Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Pagan
Seekers and Guides: The Hero’s Journey (Part 1)

Seekers and Guides: The Hero’s Journey (Part 1)

Last updated on: July 22, 2013 at 8:00 am by Sable Aradia

Seekers and Guides: The Hero’s Journey (Part 1) 2013-07-21T13:37:51+00:00 Sable Aradia

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Persephone and Demeter Gerald Gardner believed, as did Margaret Murray before him, that we, as Wiccans (and many Pagans by extension) are the spiritual heirs of the Mystery cults of the ancient world, the best known of which was the Cult of Eleusis. At one time all the major philosophers and leaders of ancient Greece were initiates of the cult. Sworn to keep its secrets, miraculously, none of them ever revealed them.

On the gates of Eleusis were written the words, “Know Thyself.” This is the greatest challenge facing us as Wiccans and Pagans. In order to be able to become a better channel for the gods, and in order to be more effective at manifesting our magick, we need to be tempered into a better conductor. This is the purpose of the Second Degree initiation in some traditions. A symbolic death and rebirth helps us to clear away the dross of our subconscious and our personal issues.

But whether or not your tradition is initiatory, sooner or later you will be required to confront the baggage that you carry around. Reclaiming and Dianic Wicca speak of these things as the lessons of the Dark Goddess. Often these struggles will involve dark times in which grave difficulties seem determined to assault us at every turn. Mythologist Joseph Campbell wrote about this element of our own personal myth-story; he called it “The Monomyth” or “The Hero’s Journey.”

The Myth-Cycle

The Cycle of the Monomyth

There are 17 stages to the Monomyth. Consider how this relates to your own life, in your journey through your personal Underworld, and how it compares to the modern myths you know. I have drawn upon three well-known examples: Star Wars, the Lord of the Rings, and Harry Potter:

Departure

1. Call to Adventure

– the Hero is summoned away from his/her regular life to a world of adventure, where infinite perils and possibilities await. Sometimes s/he chooses the path voluntarily, and sometimes s/he is forced into it by a beneficent or malign force or circumstance.

Luke Skywalker is asked to become a Jedi Knight
Frodo is told he must leave the Shire with the ring or the Black Riders will return
Harry Potter is inducted into Hogwarts by Hagrid

2. Refusal of the Call

– Often, the Hero refuses the call due to fear or obligation. S/he then becomes a victim to be saved instead of a Hero.

Luke initially refuses to leave Tatooine
Frodo argues that he is just a hobbit
Harry is pursued despite the efforts of his family to keep him from Hogwarts

3. Mentor / Supernatural Aid

– a Helper or Mentor makes him/herself available to the Hero to assist or teach. Often s/he is an elder who imparts wisdom or a Tool that represents knowledge.

Obi Wan Kenobi / Luke’s lightsaber
Gandalf / mithril armor and Sting
Dumbledore / Harry’s wand

4. Crossing of the Threshold

– this is the point of no return. The point of initiation begins.

leaving Tatooine
when the hobbits left the farmer’s field, “farther away from home than they’d ever been”
the Sorting Hat

5. Descent Into the Underworld

– the Hero is now separated from the world he knew and a new life. It is a metamorphosis; a death of sorts.

the Death Star, Dagobah, the Emperor’s ship
the Mines of Moria, the barrow-mounds, Mordor
the room with the mirror, the Chamber of Secrets, the catacombs of the Ministry of Magic

Initiation

6. Road of Trials

– tests, tasks or ordeals that begin the transformation. This is usually the bulk of the story.

Dagobah’s tree, confrontation on Bespin
outrunning the Black Riders, protecting the Ring from the others in the Fellowship, walking into Mordor, Shelob
Professor Quirrel, the basilisk

7. Meeting with the Goddess

– the Hero experiences a soul-transforming love. This is often portrayed as a romantic love, but it doesn’t have to be; and in fact, in the examples I have chosen, none are.

Luke is inspired by the love of his sister and friends
Frodo is inspired by Sam and his companions in the Fellowship
Harry is inspired by love of his friends and his mentors Sirius Black and Dumbledore

8. The Temptress

– the temptations of material comfort or surrender to the easier path assail the Hero. The pure soul must be true to itself and not externally-imposed obligations.

Darth Vader urges Luke to join him on the Dark Side of the Force
the Ring corrupts Frodo against Sam and draws Golem to him
Harry leaves Hogwarts to pursue the Horcruxes

9. Atonement with the Father

– the Hero confronts the ultimate power in his/her own life and overcomes that dark reflection. Thus the “sins of the fathers” are no longer delivered upon us and we become our own, autonomous human beings, free of the conditioning of our past.

Luke confronts and redeems Darth Vader
Frodo faces the fires of Mount Doom and confronts Golem, his dark reflection, at its precipice
Harry confronts Voldemort

10. Apotheosis

– the Hero “dies,” experiences a period of rest and perhaps bliss, and then is reborn with greater enlightenment.

Luke’s failure at Bespin, recovery, and seclusion on Tatooine to meditate and train to be a Jedi Knight
Rivendell after Frodo’s wounding and after the quest, Lothlorien after Gandalf’s death
Harry’s “death” at the hands of Voldemort and his conversation with Dumbledore

11. Ultimate Boon

– achievement of the goal of the quest; obtaining the item or piece of wisdom; the gifts of the gods given unto mortals.

the destruction of the Empire when Luke obtains the wisdom of the Force
the destruction of the Ring and the unification of Middle-Earth when the hobbits trust everything to faith
the destruction of Voldemort and ending of the war when Harry obtains the Elder Wand and offers himself in sacrifice

Return

12. Refusal of the Return

– sometimes the Hero is so exhausted by the quest, or so happy in the bliss s/he discovers, that s/he refuses to return to the world. But the Boon serves no purpose unless it is shared.

Luke is reluctant to accept his responsibilities as a Jedi
Frodo does not wish to leave Rivendell
Harry is reluctant to return to life

13. Magic Flight

– sometimes the Hero must escape with the Boon.

Luke escapes the Death Star before it is destroyed
Frodo and Sam are carried home on giant eagles
Harry flees Voldemort with the Elder Wand

14. Rescue

– sometimes the Hero needs supernatural assistance to return to regular life as much as s/he did to leave it, especially if s/he has been wounded or weakened.

Luke is rescued by Leia from his conflict with Darth Vader
Gandalf summons the giant eagles to convey Frodo and Sam
Harry is rescued by the witches and wizards of Hogworts

15. Crossing of the Return Threshold

– somehow the Hero must now return to banal everyday life, maintain the wisdom of her/his experiences, and accept the world as real after transcendental bliss. Sometimes s/he is not entirely successful.

Luke teaches a whole generation of Jedi Knights and rebuilds the Order
Frodo is unable to make the transition and joins the last of the elves as they leave Middle-Earth
Harry successfully channels his experiences into becoming an Auror

16. Master of Two Worlds

– for a real-world human Hero, this means integrating spiritual and material successfully. This is the ultimate goal of Witchcraft; to become a “mystic in the world.”

Luke not only becomes the Jedi Grand Master but marries as well and also has children of his own
Sam marries his childhood love, become a father and writes about his experiences
Harry instructs future Aurors but he marries Ginny and sires three children

17. Freedom to Live

– facing death teaches us not to fear it, and thus, gives us the power to experience life more fully and completely, living in the moment, neither regretting nor reliving the past. This is the ultimate benefit of the Hero’s Journey.

Next column: The Hero’s Journey, Part 2: How to Apply the Monomyth to Your Personal Story, Why it Matters, and What it Means.

Seekers and Guides is published on alternate Mondays. Follow it via RSS or e-mail!

Columns

Seekers and Guides

Theology, Ethics, Philosophy

Previous Post

July 19, 2013

Syncretic Electric: Building Echo Chambers Instead of Communities

Next Post

July 23, 2013 The Busy Witch: Reviewing SEEKING THE MYSTERY by Christine Hoff Kraemer

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category A Lakeside Hearth Adventures in Wortcunning Alone In Her Presence Arts, Crafts & Cooking Birthing Hereditary Witchcraft Book of Blackbirds Book Reviews Born-Again Witch Cauldron, Sword, Spear, & Stone Cermony and Liturgy Columns Community Dandelion Seeds Dear Jasmine Druid Thoughts Editor's Picks Everyday Pagan Family & Household Practice Family Traditions Full Frontal Magic Gateway Goddess Guest Articles Happily Heathen Health and Wellness Hearth of Hellenism Heathen Woman Hills of the Horizon History Holidays Horse Goddesses Interfaith Interviews Irish-American Witchcraft Jewish Witch Lamp & Labyrinth Letters from Midgard Literature, Media, Film, Music Loop of Brighid Love, Sex & Relationships Magic or Magick Making Light Naturalistic Traditions Nature News Outside The Circle Pantheisticon Politics Prayers, Poems, Blessings & Stories Queer Femme Mystic Queer of Swords Recipes Ritual and Practice Science and Research Seekers and Guides Seeking the Grail Socially Responsible Magic Spear of Athena Star Made Witch Syncretic Electric Technology The Blooming Staff The Busy Witch The Cartomancer The Crow's Nest The Dance of Pagan Recovery The Hearth of Hellenism The Lady's Quill The Other Side of the Hedge The Path of She The Rantin' Raven The Witches Next Door The Zen Pagan Theology, Ethics, Philosophy Tree City Witch Urban Earthwitch Wayfaring Woman Witch on Fire Wyrd Words

Select a Month January 2026 March 2025 December 2024 June 2024 April 2024 March 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 August 2023 July 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

True or False: In Revelation, the tree of life produces twelve different kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month.

Select your answer to see how you score.

FALSE TRUE