A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder:
fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: 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
Each of us is a hero on our own journey of self-discovery. Rather than a straight path, our journey takes the form of a circle. To be in this circular journey, we must cross the same threshold twice. First, we cross from the known world of our beliefs and perceptions into the world of the unknown. Then we must return back over the threshold to the original world transformed and ready to share this knew knowledge and understandings. In between these two threshold crossings, we must experience trials , revelations and transformations.
In one lifetime, we must cycle through these stages at least once to be fulfilled. When we do this several times, it forms a spiral. This spiral can be seen as you imagine having many lifetimes of completing these circular adventures.
It's not the trials and challenges that are most daunting though, it's the crossing of the threshold between the known and unknown worlds that requires the most energy, motivation and assistance. We are constantly challenged by the resistance to change. There is actually a fear of this. Most heroes are reluctant when they hear the call to adventure. They are used to the ordinary world and its perceptions even if they no longer fit in. Once the adventure has begun, and the threshold crossed, the hero moves through challenges and discovers that he or she is a new person. They don't know how they can fit in and incorporate their new understandings into the original, ordinary world they lived in before. Thus, they are reluctant to return home when they hear the call to return back to the ordinary world. Heroes must always have guidance to navigate these thresholds.
Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz had a tornado "call" her out of the ordinary world into Oz where she was guided by Glenda the good witch. Once she realized her own courage and strength from all her trials and revelations, she felt "called" to return home. She needed Glenda again to help show her back when she was ready to return. The mentor always shows up when the hero is ready to move on to the next step of the journey.
Which stage are you experiencing on your journey? Are you crossing the threshold? Are you hearing the call to adventure or change? Or are you moving toward your return to the ordinary world to share your transformation and your new version of yourself? The place around the thresholds can feel dense and dark. When you are stuck there, you experience feelings of stagnation and frustration and find yourself distracted or sabotaged, especially if you try to do this alone. You have access to mentors, helpers and magical guides. A hero never completes the stages alone.
Once you realize where you are on your journey:
* Take note of your helpers - who can you talk to about your need to move forward? Who can give you guidance to navigate this darkness?
*Who is doing what you would like to do next in the world (a job, a level of understanding)? Research how they got there. Find out if you can get assistance from someone in that area of interest to move you to that next place.
*Be available for change and assistance by speaking positively about your growth.
*Know that it is natural on your journey to change and grow and then share it with the people around you. Your sharing of your new perceptions creates the "call" for others to cross the threshold to their own adventure.
*Know that you are supported and guided at all times and you will not stay stuck for long --the hero always gets divine assistance to move forward in divine time.
