Vogler4

Crossing of the first threshold echoes the acceptance of the call with physical action, proving that the hero can follow intent with positive action. Crossing of thresholds is a highly symbolic act, such as in the rites of passage of transition to adulthood or the carrying of a bride by a husband over the threshold of their first house. It indicates commitment and change, leaving behind the old and accepting the new. This is a defining moment in the life of the hero, often the first active decision of responsibility and independence. This is stepping into a bold new world and is often a very scary act, going from the safety of home into an unpredictable and dangerous world, where the rules are different and the cost of failure is high. Thresholds are often guarded by people, monsters or other difficulties which have to be overcome. More over, Upon arriving in this new world the hero has to as quickly as possible orient himself to the ways of the new world, assess new people he meets as to whether they are friend or foe and then face many new tests as he begins his journey in this new place. Chris Vogler writes of this phase of the journey, “here the hero is a freshman all over again in this new world.”





This installment is all about crossing the first threshold, where the hero encounters the "threshold guardian at the zone of magnified power. Such custodians bound the world in the four directions - also up and down - standing for the limits of the hero's present sphere, or life horizon." This is the point where the hero really has to pony up and step into the great beyond in a deeper way. This has happened, to some extent, by heeding the call to adventure, but that was before encountering a major challenge and an embodied experience of what it means to leave the comforts of everyday life. I think a great amount of it might have to do with ego/self, which can tie in nicely to overcoming dividing thinking. The community members need to accept and understand that life is not all about them as individuals, but about the health and vitality of that community.





We’ve committed to leaving behind the Ordinary World and stepping into the New World of our Hero’s Journey. And as we do, we’re exposed to new sounds and sights, new leanings, surprises, adventures and experiences we’ve never had before. We might feel out of place. We might feel uncomfortable, inexperienced. But we’re stretching beyond your old self. Sometimes, when crossing the first threshold, we meet with boundaries. It might be the environment, a roadblock or obstacle in the way, the road might be too far away, a storm or a drought might test your resolve, or it might be people, who come up and challenge us. Once we’re in the New World in pursuit of our treasure, we have to learn new rules, we have to go to new places, see, hear and feel new things.



Questions.

1. How do you need to interact with your new enviroment to get what you want?



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