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The Hero and Heroine's Journey

A Mythological Approach to Personal Transformation

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The Hero's Journey

A growth expedition towards independence and self-sufficiency through forward action and triumph.

Using both traditional archetypal exploration and/or natal and archetypal astrology, the Third Realm Method can help you discover your inner Hero and develop your capacity to persevere towards victory through life's biggest challenges.

Image of The Heroine's Journey

The Heroine's Journey

A shedding of masculine ideals along a path of compassion and self-discovery back home to the feminine within.

Heart-centered awareness and Divine compassion serves as the transformational tool along The Heroine's Journey. Learn how to expand your window of tolerance and share your open-hearted energy with others by awakening your inner Heroine.

Image by Lukas Tennie

Therapeutic Mythology

A Transpersonal Therapy Story

At Third Realm Integration, all practices are in support of helping clients navigate and integrate The Hero or Heroine's Journey which are myths that embody masculine-feminine and/or solar-lunar energies. While most men identify with The Hero's Journey and most women identify with The Heroine's Journey, there is arguably room for crossover especially since everyone possesses some degree of all archetypes.

 

The Hero and Heroine's Journey are archetypal myths or motifs that provide a framework for understanding the natural arch of human psychological development. Joseph Campbell (1949) was most famous for his work on The Hero's Journey, which he described as the call to action, adventure, and self-sufficiency on a path towards personal triumph. The Hero matures and grows through the many trials and tribulations he encounters on his adventure and meets allies along the way that support his outer journey. He eventually makes his return as an evolved being with newfound wisdom.

 

The Heroine's Journey, on the other hand, is a robust myth that includes many aspects of The Hero’s Journey in addition to some new elements. The Heroine also responds to the call, but makes her transformation through the inward journey that results in a collective transformation. Much like The Hero, she meets allies along the way who help her transform as she navigates the depths of her own underworld. As The Heroine's allies grow alongside her through life's obstacles, they, too benefit from The Heroine's inquiry into her soul's mission. Their evolution is just as vital to The Heroine's growth as she is. It’s only through her open heart that the Heroine can make her return back home as a mature leader with transformative wisdom to share. 

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While Campbell never pursued an understanding of The Heroine's Journey, it's a myth that has been reflected in ancient traditions for centuries. Western culture was largely absent of literature about the feminine's path until 1990 when Jungian psychoanalyst and student of Campbell's, Maureen Murdock, began writing about The Heroine's Journey. When she asked Campbell why he never wrote about The Heroine's Journey, he stated "Women don't need to make the journey. In the whole mythological tradition, the woman is there. All she has to do is realize that she's the place that people are trying to get to” (Campbell, 1981). 

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While Campbell may have been correct, it is argued that his perspective possessed far too narrow of a scope of the feminine's role and value. For centuries, long before Murdock's work, ancient and indigenous cultures and religions have appreciated The Heroine and her journey through worship of primordial deity goddesses like Inanna (Ishtar), Isis, Sekmet, Helen of Troy, Ma'at, and Kali. In Christianity, The Heroine's Journey is portrayed in the story of Mary Magdelene and others. In Buddhism, she is known as Kuan Yin, the goddess of compassion.

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Whether you identify more strongly with one journey over another, both paths showcase the process of psychological growth and development through life's challenges, or gates of consciousness. Each journey begins with a push, or nudge, from life that asks us to wake up, and show up.

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Are you ready to answer life's call?

A colorful image of the Hero archer on the back of a horse

The Hero's Journey

Are you on the masculine path of adventure seeking your own independence and having to slay the obstacles of the inner and outer dragons along the way? Or, are you refusing the call altogether?

"The journey begins with a call: a cry...a whisper...a question...a moan. This is the summons to awaken from our slumber. This is a call that requires a response, a brave stepping out, a leap of faith. For on the other side of this threshold is a door. A door that opens wide onto vast, alive plains, that are, to us, unknown."

Sarah Nicholson

Image by Vivek Sharma of white Ganesh or Ganesha

Why do ancient cultures hold mythical stories in such high regard? "Well, because that's what's worth writing about."

Joseph Campbell

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