The Hero’s Journey

The Hero’s Journey

We shall not cease from exploration

And the end of all our exploring

Will be to arrive where we started

And know the place for the first time.[1]

I first learned about The Hero’s Journey through references to the writings of Joseph Campbell, a 20^th century literature professor specializing in comparative mythology and religion. The Hero’s Journey has little to do with “heroes’, at least as I will present it here, and more to do with our human processes of growth and maturation. We typically think of a journey as a trip away from home with a definitive starting point and a final destination. The hero’s journey, however, is a cycle or a spiral where beginning and end are the same place, if not physically then psychologically, socially, or emotionally. And most of us go through a number of extended experiences that could be considered a hero’s journey as we go through life, although most without naming them as such. Normal growth phases like adolescence, childbirth, and menopause take us through aspects of the hero’s journey, for example.  Why would I reflect on the Hero’s Journey as part of a larger collection titled Crucifying Christianity, Resurrecting the Way? Because I think Jesus’ ministry can be seen as a Hero’s Journey, so it provides another context for following and applying his life and teachings to our lives.

There are a number of ways of describing the Hero’s Journey; most consist of four phases, although some presentations divide those into as many as twelve stages. But the course of the journey follows a similar track of moving from the known and familiar to the unknown and unfamiliar and back to the known and familiar. The hero returns, however, a changed being. In the words of T.S. Eliot, she or he arrives where they started and knows the place for the first time.

In general, the first step of the journey is an invitation for change or, in Campbell’s words, a “call to adventure.” The invitation means leaving the familiar predictability of one’s current status quo and embarking on something new. Examples might include moving far away for college, starting a new job, or entering a new relationship. Sometimes the invitation is an actual choice and is consciously accepted, usually with some measure of excitement. Other times we are forced into a change by unpleasant circumstances beyond our control, as with the death of a loved one or loss of a job. In the latter cases, the invitation is not so much willingly accepted as reluctantly endured. Regardless of the nature of the invitation, it always signals the coming of a significant change.

The second stage, as life becomes less known and predictable, is an initiation into the new reality. This might be a formal, organized initiation, like a new-student orientation or a fraternal hazing, or it might be a self-guided initiation as one explores their new environment to establish some sort of familiarity with the current situation and strives to regain a sense of belonging and purpose. This stage tends to be uncomfortable as much that had been familiar is either gone or unavailable, and there is typically no reasonable path of return.

The third stage of the Hero’s Journey brings about a transformation in the traveler. It is where one begins to understand and become more comfortable with their new reality, learning and incorporating the lessons of the formerly unknown world into an expanded world-view, at least as compared with one’s world-view prior to embarking on the journey. Revelation is a common experience in this stage as one identifies and releases some of the attachments to their former life that had prevented them from more fully entering this new one.

The last stage of the journey is the return to where they began. Some authors describe this as a resurrection. This may or may not mean a physical return to their area of origin, but a return to an emotional, social, or spiritual existence that was familiar, predictable, and comfortable to them prior to beginning their journey. Now, however, they return with an expanded vision and greater understanding. Their priorities, politics, and personality may have completely changed as they are now a different person – same body and name but a changed outlook and inner response to once-familiar environmental stimuli.

The stereotypical Hero’s Journey is thus characterized by an invitation, initiation, transformation, and resurrection. The traveler may begin as a willing participant or one forced on the journey by circumstance. The experience may be exhilarating or devastating, but likely some combination of both. It will change us, and like all change there will be periods of discomfort, sometime intensely so. Placing Jesus’ life and teachings in the context of a Hero’s Journey may help us in our attempts to follow him by better by understanding how some of what he went through is similar to some of what we go through.

This is the 44^th in a series titled Crucifying Christianity, Resurrecting the Way.Life Notes are my explorations into mysteries that interest me. They are invitations for readers to explore more deeply into life’s mysteries. Engage with me or explore contemplative spiritual direction at ghildenbrand@outlook.com.

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[1] T.S. Eliot, from Four Quartets