Wellness Calendar: Thursday 14 November

A hero’s journey

Joseph Campbell, who studied folklore, believed that if you reduce all the great myths down to their basic, active ingredients, you’re left with one universal story. He came up with a breakdown of one such mythical journey:

(i) You’re minding your own business, getting on with your everyday life. (ii) You become aware of something. (iii) You avoid it. (iv) You meet someone who inspires you to do something about the thing you avoided. (v) You embark on a journey. (vi) There are hurdles in your path. (vii) You overcome them, with help along the way. (viii) You’re tempted to abandon your journey. (ix) You enter into the heart of darkness ready to do battle. (x) You are victorious. You have achieved what you set out to do. (xi) You’re now a changed person (xii) You celebrate your achievements. (xiii) As you consider your return journey, you see that you have options. (xiv) You might go off in a new direction. (xv) Or you may need to escape from the after-effects of your battle. (xvi) You may need help in returning home. (xvii) Once you return home, you may put your new-found wisdom to good use. (xviii) You may keep one foot in your world and one foot in the new world that you helped create. (x) Whatever you choose to do, you are now free and strive to stay free.

What do you think of this? Can you see this narrative in the films you watch and the books you read? Can you see parts of this story happening in your own life? Or could this be a useful template for you to set off on your own hero’s journey?

Here are some Joseph Campbell quotes to get you further into his mindset…

• “It is by going down into the abyss that we recover the treasures of life.”
• “The very cave you are afraid to enter turns out to be the source of what you are looking for.”
• “Life has no meaning. Each of us has meaning and we bring it to life. It is a waste to be asking the question when you are the answer.”
• “We must be willing to let go of the life we planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us.”
• “Follow your bliss and don't be afraid, and doors will open where you didn't know they were going to be.”
• “Life is like arriving late for a movie, having to figure out what was going on without bothering everybody with a lot of questions, and then being unexpectedly called away before you find out how it ends.”
• “All the gods, all the heavens, all the hells, are within you.”

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