The Heroine’s Journey — Step 2

Exploring the Heroine’s Journey

When the concept of the hero began repeatedly interrupting my daily reality — I decided to explore what defines a ‘hero’ a bit more deeply. Words and phrases jumped out: endowed with great strength, admired for achievements, noble qualities, great courage, ingenuity, bravery.

I decided to create a 12-wk series, exploring the different stages as presented by Joseph Campbell, Maureen Murdock, and Victoria Lynn Schmidt in relation to how a woman finds her voice, learns to be content, and shares joy. If you missed last week’s post visit: The Journey Begins

Step 2

• Campbell: Refusing the Call
• Murdock: Identification with the masculine and gathering of allies
• Schmidt: Betrayal or disillusionment.

What the experts say

Campbell presents the reality that some heroes ignore or refuse to answer the call to adventure. When someone refuses their call, “All he can do is create new problems for himself and await the gradual approach of his disintegration” (Campbell, Joseph. The Hero with a Thousand Faces, p. 59). Even worse, the alternative, they go crazy.

Murdock believes the heroine embraces the masculine to begin the second stage of the journey. She focuses on two types…