The Symbolism of Maximillion's Tale

In this episode, Charlie Seymour Jr and Dr. Marc Kossmann discuss the symbolism embedded in Maximillion's Tale which is the opening section of their new book.

Listen in and learn what a story about a medieval blacksmith's son has to do with marketing and the journey professionals go through to attain the level of training, experience and accomplishment in establishing themselves as valuable members of the community.

The Symbolism In Maximillion's Tale

Dr. Marc Kossmann and Charlie Seymour Jr introduce you to the symbolism embedded in Maximillion's Tale which is the first section of their new book. The book is about mid-career professionals who find themselves stranded on the TimeTrap Plateau because they have been trading away time for money. They have worked so hard running around in circles at the center of their businesses that they have dug a moat around themselves.

But Maximillion is the story of the past, of the journey that every professional must go through to get their training in the first place. Dr. Marc and Charlie take the structure of a hero's tale to tell this story. The hero has to leave the safety of The Known, head out into The Forest, meet The Stranger and learn about new information and technology. Then the hero must face the fear of The Unknown that is represented by The Dragon. He must slay that dragon, face down his fear in order to take possession of The Dragon's power. And with that new found knowledge, experience and expertise, he can return home to The Kingdom and claim a place of leadership in the community.

Enjoy this podcast as Dr. Marc and Charlie explore some of these archetypal images and symbols embedded within Maximillion's Tale. Then come over to the website and get your copy of the book to learn how Maximillion becomes Max in the modern world. Dr. Marc and Charlie take on the task of solving Max's Dilemma by introducing you to the PersonalSuccess Marketing 40/20/40 System.

Maximillion represents the beginning of change, the beginning of transformation. He has a belief in innovation and that something new can happen to make life better.

The Father, The Kingdom, The Prince – these are all representation of The Known, the status quo, the establishment, the way things are now. They also represent the kind of safety behind the walls, the conservative point of view.

The Stranger – he represents The Unknown up close and personal. He is a disruptive force that come into your life and shakes up your sense that you know as much as you think you know. He imparts knowledge from "out there" that has the potential to really change things, shake things up. The encounter is both frightening and exciting.

Katherine who is the feminine side of Maximillion. They are interchangeable characters in the same sense the Carl Jung's theories show us that every human being has both masculine and feminine aspects to their souls.

MidChester – the walled city that represents the time in the arc of the story of our work at PersonalSuccess Marketing. It is the representation of being at mid-career and mid-life.

The Warrior-King – he represents the danger that is known. There are always threats in life that put pressure on the status quo and force us to adapt or perish. So the status quo is always being threatened by the known and the unknown. Pressure from the outside both makes us want to hunker down, but it also teaches us where our weaknesses lie. Addressing those weaknesses is the source of growth, development and maturity.

The Forest – which represents unexplored territory that holds unknown danger but also untapped resources. The conservative fear heading out, while the adventurous want to head out and explore that unknown.

The Summit and The Plateau – we have the summit, the high point that we are all trying to reach in life. On the other hand, the plateau is where we get stranded by following a false path that we believe is taking us to the summit. We are climbing up, and then suddenly we level off and realize that we are stuck. We see the summit off in the distance, but realize that there is no way to climb higher without first having to go back off the plateau and find the correct path.

The Dragon – on old maps, the edge of the world often had the inscription, "here there be dragons." The dragon is the embodiment of fear and danger when facing the unknown. In order to slay the dragon, we all have to learn to not freeze – we must learn to act in the face of fear. When you slay the dragon and conquer your fear, you can claim the treasure that has been guarded by that dragon. That is the treasure of maturity, experience, self-knowledge and trust in your own capabilities. Give in to your fear, and you are eaten by The Dragon.

The Steel and the Silvery Powder – The steel represents the technology that we are familiar with, whereas the silvery powder is the encounter with new and unfamiliar technology that has the power to transform the status quo.

The Dagger and The Sword represent the power that can be unleashed by allowing new technology to come in and transform the old.

The Return – the end of the story is the beginning of the next round of they cycle. There is no, "happily ever after." Change never stops happening. We have to keep adapting to that change.