Threshold Guardians
Actual, metaphorical or one of nature’s obstacles. A concept developed by comparative mythologist Joseph Campbell‘s in his seminal work, The Hero with a Thousand Faces (1949). As we embark on our journey to success our path is crossed, more often than not many times, by a threshold guardian. The role of the threshold guardian is to test our resolve, our mettle, our commitment to our decision to move to the next threshold or phase of our journey. Often a huge leap of faith is required for us to resist the guardian’s attempt to weaken our resolve.
leap of faith
The act or an instance of believing or trusting in something intangible or incapable of being proved.
“Leap and the net will appear.”
All heroines on their heroic journey across the stormy sea of career advancement encounter seemingly insurmountable or even smallish obstacles or threshold guardians. At each threshold or gateway to bigger and better things there is a deep sea monster just waiting to grasp you in its tentacles. How often have you been going along very nicely in a role when along came someone who made it their number one objective to make your life hell? Who has looked you in the face and said ever so blatantly, I WANT YOUR JOB or I WANT TO DISTRACT YOU FROM YOUR JOB.
It’s useful to know about threshold guardians. These people are there to test whether we are ready to make the leap to the next level. If we are not ready to step up to the mark, we allow them to scare us off. They may also be a sign from the universe that in fact we are not actually ready to take the leap or that we are making a mistake.
It is also very useful to stand back and objectify those who impede our progress. If we can see them metaphorically as symbols of the need to be be tested, it is not so necessary to take their behaviour so personally or to demonise them.
They need to be overcome and even to be turned into allies! The world of myth and movies is full of threshold guardians – ferocious looking demon statutes standing guard at the gates of temples, border guards, any character whose job it is to temporarily block the way and test a character’s powers to move forward.
For women threshold guardians manifest as husbands, children, parents and probably more often than not low self esteem. Valuing ourselves and having great faith in our own abilities is really the only way to move on. We must value our own worth sufficiently to ask for that pay rise, to not settle for a low salary in the first place and to have the courage to accept that promotion.
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Watch out for threshold guardians. Smile.
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Don’t take them personally: see them for what they are – small tests or symbols making you address your readiness or otherwise to take the leap to the next threshold or level in your life.
Marie Sullivan
ClearPath
Navigating Family Law ABN 95 998 920 138
M: 0448 983 503
Skype: marierosaliesullivan
Twitter: @MarieSullivan15
