If we examine the stories we tell as adults, we almost always find that they’re variations on ancient themes that have been represented throughout the ages in fables and fairy tales.

As we grew up, we unknowingly became trapped in one of three archetypal stories, all of which promised us joy but ended up delivering misery. The  are three fairy tales that become core scripts for our bad dreams:

1. The story of King Midas, which turns into the nightmare titled “I Don’t Have Enough.”

2. The story of the Lion King, which turns into the nightmare titled “I’m Too Old and My Time Has Passed.”

3. The story of Cinderella, which turns into the nightmare titled “I’m Too Wounded to Have Power.”

Once we recognize that we’re living according to one of these archetypal scripts, we can consciously choose to rip it up and start over with a new story. But first we have to be honest about just how much we’re conforming to a fairy-tale fantasy about what will make us feel happy and fulfilled.

-Courageous Dreaming: How Shamans Dream the World into Being by Alberto Villoldo