Joseph Campbell\u2019s seminal work points to an underlying reality that myth and story speak to the human heart (or as Campbell would call it, the psyche). Through story we instruct, we connect, we inspire and persuade, and we even rejoice. It\u2019s also how we deal with our imperfection, our brokenness. As Campbell says, \u201cModern literature is devoted, in great measure, to a courageous, open-eyed observation of the sickeningly broken figurations that abound before us, around us, and within.\u201d(1)
As part of a culture\u2019s mythology, rites and rituals have always spoken deeply to me. I feel most at home in the evangelical Anglican church we were sent out from. Participating in the liturgy (which I understand can become an empty ritual for many) ushers me into God\u2019s presence in a whole-body, all-in kind of a way. For this reason, seasonal celebrations have become an important part of our family life. When the kids were little, we celebrated \u201cPancake Wednesday\u201d and now we have dozens of rituals spread out throughout the weeks and the months. These may seem trivial, but for us they have become a beautiful trellis in our family life. They help us create memories and celebrate each moment instead of drowning in the routine of the ordinary. I appreciated Campbell connecting these ideas of myth, ritual and the depth of the human spirit.
However, there was another thread found throughout Campbell\u2019s work that rang less true to me. Heavily influenced by the thinking of Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung, Campbell tied the idea of the monomyth to the content of our nightly dreams. In the section entitled From Psychology to Metaphysics, he puts it this way, \u201cBut if we are to grasp the full value of the materials, we must note that myths are not exactly comparable to dream. Their figures originate from the same sources \u2014 the unconscious wells of fantasy \u2014 and their grammar is the same, but they are not the spontaneous products of sleep. On the contrary, their patterns are consciously controlled. And their understood function is to serve as a powerful picture language for the communication of traditional wisdom.\u201d While I agree that our imagination becomes fodder for our dreams, it seems a false assumption to say that the only stories one can imagine, and therefore dream about, come from Campbell\u2019s monomyth.
To dig deeper into the Hero\u2019s Journey we were asked to review the very helpful explanation of the framework as presented on the Grand Valley State University\u2019s library website. The succinct explanations and clear wording helped me process Campbell\u2019s work. But what really drew me in was the section on the Heroine\u2019s Journey. (3) As opposed to the Hero\u2019s Journey, the Heroine\u2019s Journey is more inward focused. The dragons and ogres are often of her own making in the form of self-doubt and fear. I started reading this section and it felt like reading a page out of my own diary.
She often chooses her own path instead of the one set before her. Check.
She must overcome outward adversity, but ultimately, she must overcome herself. Check.
\u201cThe heroine finds a new strategy and reclaims her own value. With a new perspective she is able to continue forward.\u201d Hopefully.
\u201cBy accepting both sides of her nature she has gained a new understanding of herself.\u201d Working on it.
As is the same for many of you, this doctoral program represents a pivotal moment in my life. I\u2019ve been part of a church-planting project for nearly 12 years. I\u2019m not sure if that chapter of my life is going to draw to a close or simply going to run parallel to a future ministry to parents. I currently get very tongue-tied when people ask me what I do. \u201cUm, well, I\u2019m a church-planter, except, yeah, well we haven\u2019t actually planted much of a church. So I\u2019m maybe going to be a parenting coach, except, yeah, I\u2019m really not that yet. So, I guess I don\u2019t know.\u201d Awkward.
I\u2019m struck by the fact that both the Hero\u2019s and the Heroine\u2019s journey require great courage, something that I\u2019ve never felt I had much of. But then I am reminded of Nelson Mandela, a courageous figure who I came to appreciate so much during our time in Cape Town. He said, \u201cI learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it.\u201d (4) If I can learn to keep putting one foot in front of the other, even when I feel afraid, then maybe I can keep journeying. If I can keep journeying forward, then maybe I can overcome both my outward and my inward ogres. If I can slay those monsters, what\u2019s next?
\u201cShe must find the courage to be herself; limited.\u201d (5) <\/p>\r\n
__________________________________________<\/p>\r\n
1. Campbell, Joseph. The Hero with a Thousand Faces. 3rd ed. Bollingen Series XVII. Novato, Calif: New World Library, 2008. (Tragedy and Comedy)<\/p>\r\n
2. Ibid.
(Note: The ebook version of The Hero with a Thousand Faces that I read did not have page numbers, so instead I\u2019ve noted which section I\u2019ve referred to.)<\/p>\r\n
3. https:\/\/libguides.gvsu.edu\/c.php?g=948085&p=6857313<\/p>\r\n
4. Mandela, Nelson. Long Walk To Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela. Reprint. London: Abacus, 2004.<\/p>\r\n
5. https:\/\/libguides.gvsu.edu\/c.php?g=948085&p=6857313<\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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