PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTION
In psychological terms, the archetype of the Hero represents what Freud called the
ego — that part of the personality that separates from the mother, that considers
itself distinct from the rest of the human race. Ultimately, a Hero is one who is able
to transcend the bounds and illusions of the ego, but at first, Heroes are all ego: the I,
the one, that personal identity which thinks it is separate from the rest of the group.
The journey of many Heroes is the story of that separation from the family or tribe,
equivalent to a child's sense of separation from the mother.
The Hero archetype represents the ego's search for identity and wholeness.
In the process of becoming complete, integrated human beings, we are all Heroes
facing internal guardians, monsters, and helpers. In the quest to explore our own
minds we find teachers, guides, demons, gods, mates, servants, scapegoats, masters,
seducers, betrayers, and allies, as aspects of our personalities and characters in our
dreams. All the villains, tricksters, lovers, friends, and foes of the Hero can be found
inside ourselves. The psychological task we all face is to integrate these separate parts
into one complete, balanced entity. The ego, the Hero thinking she is separate from
all these parts of herself, must incorporate them to become the Self.
I DEPARTURE
1) Ordinary World
Look around, sister, brother of the Home Tribe. You can see the people are barely getting by,
surviving on a dwindling supply of last season's food. Times are bad and the country all
around seems lifeless. The people grow weak before our eyes, but a few of us are filed with
restless energy.
Like you. You're uncomfortable, feeling you no longer fit in with this drab, exhausted place.
You may not know it, but you're soon to be selected as a hero, to join the select company of
the Seekers, those who have always gone out to face the unknown. You'll undertake a journey
to restore life and health to the entire Home Tribe, an adventure in which the only sure thing
is that you'll be changed. You're uneasy, but there's a thrill running through you. You're poised
to break free from this world, ready to enter the world of adventure.
2) Call to Adventure
Trouble shadows the Home Tribe. You hear its call, in the grumbling of our stomachs and the
cries of our hungry children. The land for miles around is tapped out and barren and clearly
someone must go out beyond the familiar territory. That unknown land is strange and fills us
with fear, but pressure mounts to do something, to take some risks, so that life can continue.
A figure emerges from the campfire smoke, an elder of the Home Tribe, pointing to you. Yes,
you have been chosen as a Seeker and called to begin a new quest. You'll venture your life so
that the greater life of the Home Tribe may go on.
3) Refusal of the Call
Gather your gear, fellow Seeker. Think ahead to possible dangers, and reflect on past disasters.
The specter of the unknown walks among us, halting our progress at the threshold. Some of
us turn down the quest, some hesitate, some are tugged at by families who fear for our lives
and don't want us to go. You hear people mutter that the journey is foolhardy, doomed from
the start. You feel fear constricting your breathing and making your heart race. Should you
stay with the Home Tribe, and let others risk their necks in the quest? Are you cut out to be
a Seeker?
4) Meeting with the Mentor
You Seekers, fearful at the brink of adventure, consult with the elders of the Home Tribe. Seek
out those who have gone before. Learn the secret lore of watering holes, game trails, and berry
patches, and what badlands, quicksand, and monsters to avoid. An old one, too feeble to go out
again, scratches a map for us in the dirt. The shaman of the tribe presses something into your
hand, a magic gift, a potent talisman that will protect us and guide us on the quest. Now we
can set out with lighter hearts and greater confidence, for we take with us the collected wisdom
of the Home Tribe.
5) Crossing the first Threshold
The ranks of the Seekers are thinner now. Some of us have dropped out, but the final few
are ready to cross the threshold and truly begin the adventure. The problems of the Home
Tribe are clear to everyone, and desperate — something must be done, now! Ready or not,
we lope out of the village leaving all things familiar behind. As you pull away you feel the
jerk of the invisible threads that bind you to your loved ones. It's difficult to pull away from
every thing you know but with a deep breath you go on, taking the plunge into the abyss of the
unknown.
We enter a strange no-man's-land, a world between worlds, a zone of crossing that may be
desolate and lonely, or in places, crowded with life. You sense the presence of other beings, other
forces with sharp thorns or claws, guarding the way to the treasure you seek. But there's no
turning back now, we all feel it; the adventure has begun for good or ill.
II INITIATION
1) Tests, Allies, Enemies
known. Not only are the terrain and the local residents different, the rules of this place are
strange as they can be. Different things are valued here and we have a lot to learn about the
local currency, customs, and language. Strange creatures jump out at you! Think fast! Don't
eat that, it could be poison!
Exhausted by the journey across the desolate threshold zone, we're running out of time and
energy. Remember our people back in the Home Tribe are counting on us. Enough sightseeing,
let's concentrate on the goal. We must go where the food and game and information are
to be found. There our skills will be tested, and we'll come one step closer to what we seek.
2) Approach to the Inmost Cave
Our band of Seekers leaves the oasis at the edge of the new world, refreshed and armed with
more knowledge about the nature and habits of the game we're hunting. We're ready to press on
to the heart of the new world where the greatest treasures are guarded by our greatest fears.
Look around at your fellow Seekers. We've changed already and new qualities are emerging.
Who's the leader now? Some who were not suited for life in the Ordinary World are now
thriving. Others who seemed ideal for adventure are turning out to be the least able. A new
perception of yourself and others is forming. Based on this new awareness, you can make
plans and direct yourself towards getting what you want from the Special World. Soon you
will be ready to enter the Inmost Cave.
3) Ordeal
Seeker, enter the Inmost Cave and look for that which will restore life to the Home Tribe.
The way grows narrow and dark. You must go alone on hands and knees and you feel the
earth press close around you. You can hardly breathe. Suddenly you come out into the deepest
chamber and find yourself face-to-face with a towering figure, a menacing Shadow composed
of all your doubts and fears and well armed to defend a treasure. Here, in this moment, is
the chance to win all or die. No matter what you came for, it's Death that now stares back at
you. Whatever the outcome of the battle, you are about to taste death and it will change you.
4) Reward
We Seekers look at one another with growing smiles. We've won the right to be called heroes.
For the sake of the Home Tribe we faced death, tasted it, and yet lived. From the depths of
terror we suddenly shoot up to victory. It's time to fill our empty bellies and raise our voices
around the campfire to sing of our deeds. Old wounds and grievances are forgotten. The story
of our journey is already being woven.
You pull apart from the rest, strangely quiet. In the leaping shadows you remember those who
didn't make it, and you notice something. You're different. You've changed. Part of you has
died and something new has been born. You and the world will never seem the same. This too
is part of the Reward for facing death.
III RETURN
1) Road back
Wake up, Seekers! Shake off the effects of our feast and celebration and remember why we
came out here in the first place! People back home are starving and it's urgent, now that we've
recovered from the ordeal, to load up our backpacks with food and treasure and head for
home. Besides, there's no telling what dangers still lurk on the edge of the hunting grounds.
You pause at the edge of camp to look back. They'll never believe this back home. How to tell
them? Something bright on the ground catches your eye. You bend to pick it up — a beautiful
smooth stone with an inner glow. Suddenly a dark shape darts out at you, all fangs. Run!
Run for your life!
2) The Resurrection
We -weary Seekers shuffle hack towards the village. Look! The smoke of the Home Tribe fires!
Pick up the pace! But wait — the shaman appears to stop us from charging back in. You have
been to the land of Death, he says, and you look like death itself, covered in blood, carrying the
torn flesh and hide of your game. If you march back into the village without purifying and
cleansing yourselves, you may bring death back with you. You must undergo one final sacrifice
before rejoining the tribe. Your warrior self must die so you can be reborn as an innocent into
the group. The trick is to keep the wisdom of the Ordeal, while getting rid of its bad effects.
After all we've been through, fellow Seekers, we must face one more trial, maybe the hardest
one yet.
3) Return with the Elixir
We Seekers come home at last, purged, purified, and bearing the fruits of our journey. We
share out the nourishment and treasure among the Home Tribe, with many a good story
about how they were won. A circle has been closed, you can feel it. You can see that our struggles
on the Road of Heroes have brought new life to our land. There will be other adventures,
but this one is complete, and as it ends it brings deep healing, wellness, and wholeness to our
world. The Seekers have come Home.
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