“Better to lick your wounds and be battle scarred than kiss ass and compromise your values. Fight the good fight.” AmazingWomenRock.com
When the hero seems to have overcome every challenge and can see a road to the end and home, the worst comes along and the hero lands in the belly of the beast, the dark night of the soul. Every strength, every gift, every bit of magic and every lesson learned so far along the road is now needed to reach a happy ending and save the kingdom from threat. Will the hero persevere? Will the hero survive?
The real crux of the hero’s journey, the myth of the hero, is ultimately a story of one’s own inner struggles as a human being—it is a myth after all. The challenges, dragons, demons and monsters are symbolic of humanity’s struggles through all times. When the hero persists and faces the ultimately scariest demon, the enemy is often transformed into an ally. The hero is called to return and share what (s)he’s learned with the community—in the end the hero’s reward is the sense of community.
Sometimes the hero’s journey is referred to as an Adventure. Perhaps that is the first lesson—bring the Spirit of Adventure to what we are called on these days. Every day we face challenges in our work (and sometimes our lives). Every day we are facing dragons and overcoming ‘monsters.’ Every day we have allies, gifts and even magic to support us. What are you facing that you need to overcome? What gifts, allies, magic can you draw on to succeed and share with your community?
Each of us has potential to “save the kingdom.” As Carol S. Pearson wrote, “Heroism is contagious—just as villainy is.”
(Excerpted and revised from Pathways: Charting a Course for Professional Learning. Larner. Heinemann. 2004)