The Hero’s Journey as a Path to Meaning
The story of Luke, Han, Leia, and Chewie captivated me as a child. Back when the only way to rewatch a movie was to return to the theater, I saw each of the original Star Wars films three times. I was especially drawn to Luke’s story—how he grew up quickly, faced his deepest fears with trembling courage, and leaned on his mentor, Obi-Wan, for strength. When Obi-Wan died, Luke was devastated—but instead of giving up, his loss marked the beginning of a new transformation.
Only later did I learn that Luke was following the pattern of the Hero’s Journey—a narrative deeply embedded in the human experience. As a Christian coach and spiritual director, I now see this same journey play out in real lives. It’s not just a myth. Through the frameworks of Jordan Peterson, Carol Pearson, and Viktor Frankl, I’ve come to see that the call to heroic transformation is also the call to become our true selves in God’s story.
Meaning Is Found Between Chaos and Order
In Maps of Meaning, Jordan Peterson argues that meaning is not abstract—it is deeply practical and moral. He writes, “The ‘mythical mind’ is in fact primarily concerned with meaning—which is essentially implication for action… We need to know what things are not to know what they are but to keep track of what they mean—to understand what they signify for our behavior.” [1] In other words, meaning arises when we are faced with the question: What should I do now?
Peterson defines human experience as a dynamic interplay between order (the known) and chaos (the unknown). Order gives us stability and predictability, but chaos is the space of possibility, risk, and growth. The archetypal Hero lives at the boundary, willingly stepping into chaos to confront the unknown and bring back wisdom or renewal. “We answer the question, ‘What should be?’ by formulating an image of the desired future,” Peterson writes. “We cannot conceive of that future except in relationship to the interpreted present—and it is our interpretation of the emotional acceptability of the present that comprises our answer to the question, ‘what is?’ [“what is the nature (meaning, the significance) of the current state of experience?”] [2]
This model parallels the process of spiritual formation. Romans 12:2 calls us to be “transformed by the renewing of [our] mind,” a transformation that requires us to discern what is good and true in a shifting world. For Christian coaches, Peterson’s framework becomes a tool: we help others name the chaos in their lives, identify the values that shape their vision of a better future, and act with courage to step into the unknown. Meaning isn’t something we find—it’s something we forge through faithful action.
Archetypes and the Inner Terrain of Transformation
Peterson uses archetypes to help us map the territory of chaos and order. Carol Pearson taps into Karl Jung’s archetypal theory also, clarifying a focus on the internal landscape—the patterns and personas that shape how we journey through life. In Awakening the Heroes Within, she identifies twelve archetypes, each representing a stage in the Hero’s journey and a part of the Self that must be integrated. “The heroic quest is about saying yes to yourself,” she writes, “and, in so doing, becoming more fully alive.” [3]
Each archetype offers both a gift and a danger. The Warrior teaches courage but can become aggressive. The Caregiver embodies compassion but can become self-neglecting. Pearson explains, “When we feel awful, we are often stuck expressing an archetype in its negative guise. To feel empowered again… we must awaken the hero within.” [4]
This mirrors Jung’s insight: we wear personas to survive, but these masks block us from becoming whole. True transformation requires moving beyond our ego’s control strategies and embracing the full mystery of who we are. In Christian formation, this is the call to die to the false self and live from the new self in Christ (Galatians 2:20).
Spiritual direction and coaching become sacred spaces for this kind of inner work. Clients are not just setting goals—they are answering a deeper question: Who am I becoming? The journey is not linear. It requires returning again and again to different archetypes, with Christ as the model of the integrated Self—fully human, fully surrendered.
Choosing Meaning in the Midst of Suffering
Viktor Frankl, in Man’s Search for Meaning, offers a piercing insight born from unimaginable suffering in Nazi concentration camps: “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing… to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” [5] As a survivor of Auschwitz, Frankl saw firsthand that suffering itself doesn’t destroy us—but the absence of meaning does.
For Frankl, meaning is not found despite suffering but through it. This echoes Pearson’s insight that heroes “confront dragons,” both internal and external, and Peterson’s view that transformation often requires not just behavioral change but a re-evaluation of what matters most. Frankl’s key distinction is that meaning is ultimately a moral and spiritual act—a decision to live with dignity and purpose, even when every external support is stripped away.
This resonates profoundly with the Christian life. Jesus’ own journey to the cross is the ultimate Hero’s path—confronting the chaos of death and bringing resurrection life. Luke 9:23 captures the call: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.”
As a spiritual director and coach, I’ve found that the clients who flourish are not those with the easiest paths, but those who discover meaning in their pain. Like Frankl, they realize they are not victims of circumstance but image-bearers capable of choosing how to respond. In that choice—to forgive, to endure, to act—they reclaim agency, and meaning is made.
Integration of Gender Archetypes for Wholeness
In my recent coach training course, Yaseen Dadabhay [6] introduced us to three existential questions men must answer in their quest for meaning:
- Do I have a battle to fight?
- Do I have an adventure to live?
- Do I have a beauty to love?
Women, too, carry their own sacred questions, which mirror and complement the masculine journey:
- Will you fight for me?
- Can I go on an adventure with you?
- Do you really see me and delight in me?
These questions reveal not only our differences, but our deep interconnection. Carl Jung described the anima (the feminine within the male psyche) and the animus (the masculine within the female psyche) as essential elements of individuation—the lifelong process of becoming a whole person. When we fail to integrate these inner opposites, we project them onto others or suppress them, creating inner conflict and relational breakdown. We also struggle to create meaning in our lives.
In Christian formation, this mirrors the invitation to wholeness in Christ, in whom there is “neither male nor female” (Galatians 3:28). As we become more like Christ, we are invited to embrace all that is truly human—strength and tenderness, courage and communion—reflecting the image of God more fully, together.
Living the Story of God
Peterson shows us that meaning is constructed at the edge of chaos, when we choose to act with purpose. Pearson reminds us that the Hero’s journey is not just myth but the very path to wholeness, guided by sacred archetypes we must learn to embody. Frankl teaches us that even in suffering, we retain the deepest human freedom: to choose our response, and thereby shape our story.
Together, these frameworks converge in the gospel. As followers of Christ—the true Hero—we are invited into a story of death and resurrection, surrender and transformation. Romans 12:2 calls us to be “transformed by the renewing of [our] mind,” and that transformation is both narrative and spiritual.
As a Christian coach and spiritual director, I now see each conversation not just as problem-solving but as story-forming. We help others find their place in God’s redemptive narrative, where even pain has a purpose, and every hero is called not just to journey—but to return and bless the world.
1 – Jordan B. Peterson, Maps of Meaning; The Architecture of Belief (New York: Routledge, 1999), 3.
2 – Peterson, 13-14.
3 – Carol Pearson, Awakening the Heroes Within; Twelve Archetypes to Help Us Find Ourselves and Transform Our World (New York, Harper Collins1991), 1.
4 – Pearson, 4.
5 – Viktor E. Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning (Boston: Beacon Press, 2006), 65.
6 – Yaseen Dadabhay, online class, April 10, 2025.
About the Author
Debbie Owen
Deborah C. Owen is an experienced spiritual director, Neuro-based Enneagram executive and life coach, disciple maker, professional writer, senior librarian, and long-time church Music Director and lay leader. She has earned the award of National Board Certification for teaching excellence, and a podcasting award, and is pursuing a Doctor of Leadership degree through Portland Seminary at George Fox University. She lives in the backwoods of Maine with her husband and flat-coated retriever. She spends as much time as she can with their 3 grown children, daughter-in-law, and 2 small grandchildren. Find her online at InsideOutMinistries.info.3 responses to “The Hero’s Journey as a Path to Meaning”
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Hi Debbie, I am guessing you have worked with a number of people as they naviage their life and spiritual journey. As you walk along side them, how does might their journey impact your understanding of your own journey?
Hi Debbie, I don’t have a question. I only want to tell you how your blog made me feel. I feel excited reading your blog. I feel excited to be part of God’s story and to be continuing to learn and write my own story. May the Lord bless your work as a spiritual director and coach so that your clients will experience a similar kind of excitement which compels them toward wholeness.
Hi Debbie! I applaud you for your work in helping others get to the other side. As you speak of suffering and meaning. How have you drawn the map of meaning in the midst of your own suffering?