How The Hero’s Journey is Different for Women | TCM #156 (Part 1)

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This podcast explores the Heroine’s Journey, a psychospiritual map of feminine awakening developed by Maureen Murdock. In contrast to the Hero’s Journey as popularized by Joseph Campbell, the Heroine’s path is an inward descent a woman is going through in her process of individuation, marked by the rejection and eventual reclamation of the feminine, the healing of the mother wound, and the integration of a new inner masculine.

While centered on the feminine experience, this journey is also deeply valuable for men, offering insight into the inner lives of women, which can not only help a man support women but also enrich relationships with conscious awareness and universal themes such as soul loss, transformation, and integration. This episode also offers practices and reflective questions for each step of the Heroine’s Journey.

Part 1 explores the first half of the Heroine’s Journey, beginning with the rejection of the feminine in order to survive in a world that rewards masculine traits. It follows the heroine’s pursuit of success, her identification with the animus, and the eventual realization that something essential has been lost. This episode brings context, guidance, and reflection points that help illuminate the deeper cost of disowning the feminine and the initiation that begins with saying no.

Part 2 continues the heroine’s journey as she descends into the underworld to reclaim her soul, her body, and the feminine qualities she once exiled. It explores grief, embodiment, healing the mother wound, and the integration of a new, soul-aligned inner masculine. This episode offers a path through the darkness of the descent and into wholeness, with guidance, insights, and questions that will speak to anyone undergoing deep inner transformation.

Related podcast episodes:

• • The Inner Marriage: Healing the Feminine and Masculine Within
  • The Masculine Wound And How To Heal It
  • The Mother Wound: A PsychoSpiritual Healing Guide
  • The Father Wound: A PsychoSpiritual Healing Guide

Show Notes Part 1:

• • The First Half of the Heroine’s Journey
  • A breakdown of how the classic Hero’s Journey excludes the feminine experience of transformation
  • Introduction of Maureen Murdock’s Heroine’s Journey as a cyclical, inner path of feminine awakening
  • Rejection of feminine traits such as softness, emotion, and intuition in favor of masculine survival strategies
  • Early wounding through the mother-daughter dynamic and societal devaluation of the feminine
  • Emphasis on intellect, achievement, and independence as a form of identification with the masculine
  • Inflation of the animus and suppression of the inner feminine to succeed in male-defined systems
  • The “daughter of the father” dynamic and the pursuit of approval through masculine values
  • Development of a split psyche and growing disconnection from body, soul, and emotional life
  • Encounters with inner “dragons” such as perfectionism, shame, and fear of vulnerability
  • Disillusionment with romantic ideals and the myth of being completed by another
  • Achievement of external success that brings internal emptiness and loss of meaning
  • Emergence of a spiritual and psychological revolt marked by the ability to say no
  • Rejection of patriarchal systems, false gods, and conditional love in favor of soul integrity
  • Initiation of the descent into the underworld as a turning point in the journey

In Part 2 (for members), we go deeper into:

• • The Descent, Reclamation, and Return to Wholeness
  • Descent into the underworld as the heart of the journey, marked by loss, grief, and inner fragmentation
  • Reclamation of disowned parts of the psyche, including the body, intuition, and dark feminine power
  • Revisiting and healing the mother wound as a path to restoring feminine identity
  • Integration of mythic imagery such as Persephone, Inanna, and the Dark Mother
  • Reconnection with the feminine through embodiment, sensuality, creativity, and ancestral memory
  • Grieving the long-held separation from the feminine and loss of inner life
  • Recognition of early body shame, sexual repression, and inherited disconnection from the feminine
  • Restoration of the body as sacred and intuitive rather than an object of control or rejection
  • Healing of the mother/daughter split through archetypal and personal integration
  • Reweaving of the feminine lineage through relationship with mentors, ancestors, and spiritual mothers
  • Emergence of the animus in a new form: protective, present, disciplined, and in service to the soul
  • Integration of the inner masculine and feminine in a sacred inner union
  • Collapse of the either/or paradigm in favor of wholeness and the end of inner conflict
  • Adoption of a circular, relational, cyclical worldview rooted in embodiment and soul
  • Completion of the journey as a return to life with balanced inner forces and authentic presence

Go HERE to listen to Part 2 if you’re a member, or REGISTER to become a member to access the membership section (including the membership forum).