Mythology – Refusal of the Return
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Refusal of the Return: In the first step of phase three, what the hero is supposed to do is head home and share what he has learned to the people. But sometimes the temptations of immortal bliss overcome the hero and he doesnt want to go back to normal life. Sometimes the cause of the refusal is the hero thinks those he left behind couldnt understand what hes learned. Either way, the refusal of the return is when, well the hero refuses to return to his ordinary life.
The Magic Flight: If the hero decides to return, he is able to return home and “heal” those around him. The guide/protector can help the hero return home on a supernatural journey. This is called “The Magical Flight.” If the treasure/knowledge was gained through fighting or without consent the journey is filled with dangerous obstacles and often the hero is pursued by the angered force.
Rescue from Without: This is when the outside worlds pulls the hero back from the adventure. The hero becomes reluctant and loses desire to abandon his haven because he doesnt want to deal with the worlds problems anymore. Someone/something helps his return from this stage. An overriding reason is used to bring the hero back to the world to save it.
The Crossing of the Return Threshold: However the hero returns, another force is needed to resolve everything. The storyteller/narrative now brings the hero full cycle. The hero understands that it is his job to return home and share his wealth with the world. In this step the hero has lost his ego but by grace it is returned.
Master of the Two Worlds: In this step the hero must resolves the worlds of divinity and the human. In other words, the known and unknown, the yin and yang. The hero understands that the two kingdoms are actually one, that the unknown is something we used to know but have forgotten about. To explore this is the whole deed of the hero. By crossing that final step, the hero recognizes the separation in reality doesnt exist and he becomes the master of two worlds.
Freedom to Live: The freedom to live is the last task of the hero, and that is to communicate all that he has learned to humanity. The hero meets many that cant comprehend that there is another realm. Eventually someone else will get the call and rise as the next hero. The current hero achieves Freedom to Live which is the ability to pass between realms. The hero has transformed it appears and is unaffected by limitations and death that a normal human would have to deal with. His presence benefits the world as it keeps renewing itself by understanding the knowledge that the hero is trying to spread.