Most people have their favorite children’s book. One of my favorite was D’Aulaires’ Greek Myths. The art had a way of drawing me into the many fascinating stories. Although I also liked ‘Ferdinand the Bull’ and a few others, D’Aulaires’ was like a magnet. I checked and re-checked that book out of the school library.
One of the fascinating stories is that of Medusa. In terms of a monster, she posed some major challenges to overcome. The sheer difficulty anyone faced in dealing with her made for an entertaining story. One of the reasons that those myths continued through the ages is that there are powerful truths embedded within them. There are various versions of Medusa, with some being G-rated and others being Adults only.
Medusa has some powerful lessons for you in dealing with infidelity. She could turn men to stone when they gazed upon her. Some lovers freeze your spouse in their tracks. They literally ‘zone out’ in what I refer to as the ‘affair fog’. On many levels, you could say that they are ‘stoned’. Depending on the version of the story you read, her eyes had a hypnotic effect on others. This is similar to how some people are ‘charmed’ by their lover and become blinded to the reality of the situation.
One important lesson we can learn from Medusa’s story is that sometimes, appearances can be deceiving. Just like how her beauty was used to lure her victims, a cheating partner may also use charm and manipulation to deceive their significant other.
Medusa had her traumatic years growing up. Her vanity led to other difficulties. I mention this since some lovers use their tragic stories as part of ‘hooking’ their victims. So whether someone listened to her story or looked upon her, she had a two-pronged way of enticing them. She could also be seen as a metaphor for how cheaters often have their own deep-rooted issues that drive them to cheat.
Another important lesson from Medusa’s story is the danger of jealousy and rage. In other words, unbridled passion. As a result of her curse, Medusa became an outcast and was constantly pursued by those who wished to kill her. This eventually led to her being killed.
Medusa also lived at the center of a maze. She was not an evil on the fringes of your world, she’s at the center of it. This was also the third way she obtained victims. They became trapped in the confusion with her. Lovers and affairs likewise become the center of your life. You can ignore them, or avoid them, or try running away until you realize you are trapped. The affair is now in the middle of your life.
Medusa was simultaneously beautiful and repulsive. Affairs also have both attractive and repulsive aspects. The cheater experiences the pull of attraction and is often blind to the repulsiveness of the relationship. Likewise, the affair may either cause you to freeze up, or trigger a toxic mix of confused feelings.
There is also the added danger of further evils represented by the snakes. The snakes added a sinister element to the mythical story. Those cold-blooded slithering creatures suggested that there is no limit to how far the affair may take the cheater, like the snake tempting Eve in the garden. Who’s to say that among those snakes making up Medusa’s hair are not bone-crushing pythons, venom-spitting cobras or fast-acting sea snakes?
Her blood was poisonous. The lifeblood of the affair is also poisonous. Being so poisonous, it required special handling. Recovery from your spouse’s affair will also require special handling. Recovery requires some special ways of doing things. The usual methods of confronting and small talk become inadequate when facing an affair.
One weird aspect is that wherever Medusa’s blood spilled, some amazing new creations appeared. The winged horse Pegasus came from Medusa’s blood as did the underwater tree we know as coral. It is possible that in the death of the affair and its aftermath, some good can come. The affair will change your life, either in poisoning you or turning you into a new creation. The difference in outcome is based on your attitude and how you go about recovering from the affair.
The Affair Recovery Workshop gives you the tools that you’ll need in dealing with the Affair Medusas in your life. It provides ways of talking about the affair that bring healing, shows you where action is needed, and ways of reconnecting with and reviving your spouse.
If you are facing an Affair Medusa, you need the Affair Recovery Workshop. Having such a monster in the middle of your life is a threat to you and your family. The workshop helps you get your family and your marriage back from the monster of affairs. You can overcome the affair when you have the right tools in the right order.
Keeping It Real,
Jeff
