The Hero’s Journey or The Rite of Passage

The Hero’s Journey or The Rite of Passage The hero is separated from his/her familiar world, undergoes initiation and transformation, and then returns to his/her familiar world.

The Hero’s Journey or The Rite of Passage The journey is usually divided into seven stages.

The Call

The Call The Call invites the hero into the adventure, offering the opportunity to face the unknown and gain something of value. The hero may be hesitant to answer the call, but there is eventually a form of motivation for the hero to answer the Call. The Call can take many forms: the hero may have something taken away, find that something is lacking in their life, want to restore honor to their family, country, etc.

The Threshold

The Threshold The Threshold is the “jumping off point” for the adventure. The hero often encounters people who block his/her passage over the threshold. These are known as guardians, helpers, or mentors. Threshold guardians have two purposes: to protect the hero from taking a journey he/she is unprepared for and to point the way once the hero is prepared. Often the hero gains a talisman at the threshold.

The Challenges

The Challenges On every journey, there are challenges the hero must face. These challenges progress in difficulty, forcing the hero to face both emotional and physical danger. By meeting these challenges successfully the hero builds maturity, skill, and confidence. One of the greatest challenges is to recognize “tempters,” those who use fear, doubt, or distraction to pull the hero away from the path.

The Abyss

The Abyss When the hero reaches the abyss, he/she faces the greatest challenge of the journey—the hero realizes they must surrender completely to the journey and face his/her greatest fear alone. This is called the ‘revelation.’

Transformation and Revelation

Transformation and Revelation As the hero conquers the Abyss, overcoming his/her fears, the hero’s transformation becomes complete. The final step is a moment of death and rebirth: a part of the hero must die so that a new part can be born. Fear dies to make way for courage, ignorance dies for enlightenment, etc.

The Atonement

The Atonement After the hero has been transformed, he/she achieves atonement. Atonement means incorporating the changes caused by the journey into the hero’s life, causing him/her to be completely “reborn” and at harmony with life and the world.

The Return

The Return The hero now faces the final stage of his/her journey: the return to everyday life.

The Gift Usually, upon return, the hero discovers a gift that has been bestowed upon him/her in order to better contribute to society.