The Hero and Your Journey - Part 1

**Note: this is such a big entry, I have to do it in parts - you can thank me later ;)**

I had a professor in university who had the nasty habit of pointing out just how easily Joseph Campbell's "Hero's Journey" could be applied to everything. For those of you unfamiliar, Campbell basically studied all of the major stories that have shaped our world as we know it (the Christ story, the Grail quest, Buddha, you name it.) and set out to map the road all heroes travel, whether it be in literature (everything from the bible to Harlequin follows the same basic structure), in film, in television
or otherwise. In fact, I recall that he offered up $50 to any student who could find a film that did not follow Joseph Campbell's structure. I believe he never paid out.

During this same semester, I was trying to learn the tarot. Not just for the sake of doing readings for myself and friends (although that's always educational), but to understand why and how it was possible to self-diagnose with the tarot.

Not I know there are those who are able to use the tarot to different ends, perhaps to trigger intuition about those they are reading for, or to perform magick. But me? Little old me? Ah, I just use it to figure out where my head is.

And believe me, when used properly, the tarot is a really great tool for self-diagnosing. In attempting to 'read' the cards for yourself, you're forced to take some hard looks at your current state. I always say that the tarot will never tell you anything you don't already know, but it might tell you some things you don't want to admit.

Anyway, so here I am studying Joseph Campbell and tarot at the same time. And I realized that like everything else (it seems), the major Arcana, from The Fool to the Universe (or the World, depending on your deck) seemed to be following the hero's journey. Here's the Coles' Notes version.

1. A call to adventure, which the hero has to accept or decline
2. A road of trials, regarding which the hero succeeds or fails
3. Achieving the goal or "boon," which often results in important self-knowledge
4. A return to the ordinary world, again as to which the hero can succeed or fail
5. Application of the boon, in which what the hero has gained can be used to improve the world

Or to quote Campbell himself:

³A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man."

I won't pretend I'm any kind of expert (I am a jack of all trades, master of few - and Tarot isn't one of them) - so bear with me ... Here's a crash course on how to 'read' the story of the tarot (remember, YOU are the hero in this particular journey). Look at it as a really good way to navigate your way through the big players of the tarot, if you're a beginner or just interested.


***

You (the FOOL) embark on a journey to find the holy grail. You are naïve and have little sense of the danger that lies ahead.

You encounter a MAGICIAN (the Magus/Magician) who gives you a really good pep talk and some magic potion. You feel invigorated, ready to take on the world, but it's dark, you're lost and you forgot to ask for a map or a flashlight.

A light comes out of the darkness, it's an ethereal being, a PRIESTESS. She guards a doorway to another world, a very secret world that holds many wonders. But she's not going to let you through. You haven't earned it. Instead she offers you something else, a glimpse perhaps, enough to whet your appetite anyway. She also tells you where you are so that you may find your bearings, but she does not tell you where you need to go. You realize that you are lost.

You have been walking all night through the forest. Finally, after dawn, you spot two castles in the distance.

The first is ruled by the EMPEROR. It is perfectly square, surrounded by a mote and enclosed by huge towering walls that keep everything belonging to the Emperor inside the castle grounds. You seek counsel with the Emperor. He is a good ruler but he only understand things so long as they are ordered, logical, and builds walls to keep close the people and things he holds dear. You ask him where you should go to learn more about your true nature. He urges you to not forge ahead but instead to plant your feet and build some structure around yourself. He tells you that structure, family ties and roots are where you will find your treasure.

But you're not quite ready to plant roots. You have other plans.

**to be continued tomorrow**