The 30th Anniversary of The Heroine’s Journey

Maureen MurdockArt and Creativity, Politics, Women's Issues16 Comments

I wrote The Heroine’s Journey 30 years ago when women of my generation sought validation from patriarchal systems and found them not only lacking but terribly destructive to the feminine psyche. We were the children of the post-Sputnik era who were encouraged to excel in this competitive race in order to recover Western supremacy.

Unfortunately, the historical cycle is repeating itself. My granddaughters, children of the post-911 generation, are implored to “Make American Great Again” in a 1950s desire for American supremacy. In our capitalist society, everything is geared toward getting the job done, climbing the academic or corporate ladder, achieving prestige, position, and financial equity, and feeling powerful in the world. We continue to focus on individual success rather than structural change.

When I wrote the book, there had been no recognizable archetypal pattern that fit women’s experience. Throughout my life and my work as a psychotherapist, I noticed that women were quick to blame their feelings of inadequacy on their own shortcomings. I wanted women to understand that the widespread prejudice against the feminine emanates from the larger society. The continuing devaluation of women on the societal level affects how a woman feels about herself inwardly and how she perceives the feminine. It was what I called, at the time, the “Myth of Female Inferiority or Deficit Thinking.”

 Women’s lives have a mythology that differs from men’s, so we deny who we are when we measure our success, fulfillment or satisfaction by the milestones of the hero’s journey. When a woman focuses on the process of her inner journey, she receives little recognition and less applause from the outer world. The questions she asks about life values make those who are committed to the quest for the outer trappings of success uncomfortable. And social media, which rewards superficiality, reinforces the denigration of introspection and the inner journey.

Since 1990, there has been a dramatic shift in focus for women. Women are making a huge difference in society by showing what can be done when we step forward together in a spirit of collaboration rather than competition.

Aside from the record-breaking number of female candidates for president of the United States, almost 25% of Congress is female. As Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi is second in line of succession to the president after the vice-president. And this week, with Joseph Biden’s pick of Kamala Harris, we have the first Black Democratic woman running for the office of Vice President. Three women serve on the Supreme Court. The worldwide phenomenon of the #Me Too Movement has exposed the insidious sexual abuse and harassment of women and young girls throughout all industries, sports, and religions. Across the world, nations and states led by women are handling the scourge of the Covid-19 virus better than male leaders, enacting measures to bring their caseload down to zero.

In the entertainment industry, “Wonder Woman” was the first big budget movie directed by a woman. In publishing, women now hold the top positions at Simon and Schuster, Knopf, Henry Holt, and Pantheon and Schocken Books. This is an exciting step forward for women; the stories they champion will shape our worldview for decades to come.

These milestones indicate a dramatic shift. And yet.

Little did I imagine that we would face the same archetypal gender stereotype we faced three decades ago. Because we still live in a society which sees the world from a masculine perspective, many women continue to internalize the patriarchal voice that tells them they are less than or not “good enough.” As a result, many girls feel invisible, inferior from birth, and discouraged from developing their full potential. And in the current political climate, there is still an undeniable attack on women’s health and reproductive rights.

So yes, we have made great strides in the outer world but we continue to battle a narrative embedded in our patriarchal culture for the last five thousand years. Hate arises as women’s power emerges and there is no end to backlash against women who speak truth to power.

Yet women today are acquiring the courage to express their vision, the strength to set limits, and the willingness to take responsibility for themselves and others in a new way. They are reminding humans of their origins, the necessity to live mindfully, and their obligation to preserve all life on earth.

16 Comments on “The 30th Anniversary of The Heroine’s Journey”

  1. The Heroine’s Journey shifted my entire view of how to write stories, and also helped me to lead women to write their memoirs! The superwoman mystique, the great pretender, and the myth of never being enough continue to be major themes within my writers’ stories. These themes normalize their past traumas and gives them the conviction to tell their stories.

    The Heroine’s Journey created a key theme in my fiction book: my character’s urgent yearning to reconnect with the feminine. As a way to defeat the villain!

    The fire of passion to continue learning about the heroine’s journey and write about it is eternally lit!

    Thank you!

  2. Happy about this announcement. It is a book that is part of the library of life that all women who, upon hearing the call, need to have some guidance. There will be a rediction in Spanish?. I am writing from Venezuela. I apologize in advance for my basic command of English.

    1. Dear Marianicer, your English is terrific! Thank you for your comments. Yes, it is in Spanish. I think Gaia Publications has translated it. Blessings to you, Maureen

    2. Marianicer, this is what I found out about the Spanish translation: Shambhala did license Spanish rights a number of years ago and we just relicensed rights again last year to the publisher Gaia/Alfaomega. There is a link to the book on their website, but I believe that they distribute globally, so it should be available everywhere (through online retailers, etc. etc.).

  3. Maureen,
    I found your book, The Heroine’s Journey many years ago. My copy contains almost infinite underlinings and numerous sticky notes. Over and again I have referred to your words while writing my almost complete auto-biographical novel. What a journey the writing has been. I’ve literally followed the Heroine’s journey around the world and deep inside myself. Thank our for your guidance. The Sacred Feminine in Her many forms guides my life and my writing. My developmental editor says I have done a courageous and beautiful job revealing the Sacred Feminine as a transformational Source for women and many men around the world. Soon I will discover if an editor and publisher agree.

  4. Maureen congratulations on the 30th Anniversary publication of “The Heroines Journey”. Your work inspired me to bring you to Minneapolis to lead a workshop several years ago and I continue to reflect on our time with you. I wish you well and am eternally grateful for your work. Blessings, Nancy

    1. Nancy, it’s so wonderful to hear from you. I treasure the time I had with you and the wonderful women you gathered for a heroine’s journey together. What a creative group of women!! I hope you are safe and well. Blessings to you, Maureen

  5. Maureen, I left a reply but don’t see it yet This is the second .Your book sounds very interesting and as always you write so well.ox Cindy

  6. Congratulations Maureen for continuing women’s truth all these years. I love your work. I’m so glad that we were able to enjoy lunch together years ago at the International Women’s Writing Guild summer gathering. My deepest thanks and gratitude to you for all your honesty, which is really all women’s truth – if when they’re unaware of it. Stay well & Blessings, Marjorie (Halifax, N.S. Canada)

  7. The Heroine’s Journey has been like a North Star for me since I read it 5 years ago. I remember when I first read it, highlighting many many passages, thinking “Yes! Now it all makes sense!” I was 44 and facing what I now call a “mid-life evolution”. The Journey still guides me. I return to the book often as I guide other women on their journey’s. Thank you, thank you, for your work, for The Heroine’s Journey, and all you’ve contributed to the rise of the feminine.

  8. THANK YOU MAUREEN—Dr. Maureen Murdock—YOU ARE RIGHT-ON TOPIC, as always and “being THERE.” All-IN!🥰💪🏼🦾👊🙏🦾👍🦾🦾🦾

Leave a Reply to Maureen Murdock Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.