Page 12 - July 2024

physical strength, combat prowess)
required of the heroic man, mirroring the

hero’s journey with little regard for the
purely feminine experience of evolution

and mastery. With the rising tide of
awareness of feminine consciousness in the
collective mind, we can no longer afford to

define the Heroine’s Journey in terms of a
woman “acting like a man”.

When asked about the feminine
counterpart of the hero’s journey, Joseph

Campbell’s response was, “Women don’t
need to make the journey. In the whole

mythological journey, the woman is
there. All she has to do is realize that
she’s the place that people are trying to

get to.” Much debate has ensued over
this concept. Was Campbell a clueless

misogynist, totally out of touch with
his feminine side? I think not! My
deep respect for the man motivated me

to ponder his words carefully, and to
read and reread his teachings about The

Goddess many times. I have come to
accept this concept as a defining principle
in understanding the heroine’s journey.

Whereas the hero’s journey is symbolized
by the spiral moving outward, seeking

and gathering new life experiences that
spur us away from safe conventions
toward some imagined goal or unrealized

potential, the heroine’s journey is the
spiral spinning inward, in search of

“center” and that internal locus of control
where we are able to ground energy and
create a stable, secure environment from

which the seed of unrealized potential
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