THE HERO’S JOURNEY

So, what is “The Hero’s Journey”?

It’s a general term to describe an adventure, a transformative experience, a journey that

will determine change, learning and experience.

It’s used now as a general term, but it was first introduced by Joseph Campbell.

Campbell noted that there seems to be one single story that links us all, and called it
“The Monomyth” ( = the one story), or “The Hero’s Journey”.

Campbell originally divided the “Journey” in seventeen stages.

Basically, it’s the storyline of each movie, novel, fairy tale and/or myth.

Somebody starts small, in their everyday life where everything is under control… but
maybe not quite. Then something happens that brings a change. Willing or not, our
character (unwilling to be called “hero” – for now) will start a journey that will change his
life, and his world, forever.

But then — What’s So Cool about “The Hero’s Journey”?

In one word: everything!

It’s a strong, universal story that is able to speak to all of us. It’s the archetype of a
story, in fact (Campbell was a great admirer of the work by Carl Gustav Jung on
psychoanalysis). We love it, out of our instinct, because it’s the matter of which fairy
tales, myth, legends, and even the religions are made of. We love it, because that’s how
a good story must be told. And we all know it.
THE CALL TO ADVENTURE

The call to what?

We have all been there. Just imagine your everyday life routine, waking up with the
alarm, getting out of bed, the usual breakfast.

We are in our comfort zone. Everything is familiar there, things, places, people…
nothing is threatening, no new experiences to challenge us.

All is – or seems to be! – under control.

Being in our comfort zone is important.

It’s the place where we recharge our batteries, elaborate our feelings and thoughts,
where we can reflect on the adventures we make. In fact, it’s the space where we
transform what happens to us, into our experience (our wisdom).

It’s the place for storytelling, where learning emerges and is shared.

It’s very important to have such a place: the risk of being always away, always on, is
high (getting lost in each of the two worlds of the Journey is dangerous. We can also
refer to it as “burn out”).

That’s why every adventure starts from this special place: we need to have a place to
call “home”, and it doesn’t matter if it is a cozy, welcoming space or challenging
environment or a dark cave.

Remember: familiar environment and people, no challenges ahead = rest.

Maybe some dark clouds are gathering at the horizon… but at this point of the story we
might not be aware of it yet.

Then what happens?

A message comes. Change is imminent, action is required.

This may be a welcome fact, or not.

Natural or catastrophic (“catastrophe” as a word comes from Greek and doesn’t

necessarily mean something bad: it is simply a turning point in a story).

Expected, or not. What is important is this: something important is going to happen.

Our natural instinct seems to be driving us to change and to explore.

Look at how hungry babies are for new experiences: they seem unstoppable, reach out,
touch, eat, crawl, walk, and enjoy every single moment of it while in fact they are
discovering their new world. They can actually put themselves in physical danger in
their quest for new experiences. And yet, so few of these “accidents” have
consequences!

How did we, as a species, manage to evolve and survive despite our tendency to put
ourselves into trouble? And here is the thing. We have not evolved despite our thirst for
exploration: on the contrary, we owe our success to it, to the pleasure we have in a new
discovery, in a new challenge.

Does it sound familiar? I bet it does. But then why is it that we, as babies, are so
enthusiastic about games, challenges and new experiences and then as adults, we
grow out of it?

The answer is that we never lose that instinct; we simply, for a number of different
reasons (culture, education, social position, our fears and insecurities…), forget about it.
But it’s still there. And that’s why the “call to adventure” is so important.

The messenger

And also important is how the message is delivered, or by whom. Is it a natural sign, an
animal, an event? Or is it a person? And by what means, technology, tool? The
message, and the way it is delivered, help to set the story and the way it unfolds.

If it’s brought by an animal, or a natural event (a storm, wind, rain) – then maybe our
character will face challenges related to his/her “wild”, physical nature. To learn its place
in the natural order of things, maybe? To accept the inevitable truth of life cycles? Or
the importance of a natural quality of which he or she is not fully aware yet. Or to learn
how to follow, sometimes, instinct over reason.

Is the message delivered by a person? Then probably the challenges of the hero will be
more related to the social sphere, to the way he/she lives in relation to other people,
love and relationship, family, friends; or more universal values like friendship,
selflessness, compassion, parenthood…

And what if the “message” is a supernatural or mysterious event, such as a gate

opening all of a sudden in a wardrobe, or a comet passing in the sky? Then we are
setting the scene for a story related with the invisible, spiritual world, with something
transcendent or immaterial that he will need to learn; or with the ability to overcome the
human nature and develop new heroic abilities.
THE REFUSAL OF THE CALL

What happens when we are faced with a challenge, a crisis or an invitation to change
something from our everyday life? What is our most common reaction to a new
situation, or to an important decision to take?

The second stage of the Hero’s Journey deals with it.

The last time you have been confronted with the possibility of a life change (big or small:
quitting your job, moving home, ending an important relationship, having to start a
diet…) what was your answer?

Or maybe “Not now, please. Can I wait a little longer?”. Or even “I am perfectly fine as I
am, I don’t want to change!”. And so on.

To be honest, it’s an absolutely natural reaction to have. We all love a little bit of stability
in our life, leaving our comfort zone sometimes is really not that easy, and we feel
protected an safe in our “Ordinary World“.

It is, as said, a healthy and common instinct that keeps us confined to our familiar
territory. Maybe the reason is that if we go back to the time when humans were living in
caves, going out was really a dangerous business. Inside, there was the protection of
the community and a warm fire that kept many dangers away. Outside, we would be
without shelter or company, and the environment was extremely hostile, full of predators
and potential threats.

We fear change because at the end of the day it’s a lot of hard work.

We are stuck because we don’t want to experience growth.

We would rather use the same outmoded tactics to keep life running, while wishing for
the old-world order to return (“Those were the days.”).

That’s why even when we are rationally convinced about a particular solution, there
comes something subconscious, a tingling in our spine, or maybe goosebumps, telling
us “Are you really sure?”

It’s a series of actions that stop the hero from starting the journey. Maybe it could be
somebody trying to stop him (or her). Or a condition, an event, material obstacles of
some kind. Or simply, very commonly, just self-doubt?

Stories, excuses, the little voices in our head telling us that we are not ready, not brave,
strong, old, young, qualified enough? It’s really OK to feel inadequate.

What matters the most is what comes next. What do all legendary heroes do at this
point? What happens when we are hit by the moment of self-doubt and uncertainty?
So this is the lesson to learn: when facing these nasty self-sabotaging, paralyzing
actions or judgements, don’t fight them: accept them.

Embrace the voices as part of yourself – maybe they are even familiar voices? Can you
associate real faces, to them? Try to wonder why. But avoid judgement. Don’t feel
guilty, don’t victimize yourself. It’s all part of a story, and deep inside you know it.

You are in good company: you are just the last of a long, long series of heroic
characters who all excited in their moment of challenge. And then, gathered their
resources and went on to adventure.

MEETING THE MENTOR

We all have met our Mentors in our life. And in our turn, are called to take that role for
students, friends, children. It is an extremely important figure, and it has a central place
in the Hero’s Journey.

We all, in the course of our life, meet such extraordinary people. When it happens, it’s a
memorable experience, that will shape our future life and personality, maybe forever.
Meeting the right teacher, role model or guide, even if only for a short time, can indeed
be one of the most meaningful moments of our life.

A “Mentor” is a powerful archetype for a wise person, typically older than us, that we
meet before we cross the threshold out from our everyday, ordinary world (or slightly
after: stories can vary quite a bit here).

The meaning is clear: we all need good teachers, to feel connected to our ancestors,
their knowledge and wisdom, and to receive their blessing before we go on to face our
challenges in life, in a sort of implicit rite of passage.

It’s the way humans have developed through ages and centuries, from one generation
to the following, and so on. It feels natural to us, and so it must be.

The purpose of the Mentor is the transmission of something.

Their role is to help the protagonist with a legacy. This is usually represented by an
object or a teaching of particular importance that has to be delivered to the Hero.

A weapon, a tool, an object that can be mysterious at the beginning, but will become
essential at a later stage in the journey. What would Luke do without his lightsaber? Or
Frodo without the light of Earendil, that he receives from Galadriel? James Bond has
“Q”, who shows him the new technology and tools he will bring in his new mission.
CROSSING THE THRESHOLD

We are finally ready. Or at least, as ready as we can.

It’s time to pack and step into the Big Unknown! Usually alone, or following
the Messenger or our Mentor, it is time now to get out of the familiar, ordinary world
and enter in an Extra-Ordinary space.

Just think about it: how many times did it happen to you?

Travelling to an unfamiliar place. Entering a new work environment. Having to adopt a

new culture. Kicking off a new project. Starting a new year at school…

This is the story of new beginnings.

There is a very old and rich tradition celebrating this phase, stepping into the Big Out
There. And all the challenges that come with it. In the Hero’s Journey metaphor, all the
journeys start at the same way.

As J. R. R. Tolkien said: Every journey begins with a single step.

In all our adventures, the hardest step to make is usually… the first one.

Having to get out of our comfort zone. Quite the effort, isn’t it? It certainly is.

When our species lived in caves, our ancestors were forced to leave the security of their
“home” to face unknown risks and predators on the outside.

This is how the human species has survived and thrived.

THE ROAD OF TRIALS

Our character has crossed the threshold, probably facing the first challenge in the
process, but what waits now is the real thing.

Everything is different in the Extra-Ordinary world: rules, people, sometimes even the
natural laws. We know how strong our reaction can be when we face a new
environment: new languages, codes, people, behavior, weather, laws, currency,
customs… so much new information to manage!

Our brain, evolved through thousands of years when we were living in much more
homogeneous, closed and stable societies, knows well how to process rather large
bricks of information at one single time. This is why we developed the mechanisms
of stereotypes, to take fast and hard decisions with a safe margin of error. We can
learn how to “thin slice“, and actually become very good at it, but it’s not our first
automatic response when we are facing a new problem.
Confronted with the original challenge of having to read the small letters, for example
of intercultural understanding, we can actually black out and freeze. We perceive
“different” as “challenging”, “dangerous”, and we react as a consequence.

This explains why culture shock can even produce physical (exhaustion, illnesses,
allergic reactions), or psychological consequences (such as phobias, tics, neurotic traits
or behaviors, burn out). We react to it as we normally would to a big threat.

But no worries: as we have seen, this is absolutely normal, and it actually can be
expected! So what is the universal, healing lesson that we can take from this part of the
Journey?

We can learn to be part of another social group, solve a particular problem that bothers
us, defeat the illness that has just been diagnosed to a close person, or master the
challenges of the new life stage we are facing.

No matter how big the challenge seems: by working hard, we can make it. And even if
we don’t – how to deal constructively with failure? These is a deep wisdom to be
learned about this too, that will be covered in future parts of the Journey.

Another important element of this process is that the Hero discovers that he cannot do
it alone. The people we meet along our Journey make all difference for us between
defeat or success. And so is for us.

FRIENDS, FOES AND ALL THOSE IN BETWEEN

Often, the most exciting part of a story is when the “company of heroes” is formed.

The common element that emerges is that “no-one can do it alone”.

Whatever the task or the quest, a fundamental part of the learning path represented by
the Hero’s Journey consists in learning that we are never really alone, and one of the
learning dimensions that the Hero must face in order to achieve success in their quest
will be related to his/her social environment.

The Friend / Ally

This is probably the most traditional, the one we all would expect.

Nobody can do it all alone, and the Hero must first find some allies to proceed in the
Quest.

To help a friend in need is often not a problem.

For some of us, giving is honestly receiving. There is a high level of self-fulfillment in
helping out someone, and it makes us feel… like the hero of the day. We know that.
But then, what about asking for help? For many of us, asking is much harder.

So maybe this is the lesson to learn at this stage. There is nothing wrong in asking for
help to our friends, when we feel we are facing a problem that is too big for us. And it
will happen, sooner or later, to all of us. Even when we think we are completely alone,
there might be someone for us, just where we are not looking.

The Romantic Interest

Aren’t love and relationships great growing processes for all of us?

There can be nothing more challenging, indeed, than opening ourselves to another
individual, and letting him or her under our guard, exposing ourselves totally.

The joker / trickster

A joker along the main character is important for comic relief, which is also a
basic narrative mechanism: the audience cannot hold their breath for longer than that,
and everybody appreciates a laughter even in the most dramatic stories.

The Shapeshifter

Things are not always what they seem. And so are people – and so are we.

We can be honest and insincere; courageous and fearful; generous and selfish;
responsible and coward. We can act as adults and children. Wise and fools. Men and
women. Good and evil. The opposites can exist together, and indeed exist together, in
each of us.

What is there to learn for the Hero, and for us, in all this? Well – that not all is what it
seems, for example. Or that apparently opposite qualities can exist together at the same
time, in the same person.

The Villain

There can be no story if the Protagonist doesn’t meet a worthy opponent. The main
rival, the Antagonist. Through confronting with this, the Hero really achieves greatness,
so the greatest the enemy, the greatest the value of the Quest.

The Villain is there for a reason.

Their motivations and background stories must be, if possible, known and understood.
Respected, even. Because there is a great deal of learning that we can collect from this.
In fact, it’s precisely here that lies the importance of the Enemy in the story.
THE DARK CAVE

This is it.

It’s the darkest hour.

The scariest of our fears. It’s when the danger becomes real.

This is the moment when all the testing and training is over, and things become serious,
very serious. For the first time here, real failure is a possibility.

Once the cave is entered, there is no turning back.

But that’s exactly the point, because without fear, there is no challenge. And without it,
there will be no real learning experience.

So – what is the importance of entering the dark cave, and if necessary, finding and
killing the beast that lurks within?

Clearly, it’s a universal story of challenging our own limits and fears, and by doing it,
getting stronger and wiser. This is the fundamental lesson to be learnt by this
stage: without challenge, without fear (even), there can be no gain. Experience
comes when we stretch our comfort zone, often to the point where it starts to hurt.

THE REWARD

It is done!

We faced our deepest fear, entered the Cave, killed the dragon.

While we catch our breath and review the experience, we take a moment to consider all
the steps that were necessary for us to get to this point. How was it even possible? Do
we remember how different we were, when we started the journey?

And maybe even most importantly, one question arises – now what?

Rewards are, apparently, very important for our wellbeing. We need to achieve
something, in order to feel good. And that’s not enough, we always need to achieve
greater and greater things.
DEATH AND REBIRTH

Let’s try to remember all that happened so far: a Challenge has been set (and initially,
naturally, Rejected); a Journey started; Teaching happened all over along the way,
together with strange, exotic and sometimes dangerous Encounters; a Big Danger has
been faced; a fabled Reward was claimed. Along the way, a lot of Experienced
happened. Our hero (who finally accepts he/she is a Hero) has packed again, crossed
another Threshold, is ready to go back home.

It couldn’t get any better. It’s done, right?

Not quite.

It’s exactly at this point that a new, even more important challenge must take
place. Because it’s not enough for our Heroes, to be aware of their new conditions and
experience. Now it’s time to show that they are really worthy of it.

The Journey back home has many challenges. Reluctantly, the protagonists might even
have persuaded themselves that going back home might be the right thing to do. Even if
the Extraordinary World feels so good, deep inside they know that the Treasure
they found cannot be for their own benefit only. Instead, it needs to be taken back
home and shared with the community.

But to know it is not enough: now they must learn why.

Indiana Jones has to face the possible death of his father in “The Last Crusade” (1989),

The Hero faces his own death and is brought back to life by the teachings he got or
his Allies, maybe with a scar that will be a constant reminder of the Journey,
representing change.

And the Hero will be known henceforth as the Master of the Two Worlds: able to get
the best from both dimensions, travel between them at will, and appreciate them both in
their differences.

THE JOURNEY BACK HOME

After the Reward, the mission might seem complete. The enemy has been defeated,
the treasure is taken, the (prince / princess / frog) has been kissed. The Journey is
over. But is it really?

It’s time to go back home. Whatever treasure, wealth or knowledge is found in the
Journey, it must be brought back home. Doesn’t matter how.

The Hero’s Journey is not a quest for selfishness, wealth, glory, or conquest. Instead, it
is an adventure based on compassion, empowerment and generosity.
The Hero learns that whatever discovery or gain he has obtained, this needs to be
shared. Because for him (her) ever to become a hero, it took in the first place a family, a
community, friends, Mentor(s), even enemies. The Hero grows and comes to realize all
this, and the way to honor this legacy is to share whatever rewards he earned.

This really is all-important. If it doesn’t happen, the Hero will become another
archetype: The Fallen Angel. From Lucifer to Voldemort, from Gollum to Dracula.

Does “coming back home” really have to mean that the Hero goes back to the
Ordinary World, and business goes back as usual?

Of course not. Sam and Frodo both return to the Shire, after they complete
their incredible quest to deliver the One Ring to mount Doom.

Film and book differ quite a bit in how this happens (mainly, in what happened in the
Shire while the hobbits were gone), but one thing they get exactly in the same way: how
the Journey ends for the two protagonists.

Samwise‘s journey gave him self-confidence and bravery beyond normal. He was able
to overcome his limits so many times during his adventure, that once he is back home
he knows what is left to do. He goes and proposes to the girl he loves, and they happily
get married. He literally brings forward his legacy by creating a family, the wisdom he
acquired will live on in his children and benefit the community.

And what about Frodo, then? His story couldn’t be more different. He is also back, and
he sure enjoys being back at the Shire. But his journey was a different one. After he is
back, Frodo knows things will never be the same again. His journey has changed him
for good. And – in a true hero’s way – he doesn’t blame anybody or anything for this.
Things are just different now.

After a deep transformative experience, sometimes coming back home just doesn’t feel
– like home – anymore. When that happens, we must face it. Frodo bids farewell to his
friends at the Grey Havens, when he decides to leave with Gandalf and go beyond the
sea. Frodo knows that his life at the Shire will never be as before. He doesn’t know
where his place is. But he knows it’s not there anymore.

THE END