12 Steps to the Hero's Journey: Explained

Written By: Carly Burr

Think about your favorite movie. Now, think about the “hero” of that movie, the person who saves the day and solves everyone’s problems. I’m not sure exactly what movie you’re thinking of, but I’m thinking of the iconic Spiderman. He battles evil and saves the town from destruction, all while falling in love with his dream girl.

Now, why am I bringing this up to you?

Although this seems fairly random and strange, every one of those hero’s goes through a journey. Despite the fact that the hero’s journey is used to solve problems in Hollywood’s favorite movies, these steps are actually extremely important in our everyday lives. These 12 steps can be used to become the best version of yourself, reach self-actualization, and ideally, become your own hero. Even if this is your first time hearing about the 12 steps to the hero's journey, I bet that you’ve gone through some of these steps at some point in your life. You may have even gone through the entire journey! It all depends on your personal goals and what you want to achieve.

Below, I detailed the 12 steps to the hero’s journey and how we can apply each step in our daily lives.

Stage 1: The Ordinary World

The ordinary world is the beginning and “still sleeping” stage. You’ll find yourself drifting along the currents of life and may have a sense of major dissatisfaction in several areas of your life. You may be skipping school, partying a little too much, or noticing that your grades aren’t as good as you know they should be. If you have already started your career, you may be going out to bars after work, partying too much or simply feeling stuck in a dead end job. You know inside that something needs to change, yet inertia keeps you stuck, and you’re heavily influenced by friends, family, society, and social media. You don’t see a clear path forward and feel as if life is passing you. In this ordinary world, you stay silent and suffer alone.

For many, the leap from stage one to stage two of the hero’s journey is usually characterized by a significant life event. Maybe you just broke up with your boyfriend, were held back in school because your grades were so poor, or find yourself experiencing severe anxiety every single morning after you wake up. This is the stage before the hero’s journey begins. For Peter in Spiderman, he is picked on in school and in love with his neighbor.

Stage 2: The Call to Adventure

This step is the triggering point, an epiphany of sorts. You may experience a spark of curiosity about the world, your reason for being here, or how to overcome anything that you might be struggling with. You have the sense that it’s time to start a new journey or make a major change. This new adventure means that you’ll have to leave behind your familiar territory and depart from what you already know. It’s time to travel to the world of the unknown. You have a sense of restlessness and excitement about what’s to come.

Peter's call to adventure is when he got bit by a genetically engineered super spider, which gave him crazy superpowers. He’s physically transformed and is now capable of stopping the bullies that used to pick on him.

Stage 3: Refusal of the Call

You are ready to embark on this new journey, but feel that your ego and familiar surroundings have a strong hold on you. You might be experiencing a battle between who you currently are and who you’re meant to become. You’re stuck in victimhood and want to move forward but aren’t quite ready to face your own demons. You want to reach self-actualization, but something inside of you is holding you back.

Peter stumbles upon a robber while at his wrestling tournament, but refuses to use his powers to stop him. As a result, his uncle dies.

Stage 4: Meeting Your Mentor

Your mentor can show up in many different forms. It could be someone you randomly meet, or someone you already know and admire. These mentors will become guides on your path of self-discovery. They have wisdom from their own experiences, and you’ll rely on this for help along the way.

Peter’s Aunt May reminds him that his Uncle loved him and knew he was destined to do great things. She mentors Peter by proxy, reminding him of his values and what he’s fighting for.

Stage 5: Crossing the First Threshold

You’ve finally decided to leave the past behind and embark on this new journey of self-actualization and transformation. Unlike stage 2, you are now mentally prepared to move forward. You’ve made the commitment and are ready to take action. The first task in this stage is to fight with your old belief system. However, unlike stage 3, when you were stuck and refused to change, you’re now in action mode and have identified areas in which to change and grow.

Once you clearly define your life’s purpose and realize that you have a choice in creating your new life, you’ll slowly start detaching from your old beliefs. In this stage, you start to gain momentum and clarity to forge your path to the key that will unlock your treasure.

Peter has finally accepted his powers and has given his costume a much needed upgrade. He is stopping criminals left and right on the streets of New York City.

Stage 6: Tests, Allies, and Enemies

You will encounter risks, failures, and challenges in this stage. This may be a time when you are letting go of old friends, relationships, and other people who are not aligned with your path. You have confronted the most difficult challenges and are on your way to the key that will unlock the treasure. You will learn how to focus on the good and celebrate the blessings of failure and your most difficult times. This is an essential skill for finding your own treasure.

Peter’s two most important allies are his best friends, Harry and Mary Jane. His #1 enemy is the Green Goblin, who wants to team up with Peter and become allies. But later, he is faced with many tests from the Green Goblin, where he has to use his powers to defeat him.

Stage 7: Innermost Cave

The innermost cave is where you will begin deep internal work and heal old wounds. You’ll find that through this work, you begin to develop real, long-lasting strength. While you began challenging old beliefs in stage 5, you’re now much stronger and believe that you can quickly identify and silence the inner critic. You will discover your identity and become even closer to reaching the best version of yourself.

Peter’s identity is leaked at Thanksgiving dinner. This is his biggest challenge.

Stage 8: Ordeal

This stage is where you will experience your final test of faith and patience. It’s similar to stage 6, but it’s the final test to ensure your faith is built on a solid and sustaining foundation. It’s common to identify with this stage if you’re feeling loneliness, sadness, depression, or confusion. This pain is simply another test to see if you’re ready to progress to the next stage.

Peter’s loved ones are no longer safe with his identity exposed. His Aunt May was attacked. His greatest fear is coming true.

Stage 9: Reward

The key to the treasure is right around the corner. You’ve committed to the process, and the universe will reward you. Remember, what you put into the universe is what you get out of it. These rewards will come in various forms including materialistic rewards, love from friends or family, feelings of happiness, and an internal sense of peace. You’ll begin to see the fruits of your labor. What you’re doing is starting to pay off.

Peter and Mary Jane have a heart to heart moment in Aunt May’s hospital room. He is finally getting the girl of his dreams.

Stage 10: The Road Back

The road back is an amazing time to reflect on your journey and how far you’ve come. It is time to celebrate all of your growth. You now have the tools needed to address any trying situation that life throws your way. You’ve made tremendous growth in many areas, and once you do this, you can accomplish anything you set your mind to. Everyone has gold inside of them; you just have to find it and treasure it.

Spiderman is thrown into more chaos, but is able to rescue Mary Jane while also saving a tramway full of innocent kids.

Stage 11: Resurrection

The journey is coming to an end. You are a new person and are rising to self-actualization. The wisdom you’ve gained is embedded in your mind and heart. You’re enlightened, awake, and fully connected to your inner being.

Peter defeats his greatest enemy, the Green Goblin, once and for all. Peter can finally breathe easier and feels 10 times better.

Stage 12: Return with the Elixir

When you’ve reached this final stage, it’s time to bring all of your knowledge forward to help other people with their own personal journeys. You can share your challenges, battles, and wounds, and how you’ve overcome them. You can become an inspiration for others.

Peter returns to his normal life as a changed man. He finally confesses his love for Mary Jane and feels like he’s made his Uncle very proud.

The Hero’s Journey is not going to be a steady path. You will experience bumps and cracks, but eventually come out stronger on the other side. It may seem hard in the moment, but what you are doing is all worth it. You can go through the Hero’s Journey once in a lifetime or over and over again in different areas of your life. Sometimes it even happens in the same area of your life at different times.

Now, think about your life. Have you gone through all 12 steps before? Are you going through any of the steps now? Reflect on your life and understand where you are and where you want to be. To learn more about the Hero's Journey, check out CLUES today where it is discussed in greater depth.