3 days agoMember-onlyThe Hero’s True Purpose: Crossing the Return Threshold/Master of Two WorldsThe Hero’s Journey is one of transformation; the hero must change, and he must do so in a way that benefits the world, specifically the world that he came from. It’s no good for the hero to gain power and wisdom if he cannot share those positives with the people…Heros Journey8 min readHeros Journey8 min read
Sep 18Member-onlyTo Go Dead Stick: Rescue from WithoutThis is the last of the optional stages and can immediately follow the hero’s successful achievement of the Ultimate Boon, but more often it manifests right after and is directly linked to Magic Flight. At this point in the story the hero needs to be rescued because he is either…Heros Journey7 min readHeros Journey7 min read
Sep 9Member-onlySpinning Our Wheels: Magic FlightMagic Flight refers to the hero having to make a speedy egress after he completes his task. This stage is like Refusal of the Return in that it is completely optional, and not seen in every story. Typically, it manifests due to existential threats that come from the environment, a…Personal Development8 min readPersonal Development8 min read
Aug 26Member-onlyYou Must Go Back…For Them: Refusal of the ReturnOnce the hero has reaped the fruits of his struggles in the Special World, sometimes the desire to stay exerts such a strong force that he refuses to return to his Ordinary World. This can be because the hero finds a sense of meaning and purpose so compelling in the…Heros Journey8 min readHeros Journey8 min read
Aug 3Member-onlyDo the Work: Ultimate BoonThe Ultimate Boon marks the climax of the story, when the hero has accomplished the task he set out to complete. It’s the moment that the protagonist finally becomes a true hero and puts the god-like status he achieved in the previous stage to use. All the knowledge, skills, and…Personal Development6 min readPersonal Development6 min read
Jul 31Member-onlyWe Shall Be Changed: ApotheosisThe word “apotheosis” comes from the ancient Greek word, “apotheoun” which means “to make divine”. In simplest terms this stage is the culmination of the lessons learned throughout the journey, especially when considering the hero’s reconciliation with darkness of his past, and those of his ancestors in the previous stage…Heros Journey8 min readHeros Journey8 min read
Jul 27Member-onlyNothing is Trivial: Atonement With the FatherThe “Atonement with the Father” stage is the darkest part of the heroic journey, even darker than the “Road of Trials” for the simple fact that the hero is confronting not only his own errors, pain, failure, guilt, and grief, but those of his predecessors. Now it is not a…Personal Development12 min readPersonal Development12 min read
Published inThe Inkwell Collective·Jul 18Member-onlyYou Can’t Punch Your Way Through This Problem: Woman As TemptressOne of the most misunderstood sections of Campbell’s analysis is “Woman as Temptress”, this is due mostly to its title, but since nature itself is expressed as feminine, it is most commonly symbolized in story as female. Like women, the feminine nature of existence is inherently dualistic and unpredictable, which…Temptation7 min readTemptation7 min read
Jun 23Member-onlyWhen You Need It Most: The Meeting With the Goddess.While it’s true that hardship forges a male into a man, and a man into a hero, and that all men must learn to “embrace the suck” so that we can rise to become more than what we were, it’s also true that there is only so much pain any…Healing7 min readHealing7 min read
Jun 16Member-only“I Am in Hell and I Put Myself Here.”: The Road of TrialsThe vicissitudes of the environment, both natural and artificial, ensure that only the best creatures, as well as the best ideas, are propagated. It’s a seemingly unfeeling affectation of existence, but without it, our planet would be a barren waste, devoid of any significant forms of life. Without the wild…Recovery9 min readRecovery9 min read
