Motivation | Katabasis (Journey to the Underworld)

Reflecting on Katabasis…

Sometimes I leave myself notes to read in the future. It’s like when a hero finds an ancient weapon or discovers a legacy. That previous owner’s fall had left a gift for the next hero to surpass them.

Times are different, so are we.

–Percy Echols II | April 24, 2020

In the ancient world, the descent in search of understanding was known as katabasis as well as the hero’s journey to the underworld. The hero is to struggle, suffer, and fall. These are lessons that attach to our hero. They have two choices: fall and die, or rise and grow. Neither choice is permanent, each has value.

 When they return to the surface they carry with them gifts, wisdom, and power. With each trip, our hero will go further and further, bringing forth the best of themselves by facing their worst.

I’ve been thinking of katabasis a lot, it gets easier going down the path that you are familiar with. If your will is strong you can use that previous experience to surpass even greater challenges. In a way, the illumination of neon is very similar. Taking a greater energy, rising the next level, and releasing that as light and heat; Idea and Action. By extension the attributes of plasma, seeking ground or connection, through distance great and small.

Through the journey of Taming Lightning, I’ve continued to grasp at and contain something beyond my reach, and beyond my abilities. You can say the name suggests just that, something beyond ourselves. While it is directed at neon and plasma, it’s looking even further beyond that, the ideas, experiences, and people that make it happen.