47. Addiction recovery compared to Odyssey of Homer

By Tom O'Connell

It interests me that stories told in ancient legends keep repeating themselves over  the centuries. One of those stories is the Odyssey, written by Homer about the Greek hero Odysseus and his travels after Troy was lost. It is every hero's story. Victories. Defeats. Adventures. Perils. Battles with demons. Survival. Transformation. New beginnings.

As I recently browsed through a book about a psychic healer, I was pleased to find a reference affirming my belief that recovery is a hero's journey. The book I got as a gift is titled "Edgar Cayce on Channeling your Higher Self." And it stresses the need for ideals. 

Author Henry Reed describes how the hero's ship approaches the island of Sirens: "bewitching women whose enchanting songs lured countless sailors to their deaths on the shoals." Odysseus, like an addict, wants to hear their "sweet voice," but to hold to his ideals he has to use caution. So he stuffs the men's ears with wax, orders them to tie him to the mast, and tells them that if he asks to be set free they should tie him all the tighter.

Doesn't Odysseus seem like a recovering alcoholic who hangs around pubs with his former drinking buddies? But as an alcoholic, Odysseus would have clamped his mouth shut with an iron mask, locked it, and given the key to a trusted friend.

In the ancient tale, I also think we can view Odysseus as a sex addict who wants to expose himself to danger yet not go all the way. Then the tempting voices of the Sirens call him by name and say "Here, come here...." They promise joy and wisdom. But he stays with his ideal, tied to the mast, and he hears from their lips "the voice sweet as the honeycomb." He imbibes the joy to the point that he wants to throw himself into the sea and swim to shore to be with the Sirens, no matter what the cost. But being tied to the mast and protected by trusted friends he saves himself from total destruction.

Author Henry Reed writes, "We may interpret the sailors as lower parts of the personality....When opening to a powerful channel such as the creative energies, it's important not to let the lower personality be touched by these energies. In order for Odysseus himself not to be hurt he must bind himself to an ideal. The mast of the ship provided the firm grounding of an ideal...."

The energy which Reed describes as "the call of the spirits" is channeled through the mast and helps drive the ship, without serious harm to the hero and his men. So Odysseus limits his risk and attempts to seize the best of both higher and lower worlds. He experiences ecstasy but doesn't get swallowed up by addiction to the "sweet voice." 

The Odyssey is the hero's journey, and each addict is captain of his own ship, facing many challenges during recovery. Sometimes the ship smashes into the scotch-on-the-rocks. But the wounds heal and the journey continues. And one learns to tie oneself to a mast, a safe place. That's the mutual help recovery group.

When the "sweet voice" of the lower self whispers its seductive messages to the higher self, it may seem that no power on earth can resist its call. But as AA's founders pointed out, there is a Higher Power that can be summoned. And kindred spirits can provide experience, strength, and hope that will help the higher self to achieve its ideals.

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