You are the Hero of your Journey
Joseph Campbell and The Monomyth
The Hero with a Thousand Faces, Chapter IV, page 245
|
We have not even to risk the adventure alone |
Joseph Campbell's work, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, tells us that across all geography, spanning all time and within all cultures one story is repeated in endless variation: The Heroes Journey. A part of the human unconscious, The Journey transcends culture, language and religion to describe a common theme that we may all draw from: We are the hero of our own Adventure.
At its very core the monomyth is simple: If we accept the call, cross the threshhold and seek the adventure we will change, for the better, forever.
At its very core the monomyth is simple: If we accept the call, cross the threshhold and seek the adventure we will change, for the better, forever.
The Writer's Journey as told by Christopher Vogler
|
In the Writer's Journey Christopher Volger condenses the ideas presented in The Hero with a Thousand Faces into a concise and clear story arc. Like the mythos expanded upon by Campbell, Vogler shows us that every great story follows the Hero's path to Adventure. This site, as a blog, is a essentially a story and we will use Vogler's version of the Journey stages as our map. Both the external structure of the Heroes Journey in three acts and the internal character arc set an excellent framework for discussing the Adventure and transcendent nature of the Archetypal change. |
Image Credit: ​https://www.indiefilmhustle.com/chris-vogler-writers-journey/
|
The other [emanations] represent possibilities for the Hero, for good or ill. A Hero sometimes proceeds through the story gathering and incorporating the energy and traits of the other characters. She learns from the other characters, fusing them into a complete human being...." |
The Writer's Journey page 35
|
The emanations are the way in which our journey connects, interacts and conflicts with other Heroes on their journeys.
You may interact with a another Hero in a positive way as a Herald, Ally or Mentor. Or, in a negative way as Threshold Guardian, Trickster or Shadow. There is always a yin to the yang, the interaction is never neutral even (especially) if the conflict is internal. In other words something will be destroyed and something will be created. While you may be the Shadow of anothers' journey you are always the Hero of yours. |
The many Archetypes of C.G. Jung
|
Carl Gustav, the Swiss Physcologist (nee Philosopher), is largely responsible the categorization of the Archytypes of the Collective Unconcious. The collective unconcious is Jung's core idea that beyond cultural ideosyncracies we (humanity) have one soul. The collective unconcious is the basis for the monomyth and the Heroes Journey is the expression of the many facets of the Hero archetype. For an excellent and concise set of Archetypal definitions: http://www.soulcraft.co/essays/the_12_common_archetypes |
In the Archetypal Wheel we have replaced the Hero type with the Warrior type. The Warrior type is the single most important arc, or adventure, that we undertake. Period. It defines the rest of our journeys and without it we cannot achieve the higher self.
In the evolutionary context the Warrior type is is absolutely fundamental to survival: In the masculine it is defense of home (later tribe) and the feminine is provision of hearth. In the historical context this is the Spartan ideal expressed in epitaph: Only a warrior felled in battle or mother dead of childbirth are worthy of a tombstone.
The modern context is less cut and dry and gender neutral. The exploration of this Archetype in our modern lives is one of the fundamental efforts of this site.
In the evolutionary context the Warrior type is is absolutely fundamental to survival: In the masculine it is defense of home (later tribe) and the feminine is provision of hearth. In the historical context this is the Spartan ideal expressed in epitaph: Only a warrior felled in battle or mother dead of childbirth are worthy of a tombstone.
The modern context is less cut and dry and gender neutral. The exploration of this Archetype in our modern lives is one of the fundamental efforts of this site.
The Hero's Chakra
Wheels within wheels. The Hero's Chakra is the amalgamation of what Jung, Campbell and Volger are telling us. It manifests itself not unlike Hindi reincarnation. Every facet of the Journey is interconnected and while cyclical it is not linear: You must transcend the various Archetypes but not in any given order, you may fail or succeed and retry the Adventure of Lover many times for example.
In each Adventure you will cycle through the stages of the Heroes Journey. When you 'return with the elixir' of innocence you become Regular Jane but conversely you may transcend the Warriors' Journey and find yourself a Regular Jane again.
The Chakra represents the spiritual inter-connectivity of the Archetypes, Stages and emanations of the Heroes Journey - the confluence of all the Heroes before us and beside us and beyond us.
In each Adventure you will cycle through the stages of the Heroes Journey. When you 'return with the elixir' of innocence you become Regular Jane but conversely you may transcend the Warriors' Journey and find yourself a Regular Jane again.
The Chakra represents the spiritual inter-connectivity of the Archetypes, Stages and emanations of the Heroes Journey - the confluence of all the Heroes before us and beside us and beyond us.
