The Power of Myths
There is an old story that is still good, the story of the quest...
to find the inward thing that you basically are.
All of these symbols in mythology refer to you.
Joseph Campbell, The Power of Myth
If you have read classical myths like The Odyssey or The Legends of King Arthur or have seen popular movies like the original Star Wars trilogy, Harry Potter, Inside Out, Thelma and Louise, Lord of the Rings, The Lion King, and hundreds of others, you are already familiar with the trajectory of the hero's journey. Joseph Campbell popularized the concept in his book, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, in 1949. Even people who are unaware of Joseph Campbell have probably heard his famous mantra: "Follow your bliss!" I was riveted by Campbell's PBS series with Bill Moyers, The Power of Myth, which brought the relevance of mythology to a contemporary audience. It brought everyday issues into the world of heroes, heroines, and mythic adventure. The series presented a range of subjects from the perspective of quests: religion, love, the abuse of power, rites of passage, human desires, and fears.
The Hero's Journey in 8-Stages
By experiencing the pattern of the hero's journey, many people have found that
they know the form of transformation; then, as change inevitably occurs in their lives,
it no longer threatens them. They know it will have a certain sequence.
They have a map.
Paul Rebillot
The Call to Adventure
In a nutshell, the hero is introduced in their ordinary world where they receive a call to action, sometimes referred to as the call to adventure. The hero usually refuses the call at first, but eventually the call becomes so strong that he commits to the journey and crosses over the first threshold into a new, special world. Threshold guardians determine if the hero is ready to take on the adventure, and if so, he endures tests on the road of trials. Along the way, the hero meets his mentor and allies, and battles foes both external (villians and monsters) and internal (the ego and shadow side).
Ultimately, the hero faces the most extreme test, the ordeal, and receives gifts and rewards once victorious. He then begins the road back, after a bit of time spent reflecting on his quest, and returns with gifts to help others.
If you would like to see examples of the hero's journey in myths and movies, click below to see the stages in the Legend of King Arthur and in the first Harry Potter movie.
The Hero's
Journey
and Myths
Why myth? Why bother?
What myth gets at is true knowledge of the self. The self is the ultimate mystery, because no matter where you grab hold, it shifts, it expands, evolves, evaporates, and leaks off into the shadows down below and the light up above. If myth accomplishes only one thing, it is to expose human beings as multidimensional creatures. Houston brilliantly shows that we can start anywhere, including a farmhouse in Kansas, and end up in a transcendent world.
We want to write our own story, to be its author, not to be the pawn of fate, chance, or even God or the gods. No one volunteers to be insignificant. No one yearns to be powerless and without purpose. The self craves one thing: to express its potential. Looking outside ourselves, we confront limited possibilities: looking inside, the possibilities expand as far as the mind can see.
Deepak Chopra, forward
The Wizard of Us by Jean Houston
Departure
1. Ordinary World
2. Call to Action
3. First Threshold
Transformation
4. Road of Trials
5. The Ordeal
6. Reward
Return
7. The Road Back
8. Return with Gifts