Success and Leaps of Faith: Part 2
This is Part 2 of an Article written by Steve Robertson – Read Part 1 Here.
In the film “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade,” the actor Harrison Ford, who plays the role of Indiana Jones (Indie), leads a team of fellow adventurers and archeologists to find the Holy Grail. They are in a race to find it before the Nazis do. The Germans get to the secret hiding place first and begin their search of a special passage within the cave, which leads to the Grail. Indie and his team hide carefully and watch from above. Unable to interpret the spiritual meaning and symbolism of the ancient map, which leads to the Grail, one German soldier after another literally loses their head as they enter the cave’s special tunnel. Suddenly, one of Indie’s team members accidentally dislodges a stone, which rolls down to the Germans below and reveals their hiding place above. Unarmed, Indie and company are captured and brought down to the German commander.
Once there, the German commander demands that Indie retrieve the Grail. Having just watched one German after another die after entering the special passage, Indie refuses. Immediately, the German commander turns his gun to Indie’s father, played by Sean Connery, and shoots him in the stomach. The German commander now says to Indie: “it’s your choice: Either your father drinks from the Grail and lives, or does not and dies.” Indie has no choice. He is forced to take the Hero’s journey.
The ancient map that disclosed the location of the Grail, that which originally launched Indie’s quest, and that, which was recently stolen from him by the Germans, was now returned to him. Carefully reading the map and deciphering its message, Indie is able to avoid the first booby trap of decapitating blades as he enters the tunnel. Next he must step on specific stones that spell out an ancient and old dialect name for God. A misspelling and misstep, which he almost does, is designed to cause the stone floor to fall away and plummet the spiritually unworthy to their death.
Having passed what he thought was one of the greatest challenges, Indie now comes to the end of the cave’s special tunnel. There, between where he stands and the opening to the cave of the Grail, is a huge ravine hundreds of feet across and thousands of feet down. There on the other side, Indie sees the last of the mystical Knights of King Arthur’s Round Table, who still stands as a watchful guard over the Grail’s cave entrance. Suddenly and at the same time of this observation, Indie hears the cry of his team who yell through the tunnel, that time is running out, his father is near death, he must hurry. Frantically, Indie looks for a way to cross to the other side. There is no rope to swing across and clearly no way to jump across. He consults the ancient map. It clearly depicts a person walking in midair to the other side. Indie has no other choice and steps to the edge of the ravine’s precipice. His facial expression quickly shifts from fear and panic to a fearless resolve and KNOWING that he has no other choice. He commits to taking this leap of faith. Bravely, Indie courageously steps his foot out over the ravine’s edge, to what looks like, a perilous fall. Instead, as he steps out and down, his foot is met and supported by an illusionary bridge, a bridge that could not have been seen nor experienced unless someone had first had the courage to take the leap of faith.
When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bonds: Your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction, and you find yourself in a new, great, and wonderful world. Dormant forces, faculties and talents become alive, and your discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be. — Patañjali, the compiler of the Yoga Sutras (Sanskrit: 150 BCE)
Step out to the edge of your heart’s greatest calling, brave and courageous adventurer. Still your mind, listen deeply within, follow your intuition and take the leap of faith that will always bridge you from fear of the unknown, to the KNOWN and Holy Grail of your life’s loving mission and realized bliss.