Campbell’s Monomyth and Van Gennep’s 3 Phases
Author: Christopher Chayban
In reading Steven Walker, on the distinction between archetype, archetypal Image and myth, I have come to disagree on how the term “monomyth” is defined. The monomyth, would be, as the word “mono” denotes “one” and “myth,” as “story,” or “what is told.” That would mean that there is essentially one story that each hero goes through. Now, the stories all vary but through Campbell’s work, the “pattern” remains constant. Therefore, what Campbell means by “monomyth” is actually the archetype (arche-original, typos-pattern) of the hero. The archetypal of the hero are many, hence the title of his book “The Hero with a thousand faces.” Walker says that “it is improper to consider a myth as ageless or as universal as an archetype, since it bears the particular stamp of the specific age and culture that produces it. (Walker pg.19).” I understand this might be obvious or “splitting hairs,” but since the word “myth” is widely misunderstood, generally taken to mean as something “not true,” I thought it would be important to make the distinction.
Now, we can take a look at the structural components of Campbell’s map of the hero’s journey as it relates to Van Gennep’s three phases. The archetypal image the springs from these structures appear to be alchemical. The process of “Separatio, The problem of Opposites and Coniunctio” parallel “The Separation, Supreme Ordeal and Unification.”
Van Gennep’s stages are “Hermes” like, in that, he segments out three stages of liminality (meaning transitional or in between). The initiatory process for Van Gennep begins in the preliminal (before the transition) in Campbell’s “Ordinary World,” and the world as we “know it.” The Hero gets a “Call to adventure,” and is set to on a departure, knowingly or unknowingly, willingly or resistant (Hero pg.92). The hero enters a series of tests, and a heroic and inflated act (Edinger pg.41) occurs that plunges one into “the belly of the whale,” This act of separation, puts one in the unknown world, the dark underworld and corresponds to in Jungian unconscious. Campbell says, the question becomes “can the ego put itself to death? (Hero pg.120) “ in order to shift its center from self-centeredness to the transpersonal center i.e the Jungian Self (Hero pg.41). In the first threshold, Campbell’s “special world” corresponds to Van Gennep’s liminal stage where the incest or sacred marriage occurs with the paternal and maternal unconscious. Here Campbell’s “Supreme Ordeal,” the hero is lost, the opposites are so wide that the hero is vulnerable to dismemberment.
At the second threshold, the hero’s experience is at rock bottom but it is exactly where the elixir theft occurs, the stealing of fire, the ultimate boon and the descent crosses the threshold into the ascent.
The hero has to leave the liminal special world and bring back the elixir into Van Gennep’s last stage, the post liminal which is Campbell’s ascent and return to the ordinary world at the third threshold. In order for the unification of opposite, the hero must have humility and a sacrificial attitude (Edinger pg.41). The coniunctio occurs between the hero and the community and Campbell says “The effect of the successful adventure of the hero is the unlocking and release again of the flow of life into the body of the world. (Hero pg.37).”
Campbell got a lot of heat for saying “follow your bliss.” I’m sorry I can’t give you a specific example, but it was somewhere along the lines that it didn’t necessarily mean “do what ever you want,” and that will bring good results. Following your bliss still takes some work and includes trials and tribulations but if you do follow your bliss, you are more likely to enter the hero’s journey more willingly rather than being dragged by your feet. I love Campbell’s work, especially his lectures, but there is something with him that doesn’t stick with me, like the way Jung does. Then, I realized why after reading Walker today. He says “Campbell gave little importance to the individual’s conscious ego, which for Jung was of the greatest importance as the mediator between the world and the unconscious. (Walker pg.95)” Not that I want someone to cater to my Ego but “Follow your bliss,” is one of the few ideas where Campbell pays heed to the subjective factor. He lacks this characteristic that is emphasized in Jungian thinking (Walker pg.95).
I think Campbell’s “follow your Bliss” mantra was an allusion to his understanding of Buddhism actually. In Buddhism, if you do a reductio ad infanitum, and trace what you are all the way back, the idea is that, you eventually to get to the point where you and everything else is made of bliss. It is part of a trinitarian concept called Sat (Truth) Cit (Mind) Anananda (Bliss). Since you are made of bliss, follow your bliss for Campbell, would in effect mean something like “follow what you are,” since “what you are” is bliss. At least, that’s how I understand it. I believe it was Robert Segal who said, that Campbell believed that there was nothing new to be discovered, only re-discovered. I’m inclined to agree with Segal and see that in his work. He appears to re-name or re-word ancient teachings in an updated form for modern understanding. How many people do you think would take him seriously if he said, “you are made of bliss?” People like Jung and Campbell are highly aware of their audience and careful of the words that they choose.
To end, the hero’s journey parallel’s the ego-Self journey. The identity originally merged at the preliminal stage in the ordinary world, gets separated (separation,) in the liminal special world, the opposites become split and re-linked at the post-liminal (coniunctio), where the unification happens between hero and world. The transformation happens via a resurrection, a return from the dead, i.e. the ego re-emerges out of the unconscious in better relation to this “transpersonal center,” and original wholeness (Edinger pg.41). Campbell adds a fourth threshold to Van Gennep’s three, with the “Freedom to live.“ Which might be like a Western equivalent of Nirvana for the East leaning Campbell. With the exception of being in the world as oppose to leaving it.
Resources:
Campbell, J. (2017). The hero with a thousand faces. Mumbai, India: Yogi Impressions.
Edinger, E. F. (1992). Ego & Archetype: Individuation and the Religious Function of the Psyche. Boston: Shambhala.
Walker, S. F. (2002). Jung and the Jungians on myth. London: Routledge.
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