Your Hero/Heroine’s Journey

Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey is a story arc we have all seen in movies and read in books.  It is the story of a person, like Peter Parker for example, who is living an OK life that is also a little humdrum.  Peter is then called to adventure with the bite of a radio-active spider and his life changes.

Of course, the change is not easy and there is not only a discovery of new powers but fear of stepping into them.   He meets mentors and enemies and comes to face-to-face with his deepest fears.  He loses his beloved Uncle Ben and also receives an amazing gift.  Peter, now Spider-Man learns to accept this new life and assumes a new role in the world.

Perhaps these stories are so compelling because they are the ones we live out in our own lives.  You likely have had the experience of feeling restless with the status quo and have explored other options that might be out there for you.   There is an excitement and also a bit of trepidation that comes with this expanding view of one’s self.  Sometimes we decide that the “danger” of venturing out is too great and we opt to stay put.  Other times we go for it.

We know we can expect both help and challenges along the way.  The true story is what we actually do with them.  Will we actually allow someone to help us, educate us, support us?  Perhaps we have a tough time admitting we need help.  The recognition of this is an important part of the journey.  Conversely, we may want someone to do the heavy lifting for us.  Learning that we need to do our own push-ups is also a valuable lesson.

We know that change always has a price.  The price is, many times, a loss of some kind.  It could be the shedding of an old limiting belief that had become an intricate part of our identity.  It could be leaving a toxic relationship or situation.  It is scary to face and sometimes the price seems too high.  However, there is always a gift.

The gift that comes from our experience of the journey is usually a personal transformation of some kind.  It could be the reclaiming of the part of you who can live in an open-hearted way in the world.  It might be realizing that your life has intrinsic value based on who you are not what you do.  Our task, then, is to take this gift in and then integrate the knowledge and experience into our lives.

The change we experience may not be as obvious to others as putting on a Spider-Man suit and swinging from buildings, but I can assure you, the change is there.  We see the world through different eyes and make choices from a place in us that is deeply congruent with our values.  THAT is absolutely worth the trip!