The Hero’s Journey
1. Separation
A. Call
Leaves their home, awakens to pursue a
higher calling
Invited into Adventure
May be a sudden, traumatic change
May be a vague sense of discontent
B. The Threshold
The “jumping off” point
The gateway to the unknown
C. Guardian/Mentor
Guardians: beings or situations that block
passage, protect us from journeys we are
unready for, point the way
Mentor: helper, brings a talisman to help
through the ordeal, appears throughout the
journey
Begin journey into the unknown
Into a physical or psychological unknown
2. Initiation and Transformation
A. The Challenges
Tempters try to pull hero away from path
May pretend to be helper or friend
Use fear, doubt, or distraction
B. The Abyss
Represents greatest challenge in the
journey
Hero faces greatest fear and must face it
alone
“Slay the dragon”- shape of something he
dreads, has repressed, or needs to resolve
Transformation: Part of hero dies, so new
part is reborn, fear must die to make way
for courage, ignorance for enlightenment,
dependency for independence
Revelation: a sudden, dramatic change in
the way the hero thinks or views life, the
change makes him a truly different person
He is at “one” with his new self
He has incorporated the changes caused by
the journey and is reborn
Return to everyday life
Discovers his gift:
Becomes richer & stronger
Becomes a great leader
Becomes spiritually enlightened
C. The Transformation and Revelation
D. The Atonement/Enlightenment
3. The Return
Adapted From: Schulze. "Mrs. Schulze's English Class." English Adventures With Mrs. Schulze. Web. 12 Jan. 2011.
<http://www.pschulze.com/>.