Our heroine is now enmeshed in a strange new world with different rules she doesn’t understand. She must prepare for the descent into darkness to face the ultimate test. In the heroine’s journey this stage often involves a confrontation with the dark masculine, like Bluebeard, or the powerless father. The heroine realises the father cannot… Continue reading The Heroine’s Journey: Approach the Inmost Cave
Our heroine has Crossed the First Threshold and entered the Special World of the story where she will be tested before confronting the ordeal to come. This part of the story brings out the heroine’s potential for change. In the heroine’s journey this stage may be marked by a rape trauma of some kind. She… Continue reading The Heroine’s Journey: Tests, Allies, Enemies
The heroine has met her mentor and been nudged into changing. Now she must enter the Special World of the story and Cross the First Threshold. This is where the stakes are raised and the challenge must be faced. It is a leap of faith. In the heroine’s journey this may be experienced as a… Continue reading The Heroine’s Journey: Crossing the Threshold
The heroine has refused the call to adventure through fear of change and needs a push to get her moving. She is ready to Meet the Mentor and receive help or advice for the journey ahead. In the heroine’s journey the mentor can often be seen as quite ruthless and uncompromising. Her guides may be… Continue reading The Heroine’s Journey: Meeting the Mentor
Our heroine has received the Call to Adventure and now must respond. At this point there is often a Refusal of the Call. The heroine is reluctant to change and scared of the unknown. In the heroine’s journey this may involve taking on the role of the spiritual orphan and the recognition of how alone… Continue reading The Heroine’s Journey: Refusal of the Call
We’ve met our heroine in her Ordinary World and discovered she is ready for a change. Now comes the Call to Adventure. The heroine experiences a challenge to the status quo that forces her to adapt. She may recognise the desolate state of her current life and awaken to a sense of meaninglessness or emptiness.… Continue reading The Heroine’s Journey: Call to Adventure
The heroine’s journey begins in the Ordinary World of the story. This is where we discover the background and context of the protagonist’s world and get a sense of the inner conflict that needs resolution. For the heroine, her ordinary world is often one of imprisonment in a domestic environment. She is enclosed, trapped doing… Continue reading The Heroine’s Journey: Ordinary World
In storytelling, the Heroine’s Journey is structured the same way as the Hero’s Journey but the feminine experience of the story tends to differ from the standard masculine interpretation. It is the same basic myth but with a feminine twist. The Hero’s Journey monomyth was identified by Joseph Campbell in his book on comparative mythology,… Continue reading The Heroine’s Journey
The hero has survived all the conflicts, ordeals and battles on the Hero’s Journey and now returns to his Ordinary World changed. He brings with him the hard-won Elixir, which could be an actual object, like treasure, or something like wisdom, freedom, love or knowledge. The important thing is that his new skills can be… Continue reading The Hero’s Journey: Return with the Elixir
The hero has made the decision to embrace his newly formed self and is starting to demonstrate what he has learnt on the Hero’s Journey. But it isn’t enough. The dark forces which have been pursuing the hero on the Road Back now have one last go at stopping him. We have reached the Climax… Continue reading The Hero’s Journey: Resurrection
The hero has lived through the Supreme Ordeal and received an Reward for facing his worst fear. But the journey isn’t over yet. Somehow the hero must return to his Ordinary World and use the new skills or information he has gained. So now he faces the Road Back. Here is where the hero must… Continue reading The Hero’s Journey: The Road Back
The hero has faced his worst fear, encountered death and lived. This will always bring about a transformation and there is often a reward. This stage of the journey is also called Seizing the Sword. The hero takes possession of the thing he was really after, not the thing he thought he wanted. The reward could… Continue reading The Hero’s Journey: Reward
Jessica Davidson 