Becoming the Hero or Heroine in One's life story

“Life, according to Helen Keller, is either a daring adventure or nothing at all. Even Death, it is claimed, calls us out to explore life to the fullest, before our time is done. In the words of Virgil “Death twitches my ear; ‘LIVE,’ he says… ‘I’m coming.” If it’s true that it’s not death that a man should fear, but rather fear never beginning to live? Then, what are we waiting for? January, 2022 is as good a time as any, to wholeheartedly embrace Israelmore Ayivor’s call to action:

‘’You were created a hero and born to prove it. Stand on challenges and make a difference.”

For those who may be thinking this is easy for you to say, I have two responses. It's not, and you may have already embraced this call in some shape or fashion, in at least one area of life, where you are succeeding and where I may be struggling.

But who exactly is a hero or heroine….. ?

A person noted for feats of courage or nobility of purpose, especially one who has risked or sacrificed his or her life. Joseph Campbell describes it variously as; He or she who has achieved or done something beyond the normal range of human experience, given his or her life to something bigger than himself or herself or other than himself or herself. Going from psychological dependency into one of psychological self-responsibility requires a death and resurrection and that is the basic motif of the hero’s journey. Leaving one condition, finding the source of life to bring you forth in richer, more mature, or other condition

Even if we happen not to be a hero or heroine in the grand scheme of redeeming society, he noted, we have to take that journey ourselves, spiritually and psychologically, inside us. Living our most heroic lives.

(Maria Carrie sang that)Hero Maria Carrie

There’s a hero, If you look inside your heart

You don’t have to be afraid, of what you are

There’s an answer, If you reach into your soul

And the sorrow that you know, Will melt away

And then a hero comes along, with the strength to carry on

And you cast your fears aside, and you know you can survive

So when you feel like hope is gone, look inside you and be strong

And you’ll finally see the truth, that a hero lies in you

The concept of the Hero’s journey, has been described as the common template of stories(or an archetype) that involve a hero who goes on an adventure, is victorious in a decisive crisis, and comes home changed or transformed. The model is broken into a two part world, with three acts occurring between these two worlds and consisting of twelve steps.

Against this backdrop and Maria Carey’s soundtrack, our message is that of the heroic myth. The purpose is to help you internalize the physical, mental and spiritual qualities, which every individual in his or her innermost self, dreams of acquiring towards service above self. Qualities like courage, fidelity, charity, selflessness, hope, etc.

"This is the true joy in life, being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one. Being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances, complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy. I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it what I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work, the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no brief candle to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.”― George Bernard Shaw

As we begin this New Year, or new cycle of 365days, 52 weeks and 12 months. We are blessed with a fresh opportunity or a new page to write our story and begin our quest anew. Who says you can’t be a hero for a day, a week, a month, a year or even an entire life time?

What’s keeping you from visualizing, writing and directing your own story, and what greater stage for this epic than that offered by life itself? You are the narrator, the beginning is in our hands and the ending depends on a process- Life’s impartial laws and principles. What adventures are you planning to undertake, what victories are you hoping to achieve, crisis to overcome and what transformations are you looking forward to attaining? Write your own story, you must!

For “To discover we have no story is to acknowledge that our existence is meaningless, which we may find unbearable”― Robert Fulford,?As will the case in any true story, there will be pitfalls.

James Clear has made one of these particularly clear... “You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.” So, what are some of the lessons from the Hero’s journey’s structure, symbols, sequence and elements that we may apply to prosper in our endeavours??Below is a guidance from the proponent himself.

‘’Furthermore, we have not even to risk the adventure alone; for the heroes of all time have gone before us; the labyrinth is thoroughly known; we have only to follow the thread of the hero-path. And where we had thought to find an abomination, we shall find a god; where we had thought to slay another, we shall slay ourselves; where we had thought to travel outward, we shall come to the centre of our own existence; where we had thought to be alone, we shall be with all the world’’.

Campbell according to Derisz saw the Importance of myth not just in stories, but in our lives, as symbols to inspire us to flourish and grow to our full potential. He continues that, the structure offers a tool of transformation and a way to inspire the unconscious to work towards our own hero’s journey.

The model developed by Campbell and refined later by Christopher Vogler contains a two part world mirroring the conscious and the subconscious mind. This drama playing out in the Hero’s journey interplays between the conscious and the Subconscious mind. The language of the subconscious is symbols, and a borderline state exists for flawless communication provided trust exists between the?two.The Subconscious is the seat of the ‘’still small voice within’’ and it can be roused and its powers unleashed by the use of visualisation. This tool, is described by Erwin Waltermeyer, as detaching our messages from the bondage of words and transforming it into a living symbol, charged with feelings.

The three acts of the path reminds us of thesis, synthesis and antithesis in the material sciences and arts, just as the twelve steps and its circular flow are representative of the principle that all life and all existence express itself in cycles. The implication is that we must optimise each time and season, if we are to become Masters of fate and Captains of our Soul

The first of the twelve steps is described by some as the calm before the storm or equilibrium, after which comes a disruption of normalcy as a 2nd step-The call to adventure .The 3rd step represents a refusal to change,?a step that persists until we receive inspiration internally or from external guidance at the 4th step. The 5th step involves crossing the threshold, the point of no return, where the initiation begins:

‘’Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favour all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now. (William Hutchinson Murray (1913-1996)

We must watch our thoughts, they become words or will, and our words they become actions, our actions which become habits, habits which become character and character which leads to our destiny. It is said that through action, a man becomes a hero and by learning from the myth, a man takes action. Remember, our attitude decides our altitude or the depths to which we may sink. The 6th step is one of test, trials, temptations and tribulations supported by friends and opposed by foes. Where would King Arthur be without his Merlin? Moses without Aron or should I say Neo without his beloved Trinity?

The 7th step introduces another threshold that has to be crossed. This may offer a brief respite, giving the hero time to pause and reflect, before the Ordeal symbolised in the 8th step unfolds. Victory in the great Ordeal leads to the 9th step of transformation with a prize as a reward. This object is often symbolized as a treasure, a token, secret knowledge, or reconciliation.

The 10th step describes the return journey home, while the 11th step stands for resurrection - a final confrontation that leads to self-transcendence. Here the Hero offers his service, to benefit the wider world. Following which, the hero returns home at this 12th and final step.

If we follow this structure carefully as replicated in myths, rituals, movies or other story forms we will come to realise the wealth of knowledge they contain. In the words of Jesse Owen-“The battles that count aren’t the ones for gold medals. The struggles within yourself – the invisible battles inside all of us – that’s where it’s at.” The hero’s journey offers inspiration for many of Hollywood’s blockbuster movies because its mythical structure resonates with us at our deepest levels. In its various telling of the universal story of humanity, it tells the story of our individual lives, its hopes, dreams and possibilities.