Episode 21: The Journey of Becoming The Hero of Our Own Life

In this episode, Dr. Sally Adnams Jones and Dr. Jen Peer Rich explore the journey of becoming the hero of our own life.
0:36 Jen says the podcast explores growth patterns, developmental trajectories, and healing over time, at all the levels of reality - the personal, social, ecological, and universal levels. It is a journey of spirals, seasons, cycles, breakdowns and breakthroughs, to be explored through a variety of lenses - political/historical, evo-developmental, and trauma informed. The podcast also explores what gets in the way of transformation, and offers tools on the ground of life. We are fields of transformation participating within fields of transformation. Moving with these tides of transformation consciously is also known as the ‘hero's journey’, or the hero/ines journey. And it is in ‘the unknown’ that we claim some kind of birthright, gift of healing and wisdom. Ultimately, we return back into our families, communities and the world, to share our gifts of wisdom. Joseph Campbell named the hero’s journey, and others such as Maureen Murdock, reimagined the journey from a woman's point of view, centering not only our unique gifts and contributions, but also the cold hard truths, and often harshness that we endure because of patriarchal dominance and control. In the long view of that journey, we include “Elderhood”. And the goal of being a conscious elder is learning to make decisions that benefit not only ourselves, but our families, the planet, and animal kinfolk. We show up, to care, and live a value-driven life. Jen describes how as we get older, we start ‘making meaning’ differently. Our beliefs change and we are able to shape our own destiny in new ways. A few of us push growth to the age of 90 or beyond, which brings new challenges, such as loneliness, as our social circles start to shrink. The aging journey also gets us thinking about our legacy. Did we lead a good life? Elders can bring forth hard-earned direct experience, and knowledge. Indigenous people have always known that elders deserve respect. How do we become hero/ine's of our own lives as long as possible?
9:48 Sally says everybody has an arc to their lives - the journey of becoming mature over time, is a process of living many stories, and we can learn from each other’s story arc’s too. Sally then describes how the idea of the hero has changed from pre-modern, to modern, to post-modern, to meta-modern - from brute strength, to upper body strength, to IQ/Objectivity, to including yin/EQ/SQ. She discusses cultural heroes, for example in our movies, like Batman, Superman, and Spider Man, all male figures, still with upper body strength but also with enormous skills. They are selfless, come to rescue the feminine, and their nation, or whoever is vulnerable. Finally, we get Wonder Woman, or Catwoman - heroines fully in their own masculine agency, who are empowered and also able to rescue the vulnerable. They too are selfless, and risk their lives. They too are brave and courageous and can make a positive impact. Sally contrasts this brand ‘new heroine’ with Victorian novels, where the heroine was mostly stuck at home, with her tight corset on, where she could hardly breathe, or move. She is the one that needed rescuing, from boredom, abuse or a bad marriage, and was usually fainting and taking smelling salts, because her day was overwhelming with very little. She discusses the heroic idea of the fireman, first responder, and ER doctor, who are constantly at work, saving lives, all while becoming deeply traumatized, evident in the movie “Transplant” on netflix. This part of the hero’s journey is never spoken about. We have to reinvent the idea of what a hero does and needs. All genders can now ask who are we saving? Joseph Campbell had 17 stages to this Hero’s Journey arc, but Sally identifies three stages, to make it easier. 1) You're at home, in the village. And you're in primordial “Oneness”, the process of innocence. And something calls to you. And it's usually a challenge. 2) The journey of self discovery then is to leave the village, the known, the comfortable. You're called beyond the cozy, comfortable nest, to face all sorts of challenges. And you're initiated into stepping into your bravest most courageous self, into the unknown, fighting the demons, whatever that looks like. This is deeply transformative learning, for both men and women. 3) The third part of the story is Eldership. We return to the village, where we serve with the gifts and the knowledge that we have earned, come back into relationship, into service, as a differentiated, agentic individual - Oneness, but no longer primordial. The ‘yin of community’ and the ‘yang of individuation’, work together then in the final stage of integration, of the full arc.
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