Image by Luciano Gonzalez from http://Pixabay.com

"Still round the corner there may wait, a new road or a secret gate." - "The Hobbit", J.R.R. Tolkien

Tap...Tap...Tap...There's a knock on my door. I look out my window and see a Stranger wearing the robes of a traveller. He is standing on my doorstep and leaning on his walking stick.
He has all the features of an experienced traveller. Although curious as to who this person is I decide to ignore the Stranger's knock. Tap...Tap...Tap...His knock is now louder. Who is this persistent Vagabond that is so determined to disturb my peace and comfort? I decide to answer the knock and send this Intruder on his way. I open the door and face the Stranger. His face is a story of many experiences and adventures. His piercing blue eyes project power, determination and sincerity. Before I can speak the Stranger takes command.
STRANGER: I have come a long way to find you.
SEEKER: I'm in the phone book. All you had to do is pick up
a telephone. (The Stranger's gaze does not waver and my attempt
at humor is met by his intense, steady gaze.)
STRANGER: There is a Great Task that must be accomplished
and it can only be entrusted to you.
SEEKER: Aren't you being a little dramatic? I'm sure that if
you knock on enough doors you will find someone else willing
to take on this "task". Now, if you don't mind, I'm going back
to my hot chocolate and my book.
STRANGER: ( His eye's unwavering and his voice stronger)
This is a task that can only be entrusted to YOU!
SEEKER: (Still wondering how to dislodge this Stranger from my
doorstep) What IS this "task" of which you speak? (Now I'm
beginning to sound a little like the Stranger.)
STRANGER: A Great Darkness approaches. Soon it will cover
your entire world. Should this happen, life as you know it will
no longer exist. You cannot allow this to happen. Only YOU can
defeat The Great Darkness!
SEEKER: Really! And just how do you expect me to accomplish
this task?
STRANGER: (Gently) You are more capable than you know.
You will find a way.
SEEKER: Will you accompany me throughout this task?
STRANGER: Only part way. I will show you the Path you
must follow. This Path is long and difficult. This Path leads to
your Great Task. Only by accomplishing your Great Task,
ALONE, can you save your world.
SEEKER: I don't know anything about saving worlds. Do you
have an instruction manual? What kind of help will I receive?
STRANGER: You will meet Guides along the way. They will
teach you everything you need to learn.
SEEKER: And they will accompany me to the end of my task?
STRANGER: No. They will instruct you. You must complete
your Great Task alone.
SEEKER: Can you guarantee that I Will succeed at this Great
Task?
STRANGER: No. You MAY fail.
SEEKER: What kinds of comforts will I have along this Path?
STRANGER: You will earn great new friendships and acquire
Sacred Wisdom.
SEEKER: Can you guarantee my safety?
STRANGER: No. You will experience much danger and meet
many enemies.
SEEKER: Will these enemies try to harm me?
STRANGER: Many will try to KILL you.
SEEKER: Let me see if I have this all straight. You are asking
me to go on this Great Task alone. I'm also expected to endure
great hardships. You can neither guarantee my success nor my
safety. This does not sound like a very good deal. What,
IF ANYTHING, can you guarantee me?
STRANGER: (With a flicker in his eyes and a soft smile)
I guarantee you The Adventure Of A Lifetime!
SEEKER: (After a lengthy, thoughtful pause)...I accept!

What is this Call To Adventure?  It is a personal Calling we receive that challenges us to experience our True Path. It is an irresistible beckoning that tests the very limits of our mind and spirit. It is the unsilenceable Voice of Destiny. that creates legends and heroes. It is a Fantasy. It is an Obsession that has attracted, and enchanted, numerousseekers and adventurers  since the earliest beginnings of Time.

Once we accept the Call to Travel our Path of Destiny there is no turning back. Nothing can discourage us. Difficulties cannot stop us. Fear will not deter us. Our pursuit is unrelentless and we cannot interrupt, or stop, our Quest until we solve the Mystery of who we are, what we can become, and what we can achieve.

Our Call To Adventure begins with a Stranger "knocking on our door". This Stranger will sometimes be a real person who awakens within us our desire to fulfill our Destiny and pursue our Dreams. However, it is usually a nagging "feeling" within us that unsettles us, rousts us from our laziness and comforts, and stirs us to action.

Legend, Literature, and Myth tell of many Strangers who appeared in someone's life and presented them with The Call To Adventure.

Here are just a few:

Glinda, The Good Witch Of The North, who directed Dorothy to Oz and, eventually, back "home" to Kansas.

Albus Dumbledore, whose guidance enabled Harry Potter to defeat the Dark Lord, Voldemort.

Gandalf, who knocked on Bilbo Baggins' door and changed  his life forever.

Princess Leia, who beckoned Luke Skywalker to a galaxy far, far away to face his Destiny in a battle with Darth Vader, his father.

At some point we either embrace Our Call or we discard it forever. Those who accept "The Call" experience the Adventure of Traveling their own Path and creating their own Destiny. Those who ignore "The Call" will never experience the adventures of the Pilgrim, the Wanderer and the Seeker. To these people the Stranger may never appear to them again.

But, who is this Stranger? It is a Voice, a Burning Desire, a Wizard or Temptress Within, that entices, inspires, and bewitches us to pursue our own Destiny and Travel our own Path. For the True Seeker The Call of the Stranger neither disappears nor diminishes. For this individual there is only one option: accept "The Call" and experience the Adventure.

The Great Task is our Personal Destiny. We all enter this life with our One Great Task: the fulfillment of our very own Personal Destiny. Either we Choose to pursue it or we Choose to ignore it.

The Path is our own Special Path that leads to our Personal Destiny. It is a Path that no one has Traveled before us and a Path that no one will ever Travel after us. There has never been another's footrprint  on this Path. If WE do not Travel Our Path it will go untraveled for all eternity and the Destiny that lies at its end and will never be realized.

Our Enemies are our own personal fears, doubts and insecurities. They are our demons within that only we can conquer. It is by vanquishing and banishing these Demons from our Personal
Kingdom that we gain Inner Strength and experience our Full Potential.

The Guides are the many different teachers we meet along Our Way. They provide us with knowledge and teach us all the skills we require to defeat our Demons and complete our Great Task. However, these Guides can only prepare us. We must always face our Demons, and our Final Test, alone. This is the only way it can be. And, who knows, perhaps someday we ourselves may be a Guide assisting another Traveler along their very own Personal Path.

Darkness. In this instance, Darkness represents IGNORANCE. However, Darkness is banished by Light (Enlightenment).Enlightenment is the acquiring of the Skills and Knowledge that
enable us to conquer Ignorance. Enlightenment is Wisfom!

When the Stranger tells us that "We are more capable than we know", he is telling us that we have Latent Talents sleepingwithin us that, once awakened, can accomplish the most Fascinating Deeds.

The Great Darkness represents Great Failure. It is when we "allow" our fears, doubts, and insecurities (our Demons Within) to conquer us. It is the relinquishing of our Individua lsovereignty.
It is "accepting" to be at the mercy and decsiions of others; to livesomeone else's life; to experience someone else's Destiny. When we CHOOSE The Great Darkness we forfeit both our Dreams and our Personal Destiny. We can no longer experience who we truly are and all that we can become. It is by accepting our Call To Adventure, Traveling Our Path to its End, vanquishing our Demons Within, and fulfilling our Personal Destiny that we experience The Adventure Of A Lifetime!

Joe Panek

http://www.aseekersthoughts.com/2008/10/call-to-adventure.html