1-Sentence-Summary: The Hero With a Thousand Faces analyzes the humankind from a mythological and symbolystic point of view to prove that all humans have similar core concepts written in them, such as the monomyth, which is a way of narrating stories that people from all over the world do alike.
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Favorite quote from the author:
Mythology has long been studied by humans, as it offers a mystical approach to understanding life. Joseph Campbell was fascinated with mythology and the human psyche himself, so The Hero With a Thousand Faces presents the lifetime journey of a human who has to go through different challenges and mystic circumstances to fulfill their destiny.
The book presents topics like dreams, the creation or the destruction of the world, and the many challenges life throws at us through the character’s journey. Another important life path one must go through and also highlighted in this book is the spiritual journey. Essentially, the book outlines how our lives as humans are similar, and so storytelling from all around the world is very much alike.
The Monomyth is the way people tell stories, and it applies universally to everyone. However, to give a deeper meaning to the book, the author uses mythology. Moreover, it helps him connect with his spirit and give a deeper sense to his life.
To find the God within and one’s purpose, we ought to work on our spiritual beings ourselves and study the old mythology, which is packed with evergreen lessons and a great amount of wisdom. Essentially, this is what the hero from the book assured to achieve from himself.
Among them, here are my three favorite ones:
- The hero’s journey consist of three essential steps.
- To start your journey, you have to pass a threshold.
- Becoming a hero is not a result of talent, but of hard work.
Now, let’s take each lesson and explore it in detail!
Lesson 1: To advance in life, the hero must go through three essential stages
Similar to the course of a lifetime, the hero must fulfill a series of stages to complete his purpose and the cycle of his life. These are the call, the quest, and the return. Of course, he isn’t obliged to do so, but if he doesn’t, he will feel unhappiness and misery. If we were to compare ourselves with the hero, we could find many similarities.
Not answering your call and going to look for your purpose will definitely haunt your mind and make you feel unsettling. However, doing so will transform you and make you reach your potential. Once you hear it, there is no possibility of you going back to the state of mind you had before, as the call feels persistent and awakening.
Hearing it will make you want to follow your given purpose, although it feels difficult and challenging. The quest is what comes next. This stage is filled with hardship, but also with rewarding experiences. This part is decisive for the hero, as it makes him
Lastly, there’s the return. This stage marks the fulfillment of the hero’s purpose and its complete transformation. Coming back to the place of origin as a new person completes the cycle of upgrading, as the hero is now a new, improved version of himself, ready to inspire others to take his example and answer their callings.
Lesson 2: The hero must go beyond the veil of the known in his journey
The hero faces a dilemma: to leave his comfort zone, the life as he knows it, and all those around his, just to answer his inner call. There is no guarantee that he’ll be back, nor that he will succeed in his quest. This controversy sparks an unsettling feeling within him, and so he must make a decision soon.
Naturally, the call feels stronger and stronger, so he decides to go for it. However, what awaits is far from familiar to him. Similar to our path in life, the hero must go through his quest feeling blind – there’s no clue about what’s coming next, and no map to guide him through his life. The only thing he can do is try his best and hope he’ll be rewarded for his hard work and bravery.
The threshold is difficult to overcome, but fortunately, it is worth it. The hero finds that everything he wants is outside his comfort zone and his familiar bubble. This story serves as a lesson for each and every one of us. The hero’s quest is our life journey, and the call represents the unsettling thoughts that run in the back of our mind, telling us that we can do better and to follow our dreams.
The heroic potential lies within you, but you have to open your mind and listen to your inner voice. Then, you’ll have to pass your own threshold. Although difficult, the hero within you must find a way to overcome it and fulfill the quest. The only way you’ll feel fulfilled and satisfied with your life is achieving your goals and your mission.
Lesson 3: No great hero has ever made it without putting in the hard work
The hero from the story had a long quest to fulfill, but he made it. What helped him fulfill his mission wasn’t an extraordinary talent, a super power, nor other outstanding circumstances. Instead, he had to go little by little and be very determined to achieve his purpose.
Every day, he had to improve himself a bit more so advance in his quest.
Without consistency, he would not have been able to finish what he started, as there is no way to just skip to the last part of the quest and use all your strength to overcome it. Contrary to that, taking each challenge as it comes and facing it with upgraded tactics is what helped him.
Take the hero as an example for your mission. We often think that only people with natural inclinations towards a field or those who were born in privileged environments make it. However, the world is full of failed geniuses and successful hard working people that pushed through against all odds.
If you limit your beliefs, they’ll stay that way. Your mind believes everything you tell to yourself, so make sure to speak highly of your skills and talents and think of yourself as a superhero in the making. The modern hero of today might not have to deal with Gods, mythological creatures or supernatural quests, but they sure have challenging circumstances that must be tackled in new ways.
The Hero With a Thousand Faces Review
The Hero With a Thousand Faces is an extraordinary piece of writing that can inspire anyone to take charge of their life and fulfill their mission. The book presents the journey of a hero who dared to listen to his calling and go for it, nevertheless fulfill it and then returned back home to share his gifts with his community. Although the hero is a supernatural creature who must face mythological beings and fantastic obstacles, his story isn’t far from what each and every one of us has to go through in their life to achieve happiness and fulfillment.
Who would I recommend The Hero With a Thousand Faces summary to?
The 35-year-old person who is passionate about mythology and folk tales, the 27-year-old entrepreneur who is looking for motivation and inspiration in other’s life stories, or the Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, or Star Wars fan who loves magical stories.
Last Updated on October 5, 2022