12 Spiritual Lessons from Prince Caspian

12 Spiritual Lessons from 'Prince Caspian'

By Kris Rasmussen

It has been more than two years since moviegoers had a chance to visit the magical, mystical land of C.S. Lewis's Narnia, where it was always winter but never Christmas until the Pevensie children--Lucy, Edmund, Susan, and Peter--showed up to help Aslan defeat the White Witch. But now we are transported back to Narnia in "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian," which comes out on DVD December 2.

Throughout the series, and in "Prince Caspian" in particular, the main characters face a series of life-changing situations and learn many things about themselves and others. Click through this gallery of photos from the new movie, and find out more about the world of "Prince Caspian" and the spiritual wisdom we can gain as we revisit the land of Narnia.

Time Really Is Relative

One moment the Pevensie children are at a train station preparing to return to school, and the next they find themselves back in Narnia. Although an enormous amount of time has elapsed--1300 years since their last visit--when they return from Narnia at the end of the novel, hardly any time has passed in the "real" world.

The use of time in "Prince Caspian" seems to be a metaphorical nod to the biblical concept found in I Peter: "With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day." The Pevensies learn that what may seem in important in the moment is not necessarily important many years later--yet Aslan, the God symbol, always remains the same.

Let Go of Great Expectations

Repeatedly in "Prince Caspian," C.S. Lewis examines the faulty assumptions and expectations of some of the characters as they rely on false information or take others at face value.

For example, one can argue that the bravest warrior in the book is not Peter or a Telmarine. Instead, it is a mouse--Reepicheep. This tiny fighter almost makes mincemeat of Prince Caspian, who arrogantly assumes no one so small could ever overcome him.

Similarly, when the children return to Narnia, the current Narnians--as well as Prince Caspian--are expecting adults, not children to come to their aid. Not realizing that the children had performed brave deeds in the past to save Narnia, the Narnians meet them with the disappointed reaction of "You're it?"

The Bible is filled with stories of God choosing the small or foolish to demonstrate his power. Yet too often we continue to judge only by superficial qualities.

Faith Shouldn't Be Decided by a Majority Vote

Lucy is the only one who can see Aslan for a good portion of the novel. She makes some attempts at first to convince her siblings that he is close by, but Susan and Peter don't believe her. Edmund believes her but can't see Aslan either. As Lucy pleads with them to believe her, the others decide to put the matter to a vote. The majority rule that Lucy's sightings of Aslan are nonsense, and they proceed on their way only to regret their decision--and their lack of faith--soon after.

It is always tempting to let other voices drown out the still, small voice of faith inside us. It is also easier to simply go along with the crowd when we know we should stand up for our beliefs. But just as Lucy let her faith be silenced and regretted it, when we do not act on our faith, it will likely not take long before we too reap the consequences.

Hang on to Faith in a Culture of Doubt

There is no magical lamppost in this Narnia. There is no enchanted wood. Life is dark and dreary and ravaged by battle. No one in this Narnia believes in talking animals, dwarves, or any of the other characters that originally graced the land. But when Lucy and the others try to tell Prince Caspian about the way Narnia used to be, he slowly begins to believe in the Narnia of old and wishes to meet the old Narnian dwellers who have been in hiding.

In this sense, Narnia is an excellent metaphor for a postmodern society in which skepticism, narcissism, intellectualism, elitism, and any number of other "isms" have created an environment of doubt, anxiety, depression, and hopelessness that has choked out the beauty and mystery of the journey of faith.

Fear Not, for God Is With You

Aslan gives a sober warning more than once to not listen to fear. Trumpkin is fearful of Aslan when he first meets the lion, but only because he doesn't know Aslan's true character. Once he experiences the true nature of Aslan, he is no longer afraid.

Aslan must also assuage Susan's fears when she first encounters him in this story. Aslan gently instructs Susan to stop listening to the voice of fear. Fear was one of the reasons she couldn't see him when he appeared to Lucy earlier in their journey. To help Susan refocus her energy and thoughts, Aslan then breathes on her. With that breath, fear loses its control of Susan's heart and she is able to be brave once again.

Isn't that a comforting image? When fear takes hold of our spirits, we simply need to seek out the breath of our Creator to restore us to a place of peace and discernment.

Actions Can Have Lasting Consequences

When the children uncover their gifts from their first adventure in Narnia in the treasure room at Cair Paravel, Edmund is once again reminded that because of his earlier betrayal of his siblings and Narnia, he does not have a special token from his previous journey. Even though Aslan willingly gave his life for Edmund in "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe," this does not mean that there are no consequences for Edmund's previous choices.

I believe it is significant that once again, Edmund's journey perhaps most clearly mirrors our own. God will willingly forgive us of our sins if we ask, but that does not mean there won't be long-term effects from our actions.

Vanity Corrupts Character

When Reepicheep finally has the opportunity to stand before Aslan, he is not concerned with questions about Narnia's future or his role in it. Reepicheep's focus is on a point of vanity--his tail. Reepicheep in this moment could ask the mighty Aslan anything at all, but yet he can only dwell in the embarrassment he feels appearing before Aslan without his beautiful tail.

While Aslan praises Reepicheep's acts of heroism and valor, he also reminds him that he places too much importance on something that is really an outward show of vanity, not a true reflection of inner character.

We too can place too much emphasis on maintaining all the outer trappings of faith and piety, without nurturing the inner life we need to grow spiritually.

Loyalty and Sacrifice Will Be Rewarded

One of the more touching gestures of love and sacrifice in the story is when the army of mice beg Aslan to heal their brave leader Reepicheep, who has lost his beautiful tail in battle. Reepicheep's followers offer to cut off their own tails in solidarity if Aslan will not restore their leader's tail. Touched by the mice and their willingness to sacrifice on behalf of their leader, Aslan honors the request.

This kind of devotion, rarely found in this world, is exactly the example of loyalty and sacrifice the Bible gives throughout the New Testament. As the passage from John states, "No one has greater love than this, that one lays down his life for his friends." We are challenged to live this out in our own lives as well.

Stick Close to Your Spiritual Family

Though Uncle Miraz is Caspian's closest living relative, there is no intimate bond there. Miraz is the false king of Narnia, having killed his own brother, Caspian IX, in order to assume the throne.

After Caspian flees his uncle's tyranny, he comes in contact with the Pevensies and, eventually, with the Old Narnians, the ones who still remember the Golden Age of Narnia. When he meets the Old Narnians, Caspian immediately feels a kinship with them that he has never felt before. These Old Narnians are his true, spiritual family.

So it is for some of us. We may not have been born into a family situation that is caring and fulfilling. However, we can always choose to develop a spiritual family unit with people of similar faith and character to share our journey.

Leaders Are Made, Not Born

Though both Peter and Caspian are young men who are destined to rule in Narnia, they are not natural leaders. We see throughout the Narnia series of books that regardless of destiny or birthright, becoming a true leader is a process--and not an easy one. Both Caspian and Peter make mistakes. The two youngsters actually struggle to work together at first, and they need a lesson in humility and teamwork before they are finally victorious against the Telmarines.

In our culture today we seem to give leaders--whether in our own communities or in our government--very little grace when it comes to making mistakes. Yet perhaps the best gift we can give our leaders is to be more like Susan or Lucy and give our encouragement and support as they learn and grow in their leadership skills.