Love in Action Heals Us and the World
Contact Me
close
A Roadmap for the Hero, Part 10: The Road Back

10. A Reversal

The Road Back is a reversal of the Call to Adventure where the hero returns home (instead of crossing the threshold) with her reward, but this time instead of expecting conflict and danger the hero will have acclaim, and maybe vindication, validation, absolution or even exoneration. However, the journey isn’t over yet and she may still need a little more help to get back to the Ordinary World. Right before the hero commits to the last stage of her journey, there may be a moment when she chooses between her own aim and that of a higher cause. 

How does Doris take The Road Back?

“So what did you put in that cake?” a bat said, still tearing up from laughing so hard.

“A secret ingredient,” Doris said. 

Before long, the fairies swept away the bats’ mess, and the bats made the little rainbow handkerchief beds of the fairies.”

Doris gets a little help on The Road Back to her Ordinary World after receiving the reward of adulation because of her gifts of hospitality, positivity and baking. Her party brings the bats and fairies together where they have so much compassion for each other they clean up each other’s messes. When a bat asks Doris about what she put in the cake that made them so happy, she mysteriously says it’s a secret ingredient. But readers can understand that the secret ingredient wasn’t crunchy bugs she baked inside the honey cakes, but love in action––the act of baking the cakes and creating a party, all things Doris thought to do to bring the scared fairies and bats into joy and community.

Have you ever reconciled with a loved one or discovered physical or intellectual treasure on your quest? Have Have you ever returned to your Ordinary World with a reward? If so, what was it? Is it possible that you’ve received rewards and never even known what they were? Write about a reward you’ve received after surviving an ordeal.

This is Part 10 of a 12 part series.

Be sure to read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8 and Part 9 if you missed it!

Tags
Hero’s Journey
Reward
Roadmap
Seizing the Sword
Comments

2 thoughts on “A Roadmap for the Hero, Part 10: The Road Back

  1. Hello! I could have sworn I’ve been to this website before but after checking through some of the post
    I realized it’s new to me. Nonetheless,
    I’m definitely delighted I found it and I’ll be bookmarking and checking back often!

    1. Hello! So glad that you found my site! It is here as a place for reflection, information, and community for everyone experiencing their life journey, in grief or out. Thank you for checking in!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You Might Also Like
Being The Hero Of Your Own Story
Being the Hero Of Your Own Story

Seemingly everywhere I go, I encounter ordinary people who’ve accomplished extraordinary things. Profiles in courage, towering love, and passion, these people’s transformational stories all have one thing in common––they lifted themselves out of their own pain by lifting up others. But before they could do that, they discovered and embraced the art of being themselves, […]

Read more
Ethiopia

Ethiopia is a country that still fills my heart to this day. I took a memorable eight-day trip to Ethiopia with G-Adventures, the National Geographic tour operator that teaches what exploration with purpose means, in August 2019.

Read more
Humane Education Saves Animals, And Us

Understanding animals shows them respect. Doing so illuminates the interdependence between and among species, including humans. This understanding doesn’t come from books or nature films alone. It doesn’t come from a brisk walk through a zoo. The understanding needed grows through the guided exposure to animals’ stories, strengths, threats and survival skills.

Read more
Who are the HSPs of the world?

The great philosopher, Joseph Campbell, has written about the hero’s journey. He studied ancient myths from all over the world and discovered that they all told the same stories, even though they were a world apart. They told stories about the origin of the world and stories about the stars and love. These stories all had the same structure. And I believe Joseph Campbell’s hero’s journey is the story of HSPs (Highly Sensitive Person) and how we can own our power.

Read more
return
A Roadmap for the Hero, Part 12: Return With The Elixir

12. The End of the Journey This is the final stage of the hero’s journey. She returns home to her Ordinary World a changed woman and will have grown as a person, gained knowledge, faced many terrible dangers and even death but now looks forward to the start of a new life. Her return may […]

Read more
What an overland trip through the continent of Africa taught me about creating a new normal

As an archeologist and philanthropist, world travel has been my lifeblood and has led serendipitously to the transformation of the lives of orphans and the welfare of abused animals in five countries over the last sixteen years. I met ordinary people who, like me, just wanted to make a difference in this world. In this time of the Coronavirus, the world has shuttered. Suddenly our passions, projects and even our connection with people have been put on hold. How do we keep transforming ourselves and the world from the confines of our four walls? How do any of us continue to do what we’ve always done with such dramatic life changes? How do we find a new normal?

Read more