We encounter the Hero’s Journey – as described by Joseph Campbell and at length across different media – in many aspects of life: From the fantastic tales of the world’s mythologies to Hollywood’s marvelous universes to ingenious marketing and sales tactics. But the strongly masculine perspective of the construct is striking: While the figure of the hero is independent of gender and form, his journey takes place outside, in a male-dominated world in which he / she must find their way and which they must master.

But what about the Heroine’s Journey, the feminine side of life’s adventure?

Compared to the Hero’s Journey, the adventure of the Heroine is quite different: It is more of a pattern of experience than of action; an adventure on the inside instead of the outside world; a path to knowledge and understanding instead of fame and glory.

Though an original idea from the 1990s, the Heroine’s Journey has up until today existed in the shadows – ironically as it actually is shadow work. With its contemplative quality, the Heroine’s Journey is less suited for the limelight than her big brother. Yet hidden in this obscurity is a treasure that needs to be unearthed as it holds some of the answers as to how we as a society and as individuals can lead better lives based on mutual understanding.

So what is the Heroine’s Journey? How does it differ from the Hero’s Journey? Where do we encounter her in the world around us and in the world within us?

In an attempt to expand the Hero’s Journey by way of bringing the Heroine’s Journey on eye level as a fascinating construct in her own right, I want to discuss these questions and more with you at next week’s MRT Mythological Round Table Essen. Let’s shed some light and illuminate the Heroine’s Journey together!