The soul journey is an ancient one. The world’s mythologies and spiritual traditions have known of it for over two thousand years. Human beings have been hearing its call and walking its paths from time immemorial and we continue to do so now. The psychoanalyst, Carl Jung called it an ‘archetypal’ journey.
The word ‘archetype’ means ‘ancient type or pattern’. To speak of archetypes as Jung did is to speak of the universal images, symbols, figures and paths that have played a vital role in the process of human development and evolution for thousands of years. Over the centuries and in every culture across the world, we have been telling ourselves stories that reflect these archetypes. We call them myths. They are the stories that communicate to us at the deepest level of our being, that speak to us of fundamental truths about ourselves and about our journey through life. If we look carefully, we can see these myths reflected in our legends and fairy tales, in the story lines that run through many of our novels, plays and films and in some of the real life stories we read about.
The hero myths tell us that at some point in our journey through life, we will hear what Campbell called ‘the Call to Adventure’. It is a call that invites us to leave our ordinary, everyday world behind and to embark on a quest, a long and demanding journey into the unknown. The path that lies ahead of us is not one that we have walked before. We cannot see what lies ahead or where it will lead us for much of it is shrouded in mist. Thankfully, however, we do not have to face the journey alone. For when we need it most, a mentor will appear, one who seeks to dispel the doubts and fears that are threatening to overwhelm us, one who helps us to find the strength and courage within us to step onto the path.
If we choose to set out on the journey, before too long we will find ourselves facing what Campbell called 'the Initiation'. Along the way, we will be confronted with a series of difficulties. These challenges help us not only to discover what it is we are searching for, but also to develop the inner strength and wisdom we need to stay true to the quest. Each of us will face our own unique trials. Perhaps we may struggle to rise above our fear of failing; to let go of old ways of being which no longer serve us well; to banish those voices from the past which undermine and sabotage us; to trust that we are ‘enough’ just as we are; or to recognise that we already have within us all that we need to complete the quest. But the greatest challenge we will face is what Campbell called ‘the Supreme Ordeal’, a metaphorical death and rebirth experience in which the old self dies to make way for the birthing of the new.
This struggle is the climax of the hero’s journey. It is not, however, the end of it for there remains ‘the Return’. Our final task is to take the road back into the world we left behind, carrying with us the gifts and treasures we have received along the way – the knowledge acquired, the wisdom gained, the freedom claimed, the creativity released, the vocation recognised, the soul liberated and a deep commitment to using the fruits of our journey to transform the world to which we return.
The story of one such journey is told in the powerful film, ‘Billy Elliot’, the coming of age story of an 11 year old minor’s son from the County Durham of the 1980s who wanted to to be a ballet dancer. Essentially, it is the story of Billy’s struggle to find and follow his own path through life. In a rather wonderful synchronicity, it is also the real life story of another northern working class boy, Jamie Bell who plays the part of Billy in the film. The journey Billy had to make was far from a smooth one. He faced many obstacles and challenges along the way. He wrestled with the negative stereotypes of male ballet dancers that were so prominent at that time. He felt the sting of others’ prejudice and disapproval of the path he had chosen, including his own father’s. And if he had not had the support and encouragement of a ballet teacher who went the extra mile in enabling him to follow his dream, it is a path he might not have taken.
But dance was Billy’s reason for being. For Billy to be fully Billy, he had to dance. So Billy Eliott, the minor’s son is reborn as Billy Eliott, the dancer and in so doing, becomes what he was always meant to be. He fulfills his destiny. He dances his way into the Royal Ballet and many years later, onto the stage at Covent Garden where in the final scene of the film, the mature Billy dances the lead role in the ballet, ‘Swan Lake’. The last shot of him that we see is one of him caught in the spotlight as he leaps gracefully into the air – a powerful metaphor for the journey of becoming he has made.
When he steps out onto that stage, Billy offers the world the gift of his natural talent and consummate skill as a dancer. But that is not the only gift he brings for he also teaches us that minds can be changed, expectations can be set aside, stereotypes can be dismantled, no matter how strongly entrenched they are. Billy not only finds his vocation as a dancer, but also plays his part in transforming the world.
In real life, this would not, of course, have been the end of Billy’s story. As he journeyed through life, there would have been other calls to adventure, other battles to win, other treasures to find and other roads back to take. As Campbell put it:
‘What I think is that a good life is one hero journey after another. Over and over again, you are called to the realm of adventure, you are called to new horizons.’
Joseph Campbell
Bibliography
Joseph Campbell (2020) The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Joseph Campbell Foundation
Carl Jung (1991) The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious. Routledge
©Copyright Kaitlyn Steele 2025
Kaitlyn Steele
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