Dear Newly Engaged Couple-
I know that as you plan the service portion of your wedding day you will probably be looking for that perfect quote that speaks to your particular life circumstance. There should be a wisdom to the thing. And it should be deep. It should plumb the depths of your very soul. Perhaps you will go to bookstores and peruse the reference books’ aisle. Or you will google different quote sites. That is all very good. Believe me, as a wedding officiant I have done that. myself. Still the best quotes I come across are those random comments I hear at a family gathering, in church, or maybe in a coffee shop. It is for that reason that I often carry a notebook in my purse.
Several days ago I officiated at a wedding. Afterwards the daughter of the groom said something that so resonnated with me, that I am sharing it with you. I don’t know if it can be woven into a service or not, but the person writing this blog will certainly try to do that! I’m thinking out loud here, but maybe it could be used as a stand alone reading during the wedding.
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The woman was quoting Joseph Campbell–a teacher and a writer whose life work was to unlock the meaning of myths. He studied myths from different cultures and tried to find their commonalities–because he knew that myths are means through which the mythmaker reveals something about the human condition.. One myth that he discusses concerns a knight’s search for the holy grail, aka his life purpose(which is all tied up with finding one’s life partner, is it not?)
The woman who shared this quote, was speaking about her dad, who has weathered a dark night of the soul (and who hasn’t?), and has survived the experience to find his life-mate and happiness. Below is the quote she shared. Enjoy!
You enter the forest
at the darkest point,
where there is no path.
Where there is a way or path,
it is someone else’s path.
You are not on your own path.
If you follow someone else’s way,
you are not going to realize
your potential.”
― Joseph Campbell, The Hero’s Journey: Joseph Campbell on His Life & Work
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