In 1990, Maureen Murdock penned 'The Heroine’s Journey: Woman’s Quest for Wholeness' as a response to Joseph Campbell's model of the mythological journey of the hero in “The Hero with a Thousand Faces”, which has since been used as a template for the psycho-spiritual development of the individual.
Having studied Campbell's work, Murdock believed his model failed to capture the unique psycho-spiritual journey of contemporary women. Instead, she developed a model that eloquently described the cyclical nature of the female experience. Campbell's response to her model was, 'Women don't need to make the journey. In the whole mythological tradition, the woman is there. All she has to do is realize that she's the place people are trying to get to' (Campbell, 1981).
At first glance, this statement seemed to be a compliment to suggest that women are already perfect so they don't have to embark on a journey. However, a more critical examination reveals the constraints it imposes. This statement paradoxically advocates for passivity which is a patriachal depiction of the feminine, implying that women need not actively engage in their own transformative journey. This notion fails to acknowledge the deep-rooted challenges that women have faced throughout history, from ancestral wounds, persecution, the subjugation of their feminine divinity, and the additional burden of combating both external sexism from the dominant culture and the internalized limiting beliefs that have left them disempowered.
The crux of Campbell's statement lies in the phrase “all she has to do is realize that she’s the place people are trying to get to.' In my perspective, it's worth considering a moment of pause, as it seems that the realization process itself necessitates embarking on a journey. If it holds true that the woman’s presence is woven sublty into the entire mythological tradition, albeit subliminally, then an exploration of the subliminal realm becomes imperative. It is essential to probe deeper: How did a woman come to occupy this mythical place where she embodies the metaphysical, transformative ideal that people aspire to? What profound initiations did she undergo to get there? What narratives compose her distinctive heroine’s tale?
Furthermore, Maureen Murdock’s model, while groundbreaking, falls into the trap of using the masculine script as part of the discussion of the feminine psyche. The male hero's journey, as per Campbell, doesn't require integrating the feminine into character development. Why, then, should the heroine's journey force an integration with the masculine? Women have the innate capacity to surmount their challenges while staying true to their feminine essence. The shadows that lurk need not be attributed to the masculine either because she moves in her sovereign world depicting her own contrast of dark and light. Our journeys should revolve around the transition from an undeveloped feminine identity to a developed one, exploring and embracing her own divine feminine archetypes rather than conforming to masculine templates. The inherent problem emerges when women are coerced into conforming to externally prescribed scripts such as the one prescribed by the dominant culture.
In this context, I propose that the conventional usage of the term "masculine" within the discourse on feminine psyche be supplanted by the invocation of goddess archetypes, exempified by "The Warrior," "The Wild Woman," or "The Huntress." In doing so, we align ourselves with the timeless narratives and archetypal patterns that harken back to our ancient resonance of the divine feminine.
The instructions of the divine feminine are clear: Each heroine embarks on a unique quest called forth by her higher self, forging an uncharted path in unfamilar territory. She must draw her own map and blaze her own trail. Along this heroine's journey, she confronts her inner demons, conquers her deepest fears and braves the dark night of the soul. Emerging from the depths of the underworld, she returns as a guide for other women, sharing her authentic and empowering story. Toppling down the once incomplete monomyth that had diminished her, she is transformed into a restorer and an architect of her own narrative, occupying her mythical place and throne.
