Where are you on your Heroes or Heroines Journey?

The Heroes Journey, or the Heroines Journey is the journey many of us must take to discover who we are, and why we are here. For most of us it takes a lifetime to complete. It is a journey from our familiar world, the world we were born into, to a circuitous journey of self discovery, eventually coming back home. But when we arrive back we are a completely different person than when we departed.

For some reason… I still do not know why…but in my life I have been required to take both Journeys. The journey without, to battle the Ego…The Heroes Journey, along with taking the journey within, to find my spiritual center…The Heroines Journey. While the world we return to from both journeys is basically the same, upon our return we now see it differently –  and we know ourselves to be different as well.

For men mostly, but sometimes women as well The Heroes Journey is an outward journey, where they leave home to be tested, and to fight to conquer their fears. We battle our egos and dragons. On this journey the Hero must overcome grave life threatening obstacles to find their true self,  and then save their world from destruction from without.

The Heroines Journey for women, but sometimes taken by men as well, is not an outward journey but an inward journey to discover ones true self, and save their world from destruction from within, and help it evolve to a higher level. On the Heroines Journey one must find the inner strength to psychologically Leave behind their Dependent World…mother, father, societal norms, and the ones they love, and who love them, to discover their own independent self-worth in life. When they find and become themselves they then return home to their world a different person. A savior who will help elevate their world to become a kinder and gentler place for all to live in.

The Heroes and Heroines Journeys both begin in what we experience as our Ordinary World. After a period of time we get to a pivotal point in our life however and know we must leave either the stifling safety, or the crippling dysfunction of it behind. We get the courage to leave, and we Take the Call to Adventure.

At first we are Reluctant to Leave. But via encouragement or wise counsel we do it anyway. We find a previously unknown, hidden strength within us, and we Cross the First Threshold of Adventure. We now find ourselves in an unfamiliar and uncomfortable foreign land. We start off alone and confused, but quickly we find a Mentor and Allies. We also find Dangerous Enemies and Tests to Overcome.  But with personal courage, and the help and guidance of our mentor and allies we overcome our first series of tests. But then, thinking we have passed the test we find ourselves lost again, and we wander in the wilderness for a long period. We then find ourselves in an INNERMOST CAVE where we must face our SUPREME TEST of COURAGE.  We find that we must fight to the death. We fight but make a conscious decision to accept our cross, and we die to our old self. But amazingly. in that dying of the self, we awaken and are presented with The Treasure or The  Lesson.

We then Find The Road Back to Home… the world from where we departed.  We have been RESURRECTED and transformed by the journey.  We Return back  to the ordinary world with the Treasure, or Knowledge to benefit or transform our world.

We have survived our journey; left our false self dead and behind, and found our true inner undying self. We have fought our Dragons, and we have won.

We now realize we have a choice to make. We can remain in the Kingdom we now feel as our home. Or we can choose to go back to our old home. Most choose not to remain in the miraculous new world they have found, but unselfishly leave the Kingdom behind, returning to their old world home a wiser, enlightened hero. They know that their new purpose is to no longer fight the dragons but mentor and guide others on their Heroes or Heroines Journey. The mystical circle of birth, fighting the dragons, death and then final resurrection.

And so the Hero or Heroine remain for a period… in the world…but no longer of the world; remembering the stillness and joy of the Kingdom they, and we all, will one day return to. 

QUESTION

Where are you on your Heroes or Heroines Journey?

Are you in the Ordinary World,  Waiting to Answer the Call?

Or have you Departed the Ordinary World, and on your journey inward or outward?

Or have you fought your dragons, received the gift, and on your way back home to serve others on their journey?