Course Overview

  • Initiation means to awaken to who we are at the core of our lives. Amidst the great uncertainty of the modern world, the exact knowledge needed for transforming our lives resides within us, waiting to be revealed. When seen with the eyes of initiation, the struggles we experience secretly seek to activate a deeper healing and greater illumination than we could initiate on our own.

  • On the paths of initiation, our deepest wounds also become pathways to the center of the self where genuine stability can be found, where vitality can ever be renewed, and where spirit keeps calling us to awaken further. When connected to the deep self within us we become vessels for universal imagination. When enough people awaken to the inherent purpose and meaning in their own lives, a collective initiation can occur that shifts the level of meaning as well as alters the course of history.

Course Includes:

  • 5+ Hours of Video

    This extensive course includes 6 in-depth sessions

  • 8 Audio Sessions

    Related audio deepens and elaborates core themes

  • 150+ Pages of Writing

    Extensive excerpts from Michael Meade books and essays

  • Lifetime Access

    Unlimited and lifetime access to all course content

  • 30% Discount

    With course purchase, receive a 30% discount on all book and audio titles

Course Introduction

Course Highlights

Key themes and core ideas in "Paths of Initiation":

  • Archetypal patterns of initiation underlie and sustain the dynamics of transformation.

  • Stepping onto the path of initiation means that there is no going back. On the path of transformation, there can be no way back to the self-identity or sense of life we had before.

  • Initiation involves entering a threshold where we can gather enough tension and momentum to push ourselves to the next stage of our life.

  • Initiation rites offer an opportunity for a rebirth, an inner labor and essential struggle through which a second birth occurs.

  • When enough people awaken to the inherent purpose and meaning in their own lives, a collective initiation can also occur and shift the level of meaning and the course of history.

Save 30% on All Courses

Join the Living Myth Premium podcast and save 30% on all courses, included the course trilogy! Members receive access to 500+ podcast episodes, special discounts and bonus episodes.

SUBSCRIBE + LEARN MORE

Course Curriculum

  1. 1

    • Welcome to "Paths of Initiation" Course

    • Intro to "Paths of Initiation" Course

    • Mobile App
  2. 2

    • Session 1 Overview
  3. 3

    • Opening Song - Ne Ne

    • The Three Stages of Rites of Passage

    • Collective Rite of Passage
  4. 4

    • Question 1: Could you talk about how we are walking around in states of incomplete initiation and how the collective condition is affected by this?

    • Question 2: Can you speak about what happens when individuals don't go through a rite of passage? I'm thinking about how the lack of initiation causes police brutality and power abuse in general.

    • Question 3: Can you speak more about communitas and how we can help bring this about? I'm feeling really isolated.
  5. 5

    • Audio - The Arc of Initiation

    • Book Excerpt: Inner Eyes of Soul

    • Essay - Rites of Passage and Our Cultural Crisis
  6. 6

    • Session 2 Overview
  7. 7

    • Introduction

    • Hindu Folktale - The Beloved Cow

    • Story Commentary
  8. 8

    • Question 1: I have the sense that initiation is not once and done, but that we are called to initiation a number of times in our lives. Could you speak to this?

    • Question 2: Please say more about the rites of blessing that you mentioned are used during the return cycle of initiation.

    • Question 3: What is your understanding of why our culture is so lacking in elders and wise elderhood?
  9. 9

    • Conclusion and Closing Song
  10. 10

    • Audio - The Beloved Cow

    • Audio: Ne Ne - Song

    • Audio: Ne Ne - Commentary

    • Book Excerpt - The Disciple's Tale
  11. 11

    • Session 3 Overview
  12. 12

    • Opening Song - Azima

    • Death is the Middle of Life

    • The Necessity of Transformation

    • Initiation of Youth
  13. 13

    • Question 1: How did we lose something so integral to our psychological and spiritual growth as rites of passage?

    • Question 2: I'm working with ex-combatants in Colombia with plenty of scars in their bodies and souls, and all unfinished initiations. How can I help offer them meaningful experiences during the current peace process?

    • Question 3: It seems that genuine initiation must be a two-way street between mentor and initiate. Can you say something about this idea?

    • Question 4: How can we encourage people to understand initiation in a culture that dreads and avoids pain through all means of addictions?
  14. 14

    • Audio - The Mystery of Life, Death and Renewal

    • Book Excerpt: Die Before You Die

    • Book Excerpt - Survival Mentoring
  15. 15

    • Session 4 Overview
  16. 16

    • Borneo Folktale: The Half-Boy

    • Story Commentary
  17. 17

    • Question 1: Are there cultures that treat childbirth as an initiation? What rituals are associated with that event for the woman going through the ordeal?

    • Question 2: What can you say about mature rites of passage for adults involving divorce and loss of community in a society that undervalues the role of the elder?

    • Question 3: How can we heal wounds that are passed down through generations?

    • Question 4: Can we stay in a liminal space too long? Can we cut that phase too short? Perhaps this is why what is occurring now [in the pandemic response] by opening up or going back to normal too early?

    • Question 5: Related to the idea of dying before we die, Joseph Campbell said, "We must be willing to get rid of the life we planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us." Can you speak to this?
  18. 18

    • Conclusion and Closing Song
  19. 19

    • Audio: Azima - Full Song

    • Audio: Azima - Commentary

    • Book Excerpt - A Tale of Two Villages

    • Book Excerpt - Dancing to Be Whole Again
  20. 20

    • Session 5 Overview
  21. 21

    • Opening Song - Kanaro

    • Intro - Pathless Path

    • Vision Quest

    • Shamanic Initiations
  22. 22

    • Question 1: Is there any connection between the Dark Night of the Soul and Shamanic Initiation?

    • Question 2: I love the myth and the song you opened with. How do we bring people together when communities are so polarized?

    • Question 3: Are there other levels to this "down to the bone" idea beyond just physical? Is there a spiritual stripping down of all our old connective tissues?

    • Question 4: What is the relationship between initiation and the recovery of the heart mind coherence?
  23. 23

    • Audio: The Pathless Path and the Old Mind

    • Book Excerpt - The Second Adventure of Life

    • Essay - What You Love is the Cure
  24. 24

    • Session 6 Overview
  25. 25

    • Apache Creation Myth - Origin of Healing

    • Story Commentary: Role of the Outsiders
  26. 26

    • Question 1: What about groups of people who feel like outsiders? Are they prone to the same two dangers that you mentioned?

    • Question 2: I'm a lifelong outsider. What would you say about how to bear the loneliness and endless separation that comes with this?

    • Question 3: Can you speak about how the center of the realm depends upon the vitality from the edges of the realm?

    • Question 4: When someone has been an outsider all of their life, and developed a hard shell of not caring as much about others, how do they break that hard shell and connect and give back to those others?

    • Question 5: As an outsider, I've found it very difficult to be heard by those on the inside as my ideas are unconventional. How can we effectively deliver our "out there" inspirations and medicine to a divided world?

    • Question 6: I'm on the board of a charter school in California. I would like to help teachers see coronavirus as a rite of passage for the school. Do you have advice about how to bring this to the leadership of the school?

    • Question 7: How does our awakening and healing affect the transforming and healing of our community and the world as a whole?
  27. 27

    • Conclusion and Closing Song
  28. 28

    • Audio - Reweaving the World

    • Audio: Kanaro - Full Song

    • Audio: Kanaro - Commentary

    • Essay - The Light Inside the Darkness

    • Book Excerpt - The Last Thread
  29. 29

    • Michael Meade Biography

    • Mosaic Multicultural Foundation
  30. 30

    • How to Redeem the Special Discount

More Inspiring Courses

FAQ

  • How do I access my courses?

    Click on the "Sign In" area on the upper right of the website. Once signed in, you will see a "My Dashboard" link in the menu bar at top. This link will take you to all your purchased course content.

  • How long do I have access to my courses?

    You have lifetime, unlimited access to all of your courses!

  • Are the videos downloadable?

    The course videos cannot be downloaded; however, they can be watched on any device and can be streamed at your convenience.

  • Can I use my 30% discount towards more courses?

    Included in your course purchase is a special 30% discount on all book and audio titles from our extensive library of offerings. The discount cannot be used towards additional courses. However, all three courses can be purchased together as a bundle, saving 20%.

  • I forgot my password. How do I sign in?

    Click on "Sign In" (upper right corner button). Then click on "Forgot?" next to "password". You will receive an email to re-set your password.

  • How can I update my payment details?

    Click on "Sign In" (upper right corner button). Then click on your account name (upper right corner) and select "My Account" from the drop down menu. On left side of page next to your profile select "Billing" from the list of options and you can add or change your saved credit card info.

  • How do I contact you for technical support?

    Please address any sign-in or technical issues to: [email protected]

  • How can I solve almost any technical issue I'm having?

    1) Refresh your web browser. 2) Log in via a different web browser: Google Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Vivaldi. 3) Clear your current web browser cache/ history. Visit: http://www.refreshyourcache.com/en/home/ and click the button for the browser you are using. 4) Reboot your computer or device. 5) Reboot your modem and close all applications that may be using up bandwidth in the background (if you're suspect a speed issue). 6) Log in via a different device.

  • Do you offer Continuing Education credits?

    At this time, we do not offer CE credits for course completion.