Lately, I’ve been reading about and pondering growth cycles, archetypes and the oft called “hero’s journey” and have found inspiration from a podcast episode that talks about states of consciousness and growth cycles as it relates to the ancient yogic idea of yugas (link: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0vaGiddGX6PEgHZt1wX7B0?si=0P2PSLMYTm6qFJlQX_7onQ) as well as from “Writing Archetypical Character Arcs” by K.M. Weiland. This book not only discusses the quintessential hero’s journey but also several other key archetypical cycles we humans often go through on our life journeys and which we can find mirrored in the collective unconscious in the form of stories and myths.
1) Growth cycles: The part of the podcast that I found especially profound related to the idea that we are in some stage of a growth cycle whether we are aware of it or not. This cycle roughly follows the pattern of first a plateau (I see this as the status quo comfort zone if you will) followed by a fall from the plateau (aka something uncomfortable happens that challenges me to grow in some way; I fall off the comfort zone plateau). After this again comes a rise that will take me – if I meet the growth call – to a new plateau higher than the previous one. I see this as I gain new wings and learn to fly up to that higher plateau. Then I stay there for some time (it could be a long or short while depending on the type of cycle since there are tiny micro cycles and larger macro ones) before the cycle continues with a new fall and new rise to a plateau that is once again higher (where higher here just means a new degree of growth or healing or awareness) than the last. After hearing this podcast and this description, I had a lightbulb go off inside of me. Aha! I could track these patterns within my own life in big and small ways, including some small micro cycles within larger macro cycles. The author of the podcast posited that with awareness that we all go through these cycles, we can experience perhaps a little less suffering when we are in a fall which generally feels a little uncomfortable at best to a full-blown dark night of soul despair at worst. It hasn’t completely taken away the sting of my own fall parts of the cycle, but it has helped me to hold onto a little more equanimity, even accounting for the times where in a particularly tricky fall I forget all about this wisdom.
2) Archetypes: While I read the book on archetypes several weeks after the podcast on growth cycles, I’ve been struck by their interrelatedness. Each growth cycle is my own personal hero’s journey, whether that’s a mini one completed all in a day or week or a larger one composing of months or years. What lit me up about the archetypes book was the expansion beyond just the hero’s journey though. The author shared that in fact what stories and myths and books showcase as the hero’s journey is just one of the archetypical life journeys.
What we think of as the hero’s journey is part of what’s considered the FIRST ACT or approximately the first 30 years of life. It consists of (at least as outlined in this book) childhood which is described as a flat arc, i.e. more of a plateau on a larger scale integrating a previous rise, the maiden progressive arc (progressive meaning there is a fall and then rise), the lover flat arc and then the hero’s arc many know well.
The first third of life transitions to what-happens-after-the-happily- ever-after-of-stories, the SECOND ACT of life, the period between around age 30 to age 60, ushered in by the flat parent arc (regardless of whether or not someone has children of their own). The parent arc is followed by the progressive queen arc, after which comes the flat ruler arc and then the king arc, the last second act progressive arc.
Elderhood, the THIRD ACT of life from around 60 to end of life, is initiated by the flat elder arc which is then followed by the progressive crone arc. And lastly the flat mentor arc followed by the progressive mage arc.
The idea is that each of the growth cycles builds on the previous one. And if you don’t “graduate” from a lesson, you may progress chronologically yet remain stuck in the shadow or negative arc sides. For instance, the lesson in the king arc is to relinquish power and let the queen complete her arc lesson and take over rulership of the metaphorical kingdom. If the king doesn’t give up power, he could become a tyrant, exhibiting the aggressive shadow of that role. Back to our original hero’s journey, if our hero doesn’t heed the call and complete their lesson, they could remain stuck in the shadow arcs of coward or bully.
I may go into some more of the details in later blogs yet recommend this book to get the full scoop in a much more eloquently shared way. For me, reading about these archetypes opened my eyes to an awareness of life patterns both for myself and others. And while in the book these archetypes were laid out in a linear fashion as it related to good story writing, life is never really so linear. There are growth cycles within growth cycles and what is inner child work and healing if not tying up earlier arc loose ends that hadn’t been worked through yet.