Heroism is not just about finding a new powerful story, but about having the courage to act on that story. That is, in a very practical way, why heroes need to have the courage and care associated with strong ego development and the vision and clarity of mind and spirit that come from having taken their hero’s journeys and gained the treasure of their true selves.

Most people know that heroes overcome obstacles, rescue damsels (or other victims) in distress, and find and bring back treasures. At the close of the journey they find true love. They have reached a ‘happy ending’ to their journey in which their ‘new renewing story’ becomes manifested in the life they now live – in community with their new family and with other people. This new story they bring back renews their own lives and also the lives of their world, and thereby affects everyone they touch.

This story pattern is true for our personal journeys, although the happy ending is usually short lived. As soon as we return from one journey and enter a new phase of our lives, we are immediately propelled into a new sort of journey; the pattern is not linear or circular but spiral. We never stop journeying, but we do have marker events when things come together as a result of the reality we have encountered. And each time we begin our journeys, we do so at a new level and return with a new treasure and newfound transformative abilities.