The Hero's Journey Cycle of Transformation in All Stories & Myths - Joseph Campbell Teachings

[Winston]

Check out this great documentary called "Finding Joe" about the Hero's Journey that is embedded in all mythologies, stories, religions, books and movies. And in your own life too. It's something our inner life goes through on our journey of personal transformation. And it is alchemical in nature too, in our soul, and an archetype in our consciousness too. This documentary is based on Joseph Campbell's teachings about mythology and meaning. Campbell is considered the greatest mythology teacher and inspired George Lucas to create Star Wars too. This documentary is very inspiring and meaningful. Watch it and see. The first part about the parable of the golden Buddha is very poetic and a great spiritual allegory.

Video description

This film is an exploration of famed Mythologist Joseph Campbell's studies and their continuing impact on our culture. Through interviews with visionaries from a variety of fields interwoven with enactments of classic tales by a sweet and motley group of kids, the film navigates the stages of what Campbell dubbed The Hero's Journey: the challenges, the fears, the dragons, the battles, and the return home as a changed person. Rooted in deeply personal accounts and timeless stories, Finding Joe shows how Campbell's work is relevant and essential in today's world and how it provides a narrative for how to live a fully realized life - or as Campbell would simply state, how to "follow your bliss".

In narratology and comparative #mythology, the #monomyth, or the hero's journey, is the common template of a broad category of tales that involve a hero who goes on an adventure, and in a decisive crisis wins a victory, and then comes home changed or transformed.

The concept was introduced by Joseph Campbell in The Hero with a Thousand Faces (1949), who described the basic narrative pattern as follows:

A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man.

Campbell and other scholars, such as Erich Neumann, describe narratives of Gautama Buddha, Moses, and Christ in terms of the monomyth.

[Winston]

A clip of Joseph Campbell explaining to Bill Moyer the importance of "Following your bliss" during their interview for "The Power of Myth".

[Winston]

A summary of 12 stages of the Hero's Journey, which is a blueprint pattern for what every hero in myths, stories and movies goes through, including ourselves. If you think about it, even Jesus Christ went through this hero's journey, as well as Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz, and the heroes in most action movies too. And in fact, even I went through it in my Russia Adventures too.

Video description:

This quick summary of The Heroes Journey (Original concept by by Joseph Campbell) is based on the Christopher Vogler adaption of the hero's 12 stages:

1. Ordinary World
2. Call To Adventure
3. Refusal Of The Call
4. Meeting The Mentor
5. Crossing The First Threshold
6. Tests, Allies, Enemies
7. Approach To The Inmost Cave
8. Ordeal
9. Reward
10. The Road Back
11. Resurrection
12. Return With The Elixer

This monomyth / mythology is an epic path to self-discovery, facing your fears, and living your life's purpose.

A Hero With A Thousand Faces Audiobook: https://goo.gl/Qsd1MD
(Physical Book Copy): https://goo.gl/f9e7Jh

[Cornfed]

This is weird and uncanny. I was just talking to someone about the possibility of co-writing a book based on this template.

[Winston]

This great quote from Joseph Campbell, the greatest mythology teacher of all time who inspired George Lucas to create Star Wars, describes my experience of feeling a lot more ALIVE in Russia very well, and sums up the reason for HA too!



The full version of the quote is:

“People say that what we're all seeking is a meaning for life. ... I think that what we're seeking is an experience of being alive, so that our life experiences on the purely physical plane will have resonances with our own innermost being and reality, so that we actually feel the rapture of being alive.” - Joseph Campbell, The Power of Myth (PBS Interview with Bill Moyers)

[Winston]

This is weird and uncanny. I was just talking to someone about the possibility of co-writing a book based on this template.

On what template? The hero's journey? That is a timeless template that encapsulates every myth, religion, and story from ancient times til now. And even fits the hero characters of most movies too. Watch the videos I posted in this thread. You will find them meaningful and inspiring.

[Cornfed]

This is weird and uncanny. I was just talking to someone about the possibility of co-writing a book based on this template.

On what template? The hero's journey? That is a timeless template that encapsulates every myth, religion, and story from ancient times til now.

Right, but it is weird that the first time I discussed this with anyone as a concept is within the last week and now encounter it for the second time on this forum.

[Winston]

Wow cornfed. Sometimes synchronicities like that mean something. They are a signal that you're on the right path. Look up the teachings of carl jung about synchronicity. You should follow up by watching the videos above.

[Winston]

Check out this great video about how every story is essentially the same, as they all follow the hero's journey cycle of transformation described by Joseph Campbell and Dan Harmon. If you think about it, the Happier Abroad journey that we all go through also exemplifies the hero journey motif in a way too. By going abroad and venturing into unknown territory, you too undergo the hero's journey. It's a lot better than having a dull routine life everyday at home where nothing new or interesting happens.

[Winston]

I saw some videos saying that the hero or protagonist in most movies or legends or myths, is usually chaste or celibate and refrains from lust and sex. They are never horny bastards who try to seduce women and satisfy their sexual desires. That seems to be true. Except for james bond and captain kirk maybe. Lol. So why is that? Why do our heros and idols and saviors tend to be chaste or celibate? From Hercules to Luke Skywalker, the hero or savior is always chaste or celibate usually. Even jesus was portrayed in legend as celibate even though he may not have been in real life and may have had a relationship with mary magdalene.

Also the hero or savior in most myths and legends and movies too, tend to refrain from sexual temptation or seduction by women. They dont usually give in with glee when a woman seduces them. At least not easily and not at first. Why is that?