Every myth and the human story follows the same formula as Joseph Campbell describes in his work, A Hero With a Thousand Faces. That formula is the hero’s journey, and this principle plays out in our lives in a fractal pattern. There are different phases, sizes, and cycles of the journey throughout life. The stages of the hero’s journey are the call to adventure, refusal of the call, meeting the mentor, crossing the threshold, tests allies’ enemies, approaching the innermost cave, the great ordeal, the reward, the road back, resurrection, and the master of two worlds.
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A hero is born when he answers a call to change his life. Then the hero must turn into a warrior and fight for what’s important. Finally, the warrior understands his choices and becomes an artist that creates his reality. The hero’s journey is a map of consciousness and helps you find where you are at in your journey. Let’s break down the steps to see where on the path you are.
The Call to Adventure
The call to adventure can be an illness, a trauma, or a loss. Something that changes you so dramatically you finally decide to change your life in a big way. Maybe you don’t have a solid idea of where you are going, but you know that this ordinary world isn’t so familiar anymore. So, you begin searching for healing, a deeper lesson, and a new way of being.
The Refusal to the Call
Some stories end here because you lack the courage to truly let go of the past and face the future in a new way. When the hero refuses to go on a mission to advance his spirit, he goes right back into the ordinary world. But, unfortunately, sometimes we must deny the call for decades or even lifetimes before we are ready to take the plunge.
Meeting the Mentor
When the hero has enough courage to jump and focus on the original instructions that God gave him, he will meet a mentor. The mentor is the healer, the teacher, the shaman, the God, or goddess that gives you the tools you will need for your journey ahead.
Crossing the Threshold
You must step out onto your own two feet after gathering all the wisdom and knowledge from your mentor. You find the path toward your enlightenment and begin to see where you need to go for your healing or expansion. A second call to adventure comes, and the hero must conjure a great deal of courage to step onto his path. You have understood your original instructions from the creator, and now it’s time to act upon that knowledge. The hero must become a warrior now and fight his way toward enlightenment.
Test, Allies, and Enemies
The adventure becomes more complex because the shift inside the warrior has created a war. The resistance from the outside world and your mind begin to collaborate to test your metal. Every external test comes with an internal struggle to reflect itself like a mirror. Along the way, you find allies that help you along the path and tricksters that act like your friend but throw you off the path. Then, of course, you find a horde of enemies here fighting against you as they defend their master. As the fighting intensifies, the warrior begins to hone his skills and gains confidence with every slash of his sword.
Approaching the Innermost Cave
The war intensifies in the world around you, and the inner world fights even harder. You want to turn back now, but the only way forward is through the cave. The horde of enemies is stronger than ever, and the warrior feels like the entire world is against him as he pushes deeper into the cave where the dark master resides.
The Great Ordeal
You come face to face with the dark master at the center of the Earth. This is the fight you have been training for, and it takes everything you have ever learned to succeed. The most challenging fight stirs the mind even more, and doubts arise as the warrior fights for his life. Deep in the war, he realizes that the dark master is his shadow.
The Reward
When the warrior defeats his shadow and integrates the darkness that he was afraid of the whole time, he wins. With his victory comes excellent prizes, rewards, and elixirs. However, the award is about expanding consciousness and not something material.
The Road Back
It’s time to make your way back to the ordinary world with your prize in hand. The road is long and winding to get home, and the warrior has a false sense of security as he skips with laughter. As the warrior nears his home, he has a gut feeling that something is wrong, and the dark master rises again. Again, the warrior is caught off guard and must fight ten times harder to claim his victory. This time the warrior dies battling for his life…
The Resurrection
With the help of something supernatural, the warrior comes back to life even stronger and slays the dark master forever. The warrior is reborn in the process and has ten times the power he thought possible. The warrior must become the artist now as he reflects and understands his journey.
The Master of Two Worlds
The artist returns home with newfound glory and power. He is the master of the light and dark worlds. He has successfully integrated his shadow and freely controls both aspects of himself. This integration comes with great responsibility as the artist realizes that he is the creator of his own creation. He understands now that he contains all the oceans in one raindrop. He includes all of creation inside himself. He is an aspect of the creator, created to experience himself. With integration comes oneness and wholeness. Soon his bliss becomes the ordinary world, and he forgets the truth about oneness. A new call to adventure repeats the cycle.
Where are you in your hero’s journey? This map allows you to see where you are and what to expect next. The practice of mapping your journey is like the native tradition of mapping your journey according to the medicine wheel. When we know where we are, we know what to tap into and integrate the dark master inside of us. The hero must become initiated, the warrior must struggle, and the artist must understand his creation. The goal in life is to become an artist to begin painting your dream world.
What’s your dream world look like, and how will you paint it?
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If you want to connect with Thomas Wurm and learn more about how he helps first-time authors heal through writing and publishing their first books go to: BreakthroughWritersblock.com
If you are a wildland firefighter suffering in silence, go to: www.mountainmindtricks.com
THOMAS WURM
Thomas went from wildland firefighter to alternative mental health professional after losing a best friend suddenly. The grief turned into anxiety and progressed into mystery symptoms. So he turned to meditation, acupuncture, journaling, writing books, and Mental-Emotional Release to find healing. He founded Mountain Mind Tricks Publishing where he helps First-Time Authors heal deep emotional trauma by blending Mental-Emotional Release, Energy Healing, and the Shamanic Writing Process. Thomas takes his clients from book idea to published with his small publishing house. “I want the first-time author to go through a transformational experience while writing their book and then I can help them with the publishing, advertising, and thriving portion too. I believe that when the book heals the author the book will heal the reader and this is the foundation of Mountain Mind Tricks Publishing.”
If you want to connect with Thomas Wurm and learn more about how he helps first-time authors heal through writing and publish their first books go to: BreakthroughWritersblock.com
