“The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek.”
Joseph Campbell
Stages of the Hero's Journey
There are twelve steps to the hero's journey.
Ordinary World: This step refers to the hero's normal life at the start of the story, before the adventure begins.
Call to Adventure: The hero is faced with something that makes him begin his adventure. This might be a problem or a challenge he needs to overcome.
Refusal of the Call: The hero attempts to refuse the adventure because he is afraid.
Meeting with the Mentor: The hero encounters someone who can give him advice and ready him for the journey ahead.
Crossing the First Threshold: The hero leaves his ordinary world for the first time and crosses the threshold into adventure.
Tests, Allies, Enemies: The hero learns the rules of his new world. During this time, he endures tests of strength of will, meets friends, and comes face to face with foes.
Approach: Setbacks occur, sometimes causing the hero to try a new approach or adopt new ideas.
Ordeal: The hero experiences a major hurdle or obstacle, such as a life or death crisis.
Reward: After surviving death, the hero earns his reward or accomplishes his goal.
The Road Back: The hero begins his journey back to his ordinary life.
Resurrection Hero - The hero faces a final test where everything is at stake and he must use everything he has learned.
Return with Elixir: The hero brings his knowledge or the "elixir" back to the ordinary world, where he applies it to help all who remain there. (source: Your Dictionary)
In the past 3 weeks I've used my experience with Silver Sirens as a means to apply this template.
The past few weeks I've shared my journey through 2/3 of the cycle. I've overcome the Ordeal and I am now in the Reward, Road Back, Resurrection and Return with Elixir stages of the journey.
There is a sweetness when we know we've slayed the dragon or faced the demons of our own life and emerge on the other side, with a renewed sense of who we are. On the outside, nothing seems to have changed. But on the inside, nothing will ever be the same again.
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