In the cave you fear to enter lies the treasure you seek.

                                                                                                                                                       — Joseph Campbell

Declaration:

This toolkit aims to support psychological reflection through an artistic approach.

It is not psychotherapy but a form of self-observation and creative practice.

If you feel uncomfortable during the process, please stop it or seek support.

You can choose to be a certain mythological hero and immerse yourself in their stories.

For instance, you can become the great Yu who tamed the floods or Odysseus who sailed the seas

you can also become Hercules who endured numerous trials or Hou Yi who shot down the suns to save the world.

Required materials:

• A piece of paper  for writing or drawing
• A timer (about 2-3 minutes per step)
• some brushes of different colors
• You can prepare a piece of music that can help you get into the mood

Now, take a deep breath –

Your hero’s journey is going to begin.

Process：

♦Step 1: Hear the Call of Life

Every adventure begins at a moment of imbalance:

Exercises:

1.Write down the challenge which you are currently facing and avoiding, or a change you truly desire.

It could be external pressure- such as “I’m afraid I won’t do well on this exam.” “I want to apply for a master’s degree abroad, but I don’t know where to start.”

Or it could be an internal unease – such as “I’m afraid others will see through the real me.” “I want to try, but I don’t think I’m good enough.”

The New Heros Journey
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2. art practice: Draw the image that you think can represent yourself (it can be a person, an animal, or simple lines and colors)

When you think about these questions, congratulations, Hermes（the messenger in Greek mythology）has already handed you the letter, and you have qualified to enter the dark forest. A great adventure is about to begin.

♣Step Two: Crossing the Threshold

When faced with a call to adventure, our instinct is often to retreat. This is the first obstacle on your hero’s journey. It’s not the ultimate challenge, but your “threshold guardian” needs to ensure you’re ready.

Exercises:

1.Write down why you resist facing this problem.

You might think, “I’m not ready. I don’t have time.” “This is too complicated. I can’t do it.”

These voices that make us retreat are called “threshold guardians.” They ensure you stay in your comfort zone but also prevent you from entering new territory. Psychology calls this a “defense mechanism.”

 2.Be honest about your fears and hesitations.

For example: “I tell myself I don’t have time, but I’m really avoiding it.” “I say I don’t need this because I’m afraid I won’t be able to achieve it.” “

Theseus and the Minotaur loreandlegends.net
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3.  art Practice: On your map, create a “threshold” – you can draw a line, make a crease, tear a corner, or stick a piece of tape.

♠Step Three: Find the Guardian

Once you have crossed the starting threshold, you need a mentor to guide you. Your mentor doesn’t have to be a real person in the flesh; it could be:

• A real-life figure (a teacher, a friend, a family member)
• A character from a book or film (Yoda, Gandalf, Athena)
• Your inner self (your ideal self)
• An abstract symbol (a color, an object, a piece of music, a phrase)

         Exercises:

Telemachus and Mentor
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art practice: Create your mentor image. You can do this through drawing, or by using collage techniques (such as fallen leaves on the roadside), as long as it is something that can make you feel calm.

Sometimes, your mentor is a part of you, reminding you that you already have the ability, but you just haven’t realized it yet.

♦Step Four: The Abyss and Revelation

Now that you have fully crossed the threshold and received your mentor’s amulet, you are about to face the true challenge – the dragon in the abyss.

(You can play a piece of music that holds significance to you here (such as a movie score) to help you get into the “adventure” mood.)

This dragon represents the people, events, and things that stand in your way on your hero’s journey. Sometimes, they even threaten your survival or affect your relationships with important people in your life (parents, lovers, friends).

Exercise；

1.Write down the people, events, or things that hinder your progress (“dragons”)

— For example: “My boss always criticizes me, making me doubt my abilities.” “Every time I have to give a public speech, I get so nervous that I can’t speak.”

2.Describe the emotions these dragons bring you: fear, anxiety, powerlessness, anger, sadness (remember, the emotional signals triggered by these dragons are the core of the abyss)

3.Identify the frequency and scenarios in which these emotions occur: Consider whether this emotion frequently appears in your life. Many of your problems actually stem from this emotion rather than the event itself.

4.art practice:On the map, express your negative emotions with some symbols –  such as drawing  lines, adding shadows or writing some negative words.

Mount Olympus: Place Of The Gods Of Greek Mythology
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As Campbell pointed out: “At first, you might think this dragon comes from the external environment and is against you, but the hero’s journey will help you realize that this demon does not come from the outside but exists within you.”

In other words, the dragon is the self we see in the mirror. It presents our inner shadow— A part of our emotions that we have not yet learned how to face or integrate.

5.The hero chooses to confront it — not resist it, but understand it.

For each dragon, please write a sentence to respond to it.

For example:

“I feel anxious, which actually means I think I can do better.

“I feel scared, and that’s normal. I allow myself to be scared.”

In this way, you transform the “dragon” from a mere obstacle into a prompt for inner strength.

You begin to understand: fear, anxiety, and tension are not enemies, but signals from life, guiding you to be clearer about your value and goals.

Step 5: Transformation and Return

Now that you have embraced the dragon, it’s time to prepare for the return journey.

Campbell calls this “the return with the Holy Grail” — what the hero brings back is not a trophy, but a new consciousness.

Exercise：

1.Review your journey: What gifts have you received? (Is it a courage, a sense of peace, or a belief that belongs to you?) Have you seen a part of the “hero” within yourself? Has this “awakening” changed the way you view yourself?

2.Symbolic Return：Present this “gift” on paper using symbols, colors and lines.

For example:

• Freedom → Flying curves
• Hope → Yellow light dots rising upwards
• Insight → White or golden circles 
• Creativity → Free, curved colored lines or spirals

Tips: You can combine various symbols or colors. There is no need to be bound by the shape. The key is that as soon as you see it, you can feel the energy of this gift.

Conclusion:

Contemporary art offers a way for the unconscious to manifest itself through matter, action and symbols.

In this sense, each participant is both an explorer and an artist;

Each piece of work is both a record and a transformation.

Story Design (Freytag’s Pyramid)
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As Campbell said in “The Power of Myth”: “Heaven and hell are within us.”

Each time we choose to face fear, embrace the unknown, and take on the responsibility of creation, it is a journey “from hell to heaven.”

Within the framework of the hero’s journey,

every learner can realize that they are not victims of fate but authors of their own stories.

The Hero’s Journey Toolkit: Creating Your Own Personal Myth © 2025 by Yujia Wang is licensed under CC BY 4.0

Additional Reading：

Bochner, A. P., and Ellis, C. 2003. “An Introduction to the Arts and Narrative Research: Art as Inquiry”. Qualitative Inquiry, 9(4): 506–514. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077800403254394.

Bourriaud, Nicolas. 2016. The Exform. Translated by Erik Butler. Verso Books.

Bourriaud, Nicolas. 2022. “Aesthetics Is a Tool to Understand Reality at Another Level, in a State of Suspension.” Interview by Milica Tomić and Dubravka. Graz Architecture Magazine, August 8. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783868598384-008

Campbell, J. 1949. The Hero with A Thousand Faces. Pantheon Books.

Campbell, J., and Moyers, B. 1988. The Power of Myth. Doubleday.

Ellis, C. 2004. The Ethnographic I: A Methodological Novel About Autoethnography. AltaMira Press.

Frankl, V. E. 1946. Man’s Search for Meaning. Franz Deuticke.

Gilligan, S., and Dilts, R. 2010. The Hero’s Journey: A Voyage of Self-discovery. Crown House Publishing.

Kolb, D. A. 1984. Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and Development. Prentice-Hall.

Miller, D. 2022. Hero on A Mission: A Path to A Meaningful Life. WaterBrook.

Nichols, K. P., and Chesnut, D. 2014. UX for Dummies. John Wiley & Sons.