MKS: “Start Your Hero’s Journey”

Your Hero’s Journey

The Master Key Experience opened my mind to one of my favorite concepts. It is Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey. In a nutshell, Campbell found a common thread in all of our stories. From Jesus to Luke Skywalker to the guy who delivers your mail.

The Hero’s Journey concept can be seen in all myths, legends, stories, movies and books. Even in your life whether you know it or not.

The Hero’s Journey concept was introduced in Campbell’s book “The Hero with a Thousand Faces.”  Hero’s Journey is the Road Less Travelled. Many hear the call but few heed it and that is why it is called the Hero’s Journey.

Stages of the Hero’s Journey

The Master Key Experience taught me there are twelve steps to the hero’s journey, and each step falls into one of three stages.

• Stage 1: Departure – This includes steps 1, 2, 3, and 4. During this stage, the hero is preparing for his quest.
• Stage 2: Initiation – This begins with step 5 as the hero crosses the first threshold, and it ends with step 10 as the hero begins the road back.
• Stage 3: Return – Beginning with step 10 as the hero begins the road back, this stage continues through the end of the story.

The Master Key Experience taught me the 12 Hero’s Journey Steps 1. Ordinary World 2. Call to Adventure 3. Refusal of the Call 4. Meeting the Mentor 5. Crossing the First Threshold 6. Tests, Allies, Enemies 7. Approach to the Inmost Cave 8. Ordeal 9. Reward (Seizing the Sword) 10. The Road Back 11. Resurrection 12. Return with the Elixir. The Master Key Experience taught me how to apply these steps to change my future life.

The Master Key Experience advises and teaches us that the way to “Meet Your Future Self on Your Hero’s Journey” is to apply certain requirements on a weekly basis. The Master Key Experience taught me how to use the following as a tool to coach myself or others.

1. Read : the Og Mandino, my Press Release, my DMP and Movie Trailer,my Blueprint Builder, the Master Key chapter for this week, my service-chore-DMP-Giving-Receiving Cards, my Giving and Receiving card, and the 7 Day Mental Diet, read the Guy/Gail in the Glass and etc.
2. Other recommended activities to “Meet Your Future Self” is to: Have no Opinions, Listen to my Recordings, Create a Master Mind Alliance with one other person, Schedule time with my family, Focus on Linking and connecting as described in the MKE Webinar, Get into the Mastermind area and Mastermind, Write my Blog entry, Visit other blogs of the MKMMA members “group” Always check the New MKE Webinar/News tab, Sit for 15 Minutes and focusing on “Meeting Your Future Self” and Comple the surveys

The Master Key Experience taught me:

[1]: We all have —A call to adventure-The Hero’s Journey.

Something in our life calls us to do something, go somewhere, execute some type of action. Maybe it’s starting a small business or breaking up with someone. Quitting a job. Moving to a new city. Changing careers. But it’s a call that we decide to answer.

Entering the unknown.

That action throws us into a new world. Now we’re making money in our small business. Now we’re finally doing something we love. Now we’re in a new city. Now we’re starting a new relationship. Now we’re starting a new career path. Now we’re a parent.

[2]: Challenges and temptations.

With every new world comes new challenges. Dealing with new people. Being alone. Making new friends. Fighting for survival. Learning how to live off a new budget. Living with someone. Showing yourself for the first time.

[3]: Slaying my dragon.

Now comes the thing we must overcome to be a better version of us. This is something we have probably run from most of our life. It’s what scares us the most.

[4]: Death and rebirth.

Once we slay our dragon, we are changed. Slaying our dragon can be an internal thing or an external thing but there is always an internal shift. We become someone different. A part of us dies and we are reborn. Then coming back to our old environment, changed and to share our story.  Coming full circle, changed, different, a new person.

The Master Key Experience taught me how to use this life changing philosophy in my life. It also taught me how to use it in the lives of others.

It taught me the steps to complete my Hero’s Journey.

1. Learn and Understand this concept.

It will be helpful to see that you are on a journey.

Most of us get stuck because we don’t see anything except what’s happening right in front of us. We’re in the trenches and can’t see anything else and don’t believe we’re going anywhere.

Describing the process of the journey, literally drawing it out on a piece of paper using your story can inject hope. You can pull back and see light at the end of the dark tunnel. You can see that whatever you’re going through is temporary and has meaning. And that’s the powerful piece. Once you are able to find meaning in something, it’s much easier to accept, lean in, and push through.

• Plug you story into the Hero’s Journey.

Ask yourself where you’re at in their circle. What was you call to adventure?

What is you dragon? ← this is what you want to get to. You may not know. So you will need process it. You may have many dragons. Remember, your dragon will always lead to an internal fear or false belief. Fear of intimacy. Fear of failure. I’m not good enough. Smart enough. Pretty enough. Talented enough. Worthy enough.

• Ask yourself what it would look like to slay your dragon.

What does it look like in action? What do you need to do? End a relationship? Or maybe start one? Do you need to conquer a fear? Do you need to dissolve a false belief? Overcome an addiction? Do you need to do in action to slay you dragon? Make sure you answer this question. You can give yourself suggestions but make sure you answer it. It’s your journey.

• Ask yourself what’s on the other side when you slay your dragon.

What would happen if you slayed your dragon? How would you feel? Who would you be? How would this change ripple into all areas of your life? We want you to imagine and see what’s on the other side.

• Ask yourself what’s at stake if you don’t slay the dragon?

Make sure you answer it, not just think about it. You want yourself to say it loud. There is tremendous power in announcing something. These are all doors open for more conversation and processing.

As you go through your Hero’s Journey and as you answer the questions, what’s created is your “treatment” or action plan. Now all you have to do is let us support you and make you accountable.

• Considerations

Know you can have a Hero’s Journey every day. Especially the internal ones. Your dragon can be speaking up at work, finally getting into the gym, eating better, confronting someone who has hurt you.

We are all on a journey. Each and every day. There is a circle, a cycle, a process.
Once you realize this, you see that life isn’t just a spinning dryer of turbulence.

Taking the Hero’s Journey will help you pick up your sword and embark on your journey.  Knowing there is a better us on the other side.

In order to give depth and meaning to your hero’s journey as a whole, you must begin by establishing the hero’s known world. Readers need to see who the hero is before their journey begins, how they live, and why it is they’re unsatisfied with their life as is.

The Hero’s Journey is circular in structure, meaning the Chosen One’s journey typically ends where it begins, though the journey itself will leave you forever changed. The structure introduces the Chosen One in your known world (i.e. a familiar place) before inviting them into an unknown (i.e. unfamiliar) world rife with danger.

The Journey starts with the life that we already know. Then something happens; a bankruptcy, a midlife meltdown, a divorce, a death in the family or the uncovering of a past traumatic event that becomes the catalyst that calls us to action so that we can step into the unknown.

We reach surrender point which is the place where we know we just cannot go on and we realize that something has to change. A piece of the armor that we built around us to hide ourselves is broken away and perhaps for the first time in a lifetime we get to glimpse the magnificence that we were born with.

At this point we realize that the armor would never satisfy us anymore and we become driven to keep breaking off layers.  We may question why we were put on earth and what our real Purpose is.

After facing certain tests and challenges we become initiated into a new way of thinking and being. During the adventure we may discover hidden truths, values or strengths that we’ve blocked for a very long time.

The hero’s journey then begins to move into transformation. We transform from what we were told to be by our parents, teachers, religious leaders and our governments and we start to think for ourselves. We move into creating the lives we truly want.

At this part of the Hero’s Journey we become “transparent to the transcendent.” We get to become agents of change, creation and causation as our inner light shines through. This is the place that most of the enlightened ones talked about. This is the place of bliss or living from the within, out.

It takes courage to face our demons and even more courage to swing the sword. When we swing the sword we may realize that the dragon was really us and that so much of our story was “Self Created Pain.” It was really us who was preventing ourselves from our own potential. During the call to adventure we may realize that we always had the answers and that they had just been hidden from view. We realize that we needed to go through the dark so that we could return to the light.

It takes work. We’ve been told for so long what to accept and what is normal and how we need to fit in with society and the times. We were taught that we could be whatever we wanted to be “as long” as we followed the rules.  The Hero’s Journey is about living a self approved, self appointed and self directed life.

Start your Hero’s Journey!

The Master Key Experience taught me Seven Laws of the Mind to Help Me on My Hero’s Journey.

Prosperity coach Mark Januszewski said to me when I was feeling a little overwhelmed,  “Life will be more fun with each passing day when you complete your Hero’s Journey.

When you find that spot between Steps 1. Ordinary World 2. Call to Adventure youo are about to receive your great gift of the Hero’s Journey adventure.

The Carpenter had it figured out when he said over 2000 years ago “according to your faith, be it unto you”

Here are the Seven Laws of the Mind, the practice of which will help you on your Hero’s Journey. This is a great way to develop specialized knowledge and win your Hero’s Journey.

LAW OF SUBSTITUTION

We cannot think about 2 things at the same time. If a negative thought enters your mind – try to think about Source/Universe/Higher Power/God instead.

If that is too big a reach at the time, use any fond memory or other pleasant thought. The Master Teacher, said, “Resist not evil” – meaning do not resist it but instead turn from it and think about something else instead.

LAW OF RELAXATION

Mental effort defeats itself – exactly the opposite of physical effort. A relaxed, calm state of mind is the only doorway to progress mentally. Relaxation of thought is the only access to Infinite Intelligence.

LAW OF PRACTICE

Practice makes perfect. The 5Ps – Perfect Practice Prevents Poor Performance. Our bewilderment of magnificence in others, upon further inspection you will find most of it is practice, the rest of it is work. With practice of the correct things, we improve – on the other 6 Laws of the mind.

LAW OF FORGIVENESS

To access the Divine and connect the subconscious to the Omnipotent, Omniscient and Omnipresent Creator we must forgive everyone and anyone to clear the channel. There can be no connection to the Divine mind where anger or resentment against a brother or sister, justified or not, exists.

LAW OF DUAL THOUGHT

Thought is a combination of ideation and feeling. We can attach any feeling to a thought we want.

LAW OF SUBCONSCIOUS

As soon as the subconscious accepts the idea it becomes a demand and it works constantly, 24-7, to manifest demand – accessing a reservoir of infinite resources.

LAW OF GROWTH

Whatever we think about grows. What we forget atrophies.

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Hero’s Journey – Step by Step

The 12 Hero’s Journey Steps: 1. Ordinary World 2. Call to Adventure 3. Refusal of the Call 4. Meeting the Mentor 5. Crossing the First Threshold 6. Tests, Allies, Enemies 7. Approach to the Inmost Cave 8. Ordeal 9. Reward (Seizing the Sword) 10. The Road Back 11. Resurrection 12. Return with the Elixir. The Master Key Experience teaches how to apply these 12 steps to change your future life if you will take your Hero’s Journey.

The 12 Hero’s Journey Steps Defined:

1. Ordinary World: This step refers to the hero’s normal life at the start of the story, before the adventure begins. It’s the starting point, and it gives a glimpse into the character of the hero before the adventure begins. Often, this hero will change over the course of the story. We may see evidence of a fatal flaw in the hero at this early point in the story.
2. Call to Adventure: The hero is faced with something that makes him begin his adventure. This might be a problem or a challenge he needs to overcome. In general, he must make a choice about whether to undertake the adventure.
3. Refusal of the Call: The hero attempts to refuse the adventure because he is afraid. He may feel unprepared or inadequate, or he may not want to sacrifice what is being asked of him.
4. Meeting With the Mentor: The hero encounters someone who can give him advice and ready him for the journey ahead. Acting as a mentor, this person imparts wisdom that may change the hero’s mind.
5. Crossing the First Threshold: The hero leaves his ordinary world for the first time and crosses the threshold into adventure. This step may seem almost inevitable, but it also represents a choice the hero is making. It’s a door through which the hero must pass for the story to really begin.
6. Tests, Allies, Enemies: The hero learns the rules of his new world. During this time, he endures tests of strength of will, meets friends, and comes face to face with foes. This period in his journey helps him define his relationship with other characters in the story. During this part of the journey, he learns who will help and who will hinder.
7. Approach: Setbacks occur, sometimes causing the hero to try a new approach or adopt new ideas. This is a lesson in persistence for the hero. When he fails, he needs to try again. Often, the stakes are rising, and real overall failure becomes less of an option.
8. Ordeal: The hero experiences a major hurdle or obstacle, such as a life or death crisis. He must come face to face with his weaknesses, and he must overcome them. This will be something he barely manages to accomplish.
9. Reward: After surviving death, the hero earns his reward or accomplishes his goal. This is a moment of great success in the story. The hero is a changed person now, though he may not fully realize the extent of the change in his continued focus on the matter at hand.
10. The Road Back: The hero begins his journey back to his ordinary life. In some ways, integrating back into his life will be a challenge. He is different now after his ordeal.
11. Resurrection Hero: The hero faces a final test where everything is at stake, and he must use everything he has learned. This is where his personal changes prove useful. He is now ideally suited to overcoming the obstacles in front of him.
12. Return With Elixir: The hero brings his knowledge or the “elixir” back to the ordinary world, where he applies it to help all who remain there. This is the true reward for his journey and transformation.

The Hero’s Journey – Joseph Campbell (Teacher Edition)

The Hero’s Journey 17 Stages Explained.

Contact Michael at Phone: 415-678-9965 or by Email: mjkkissinger@yahoo.com