I pop it here as today I have been thinking about where I am in the story of my life.
A great man died last week - whilst I was away on holiday a TRUE LEGEND passed away - where it all began for me Jay Conrad Levinson. The father of Guerrilla Marketing.
Was his book the call to adventure? I don't know - Thank you, Jay http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2013/10/thank-you-jay.html …
Anyhoo.... this is all by James Campbell and great stuff.
The 17 Parts of the Mono myth and the 3 stages
thereof…
Departure:
The Call to Adventure
The hero begins in a mundane situation
of normality from which some information is received that acts as a call to
head off into the unknown.
Refusal of the Call
Often when the call is given, the
future hero first refuses to heed it. This may be from a sense of duty or obligation,
fear, insecurity, a sense of inadequacy, or any of a range of reasons that work
to hold the person in his or her current circumstances.
Supernatural Aid
Once the hero has committed to the
quest, consciously or unconsciously, his guide and magical helper appears, or
becomes known. More often than not, this supernatural mentor will present the
hero with one or more talismans or artifacts that will aid them later in their
quest.
The Crossing of the First Threshold
This is the point where the person
actually crosses into the field of adventure, leaving the known limits of his
or her world and venturing into an unknown and dangerous realm where the rules
and limits are not known.
Belly of The Whale
The belly of the whale represents the
final separation from the hero's known world and self. By entering this stage,
the person shows willingness to undergo a metamorphosis.
Initiation:
The Road of Trials
The road of trials is a series of
tests, tasks, or ordeals that the person must undergo to begin the
transformation. Often the person fails one or more of these tests, which often
occur in threes.
The Meeting With the Goddess
This is the point when the person
experiences a love that has the power and significance of the all-powerful, all
encompassing, unconditional love that a fortunate infant may experience with
his or her mother. This is a very important step in the process and is often
represented by the person finding the other person that he or she loves most
completely.
Woman as Temptress
In this step, the hero faces those
temptations, often of a physical or pleasurable nature, that may lead him or
her to abandon or stray from his or her quest, which does not necessarily have
to be represented by a woman. Woman is a metaphor for the physical or material
temptations of life, since the hero-knight was often tempted by lust from his
spiritual journey.
Atonement with the Father
In this step the person must confront
and be initiated by whatever holds the ultimate power in his or her life. In
many myths and stories this is the father, or a father figure who has life and
death power. This is the center point of the journey. All the previous steps
have been moving into this place, all that follow will move out from it.
Although this step is most frequently symbolized by an encounter with a male
entity, it does not have to be a male; just someone or thing with incredible
power.
Apotheosis
When someone dies a physical death, or
dies to the self to live in spirit, he or she moves beyond the pairs of
opposites to a state of divine knowledge, love, compassion and bliss. A more
mundane way of looking at this step is that it is a period of rest, peace and fulfilment
before the hero begins the return.
The Ultimate Boon
The ultimate boon is the achievement of
the goal of the quest. It is what the person went on the journey to get. All
the previous steps serve to prepare and purify the person for this step, since
in many myths the boon is something transcendent like the elixir of life
itself, or a plant that supplies immortality, or the holy grail.
Return
Refusal of the Return
Having found bliss and enlightenment in
the other world, the hero may not want to return to the ordinary world to
bestow the boon onto his fellow man.
The Magic Flight
Sometimes the hero must escape with the
boon, if it is something that the gods have been jealously guarding. It can be
just as adventurous and dangerous returning from the journey as it was to go on
it.
Rescue from Without
Just as the hero may need guides and
assistants to set out on the quest, oftentimes he or she must have powerful
guides and rescuers to bring them back to everyday life, especially if the
person has been wounded or weakened by the experience.
The Crossing of the Return Threshold
The trick in returning is to retain the
wisdom gained on the quest, to integrate that wisdom into a human life, and
then maybe figure out how to share the wisdom with the rest of the world.
Master of Two Worlds
This step is usually represented by a
transcendental hero like Jesus or Gautama Buddha. For a human hero, it may mean
achieving a balance between the material and spiritual. The person has become
comfortable and competent in both the inner and outer worlds.
Freedom to Live
Mastery leads to freedom from the fear
of death, which in turn is the freedom to live. This is sometimes referred to
as living in the moment, neither anticipating the future nor regretting the
past.
So to recap the Hero's journey
- Heroes are introduced in the ORDINARY WORLD, where
- they receive the CALL TO ADVENTURE.
- They are RELUCTANT at first or REFUSE THE CALL, but
- are encouraged by a MENTOR to
- CROSS THE FIRST THRESHOLD and enter the Special World, where
- they encounter TESTS, ALLIES, AND ENEMIES.
- They APPROACH THE INMOST CAVE, crossing a second threshold
- where they endure the ORDEAL.
- They take possession of their REWARD and
- are pursued on THE ROAD BACK to the Ordinary World.
- They cross the third threshold, experience a RESURRECTION, and are transformed by the experience.
- They RETURN WITH THE ELIXIR, a boon or treasure to benefit the Ordinary World.
And for a little more thinking - the characters that join the hero...
The Seven Archetypes:
- Hero: "The Hero is the protagonist or central character, whose primary purpose is to separate from the ordinary world and sacrifice himself for the service of the Journey at hand - to answer the challenge, complete the quest and restore the Ordinary World's balance. We experience the Journey through the eyes of the Hero."
- Mentor: "The Mentor provides motivation, insights and training to help the Hero."
- Threshold Guardian: "Threshold Guardians protect the Special World and its secrets from the Hero, and provide essential tests to prove a Hero's commitment and worth."
- Herald: "Herald characters issue challenges and announce the coming of significant change. They can make their appearance anytime during a Journey, but often appear at the beginning of the Journey to announce a Call to Adventure. A character may wear the Herald's mask to make an announcement or judgment, report a news flash, or simply deliver a message."
- Shapeshifter: "The Shapeshifter's mask misleads the Hero by hiding a character's intentions and loyalties."
- Shadow: "The Shadow can represent our darkest desires, our untapped resources, or even rejected qualities. It can also symbolize our greatest fears and phobias. Shadows may not be all bad, and may reveal admirable, even redeeming qualities. The Hero's enemies and villains often wear the Shadow mask. This physical force is determined to destroy the Hero and his cause."
- Trickster: "Tricksters relish the disruption of the status quo, turning the Ordinary World into chaos with their quick turns of phrase and physical antics. Although they may not change during the course of their Journeys, their world and its inhabitants are transformed by their antics. The Trickster uses laughter [and ridicule] to make characters see the absurdity of the situation, and perhaps force a change."
And for a more fun look at the above.... here you go :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZxs_jGN7Pg
the characters explained with puppets...
and the stages - for us all in a lovely animation - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hhk4N9A0oCA&list=TL2W_SQ-k7GPhiUkyONvYntBHQtQiW3j9e
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