Much of my Creeksong book is about a midlife initiatory journey, most of which occurs in wild Nature. And, while I did not write about specific Gates in my book, they were there, nonetheless. And I passed through them, both unwittingly and consciously. So, when you read the parts of Creeksong that describe my midlife stay at Deep Creek in Humpty Doo, you can imagine me confronting and passing through the classic gateways of initiation. Sometimes, I had to back up and go through a gate again. And again.
I was a poor student and a very slow learner. And like most who journey in these realms, most of the time, I did not understand what I was doing or what was happening to me.
What is an initiatory journey?
Most of us who undertake Initiatory Journeys do not know what we are doing or why we are doing it. Some of us are catapulted into new environments or experiences. Other more reluctant ones are dragged along. Few go willingly. Not knowing entirely why we left, we may be confused when we return. We may be searching for the agent of change and asking the question: What changed? Generally, we will find that we cannot easily explain our strange encounters, the new ways we see and interact with the world, our sharper perceptions and open hearts.
As we look back on the landscape of our initiation, we may also ask: What do I see, what do I hear, how do my different emotions affect what and how I now observe. We may find that we need new friends and that a completely new social world opens up. Or the opposite may occur, as we reflect more deeply on our experiences and seek solitude more than we did in the past.
There is no magical or secret remedy for the new ennui, frustrations, and confusions that may accompany the time After the Return. Our lives may be so different from the familiar circumstances of the Yearning as to be almost unrecognizable. Nevertheless, we must take faith in the fact that we have journeyed, and we have learned and changed because of our Initiatory Journey. Trust will be our most valuable guide. We will need to trust that our new insights, approaches and skills will support us as we navigate this new terrain.
It is also helpful to remember that there is no roadmap for an Initiatory Journey, only signposts. No GPS will guide us to the perfect outcome. We are being asked how we can live a meaningful life in the time that remains in our lives. While we may strongly sense that we are returning, there may be more gates to open and more thresholds to cross. Life, after all, is all about threshold crossing. Cultural anthropologist, Angeles Arrien (who died in 2014), gently emphasizes this lesson in The Second Half of Life: Opening the Eight Gates of Wisdom (2007).
Eight gates of initiation
Arrien identifies eight gates of initiation in the second half of life, each of which marks a transition. These gates are archetypal passageways to deepening our experience of life in our later years. The lessons offered at each gate prepare us for our fuller initiation into elderhood. They may be passed through in chronological order—or not. It depends on the journeying person and the lessons she has chosen (or been directed) to learn. Almost certainly, we will have passed through the Silver Gate, as we accept the challenge of new experiences in our lives.
As we pass through the White Picket Gate, we can reflect on the roles we have played and begin to try on the new role of the elder. Acknowledging that we are growing older and that our bodies need care as we age, passage through the Clay Gate encourages us to accept those limitations. The work of this transition will almost certainly continue After the Return.
During the dramatic first stages of our Initiatory Journey, we may linger at the threshold of the Black and White Gate. It challenges us to learn to deepen our relationships. For some, taking this guidance into practice may occur after what we regard as the completion of our Initiatory Journey. It may take time for the appropriate relationship to develop where we can practice our newfound abilities to be intimate in mature ways. The same potential applies to the Rustic Gate, where we are encouraged to enhance all dimensions of our legacy. Legacy work is the ongoing, fruitful work of the second half of life. Our most creative moments may occur after what seemed like the final stage of the Initiatory Journey. Similarly, we may repeatedly pass through the Bone Gates (perhaps even passing back and forth) as we find the courage to be authentically ourselves in the world. Bone Gate work needs practice, as well as courage.
Almost certainly, we will pass through the Natural Gate on our Initiatory Journey.
The Natural Gate
Nature is the great healer, and the powers of the living Earth can strengthen our resolve and speed our passage. They can also deepen our experience, as we encounter the depths of Earth wisdom and the immanent power of the divine—as expressed in Nature. Getting in touch with Nature also helps us get in touch with—and access—our natural resources. The territory of solitude beckons beyond the Natural Gate—a place that we can befriend and embrace. We may learn the blessings of solitude and the difference between being lonely and being alone. For some of us, “coming to ourselves” may be an unfamiliar experience. Passing through the Natural Gate, sensing the slow rhythms, cycles, and seasons of Nature, we may begin to distinguish what is real from what is “made up”.
To imagine our new, enriched life After the Return, we will probably have passed through the Gold Gate, surrendering the last of our resistance and letting go in a great leap of faith, trust and acceptance. We may feel we are powerfully pulled forward at this stage—hardly interested in looking back. So much has been surrendered we feel unrecognizable as our “old” selves. Passing through the Gold Gate does not mean the end of questing or journeying. Quite the contrary: meeting and coming to know our true nature (which has arisen from the hidden depths of our being) will allow us to face the great Mystery. We learn about nonattachment and letting go. Angeles Arrien believes that when we dare to change in midlife, a miracle happens. As we befriend our mortality, we further cultivate our wisdom.
We learn to let go as we learn to befriend death. That is good practice for preparing to pass through the most challenging Gate of all: our passing from this world.
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