The Hero’s Journey

The Hero’s Journey

The Separation

The Initiation

The Transformation

The Return

Separation

The Call

•Invites us into the adventure

•May be a sudden traumatic change

•May be a vague sense of discontent.

The Call

Can take many forms

•Something is taken from us

•Something is lacking in life

•Desire to restore honor

•To win rights for our people

The Threshold

When called to adventure, we must cross the Threshold.The Threshold is the “jumping off point”

The gateway to the unknown

Threshold Guardians

People, beings or situations that block passage

They have two functions:

•Protect us from journeys we are unready for

•Pointing the way

Helpers

At the threshold, we will encounter helpers.

Often they bring a *talisman to help us through the ordeal.

The most important of these helpers is the mentor.

Helpers and guides appear throughout the journey* Talisman: an object held to act as a charm to avert

evil and bring good fortune. Something producing miraculous effects.

The Initiation

•The Challenges

•The Abyss

•The Transformation and Revelation

•The Atonement

The Challenges

Once past the Threshold, we begin the journey into the unknown.

•The journey can be outward into a physical unknown.

•The journey can be inward to a psychological unknown.

Tempters

Tempters try to pull us away from our path.

They may pretend to be a friend or helper.

They use fear, doubt or distraction.

The Abyss

The Abyss represents the greatest challenge in the journey.

In the Abyss the hero faces his greatest fear, and must face it alone.

The Abyss cont.

Here the hero must “slay the dragon,” which often takes the shape of something he dreads, or has repressed, or needs to resolve.

Transformation

As the hero conquers the Abyss, his transformation is complete.

Like the Phoenix, a part of the hero must die so that a new part can be reborn.

Fear must die to make way for courage, Ignorance for enlightenment, dependency for independence

The Revelation

Part of the Transformation is a Revelation, a sudden, dramatic change in the way the hero thinks or views life.

This change makes him truly a different person.

The Atonement

After the Transformation the hero achieves Atonement, that is he is “at one” with his new self.

The hero has incorporated the changes caused by the Journey and is “reborn”

The “Om” the Hindu symbol of “oneness”

The Return• Refusal to Return: don’t want it to end• The Magic Flight: escape with the “boon”

(goal)• Rescue from Without: needed guides or

rescuers to bring back (wounded or weakened)• Return Threshold: retain wisdom & share• Master Two Worlds: achieving a balance

between material and spiritual (inner and outer)• Freedom to Live: freedom from fear; not

regretting the past

Review1 Separation

•The Call

•The Threshold

•Threshold Guardians

•Helpers and mentor

2 Initiation

•The Challenges

•The Abyss

3 Transformation

•The Revelation

•The Atonement

4 Return

•Refusal

•Magical Flight

•Rescue

•Return Threshold

•Two Worlds

•Freedom