Successfully negotiating the gauntlet of Earth Life

I recently re-watched 'The First Knight' about King Arthur and Lancelot. There's a scene where Lancelot takes on the gauntlet - a series of vicious swinging axes, swords and obstacles. Others failed, but Lancelot stayed calm and successfully negotiated the gauntlet.

My spirit teacher says that the gauntlet is an analogy for our journey towards spiritual self-mastery. Earth experiences are the swinging axes and swords. If you have a plan, stay calm and don't give in to fear, you can successfully negotiate the gauntlet of Earth life.