(This blog also appeared as an article in the Diva Toolbox: http://www.divatoolbox.com/self/self-awareness/943-the-heroines-journey-part-i.html )

In January I was in North Hampton MA listening to Douglas Brooks, who is a renowned Tantric philosopher. We were studying the Stories of the Heroine using several Hindu myths, and I was really struck by how similar the characteristics of the Heroine were to the characteristics of my clients, as we work together to help them open to their authentic selves. So I decided to explore it a little further myself, and the results of that exploration were a series of teleclasses and coaching groups that have been so much fun I think I’ll keep running with them.

I think everyone’s familiar with the Hero’s Journey, but what about the Heroine’s Journey; what’s the difference? The HERO solves problems, fixes things, and saves people. He is focused on the destination, the end result. He is the essence of Karma (a Sanskrit word meaning the fruits of your labor) – cause and effect, probabilities, and consequences. We all have a bit of the hero in us, it is our masculine essence. Even the most feminine women have some masculine to their personalities. We need it—it’s the driving force that gets things done for one thing, so it’s very useful. The masculine exists primarily in the realm of the mental world and is the “doing” part of us, and for many of us, it’s our ‘default place’. Our society for the past 2000 years has placed a high value on masculine characteristics, so we tend to be more comfortable here.

The HEROINE, on the other hand, embraces the paradox and searches for the lessons in each experience. She is simple and authentic in her experiences and her emotions, and she understands that life is about the journey, not the destination. She is the essence of Lila (a Sanskrit word meaning God’s play, or the play of the Gods) – entanglement not cause and effect, randomness not probability, and luck vs. consequences. Entanglement is the idea that A can change B by merely observing it, kind of the original Quantum Physics!

While the Hero values the seen and the known, the Heroine values the mystery and the process. She understands that there is often great magic in the mystery; that the things we don’t understand immediately can cause us to grow the most. And while the Hero leads with his head, the Heroine leads with her heart.

In uncertain times, you can see how it would be helpful to embrace the Heroine more than the Hero. The hero can paint himself into a corner with all his doing and fixing, but in uncertain times it’s beneficial to learn how to go with the flow, because a lot can happen and everything seems to be changing at lightening speed. And, in every situation there is likely to be a little of both the hero and the heroine in our reactions to experiences.

I’ll give you an example of what I mean about how the hero and heroine view the world. When we can learn how to balance each of these archetypes within ourselves, the Heroine would say that we can really deeply engage with what life is offering us. The hero would say that when we learn how to balance these two archetypes, we can master what life is offering us. Can you feel the difference? The heroine’s world view is more inclusive, flowing and supportive, while the hero’s world view is more concrete and literal; it is of attaining mastery over events and situations.

Next time I’ll review seven characteristics of the Heroine. In these times, as the world is beginning to honor the Feminine once more, it will be helpful for all of us, men and women alike, to understand the essence of the Heroine.