The Hero’s JourneyFrom the Head to the Heart

Your journey begins with the question – What is the meaning of life Life is without meaning. You bring the meaning to it. The meaning of

life is whatever you ascribe it to be. Being alive is the meaning. Joseph Campbell

Why are you in the world but not of it …the first work of the hero is to retreat from the world scene

of secondary effects to those causal zones of the psyche where the difficulties really reside, and there to clarify the difficulties, eradicate them in his own case (i.e., give battle to the nursery demons of his local culture) and break through to the undistorted, direct experience and assimilation of what C. G. Jung called “the archetypal images.” – Ibid.

First he or she leaves everything behind

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. – The Hero with a Thousand Faces

Your journey has ups and downs

The agony of breaking through personal limitations is the agony of spiritual growth. Art, literature, myth and cult,

philosophy, and ascetic disciplines are instruments to help the individual past his limiting horizons into spheres of ever-expanding realization.

As he crosses threshold after threshold, conquering dragon after dragon, the stature of the divinity

that he summons to his highest wish increases, until it subsumes the cosmos. – Ibid.

Trust in the unknown

That seeker must at all times put his trust in God, must renounce the peoples of the earth, detach himself from the world of dust, and cleave unto Him Who is the Lord of Lords. He must never seek to exalt himself above any one, must wash away from the tablet of his heart every trace of pride and vainglory, must cling unto patience and resignation, observe silence, and refrain from idle talk. For the tongue is a smouldering fire, and excess of speech a deadly poison. Material fire consumeth the body, whereas the fire of the tongue devoureth both heart and soul. The force of the former lasteth but for a time, whilst the effects of the latter endure a century. – Baha’u’llah, The Book of Certitude, pp. 192-193

Can you endure it? Can you say YEs

The big question is whether you are going to be able to say a hearty yes to your adventure. Joseph Campbell

Your life is part of a web

A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself. Joseph Campbell

Does your path have a heart?

“All paths are the same: they lead nowhere. ... Does this path have a heart? If it does, the path is good; if it doesn't, it is of no use. Both paths lead nowhere; but one has a heart, the other doesn't. One makes for a joyful journey; as long as you follow it, you are one with it. The other will make you curse your life. One makes you strong; the other weakens you.” ― Carlos Castaneda, The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge

Being alive a balance of fear and wonder“The aim is to balance the terror of being alive with the wonder of being

alive.” ― Carlos Castaneda

It is not the possession of truth, but the success which attends the seeking after it, that enriches the seeker and brings happiness to him.

Max Planck

There comes a time in the seeker's life when he discovers that he is at once the lover and the beloved. Sri Chinmoy

“The variable that marks some periods as barren and some as rich in prophetic vision is in the interest, the level of seeking, the responsiveness of the hearers. The variable is not in the presence or absence or the relative quality and force of the prophetic voices. The prophet grows in stature as people respond to his message...It is the seekers, then, who make the prophet.” ― Robert K. Greenleaf, The Servant as Leader

“I am one of the searchers. There are, I believe, millions of us. We are not unhappy, but neither are we really content. We continue to explore life, hoping to uncover its ultimate secret. We continue to explore ourselves, hoping to understand. We like to walk along the beach, we are drawn by the ocean, taken by its power, its unceasing motion, its mystery and unspeakable beauty. We like forests and mountains, deserts and hidden rivers, and the lonely cities as well. Our sadness is as much a part of our lives as is our laughter. To share our sadness with one we love is perhaps as great a joy as we can know - unless it be to share our laughter. We searchers are ambitious only for life itself, for everything beautiful it can provide. Most of all we love and want to be loved. We want to live in a relationship that will not impede our wandering, nor prevent our search, nor lock us in prison walls; that will take us for what little we have to give. We do not want to prove ourselves to another or compete for love.

For wanderers, dreamers, and lovers, for lonely men and women who dare to ask of life everything good and beautiful. It is for those who are too gentle to live among wolves.”

― James Kavanaugh, There Are Men Too Gentle to Live Among Wolves

here are twelve steps to the hero’s journey. According to the Oracle Education Foundation Library, those steps are as follows

Ordinary World: This step refers to the hero's normal life at the start of the story, before the adventure begins. 

Call to Adventure: The hero is faced with something that makes him begin his adventure. This might be a problem or a challenge he needs to overcome. 

Refusal of the Call: The hero attempts to refuse the adventure because he is afraid.  Meeting with the Mentor: The hero encounters someone who can give him advice and ready him for

the journey ahead.   Crossing the First Threshold: The hero leaves his ordinary world for the first time and crosses the

threshold into adventure.   Tests, Allies, Enemies: The hero learns the rules of his new world. During this time, he endures tests of

strength of will, meets friends, and comes face to face with foes. Approach: Setbacks occur, sometimes causing the hero to try a new approach or adopt new ideas.  Ordeal: The hero experiences a major hurdle or obstacle, such as a life or death crisis.  Reward: After surviving death, the hero earns his reward or accomplishes his goal.  The Road Back: The hero begins his journey back to his ordinary life. Resurrection Hero - The hero faces a final test where everything is at stake and he must use everything

he has learned.   Return with Elixir:  The hero brings his knowledge or the "elixir" back to the ordinary world, where he

applies it to help all who remain there.