The Hero’s Journey

The Hero’s Journey: The Search for Meaning in the Patterns of Literature The Hero’s Journey "Yet every descent is followed by an ascent; the vanishing shapes are shaped anew, and a truth is valid in the end only if it suffers change and bears new witness in new images, in new tongues, like a new wine that is put into new bottles." ---- Carl G. Jung The Hero’s Journey The archetypal hero appears in all religions, mythologies, and stories of the world. He is an expression of our personal and collective unconscious. All archetypal heroes share certain characteristics. They can be seen as a metaphor for the human search of self-knowledge. In other words, the hero shows us the path to our own consciousness through his journey. This journey can be found in ancient and modern literature…..even in contemporary film. The Hero’s Journey The Hero's Home/Beginnings “But the makers of legend have seldom rested content to regard the world’s great heroes as mere human beings who broke past the horizons that limited their fellows and returned with such boons as any man with equal faith and courage might have found. On the contrary, the tendency has always been to endow the hero with extraordinary powers from the moment of birth, or even the moment of conception…This accords with the view that the herohood is predestined, rather than simply achieved.” --Joseph Campbell, The Hero With A Thousand Faces (319) The Hero’s Home / Beginnings The early life of the hero is usually a unique one that determines the manner in which he will accept and carry out his journey. A hero's birth will almost always have an unusual aspect to it. Many heroes are born to royalty or are in danger at birth. There may be a prophecy regarding his destiny. Either way, he is marked by these circumstances as “different,” as bound for greatness. The Hero’s Home / Beginnings I. Departure from the Known World “A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder…” --Joseph Campbell, The Hero With a Thousand Faces (30) The Call to Adventure “…destiny has summoned the hero and transferred his spiritual center of gravity from within the pale of his society to a zone unknown…” --Joseph Campbell, The Hero With a Thousand Faces (58) The Call to Adventure The call to adventure is the point in a hero’s life when he first discovers that life as he knows it is going to CHANGE, whether he wants it to or not. The Call may come boldly through the invitation of an individual, or through a sudden, often traumatic event in the hero’s life. Or it can sneak up on him gradually, with the first awareness of it being a vague sense of unhappiness, imbalance or restlessness. The Call to Adventure The Call to Adventure Questions to help frame this step: • • • • What stage of life is the hero in? What do you see coming next for this person? What would cause the person to "leave home?" What is the person doing when the call comes? Is it an accident, a blunder, something planned, or hoped for? Is it anticipated or dreaded? The Refusal of the Call “Refusal of the summons converts the adventure into its negative. Walled in boredom, hard work, or 'culture,' the hero loses the power of significant affirmative action and becomes a victim to be saved.” --Joseph Campbell, The Hero With a Thousand Faces (59) The Refusal of the Call Fear or feelings of inadequacy may motivate the hero to refuse the call to adventure. Often the hero feels that he has it "too good" and refuses to give up all that he currently has (often resulting in the hero being forced to move on). The hero doesn't understand that the refusal of the call means a refusal to move on in life. The hero may view his present system of ideals, virtues, goals, and advantages as fixed and secure, or the hero may be waiting for the perfect call. Sometimes the refusal will be encouraged by another character. The Refusal of the Call The Refusal of the Call Questions to help frame this step • Does the hero refuse the call? • If so, what motivates the refusal? Obligation and duty? Fear? A sense of inadequacy to take on the quest? A dread or dislike of the task to be taken on? • Is the person ready to leave home, to accept adult status? If not, why? Supernatural Assistance "For those who have not refused the call, the first encounter of the hero journey is with a protective figure… what such a figure represents is the benign, protecting power of destiny…” --Joseph Campbell, The Hero With a Thousand Faces (71-72) Supernatural Assistance An individual - usually an elder (old crone or old man) – appears on the scene to provide the hero with something (physical or mental) that will help the hero move forward in his adventure - perhaps a sword to fight the dragon or a confidence boost to help the hero believe in him/herself. Supernatural Assistance Supernatural Assistance Questions to help frame this step • What special friends or helpers does the hero have? • Does the hero receive some magical help, advice, or object from someone wise and benevolent? • Is there someone who helps them prepare to leave on their journey? • Is it a one-time assistance, or do the helper (or helpers) appear throughout the journey? • Is the helper an internal aspect of the hero (inner voice, conscience, etc.)? Crossing the First Threshold "With the personifications of his destiny to guide and aid him, the hero goes forward in his adventure until he comes to the […] entrance to the zone of magnified power. Beyond them is darkness, the unknown and danger; just as beyond the parental watch is danger to the infant and beyond the protection of his society danger to the members of the tribe…” --Joseph Campbell, The Hero With a Thousand Faces (78) Crossing the First Threshold The hero ventures into an unknown world - the Unconscious Realm - which breaks from the traditions and norms of his homeland, and the hero meets some dangerous presence. The hero may encounter a "threshold guardian" at the entrance to the unconscious realm. This guardian stands in the way of the hero moving on to the next area, offering resistance or putting the hero to an “entrance exam.” Beyond the entrance to this zone is darkness, the unknown, danger (desert, jungle, deep sea, alien land, etc.) Crossing the First Threshold Crossing the First Threshold Questions to help frame this step • What world is being left; what world is being entered? • What evidence do you have that the “new” world is different from the “old”? • What or who is guarding the threshold? • What obstacles must the hero overcome to truly begin the journey? limits of home or society? limits of personality? limits of perception? physical limits? • What events cause the person to cross the threshold? • What form does the threshold take, and how does the person cross it? The Belly of the Whale “The idea that the passage of the magical threshold is a transit into a sphere of rebirth is symbolized in the worldwide womb image of the belly of the whale. The hero, instead of conquering or conciliating the power of the threshold, is swallowed into the unknown and would appear to have died… ” --Joseph Campbell, The Hero With a Thousand Faces (90) The Belly of the Whale Once the hero has crossed the threshold, his old world is destroyed (literally or figuratively). He moves into a world of darkness (the belly of the whale) or uncertainty and will not come out until he is ready to proceed (so, technically, the hero stays in the belly of the whale through all of initiation). Often times there will be a "deepest part" to the belly. This stage gets its name from the Biblical Jonah and the whale story. The Belly of the Whale The Belly of the Whale Questions to help frame this step •Is the person ready to transform? Does he or she enter the belly of the whale willingly, or is he or she thrust or captured in that place? •What self is being left behind? The self of childhood? Of incomplete or unfulfilled adulthood? An outgrown self? •What self is the person moving toward? (What’s the REAL quest?) II. The Quest / Initiation “…fabulous forces are there encountered, and a decisive victory is won…” --Joseph Campbell, The Hero With a Thousand Faces (30) The Road of Trials "Once having traversed the threshold, the hero moves in a dream landscape of curiously fluid, ambiguous forms, where he must survive a succession of trials…” --Joseph Campbell, The Hero with a Thousand Faces (97) The Road of Trials Hero experiences terrible and miraculous tests or ordeals on the road of trials. There are usually several events that affect the hero at this point. The hero will appear weak and vulnerable, but he will also begin to show growth. The hero finds parts of himself he was unaware of and begins to use that newfound skill or strength. The "item" that the supernatural agent has given the hero at the time of departure will now start to become useful as the hero learns how to use it to his advantage. The Road of Trials The Road of Trials Questions to help frame this step • What does the person fear, and how will this fear be represented to him or her? What does the person consider to be obstacles to progress or growth? • Does the person have some personality or character traits that will be mirrored back to him or her in a challenging way? Some weakness? • What strategies, skills, insights, known or unknown strengths or talents, etc, does the person use or develop to survive or resolve these trials? • What assistance, seen or unseen, does the person have or receive to deal with these trials? Meeting with the “Goddess” “She is the paragon of all paragons of beauty…every hero’s earthly and unearthly quest. She is mother, sister, mistress, bride…for she is the incarnation of the promise of perfection; the soul’s assurance that, at the conclusion of its exile…the bliss that once was known will be known again…” --Joseph Campbell, The Hero with a Thousand Faces (110-111) Meeting with the “Goddess” After surviving the road of trials, the hero may experience a great love. In many stories it is a romantic love. Or it may be the warm heart filling love we feel for friends and family. It may also be an experience of a divine love. Either way, the hero gains healing, strength, wisdom, and wonderful feelings of well being as a result of the experience. Meeting with the “Goddess” Meeting with the “Goddess” Questions to help frame this step • Does the person have a soul mate, an other half? • Does an all-loving god or goddess, or nongendered but supremely loving force, make itself known to the person? • Does the person receive special insight that enables him/her to continue successfully on the journey? Encounters with Temptation “Not even monastery walls, however, not even the remoteness of the desert, can defend against the female presence; for as long as the hermit’s flesh clings to his bones and pulses warm, the images of life are alert to storm his mind…” --Joseph Campbell, The Hero with a Thousand Faces (125) Encounters with Temptation The hero meets a presence that attempts to destroy the hero's mission. Often the temptress is sent by the evil forces working against the hero in order to try to stop the hero from finishing his journey. The hero is misled into giving up. "This is the easy way out." "Stop now or you will be destroyed." "Join us; you will be happy here.” These encounters are distractions meant to stop the hero from finishing the journey, and they must be overcome. Like the Meeting with the Goddess, these encounters do not necessarily have to take the form of a female figure. Encounters with Temptation Encounters with Temptation Questions to help frame this step • Given this person's background and experience, what kinds of temptations make sense for him or her? What weaknesses would the temptations target? • Is this person on a spiritual or psychological journey, or will he or she experience the temptations of the flesh? • Are there habitual patterns of thought or behavior that serve to undermine or tempt the hero from his path? Atonement with the Father "The problem of the hero going to meet the father is to pen his soul beyond terror to such a degree that he will be ripe to understand how the sickening and insane tragedies of this vast and ruthless cosmos are completely validated in the majesty of Being. The hero transcends life with its peculiar blind spot and for a moment rises to a glimpse of the source. He beholds the face of the father, understands - and the two are atoned…" --Joseph Campbell, The Hero with a Thousand Faces (147) Atonement with the Father One of the classic conflicts in literature – both ancient and modern – is the Father/Son conflict. The Fatherfigure symbolizes judgment; the hero must overcome fear, judgment, and mental blocks that may have been holding him/her back. Sometimes the father-figure is larger than life, and the hero must learn to live outside his shadow. Other times the hero finds himself making up for the sins of his father. Most simply, this stage shows growth and the ability to take on adult responsibilities – to move beyond the past and embrace the future. Atonement with the Father Atonement with the Father Questions to help frame this step • How does the person reconcile himself with the sources of control and power in his life? • What experiences indicate that the hero is ready to take on the new roles of his transformed self? • What behaviors, attitudes, relationships, dependencies, body parts, habits, etc. must be sacrificed (given up) in order to achieve this reconciliation with past, present, and future? Apotheosis “Those who know, not only that the Everlasting lies in them, but that what they, and all things, really are is the Everlasting, dwell in the groves of the wish fulfilling trees, drink the brew of immortality, and listen everywhere to the unheard music of eternal concord…” --Joseph Campbell, The Hero with a Thousand Faces (167) Apotheosis The literal meaning of this term is “elevation of a person to the rank of god.” After facing and surviving the confrontation with the great power in his or her life, the hero may experience some great truth, an almost “divine” gift of wisdom, about himself, about his identity or purpose in life. Of course, if the hero did not survive the encounter with the great power in his or her life, he or she may actually be in heaven. In this case, it is a period of rest and reflection before the return journey is made. Usually, some sort of outward physical change accompanies this inner transformation. Apotheosis Apotheosis Questions to help frame this step • Given this person's background and experience, what would the divine wisdom be? What, specifically, does the hero need to learn? • What does this person know or experience now that is beyond good and evil, male and female, life and death? • Does the person give him or herself a moment to bask in the glow of what has been achieved? Does he have to be encouraged to move on toward home after such a divine experience? The Ultimate Boon “The boon bestowed on the worshipper is always scaled to his stature and to the nature of his dominant desire: the boon is simply a symbol of life energy stepped down to the requirements of a certain specific case…” --Joseph Campbell, The Hero with a Thousand Faces (189) The Ultimate Boon The hero receives the prize that he has been after. All the previous steps serve to prepare and purify the person for this step, since in many myths the boon is something only the truly worthy can obtain - like the elixir of life itself, or a plant that supplies immortality, or the holy grail. Though the boon may come in the form of a physical reward (like the dragon's treasure), it will more importantly include a mental/emotional reward (like inner peace or special wisdom). The boon is, above all else, symbolic of inner truths, of the hero’s transformation. The Ultimate Boon The Ultimate Boon Questions to help frame this step • Given this person's background and experience, what would be the ultimate goal of his or her quest? What is the ultimate boon for this person? • Was there a stated goal of the quest? If so has it changed? Has the person learned more or less than he or she expected? • What are the rewards of this person's journey? • What relationship does this person now have to his or her own immortality, gods, or god-like figures? III. The Return “…the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man.” --Joseph Campbell, The Hero With a Thousand Faces (30) Refusal of the Return "When the hero-quest has been accomplished, through penetration to the source, or through the grace of some male or female, human or animal, personification, the adventurer still must return with his life-transmuting trophy…But the responsibility has been frequently refused. Numerous indeed are the heroes fabled to have taken up residence forever in the blessed isle of the un-aging Goddess of Immortal Being." --Joseph Campbell, The Hero with a Thousand Faces (192) Refusal of the Return So why, when all has been achieved, the ambrosia has been drunk, and we have conversed with the gods, why come back to normal life with all its cares and woes? Sometimes, when the adventure has been a glorious or very satisfying one, the hero refuses to come back to normal life. The hero often wishes to remain in isolation with his prize. The hero can refuse a return, and may sometimes experience a symbolic "death." Or the hero may experience a literal death that follows self-sacrifice. Rarely will a true refusal occur, but often times the temptation to refuse a return is evident. It’s hard to leave paradise once you’ve found it… Refusal of the Return Refusal of the Return Questions to help frame this step • Does the hero refuse to come back to everyday life? • Is the hero concerned/fearful that their message won't be heard, or that their gifts will be unappreciated, or that the wisdom gained can not be communicated? • Does the hero feel that he cannot bear to cut ties with people or things in the unconscious realm? • Does the hero feel ill at ease back at home, longing for the unconscious realm once again? • Did the hero die while completing the journey? Did he sacrifice himself willingly for the good of others to be rewarded with heaven/godlike status? The Magic Flight “…if the trophy has been attained against the opposition of its guardian, or if the hero's wish to return to the world has been resented by the gods or demons, then the last stage of the mythological round becomes a lively, often comical, pursuit. This flight may be complicated by marvels of magical obstruction and evasion.” --Joseph Campbell, The Hero with a Thousand Faces (196-97) The Magic Flight The hero has his reward; now he must return to safety. There may be forces still working against him (possibly trying to get the treasure back that the hero has taken or to keep him from sharing his wisdom with the folks back home). A "chase" ensues. The hero usually appears as a changed person by this time. Their final chase is characterized by the hero's confidence and bravery. The Magic Flight The Magic Flight Questions to help frame this step • Are there obstacles to the person's returning to normal life? • Given this person's background and experience, what kind of obstacle would make sense or be especially difficult or suiting to his or her situation? • Will these obstacles further enlighten us about either the person, their quest, or their boon? Rescue from Without “The hero may have to be brought back from his supernatural adventure by assistance from without. That is to say, the world may have to come and get him. For the bliss of the deep abode is not lightly abandoned in favor of the self-scattering of the wakened state.” --Joseph Campbell, The Hero with a Thousand Faces (207) Rescue from Without Just as the hero may have needed a magical guide or helper to set out on the quest, sometimes he or she must have help to come back to everyday life, especially if the person has been wounded or weakened by the quest. Or perhaps the person doesn't realize that it is time to return, that they can return, or that others need their boon (wisdom). This is sometimes a blow to the hero's ego, but the hero will recover because he sees the big picture and has accomplished a great deed. Rescue from Without Rescue from Without Questions to help frame this step • Must the person be rescued from their journey? • Can their original guides and assistants still help them? Or does another emerge to give aid in the hero’s time of need? Crossing the Return Threshold "Many failures attest to the difficulties of this lifeaffirmative threshold. The first problem of the returning hero is to accept as real, after an experience of the soul-satisfying vision of fulfillment, the passing joys and sorrows, banalities and noisy obscenities of life. Why re-enter such a world? Why attempt to make plausible, or even interesting, to men and women consumed with passion, the experience of transcendental bliss?" --Joseph Campbell, The Hero with a Thousand Faces (218) Crossing the Return Threshold The hero crosses a threshold to return just as when the adventure began. The hero’s task at this point is to remember what was learned during the quest, and to use it to make life better for him or her and others. There is a difficulty in the hero's return to the conscious realm; the world has changed and so has the hero. The hero may not be accepted back to his old world. He may feel awkward in his immediate return. The returning hero must survive the impact of the world; he may not be able to verbalize the wisdom he has gained through his journey. The hero conquers the difficulty in returning, showing that he/she is able to adapt. Crossing the Return Threshold Crossing the Return Threshold Questions to help frame this step • What marks the person's return to normal life? • What challenges does the person face in integrating the experience of the quest into his or her life? • Can/does the person share his or her experiences and the wisdom gained from them with others? • How do others receive the person upon the return? Master of Two Worlds “The disciple has been blessed with a vision transcending the scope of normal human destiny, and amounting to a glimpse of the essential nature of the cosmos. Not his personal fate, but the fate of mankind, of life as a whole…” --Joseph Campbell, The Hero with a Thousand Faces (234) Master of Two Worlds The hero has gained wisdom in both the spiritual (unconscious) and physical (conscious) worlds. The hero completely gives up all attachment to his personal limitations, hopes and fears. The hero no longer tries to live out his own plan, but willingly accepts whatever may come to pass in him, focusing more on the plan for mankind. The boon that the hero brings restores not himself, but the world (water to a drought-ravaged land, protection from an outside invader, etc.). Master of Two Worlds Master of Two Worlds Questions to help frame this step • Given this person's background and experience, what would represent the two worlds in his or her life? • Does this person demonstrate his or her mastery of both the spiritual and material, the inner and outer worlds? Freedom to Live “Powerful in his insight, calm and free in action, elated that through his hand should flow the grace of Viracocha, the hero is the conscious vehicle of the terrible, wonderful Law, whether his work be that of butcher, jockey, or king…. He does not mistake apparent changelessness in time for the permanence of being, nor is he fearful of the next moment, as destroying the permanent with its change. .” --Joseph Campbell, The Hero with a Thousand Faces (239, 243) Freedom to Live When a hero has survived a great adventure, and has learned to accept himself, he often becomes free from the fear of death. The hero reconciles himself to the reality of the cycle of life - that every creature lives on the death of another. The hero understands that it was only through the "death" of his/her former self that the new life was able to begin. The hero learns never to be afraid of the next moment (destruction or change), he has simply learned "to be" (exist). Freedom to Live Freedom to Live Questions to help frame this step Does the person achieve the ability let go of the fear of death, to live in the moment, to neither anticipate the future nor regret the past? The Journey is a Map The Journey gives you a means for understanding and benefiting from these fictional adventures. Even if the characters aren't real, the journeys they take and challenges they face are reflections of the real journeys and challenges we all face in life. As you watch them move through their quests, observe their victories and their defeats, you can learn from their experiences. The Journey is a Map “It is not society that is to guide and save the creative hero, but precisely the reverse. And so every one of us shares the supreme ordeal – carries the cross of the redeemer – not in the bright moments of his tribe’s great victories, but in the silence of his personal despair." ---- Joseph Campbell, The Hero With A Thousand Faces (391)