Stage 3 of the Hero's Journey: Return to the World

Return to the World, by Cyncie Winter

At last! We know we have begun to emerge from the stage of Initiation when we land on our feet with more clarity about what our heroic journey has really been about. This is the stage where we find we have become “real”—where we bring the wisdom of all the tests and trials we have just been through—where we return to the world, with groundedness and perspective and hope.

If you read my last blog on Initiation—the second stage of the heroic journey—you will remember that Pinocchio, the puppet, has spent a long and difficult time finding out who he really is, being tested by a bunch of naughty friends…and eventually swallowed up by Monstro, the whale, along with Gepetto, his father. After lighting a candle in the darkness of the Belly of the Whale, he is coughed up and ends up on a beach, no longer a wooden puppet, but a Real Boy, thus fulfilling his hopes to become something that is simply more than a puppet of others. His dream has come true, as a result of going through incredibly dark times.

And so it is for all of us. When we look back on the various versions of heroic journeys we have been through, from childhood on, we have the opportunity to see the difficult times we have encountered as potential gifts—gifts that can shape us into more compassionate, wise beings. And rather than being embittered by what might have happened to us, those times can allow our Bright Stars to guide us and shine with true luminosity.

So tell me now, what have your heroic journeys have been like? How have they made you more real? And what do you want to give yourself to in the year to come?

Most importantly, it can help to connect with a support system to help understand your heroic journey in all its stages. Contact Cyncie, and we can talk about what that might look like. cynciew@me.com