The Hero’s Journey—Your Journey

Nancy Goodman, MSEd, LPCVocatus—”rethink what you know about life

and work”208-406-3234, goodnanc@yahoo.com

http://vocatusidaho.blogspot.com

Who has ever…

• Experienced an unexpected life change— job loss, divorce, illness, and so on

• Resisted change• Married, had a child, started a new job,

relocated• Had to make a terrifying decision• Embraced a new challenge• Dreamed of pursuing a long-held

passion• Longed to live life authentically; on your

own terms • Felt life was in a rut

Dust off your suit of armor and…

WELCOME TO YOUR HERO’S ADVENTURE!!

Your Tour Guide—Joseph Campbell

• Sarah Lawrence College

• Mythology and Comparative Religion

• George Lucas and Star Wars

• Carl Jung• “Follow Your Bliss”• Power of Myth with Bill

Moyers—featured on Gilmore Girls episode

• The Hero With a Thousand Faces

• www.jcf.org

Who is a hero?

Who else is a hero?

The Hero as Metaphor

• Stories of Mythology and Religion have common themes, characters, and outcomes

• The adventure of the hero is ultimately psychological

• Change in worldview as a result of the adventure

• The hero is us

Types of Heroes

• Physical• Spiritual• Willing• Hero-in-training• Reluctant–Serendipitous

Types of Adventures• In the village• Cast out of the village

• Rite of Passage

The Serendipitous Hero

• The “Magic” of Life• When the student is ready, the

teacher/lesson appears• Adventure evokes aspects of

character that have been dormant– Courage, creativity, brilliance, spirit,

self-reliance…

• “You might not get that which you seek…”

Hero’s Journey Cycle

KNOWN

UNKNOWN

Refusal of the Call

Refusa

l of the

Call

Refusal of the Call

Refusa

l of the

Call

Refusa

l of the

Call

Refusal of the Call = The Abyss

The World of Common Day

• Our comfort zone• Our not-so-

comfortable zone• things are

predictable and known

• Established set of “rules”

• Some people spend life in this world, unless…

The Call to Adventure

• Event or circumstance that shatters status quo–Divorce, job loss,

act of God, any transition

• Urges toward a more authentic life–Vocation, avocation–Big calls, small calls

Refusal of the Call

• The voice of NO• The “yeahbuts”• Fueled by fear,

uncertainty, lack of self-trust and confidence

• Occurs at beginning and throughout adventure

Threshold Crossing• Ready or not, there

you are• Transition between

known and unknown worlds

• Meet allies, gather resources

• First day of class, parent orientation, grad school!

Road of Trials…and Revelations

• Challenges elicit hidden strengths

• Getting lost, dead-ends, receiving help, improving skills

• developing new mindset

• Ups and downs

The Abyss

“It is by going into the abyss that you discover the treasure of life. Where you stumble,

there lies your treasure.” –Joseph Campbell

• The darkest times, but ultimately the most enlightening times

• Exhaustion, hopelessness, fear, uncertainty

• Patience and Ego battles• Question purpose, self-doubt, feel

alone• “Hanging by a thread”

“Slaying the Dragon”

• Dragons are internal• The bound ego• Epiphanies, insight,

self-awareness, taking risk, conquering fears, challenging old ideas

• Surrendering, acceptance, patience, restoration of faith

• Neutralizing negative feelings, “letting go”

The Return• Return with boon to

share with those around you

• How will you be received?

• New center, new “home state,” new way-of-being

• What will this adventure have taught you for the next one?

The Journey is…

• Spiritual• Psychological• Social• Transformative• Cyclical• Catalyst for positive growth

Thank You!