We love stories where someone sets out in search of something that will set the world right again. There is a theory in literature, in the study of mythology, and in Jungian-based psychology that there are only seven stories in the world which we tell over and over in different ways, and that we live them out in our lives at different stages of life. They are known as the seven archetypal stories. One of them is The Hero’s Journey or Quest Story, and Journey to the West, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature, is a splendid example.
The Hero’s Journey was identified by American mythology scholar Joseph Campbell. He determined the Stages of the Hero’s Journey: Ordinary World, Call to Adventure, Refuse the Call, Meet the Mentor, Accept the Call, Cross the Threshold, Supernatural Aid, Talisman, Allies & Enemies, Tests, Reward, Journey Home, Supreme Ordeal, Resurrection, and Return with the Elixir/Restore the World.
Many of us can recognize a hero’s journey story among classic and ancient tales like The Odyssey and Beowulf. And we know them in religious stories, such as the stories of Jesus, Moses, Mohammed, Siddhartha (whose quest leads to the founding principles of Buddhism), and Rama in the Hindu classic Ramayana.
And the Hero’s Journey/Quest Story is alive and well in popular culture and in our own lives. Some notable examples are movies: Star Wars, The Matrix, The Hunger Games, The Lion King and most of the Disney Classics. Other examples are epic tales: The Wizard of Oz, Lord of the Rings, and the tales of Batman and Superman. If we consider Superman, the movie starring Christopher Reeves, we find an outstanding example of the myth played out in the movie and in the actor’s real life. Reeves began ordinarily enough, faced the challenges of college and of fostering a career in the world of entertainment, moved forward with the help of friends and mentors, then rose to fame before his ultimate ordeal: the 1995 equestrian accident that left him paralyzed from the neck down. Shortly after the accident, he considered suicide. But something called him to go forward to find the thing that would set things right not just for himself, but for the greater good. His activism and his foundation has advanced research of spinal cord injuries, making it possible for so many people who have suffered spinal cord injuries to move forward in their lives in ways which otherwise might be lost to them. Christopher Reeves, and his wife Dana, are truly heroes of our age.
Who are the heroes in the world today? Who are they in your life? Consider where are you in your personal Hero’s Journey or Quest… or have you completed it? Whether or not you have completed your quest, I urge you to look for – nay, to seek out – opportunities to answer the call and especially to mentor others who do.
by Joe Stallone, Dramaturg for Journey to the West