In her Preface to the Thirtieth Anniversary Edition of The Heroine’s Journey: Woman’s Quest for Wholeness (2020), Maureen Murdock shares that “Women’s lives have a mythology that is different from men’s” (xv). She originally wrote the book so that women could understand that society was behind the prejudice and breakdown of feminine values not our own deficiencies and shortcomings. She notes that empowerment has developed and yet she states, “Little did I imagine that we would still be facing this archetypal gender stereotype three decades later. Because we live in a society that sees the world from a masculine perspective, many women still internalize the patriarchal voice that tells them they are less than” (xvii). She highlights the example of the US Women’s National soccer team and their demand for equitable pay, medical, and safe playing conditions as a model for the possibility for women to:
“find our voices, honor our identity, work together for a common goal, and stand unapologetically with our arms wide open to the skies, like the ancient Minoan Mother goddess, in a stance of pride and acknowledgment of the sacredness of the feminine.”
Maureen Murdock
There have been many models of the Heroine’s Journey which build on the work that Murdock started in 1981 when she first spoke with Joseph Campbell about his Hero model. She was stunned when his response to her questions was that women didn’t need to make a journey because in mythological traditions the women are just there and “all she had to do is realize that she’s the place that people are trying to get to” (2). He implied that she was already a wonderful character and didn’t need to try and be a pseudo-male. Not only did the conversation unsettle Murdock but she found it deeply unsatisfying.
She presents a quest for women to fully embrace their feminine nature and learn how to value themselves and others. “It’s a very important journey toward becoming a fully integrated, balanced and whole human being” (3). Her model, based on her own life, is a circular path that begins with a very abrupt rejection of the feminine and trying to fit into a man’s world to achieve independence, prestige, money, power, and success. But then she will move though stages that find her dissatisfied and frustrated. If she listens, she will hear the call, at no specific age, that the old self doesn’t fit her any longer and the Heroine will begin her search for identity.
She will visit the cycle many times in her lifetime. Not only is it a circle but a spiral. The final stage, the integration of the masculine and feminine, some call it the sacred marriage, is “when a woman can truly serve not only the needs of others but can value and be responsive to her own needs as well” (11). Murdock tells us that this is necessary as we collaborate with each other to bring balance to all us who live together on our planet.
“Today’s woman must utilize the sword of discernment to cut away the ego bonds that hold her to the past and find out what serves her soul’s purpose” (193). Murdock tells us the Heroine today has many meanings and her task today is to alchemize herself. “She must develop a positive relationship with her inner Man with Heart and find the voice of her Woman of Wisdom to heal her estrangement with the sacred feminine” (193). She points out that women today are pulling in the courage to express themselves and setting boundaries to chart their own lives. Women are reminding each other of their origins and their obligation to take care of the earth. Her final words:
Women are weavers; we intertwine with men, children and each other to protect the web of life.
Women are creators; we give birth to the young ones and to the children of our dreams.
Women are healers; we know the mysteries of the body, blood, and spirit because they are one and the same.
Women are lovers; we joyfully embrace each other, men, children, animals and trees listening with our hearts to their triumphs and sorrows.
Women are alchemists; we uncover roots of violence, destruction, desecration of the feminine and transform cultural wounds.
Women are protectors of the soul of the Earth; we bring the darkness out of hiding and honor the unseen realms.
Women are divers; we move down into the Mysteries where it is safe and wondrous and oozing with new life.
Women are singers, dancers, prophets and poets; we call upon Mother Kali to help us remember who we are as we journey through life.
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