The Hero’s Journey

“The hero’s journey refers to a basic pattern found in many narratives from around the world. The hero begins in the ordinary world, and receives a call to enter an unknown world of strange powers and events. The hero who accepts the call to enter this strange world must face tasks and trials, either alone or with assistance. In the most intense versions of the narrative, the hero must survive a severe challenge, often with help. If the hero survives, the hero may achieve a great gift or “boon.” The hero must then decide whether to return to the ordinary world with this boon. If the hero does decide to return, he or she often faces challenges on the return journey. If the hero returns successfully, the boon or gift may be used to improve the world.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monomyth)

I view the hero’s journey as a heightened dramatization of the experience of living.  The hero aka any moving, breathing human is faced with countless choices all the time, which can be simultaneously liberating and terrifying, as there are always repercussions, elements of risk, tasks and trials. But the choices must be made in order to advance the narrrative, both fictional and real, in pursuit of the “great gift.”  The self is a constant work in progress; we are always evolving and redefining ourselves based on our choices.  This is a major theme in Storybox.

-Amanda