A little background on your HSP HERO’s Journey
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.
For the next blogs, I will use the 12 stages of the journey to help get a better picture of who we are as HSPs, where we are on our journey, and better understand our unique talents and abilities. Realizing our unique gifts and struggles will prepare us for our journey no matter what comes our way, and we will be strong, especially when people try to manipulate or talk us out of our own reality. We will know and stand confidently in who we are, comfortable in the beautiful possibilities in the world we see around us, and help to make them a reality.
The story begins with the hero––you. This roadmap helps you embark upon a journey of discovery to find where you are on the HSP Road map.
Here is a brief description of the journey we will take together:
A hero leaves her Ordinary World (1) with a Call To Adventure (2) but there is a Refusal Of The Call (3). At this turning point, the reluctant hero Meets A Mentor (4) who helps the hero begin her quest by crossing The Threshold (5) into another world where the hero meets Tests, Villains, and Allies (6) and discovers who to trust. Every obstacle the hero faces gets her closer to her character as she approaches the Innermost Cave (7), which can be an actual location or an inner conflict, and where she learns of the great magnitude of the ordeal that awaits as she jumps into the great unknown. Next is the Supreme Ordeal (8) the hero must face. To survive, some “death” has to occur before the hero can be reborn. If she fails, she will either die or life as she knows it will never be the same. After facing the test, the hero receives a Reward (9) and becomes transformed. Celebrations are quickly put aside for the hero’s Long Road Back Home (10), an echo of the Call To Adventure. This triggers the Climax or Resurrection (11) of the hero where the final, most dangerous battle occurs. She Returns Home (12) to her Ordinary World as a changed woman on the final stage of the journey.
I feel like I’ve just come home from my hero’s journey and I want to share the experience with you in the most engaging/fun way possible to help you live the powerful life you’ve been born to live. As we visit these stages together, you will have a better idea of where you are on your journey.
This week, I will be focusing on the first stage: the Ordinary World.
1. Ordinary World
What is your ordinary world right now? Are you just starting out on your journey of transformation? Or are you at the beginning? To live in our power, it’s important to know where our journey begins. It’s our jumping-off place to our own hero’s journey.
What do I mean by the ordinary world? Let’s take an example from the movies. The beginning of a movie sets up the setting of the story and the ordinary world of the main character. My favorite movie is What About Bob? It’s about a deeply troubled guy named Bob who’s unable to leave his little apartment, let alone make a big decision, and he’s a real germ-o-phobe (who knew he’d be so cutting edge?). By the end of the movie, Bob’s traveled to a resort town, charmed everyone, and ends up interviewed on national TV. Bob’s story of transformation started with him as a highly neurotic character too scared to leave his apartment.
