The Hero Journey and the Archetypes of Change
The SELF intimately understands all possible scopes of experiences that induce us to abandon all the social facets of world interaction, and enter the introspective universe of inner realities. According to Jungian analysis, the development of a human personality is both prospective and teleological, which means that it is the result of our expectations for the future, complemented by the experiences we developed from our past. This development is accompanied by countless passages and elements, since we are constantly invited by our essence to change the gears in our lives, and even in our personal personas because the roles we play in life are in a perpetual state of renewal and transformation. To change means to let go of certain certainties, and enter the unknown territory of internal alchemical transformation.
In the Hero Journey, the traveler is a solitary being, because he has the control in his life and gets used to making hard decisions. He suffers, learns and renews himself many times - it is necessary for him to realize his path of reintegration with grace and serenity. He is certain that the journey will be rewarded with the reaching of his personal goals, and with the ultimate reality of what it is, for the traveler, his Paradise.
The reality is that no one can grow while still attached to one's comfort zone. Without this shift, a soul cannot grow, cannot mature, and cannot travel through the dimensions of the inner world. They will eventually enter a psychic stagnation, get sick, and disappear without even the slightest dawning of the first steps of self-realization. The necessity for growth is inherent in human nature, and it demands internal and spiritual work. We are called to re-evaluate ourselves constantly within the perspective of life, our interactions with others, the actualization of our internal timing, and our progress in practicing mindfulness and non-attachment.
What is important is that the path of self-realization allows us to live in a richer reality, with more joy and self-awareness. The Hero Journey is the ultimate reality for the soul that is working to reintegrate and ascend.
(1) Joseph Campbell (1904 - 1987) American scholar versed in Mythology and Religion. He dedicated his life to deep analyses of Carl Jung's theories about the Human Mind and Spirit.
