slept that night, he dreamed of riding on the back of a Giant Frog. When he waked he remembered the words of the wise man, and he began a search for this mythical frog. After a long journey, the archer came to a cave in which there was an underground stream of water.
Inside this dark cave, he heard the loud awful croaking sounds of a monster frog. He was amazed when he saw the size of this frog-god. Making himself a rope of vines, he finally captured the Giant Frog, led him out of the cave, and rode him across the River of Fire in one giant leap, into the Land-Of-I-Know-Not-Where and he found I-Know-Not-What, and was able to defeat his enemies and regain his beautiful wife.
What a tale! Notice that he sought the help of a wise man who lived high in the mountains. Wisdom always comes from some higher dimension. He was told that had to cross the river of fire, which is the archetypal chasm between the mind and the heart. The archer knew of his physical prowess and he relied on his mental cleverness, but it wasn’t enough to cross this great obstacle. The challenge to go deeper into love than just the physical and mental seemed an impossible task, a dangerous task, a foolish task. He tried all his strategies and tricks, but none of them worked.
Then he returned again to the wise man for more help. He overcame his masculine pride. His lover was more important than his pride. And so, he had turned to the wise man for diagnosis, as to what was wrong. Actually, the wise man diagnosed his problem as his lack of heart. He cared but not totally, and he didn’t understand that everything would be required of him. Good intentions would not be enough for his task.
He had no idea of the territory of himself that he had not known. And so he had to go to the land of I know Not What if his love was to become full. He was not yet a spiritual lover. He was merely a king’s archer, a warrior with other men. He had not become a spiritual warrior. He had not come to terms with himself. Secondly, based on his diagnosis, the wise man prescribed a treatment by pointing the seeker to his dreams, to his deepest desires, to his soul territory, for help. Our desperate seeker decided he would make one last ego try, but this time it would be different: he would risk his life totally. It was when he let go of his caution and pride totally, that he had a dream. His soul spoke. He must search for something bigger, a Higher Power, a frog-god. Now more accustomed to the language of the soul he went on a search. He risked entering the land of Not-Knowing and he risked not even being able to say what he needed to find. He still risked all, but he had opened up his spiritual powers. He had transcended the fear of the river of fire and he was transformed, and you know “the rest of the story.”
This archetypal hero made many “you decide’s”. His pride turned into foolishness; his relative safety turned into absolute danger; his human knowledge turned into not-knowing; possibility turned into impossibility. He made the longest journey from the head to the heart. Everything was transformed. He found Rumi’s field beyond good and evil, and met Love there.
posted by Dr. Joe at 6:12 AM
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