Aidrian O’Connor 

I feel a bit more shaky about this packet than the first. I have not yet recieved a reply on the first packet, and as such, I’m still not sure if what I have done is adequate. Hopefully everything here is acceptable. 

This packet is divided into two major parts. The first is made up of my notes on The Female Hero, and the second begins my notes on The Origin and History of Consciousness. 

I feel pretty good about the way my work is coming along, although I got a bit frazzled by the time I had finished The Female Hero. I think that it is probably a result of the time period which that book was written in, but I had a hard time dealing with some of the information the authors presented as factual, as well as the way that they presented it. I will not elaborate here, because I did so in depth throughout my notes on the book. In the beginning of the book, the authors seemed to really know what was up with the topic of the hero role, but by the end I was a bit dissapointed. They seem to understand the theory of the hero role in words, but it seems like they didn’t write their book while possessing a hero mentality. I am certainly glad that I had the opportunity to work with this book, as it taught me a great deal, but I hoped for a book which would remove sex role from the interpretation of the hero role, and interpret the subject with an open mind. 

I have really just got started on Neumann’s book, so I wont comment much, except to say that I enjoy working with the book quite a bit. Neumann uses sex roles inherently in his system of interpretation, and although I wished to remove that aspect initially, it quickly became apparent that the use of sexual interpretation was almost impossible to avoid. I hope that the books which are being produced these days are past the need to define conscious as opposed to subconscious as masculine (opposed to feminine. 

I also added a comic strip illustrating the mirror and the cage symbols from Pierson and Pope’s book which I drew. I’m not too concerned about feedback on it, but feel free to comment if you’d like. 

Good Luck! 

Notes on The Female Hero in American and British Literature 

By Carol Pearson and Katherine Pope 

The following notes on Chapter One were included in my last packet, and I place them here simply for continuity's sake. Anything already presented in the last packet is in italics. The work for this packet starts with my notes on Chapter Two. 

Part 1. The Hero and Her World 

Chapter One: 

This chapter, entitled "The Female Hero," provides an introduction to the subject. A good part of the chapter deals with past attitudes towards the role of the female hero, with an accent on how predominant patriarchal views have confused that role. Also, there are a fair number of statements as to what a more accurate understanding of the female hero's, and indeed all hero's, roles entail. Initially I cringe at what could be called a very negative analysis of the past patriarchy, as this angle could seemingly lead to a victim mentality, as well as the anger and even hatred of the oppressor (the patriarchy) by the oppressed. This type of anger and hatred can often lead to a clouding of effective action, not to mention the continuance of an oppressed mentality within the potential female hero. However, it becomes clear as the chapter progresses that the authors are simply taking stock of what has brought this subject to its current state, so that we can clearly understand what our point of departure is. The hero can not revitalize society if he or she does not understand what the society is that they are revitalizing. 

The authors show a greater understanding of the subject of the hero than their predecessors (in this case Joseph Campbell) early on when they discuss Campbell's definition of the stages of the hero's progression. Under the subject "Initiation," they define two of the stages as "encounter with the tempter figure of the same sex (I think here they mean opposite sex), and "reconciliation with the parent of the same sex." Campbell's actual terms for these stages were, respectively, "Woman as the Temptress," and "Reconciliation with the Father," obviously directed at a strictly masculine hero figure. 

An excellent point made by the authors is that the true role of the hero is not to master anything, especially his or her world(s). This attitude is, I believe, a result of taking the actions of a hero too literally. Instead of understanding that the hero is overcoming his or her obstacles by truly understanding those obstacles, and then proceeding with action, those who believe the hero masters the opposition are focusing too heavily on the often violent symbol of overcoming. In other words, just because the hero's specific action of overcoming the opposition might be violent does not necessarily infer that the hero possesses a violent state of mind such as conquering his or her environment when he or she acts. This might seem like nit-picking, but in fact it makes all of the difference in the world, as it is in reality the hero's internal attitude about his or her interaction with the world from which we learn the most. Pearson and Pope can be quoted as saying, "An exploration of the heroic journeys of women - and of men who are relatively powerless because of class or race - makes clear that the archetypal hero masters the world by understanding it, not by dominating, controlling, or owning the world or other people," (page 5), and also, "The hero's achievement, in short, is to affirm life." 

Another excellent point made by the authors is that when the hero is not the cultural ideal he or she is almost intrinsically a revolutionary, and challenges the status quo simply by being strong while on the downside of culture. This reminds me how important it is to try to get this message to the people who need it the most (those not in a position of power). It is indeed the multitudes which are culturally oppressed the most, and who need a way to overcome that oppression the most. 

After reading this chapter, it occurred to me that one of the only ways to find the hero aspect in each one of us is to fully understand what our culture often inaccurately tells us that we are. We must learn to recognize assumption about both the roles that we are supposed to play and the roles that we assume others play. Once we learn how culture inaccurately views us, then it is necessary to forget those cultural assumptions, lest we be contained by the urge to react against those assumptions with an unnecessary ferocity. As with the hero, once we understand the situation clearly, we act, with a mind not clouded by the urge to conquer and dominate that which would oppress us. Rather, we simply transcend the oppression without creating oppression in the process. 

It is so easy to slip in this vital stage. As an example, I quote Pearson and Pope, who refer to the following quotation from George Gissing's novel The Odd Women: 

"Miss Barfoot mused, and her face lighted up with a glad thought. "You are right. It's better to be a woman, in our day. With us is all the joy of advance, the glory of conquering...." (italics mine) 

Although the authors' point in quoting this was that when we are oppressed there is a greater opportunity for us as beings because we have the opportunity to overcome the oppression, my point is simply that it is so easy to view overcoming our internal oppression as an egotistical victory instead of a process of understanding and moving on. I feel confident in saying that one of the hero's greatest enemies will always be his or her own ego, and its attendant urge to settle in to what it views as accomplishment. 

Chapter Two: 

This chapter is entitled, "The Mirror and the Cage." In the Table of Contents, there is a short description of this chapter, which reads, "Literary accounts of the myths that discourage heroism in women." This description sums up the chapter nicely, which I might have named, "Things that Stop Women from Being Heroes." It is particularly important for women to have this type of information available so that they can see how culture has tried to stop them from being heroes, and it is important for men to read it as well to see how they personally promote patriarchal views. 

However, I feel that this initial search into cultural repression is a stage which I have already dealt with in my own life, and understand rather well. I am not so concerned with how the patriarchy holds down women as I am with how we as people must come to understand that it is no one but ourselves that is holding us down. It matters little whether one feels repressed because of sex, class, or race - if you want to find evidence of oppression by an exterior group, it's all around you. I personally spent a good amount of time being driven to near madness by the idea that there somewhere was a group of old white men sitting in a room, calling all the shots and trying to control me with mass media, or perhaps something even more subtle than that. The positive effect I got from this research into what I call conspiracy theory was that it made me stop and question nearly everything around me. The negative effect was that I became so paranoid and angry that I was effectively paralyzed by fear. 

As budding heroes, it is necessary to encounter this stage of continual questioning of one's environment. It serves to break down our preconceived notions by calling everything into question. As heroes firmly seated on the path, it is necessary to realize that the only true oppression is the voice inside one's head that says, "No!" On one of his better days, Joseph Campbell called this voice the "Thou shalt" voice, which tells us what we can and cannot do according to what we have been taught. He goes on to describe the dragon which must be slain by the hero has a "Thou shalt" on every one of its scales. Chapter Two defines the "Thou shalt" voice for one particular group of people, in this case women, and does so at an appropriate time (before the book goes on to discuss the role of the hero). 

It was a good experience to read the chapter and see some of the ways which women are held down, and the ways they hold themselves down. It is all so similar to many of the issues I found in conspiracy theory, with a slight twist. I'm glad to have seen some of the woman's view on oppression, but I am not going to take the time to write specific notes on this subject. For me it would seem very regressive and perhaps even unnecessary. 

I want it to be clear that I am not saying that it is pointless to question the patriarchy. It is absolutely necessary. I simply do not feel it is necessary for myself to spend time with that issue now, as I have spent so much time with it in the past. 

Part II. The Journey 

Chapter Three 

Chapter Three, "Slaying the Dragon," serves as a summery of the coming chapters. It defines the hero's myth as divided into three parts - The Exit from the Garden, The Emperor's New Clothes, and A Woman is Her Mother. Each of these three stages include a powerful figure to be interpreted by the hero, a dragon which must be slain by the hero, and a treasure which must be won. 

The Exit from the Garden is the initial stage. It represents the hero recognizing the limitation imposed by the safety of the old way of living (often denoted here as the patriarchy), and the eventual urge to break free of this limitation. "To free herself, she must leave the garden of dependency on these captor figures, slay the dragon of the virginity myth, and assume the role of spiritual orphan. Her treasure at this stage is freedom and unlimited possibility." (pg. 68). This is a bit particular to the female hero for my purposes, but I feel that the idea applies to all heroes in a greater sense. 

The Emperor's New Clothes is the second stage, and it is here, according to the authors, that the hero encounters the seducer as a powerful figure. This stage is representative of the hero's plunge into the world of experience. The seducer must be demythologized, and the myth of romantic love must be slain as a dragon. The treasure at this stage is the knowledge that supposedly male qualities are within her as well, and as such she can move on to become whole as well as autonomous. 

The third and final stage, A Woman is Her Mother, deals with the hero either internally or externally traveling to her ancestral home in search of her father, only to find that it is instead her mother with whom she needs to be rejoined. The authors state that at this point, "a rescue figure aids the hero in freeing herself from the myth of female inferiority and in identifying a viable female tradition." 

I will refrain from commenting much on the above, as the following three chapters in the book deal with the three stages in depth. 

Chapter Four 

The Exit From the Garden, as stated, represents a refusal by the hero to accept the restriction presented by the patriarchy. The possibility of this refusal is present at every moment in the hero's life. It is interesting to note that it is possible that those "abandoned" by the hero in her exit from the garden can actually be liberated as a result of her action. By refusing the restraint of the patriarchy, the hero is affirming her own self worth, and thus she affirms life itself by not accepting limitation and stagnation. 

A point made by the authors which is particularly important is that by accepting independence and responsibility for one's actions, the hero is in fact becoming a true adult. I have for a long time felt that we as a world wide culture never have reached the maturity level of an adult. This is, at least in part, due to a continual slacking off of personal responsibility. This is related to the discussion in my notes on Trungpa, who talks about the continual urge to hide away those things which are unpleasant to deal with, both on a cultural and individual level. The hero throws away the safety and irresponsibility of the old system, and hold him or herself accountable for every act and the repercussions thereof. Does this not sound like simply acting like an adult? 

The exit from the garden leads to a feeling of loneliness and confusion. Suddenly, none of the old prejudices apply, and the hero is faced with a very raw experience of life. By exiting the garden, the hero has effectively forsaken his or her parents, family, and culture, to stand alone and experience life without the stereotypes given by family and culture, which leads directly to the feelings of alone-ness. This too relates to Trugpa, and his descriptions of the warrior with a "sad and tender heart." This is a part of the dying the process which the hero experiences. It is important to note that the rebirth does not necessarily promise to bring the hero into a realm which he or she is any better off than he or she was within the old system. 

Section I. The Call to the Quest 

The call here is presented as a voice which reassures the self worth of the hero to him or her. "The supportive guide or voice helps the hero to recognize the heroic opportunity obscured by the apparent catastrophe," (pg. 84) which is occuring in the life of the soon to be hero. This voice can come from three sources, according to the authors - another person, a natural force, or an internal force which arises inside the hero. 

The natural force which reassures the hero is often a common event in the hero's life which forces the hero to move beyond the secure old ways. The other two heralds of the call are fairly obvious and do not require clarification. . 

As discussed in Campbell's work, the call is often initially refused, which is I believe a result of the great fear of the unknown. Frankly, this fear is legitimate. The role of the hero is not an easy one, and is filled with the pain and discomfort of trailblazing one's own path through the mire of the world. This could be likened to trying to build a house without using the standard measurements which all lumber is cut for - in the end, the house might serve you better, but building it will not be easy, no matter what. 

I would like to state that while reading about the herald's role in this chapter, I understood that it is one of my greatest wishes to fill this necessary role for people, and it is really that which I am working towards with my studying. My entire system of ritualized learning is really all about helping individuals to wake to their hero persona, even though I realize more and more every day that there can be no real system to initiate the transformative process represented by the hero myth. I will press on, though, as I believe that the role of herald of the call to adventure is needed so greatly by our culture today. 

Section II. Another Universe 

As the hero progresses, he or she must learn to adopt what has been labeled by the authors a "trickster" mentality. This state of mind involves taking an optimistic point of view, in effect liberating oneself from the drudgery inherent in the pessimistic standpoint of the old way of being. With freedom from pessimism, one is able to transcend oppression, and take a far lighter attitude towards those situations which at one point seemed helpless. In fact, it even goes so far as to seem humorous, and leads to poking fun at "whatever society believes to be sacred" (pg. 93). This new light attitude enables the hero to float on and with the tides of life, without the need to control the circumstances which unfold around him or her. As Trungpa taught us earlier in this study, this need to control arises from living in constant fear and uncertainty, which is no longer present in the trickster mentality. It is important to note that attempting to control life is like trying to stop the tides of the ocean - there is just no way to do it. This fact leads the would-be hero who is still attempting to control life into more and more frustration and anxiety, and thus a vicious cycle is formed. 

The authors, in this chapter, attribute the mentality of the trickster to matriarchal-pagan traditions, with the corresponding pessimistic attitude attributed to the patriarchal traditions. Although I understand the point they are trying to express here, I think that sometimes the authors go a bit far with their "us against them (feminism vs. patriarchy)" vendetta. 

As an example, I will point out the first card of the tarot, numbered zero, and named "The Fool." The Fool, or Le Fou, is a symbol of the exact same archetypal idea as the trickster mentality which is discussed here. It is a symbol of he or she whose wisdom is beyond normal comprehension, which leads to him or her being viewed as a fool by the populace. The Fool's vision is clear and precise, so clear and precise that it pierces straight through those who are bound by past cultural beliefs. The tarot supposedly dated from New Kingdom Egypt, which was, despite Egypt's earlier matriarchal tradition, definitely patriarchal. Ever since that time, the tarot has been used in various pagan traditions, but has also served as a major counterpart to such heavily patriarchal traditions as western cabalistic ceremonial magic. So, the point is, the opposite of the trickster mentality, which I will here for convenience sake call the "dullard" mentality, is not part of patriarchal tradition. It is part of remaining within patriarchal tradition because our past culture happens to have been patriarchal. If in fact our culture was dominated by matriarchy, then the dullard mentality would require remaining within matriarchal confines. This point may seem subtle, but it needs to be clearly stated that the trickster is in no way matriarchal. The trickster, if he or she is truly the trickster, is not related to matriarchy or patriarchy in any way. He or she is beyond all that. 

Section III. Shattering the Mirror 

The urge often arises, as the hero sets out for his or her quest, to liberate those figures which were captors to the hero. This need to liberate those who confined the hero comes about as a result of not fully having separated oneself psychologically from the legacy of the past culture. For women in particular, but also in men, making the full separation involves shattering the mirror which was discussed earlier. The constant need for love and approval from the captor figures (often mother and father) can stop the individuation process in its tracks. Often the initial sensation of separation from the captors feels more like a "dismemberment of the self" than a liberation, due to the sudden void of supposed external support. 

The captor figures must be rejected as victims of previous culture, and as we will find out later on, they must also be accepted as heroes in their own right. In the authors' own words, "When the hero realizes that the role (of the maternal captor figure) is destructive to the maternal figure and to those around her, she is free to reject the role without rejecting the women who embody it. (pg114). At some point it must be realized that the hero and captor figure are truly one within any given pe opportunity to talk with on the subject). I have a feeling, though, that anyone who feels the need to break down everything they know and embrace the hero aspect of themselves is going to have a hell of a lot of opposition, be it "special" or not, and probably just about an equal amount as anybody else who did the same, be they male or female. If we really wanted to push things, it could be said that men have a harder time giving up current cultural beliefs, because they are the ones who supposedly have the most opportunity within this culture. 

I realize I'm on a bit of a tirade here, but I guess that I'm not too sure that the authors of this book necessarily had worked out their personal politic before writing on a subject which I don't feel has need for personal politic. Campbell wrote a book which missed the mark because of such assumptions, and Pierson and Pope apparently responded in kind by swinging the pendulum of misunderstanding from one extreme to the other. 

I understand that present culture has a problem with women being heroes, and I want it to be clear that I am in no way saying that women aren't victimized. What I am saying is that it is very important at some point to get past that. Even he or she who fights against repression is still a victim of the repression - they have not yet truly freed themselves of the oppression because the fact that they are supposed to be repressed is still part of their mentality. When the would-be repression is experienced by the hero, it is noted, and fairly soon after it is forgotten. This is because the only true repression comes from ourselves telling ourselves that we are supposed to behave a certain way. When we don't tell ourselves that any more, no external influence could ever convince us otherwise. It doesn't matter anymore if some stranger thinks we should behave a certain way. We as heroes are just living, viewing situations clearly without the filter of anti-patriarchal rage clouding our vision, and reacting to those situations as they arise. By doing this, we are truly in revolution against any human power which would wish to control us, and the results are that somehow our words and actions start to cause almost imperceptible changes in the world around us. These little changes are the way in which society is truly revitalized. Our individual worlds become energized and positive, and the rest of the world keeps on turning, even if there are still a bunch of old white men in a room somewhere wishing that they could control it. 

Chapter Five 

This chapter as a whole deals with the hero's fall from innocence into the world of experience, the realm of chaos and action. 

Section I. The Seducer 

The seducer is depicted as a figure which leads the hero into a new situation which in some was educates him or her. By being led in this manner, the hero often cannot fully slay the dragon, and thus the seducer becomes a captor figure as well. The seducer is anything which initially promises great things, but eventually falls short of expectations and must be discarded. This seems to be a mistake more on the behalf of the hero than the seducer. The hero is projecting some sort of divine infallibility on another person in hopes of receiving an easy answer provided by an external source (the seducer) rather than looking inward. Experiencing the seducer's transformation to a captor figure underlines the need for true individuality - there is no fountain of divinity except that which arises from within ourselves. 

Section II. The Fortunate Fall 

Traditional literature has often used the lover as a savior/seducer figure for the female hero, but the authors point out that it is comrades instead of lovers which truly inspire the hero to his or her true role. An interesting question at this point is what is the true difference between lovers and comrades? Is it the attitude that one takes toward the lover that separates him or her from being both a lover and a comrade? If the dragon myth of romantic love is yet to be slain by the hero, then there would seem to be an intrinsic power play once sexuality is involved. But, if the dragon has truly been slain, then is there a difference between a comrade and a lover? Could the lover be a comrade that the hero can communicate and share with on a sexual level, and leave it at that? I honestly don't know, but I am curious and am attempting to address this issue in my personal life. What is the change in mentality once sexuality is an issue? I have experienced it, as I would say most of us have, but is it the result of cultural conditioning with the myth of romantic love, or is it an intrinsic part of our psychological makeup? I don't know the answers to any of these questions, but I hope to find out. 

An interesting point made by the authors is that sexuality can help the would-be hero on to the path of the true hero, as it involves a complete loss of the self to the body. It is important to note that this is not a loss of self to the sexual partner. It is the self sacrifice of control and ego based perception to the physical sensations of the body. This letting go is closely related to the heroic attitude of relinquishing control of the external environment in favor of simply experiencing sensation for sensation's sake only. 

Section III. The Light Man and the Dark Man 

Traditional literature gives us two male figures - the light man and the dark man. The dark man is credited as the seducer or corrupter, and is associated with sexuality and evil. The light man conversely is associated with spiritual order, conventionality, and morality. This duality must, of course, be rejected as all other duality's must be. Both figures are simply projected interpretation on the would-be hero's behalf of mortal mens' actions. By the hero viewing herself as being led into a situation by a man, she is automatically sacrificing her own individuality, simply by viewing the situation as some sort of controlled relationship. I would say that this certainly applies for men as well as women, and that it is easy to see that there are dark and light woman figures in many mens' mentalities as well. 

The female hero must demythologize the male figure and close the duality of sexuality versus autonomy. The are the mind and body one, spirit and flesh one. The virgin-mother is an excellent symbol of she that has gained an understanding of the duality conjoined. The virgin-mother is sexually active, yet belongs to no one but herself. 

It is obvious that sexuality and the attitudes that we adopt towards it are a major part of the psychological struggle towards the hero role. It is possible that many of our restrictive and thus negative attitudes toward sexuality are due to the fact that, in historical time, we as beings are a blink of an eye away from being animals. But frankly I think that is a cop-out. If we consider the above stated idea that sexuality has a lot to do with letting go of our selves and our control of a situation, then perhaps it becomes clear why we develop so many emotional regulations around the act of sex. Being fully open, fully out of control, is so threatening to our fragile little egos. We build a specific code of what a situation need entail for us to still feel safe and secure while loosing control, and we remain within that code for fear of finding ourselves in a situation where we really aren't in control in the least. There is some element of trust that we need to establish before loosing our selves in the presence of another, whether it is the trust that a woman will remain demur and non-threatening to our masculinity, or that a man will respect us as a woman during and after the act. These two examples are, of course, limited in scope, and are just two examples out of a multitude of possibilities. 

We tell ourselves so much about sex, that it represents love, or that it represents a conquering, or whatever, and I feel like we're telling ourselves all this just to justify letting down our guard for a few minutes in the presence of another. The attitude which I feel is one of the most positive is that sexuality is simply a form of communication which is beyond words and even thoughts. It is a way of sharing what is inside you with someone else in the same way that expressive dance is. Now, I am not saying that sex is not in some way special, but I think that we can approach it with the mentality that we do not have to identify why it is special, or what the ramifications of it are. 

Another issue with sexuality that I am curious about the actual experience of sexual attraction between people. I have begun to feel recently that sexual attraction for the most part is something which we as individuals project onto another person. For whatever reason, that person represents to us something which evinces sexual desire within us. I don't understand why this happens in the least, but I am quite certain that it often clouds our vision of interacting with that person. I have experienced in my life a strong sexual desire for someone (as most of us have), and found that the desire dominates every encounter with that person. However, when I have tried to define why this desire is occuring, the desire often times drops away completely, and I find that it is almost as if I was desiring the person simply for the sake of desiring. After the desire has gone, then I can truly and honestly interact with that person as a person, with no intervening filters of perception. The subject fascinates me, because it is so hard to understand in a left brained, logical way. 

Chapter Six 

The beginning of the hero's quest is listed by the authors as embracing the father figure's qualities - "autonomy, courage, intelligence, independence and self control" (pg. 177). After this is accomplishes, the female hero's quest is to reclaim her mother figure's traditional qualities - "nurturance, intuition, compassion." At this stage, have we not yet learned not to differentiate the above qualities as related to one sex or the other? According to the authors, by embracing the feminine qualities again, a woman can have positive relations with other women. The anti-hero phenomenon (when the hero refuses to take a seat of power within culture) is chalked up to a hero embracing the mother figure, as opposed to the conquer and take control aspect of the father. Having understood the father and mother figures completely, the hero can now take a truly heroic attitude which is beyond understanding the world and him or her self through a filter of sexual orientation. 

Section I. The Rescuer 

Reconciliation with the mother leads to discovering true identity and heritage. Often when in despair, a nurturing, strong, independent woman appears to the hero and bestows a sense of self-belief on the hero. This sense of self belief leads to slaying one's own dragons instead of relying on others. Don't ask me why this nurturing, strong, independent figure, obviously an established hero, has to be a woman, but I suspect that it has something to do with the authors' point that when a woman is a hero she has adopted a womans' tradition and community. This is in obvious discord with the idea that the hero no longer views anything in relation to masculinity or femininity. I'm starting to get the idea that the authors were particularly bent on leading the would-be female heroes into a strong sense of community with females specifically. I think that is a good thing, particularly in view of the culture we live in, but I can't help but ask where the chapters are devoted to developing a sense of community with males? There are certainly chapters devoted to demythologizing the male figures, but none that encourage community with them. 

Section II. Two Mothers 

"The reconciliation with the mother involves the internalization of this strong and powerful woman," (pg195). By this internalization of the mother figure, the woman is her mother. She has accepted the hero aspect of her mother, and sees those qualities in her own self, and in this way she has become whole. She can take the positive qualities of tradition into herself, and carry them on proudly. 

Section III. Reconciliation with the Parents 

The proper role of the hero entails reconciliation with both parents, which represents an integration of both sexes' positive qualities and a simultaneous rejection of their negative qualities. 

The authors write that, "Writers who advocate a nurturing, life-affirming ethic often write books in which evens occur that are related, but not causally connected." This is an excellent point. In the reality of living a hero role, there are no clearly defined stages, but instead what some choose to call coincidences, where connections can be felt and understood, but only in a chaotic and indifinitive sense. The hero deals with slaying dragons and reconciliation with the parents in every moment, every day. The dragons and parents are simply the qualities the hero is projecting, and the act of projecting is the true and ultimate dragon. In reality, there will always be dragons to slay, as the act of projecting is so thoroughly ingrained in our perception that it will never truly be killed. In the same way, the priceless treasure of the hero is never anything which is truly tangible. Often, the treasure can only be perceived in retrospect, and even then, the hero never really knows for sure. The treasure can never be defined, but it is certain that something changes in the hero's world when the war against projection begins. The authors state correctly that by acknowledging the chaotic, complex aspect of the quest, a "humble stance" is bred within the hero, and a subjective as opposed to objective tone arises from the realization that nothing is ever truly known. 

Part III. The Return 

Chapter Seven 

The final treasure for the hero is simply him or herself - nothing more and nothing less. Through this self-affirmation, the hero's world is completely transformed. An aspect of the eternal has been introduced into the hero's life. It is the eternal truths of living without distortion by temporal cultural beliefs which changes the hero profoundly. Once the hero is beyond the dualistic assumptions taught to him or her, an empowered form of free expression can take place. 

Having separated him or herself from the need for compulsive or dependent external love, the hero is confident enough to respect the world view of other people. The hero has learned to trust his or her own perceptions, while realizing that those perceptions only apply to him or herself. There is no need for external support of the hero's mentalities and attitudes. 

The sections of this chapter are particularly short and succinct, and because of this my notes are as well. 

Section I. A Community of One 

This section continues the idea of the hero's lack of need for external support in the way that he or she functions in the world. Here we find, finally, a good discussion of the similarities between the male and female hero roles - 

"It is important to note, however, that the state of consciousness associated with the females hero's return is shared by many men, and that many men achieve this state in the same manner that women do..." or "the primary responsibility of each man or woman is to have the courage to be engaged fully in life..." 

Also there is an excellent description of the way the ordinary, every day occurrences become infused with power when the hero is on the path. It is no longer things which are considered spiritual that matter, but it is instead everything that matters, and thus the most mundane experience can become somehow more intense and beautiful. Colors become vibrant, sound becomes crisp and clear, and emotions swell with intensity. These little occurrences are the true treasure for the hero. 

Section II. A Vibrant Twilight 

A short section on aging females, who often embrace the hero role because culture views the aging single female as valueless. The aging woman finds that there is no place allowed for her in society, and thus she sets off on her own to bring value to the only life that she has. 

Section III. A Separate Peace 

Here discussed is the need of female heroes to have a room of their own, a place for them to be with themselves only on a regular basis. I think that this is an excellent point, though of course I'm going to say that I don't think that it only applies to women. It would be interesting to take established households and give each member of the household a studio space strictly for their own use, and see the results. I think that the therapeutic results would be amazing. 

Section IV. A Subculture of One 

Once the female hero is established in her role, it is, according to the authors, more difficult for her to develop a community because of the failure or society to allow for females with power. I'm sick of ripping on the authors, so I won't get started. I will instead quote a particularly brilliant line form the book - "The wise fool refuses to succumb to the tyranny of the dull collective mind," (pg. 239), and another, "She (the hero) translates the truth she knows into appearances that others can handle," and thus, "sustains opposing truths at once." Both of these quotes depict nicely the attitude which the hero must develop when living the lifestyle of a hero in a culture which does not support it. 

Section V. No More Masks 

When the hero is finally successful in removing his or her prejudices, both of his or her self and of others, and is able to share this vision with others through words and actions, often a sense of community develops. The hero is now capable of recognizing the hero aspect of others, having recognized it in him or herself. This recognition creates a common ground between the two people. This recognition is almost like an informal form of ultimate respect. The hero treats others as heroes, with a value which is almost more than human. The hero understands that he or she needs this sense of community, just as others need the hero. This new community must be one which provides nurturance without limiting individual freedom in the least. This sense of community is based on two people acknowledging in each other the great potential they each represent. Is as simple as that, but that in itself can greatly liberate both people. 

Sometimes being within this sense of community involves patience and waiting - waiting for one person to find their seat in his or her own path. It is important at this time not to try to take the less seated individual's path for them, but instead just to support them in their endeavors as much as is possible. 

Chapter Eight 

Here the authors explore feminist utopias as the result of the transfigured female hero on a macrocosmic level. Once again, this is swinging the pendulum from one extreme to another. I refrain from saying more for fear of redundancy. 

There is an interesting discussion of the family unit here. The authors support destroying the family unit altogether, but I don't think that view is either realistic or necessary. Parents become captor figures, seemingly always. This would seem to be negative, but if one is to become a hero, then you must be liberating yourself from something. We could, by extension, say that culture always becomes a captor figure, so lets not have culture anymore, but that is frankly not realistic. It seems to me that in non-traditional settings, when there are no clear parental figures, than a child will adopt other figures as captors. So perhaps it is necessary to just bite down and be the recipient of a child's captor projection, but at the same time work to help liberate the child from his or her need to project a captor role on anyone. This would mean that parents would have to overcome the duality of captor and liberate, and encompass both. Perhaps if they simply treated the child as another hero in their community of heroes, the problem could be solved. That would entail being nurturing without limiting individual freedom, as stated above, and it would also mean that the parents would have to be more than familiar with the nuances of living on the path of the hero. 

Notes on The Origins and History of Consciousness by Erich Neumann 

In my study of The Female Hero, I found that attempting to eliminate sex roles from a book which is firmly embedded in the attempt to define sex roles sometimes obscured the actual message the authors were attempting to convey. It is obvious that Neumann uses various sexual delineations on a symbolic level for different parts of the internal psyche, as well as the external world. I will not attempt to eliminate sex roles from this study, as it appears to be wholly intrinsic to understanding the author's system, and it also seems that the author has a clear understanding of the idea that the various sex roles are strictly being used here on a symbolic and not personalistic level. 

I. CREATION MYTH 

UROBOROS 

Uroboris is the state of unity which the universe exists in before separation of dualities; that is, before the rise of human ego consciousness. It can be related to the unconscious part of the mind, but only when there is no conscious ego to compare it to. The Uroboros is a snake which is biting its own tail, forever eating itself, and thus gaining sustenance to grow longer in perfect synergy. The Uroboros grows and consumes continually, though always within a circle or sphere which never changes size. 

THE GREAT MOTHER 

The first stage - The first step towards evolving an ego type consciousness is to interpret the Uroboros as the Great Mother, which personifies the aspect of continual creation and destruction. The consciousness, preparing to produce ego, is like a fish in the great ocean of the Great Mother. The consciousness is completely powerless and completely within the Mother's grasp. The first strong sensations are those related to fear and horror, as a result of the consciousness' defenselessness against the nameless and unknown horrors of the Mother (the environment). 

The second stage? - At this stage, food symbolism takes on a particular significance, as related to the ideas of creation by consumption (destruction) and similar closed cycle systems. In early cultures, this gives rise to cults of fertility, growth, and especially agriculture. Also, we find child sacrifice cults at this stage, personifying the birth, death, and resurrection theme similar to the seasonal vegetation growth and sacrifice. This idea springs from the knowledge that all life is the same in the Mother's eyes - that which dies this year gives way to life next year (rebirth). There is a particular "sadness by nature" because of the initial realization of the death and decay half of the Uroboric cycle, as opposed to the birth and life half. 

The third stage - At this point, the developing consciousness (still completely within the Great Mother's domain) takes on the son-lover aspect according to the author. This is the aspect where the consciousness is used for its invaluable seed by the Mother, then is slain, buried, and reborn. Note that the consciousness is still completely under the control of the Mother, and is imaged as a pretty, flower like male figure. This supposedly symbolically make figure is devoid of any true will besides that to serve the Mother. This is where the phallic cults rise, as a result of the knowledge of the specific roll of seed-bearer. The symbol of the Uroboric snake here is altered, to become the phallic snake (non-circle) which is the constant companion of the Mother goddess. 

Shortly after the rise of the phallic role of the consciousness, we experience for the first time the castration motif. Castration here fills the role of representing a symbolic death sacrificed for the Mother's sake - that is, giving up one's phallus to her, and thus giving up one's active and individual role. The fear of castration results from a youth's negative fascination with his own powerlessness to the Mother. Castration can be related symbolically to the felling of trees, the cutting of hair, and the wearing of women's clothing. "The young lover experiences an orgy of sex and in the orgasm the ego dissolves, is transcended in death (which is castration)." The fish, as taken from the Osirian mythos, can be considered a symbol of castration. Madness is also related to this stage, a dismemberment of the mind (as opposed to body) resulting from the fear and confusion of the Mother by the son. This entire last stage mark the aspect of death and destruction in the Great Mother. 

SEPARATING THE WORLD PARENTS 

The consciousness' gradual individuation pushes apart the dualities through a great effort, giving way to "knowledge of good and evil" - that is, knowledge of the self as separate from the "other" (not part of the group, the environment, etc). Knowledge of the dualities is based in the distinction "That is not Thou." Humankind begins their movement toward trying to conquer the environment, thus changing from a passive role to an active one. As stated, separating the World Parents is quite a struggle, a creative act which none the less causes a certain loss to be felt by the consciousness as a result of its newfound lack of unity. This leads to a great guilt, loneliness, and discord within the young mind. On comes suffering, toil, trouble, evil, sickness, and death. Ego begins to side with one half of the duality, thus cutting off the other, and loosing its "whole" relation to the world. This is the "primary loss" which is interpreted as the "fall of man" motif found in many mythos across the globe. Castration plays a role here as well, though a completely different one - that of severing the umbilical cord which had thus far connected it to the Great Mother, in no way a mutilation as before. For the first time, ego is completely on its own, and separated from the unconscious which gave birth to it. 

Section B: The Hero Myth 

I. The Birth of the Hero 

The Hero's personality is now completely detached from the unconscious, and this is reflected in the myth by the center or focus of the mythic universe changing to the physical world. Here the hero has two sets of parents - a divine set as well as personalistic parents. The Divine Father is often represented as either the sun god or moon god, and is a beneficent character who stands behind the hero, supporting him or her in the act of throwing down the Old King or old god(s). The Old King is the Personal Father, an obstructive figure which represents old ideals that must be thrown down to make way for the new ideals which the Hero represents. The Divine Mother is often a virgin mother who is inseminated by the Divine Father, gives birth to the Hero, and often must send the Hero away shortly after childbirth for his or her own safety (Moses in the basket, etc.). The personal mother is the Nurse figure who suckles and raises the Hero to maturity, and is sometimes an animal. The Hero's task is to fight the dragon, who is the Dark and Terrible Mother, and to throw down the Old King. Not until the Hero embraces his or her spiritual aspect, his or her "son/daughter of god" aspect, and dies to the matriarchal world, can he or she become a true innovator and bringer of wisdom/culture. This second "spiritual" birth earmarks the Hero for the divine role. The fight against the dragon is the vehicle of transfiguration from mere mortal to god. 

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A Digression: Masculinity and the Male Group 

Although I'm not too sure that I agree with Neumann's focus on using sexuality for symbolism, it appears to be an unavoidable aspect of his book, so I take the following notes more to record the author's ideas stated in his way than to express my own beliefs on the subject. 

Masculinity is the gradual self-differentiation from the maternal matrix. For this reason, even a female consciousness has a predominantly masculine character. The matriarchal group is the origin and cause of the masculine group. The matriarchal group is stationary and vegetative, focusing on fortifying instinct and group mentality. The women and young children form the group, and cast out the older males, who are thus prone to form wandering bands of nomadic fighters and hunters. They live matrilocally, thus living with the wife's tribe as an allowed outsider, and rarely do they visit the matriarchy from which they came (nature's insurance of crossbreeding?). So, the male group is a response to ousting by the matriarchal group which focuses on taking young men out of the matriarchal group by initiating them into the role of spiritual manhood. Thus comes initiation ritual, sometime violent and sometimes not, which serves to educate the young man in two things: first, the knowledge of "spirit," the realm of man, and second, to accent the aspect of mind over matter, spirit over material, force of will over the material body. These initiation rituals represent a second birth, this time with spirit as progenitor, as opposed to material matriarchy. This second birth serves to initiate the young man into his "higher manhood." Age plays a major role in the hierarchy of the male group, with older men representing wise fathers, and the younger men representing naive sons. The bestowing of spiritual knowledge leads directly to the education and enforcement of culture, law, and cultural standards. The male group is the realm of law and tradition, as well as individuality and ego. It is interesting to compare the formation of the male group with the development of the Hero, which must have a "second birth' to spirituality, and must throw down the Old King whose law and tradition it is that he must destroy. 

Some symbols of masculinity/spirituality include the sun, light, the head, and the eye. 

II. The Slaying of the Mother 

The Dark and Terrible Mother sends herself forth as the dragon, which the Hero must not succumb to, or he will never attain individuation. The symbol of the dragon is an uroboric, hermaphroditic symbol of both mother and father archetypes. The ego's identification with the masculine automatically pits it against the dangers of self-annihilation symbolized by the dragon. The fight against the dragon takes various forms of incest with the Mother - entering a cave, descent to the underworld, or being swallowed by the dragon. The dragon often possesses masculine (not paternal) characteristics (such as symbols like the key, whip, snake, dagger, and torch). The new "heroic" incest differs from uroboric and maternal incest in that the Hero conscientiously exposes himself to the danger, which is fear of the female and castration (the great Nothing, the chasm, the yin, the unconscious, self-loss, self-noughting). The phallic symbol at this level changes to the head with its ruling organ, the eye. Beheading and blinding are thus symbols of higher castration. The Hero is always a "bringer of light," one who travels to the depths, retrieves the transforming boon, and returns to bring this new way to the culture. The sun myth is a typical example - it descends through the underworld at night, and returns to bestow the new light each dawn. It may also be noted here that the Mother tries to hold back the Hero in childhood, as earlier stated, and at this stage she attempts to outright destroy him, and thus take back his essence. 

III. The Slaying of the Father 

The father figure is two sided, possessing a positive and negative half, just like the mother figure. The positive half is the creative side, whereas the negative half is the destructive side. The father is an empty form which is filled by an image representative of current cultural standards, as opposed to a more fixed and unchanging mother figure. "Fathers" are representatives of law, order, and the highest values of civilization, whereas the "mothers" control the highest values of life and nature. Fathers control the domain of educating the young, impressing current cultural standards on them. The Hero is by nature against this establishment of old law. It is his or her job to bring the new way out of the "night," and this comes into direct conflict with the old way of the father figure. In this way, the divine father clashes indirectly with the personal father figure, by way of the revolutionary actions of the hero. Many times there are "exposing" prophecies at the birth of the Hero, proclaiming that he will eventually throw down his father, and thus the old ways. The obstructions which the father places before the hero is exactly what leads to the Hero's growth. By overcoming the dangers meant to destroy him or her, the Hero changes from being a dissatisfied son or daughter to a socially valued reformer (an inventor, founder of cities, and bringer of culture). Prometheus is an excellent example of the hero who brings the light of a new way to the people despite the will of the old gods. 

Now let's have a deeper definition of the Terrible Male figure. In early stages, the Terrible Male is simply an extension of the Dark and Terrible Mother. This early stage includes twin brothers fighting one another. Eventually this man versus man stage leads to a connection between the men, a bond of mutual realization of masculine self-consciousness. A new alliance is formed between the "brothers" and this leads directly to the patriarchy throwing down matriarchal rule. Now the matriarch becomes the old order to be thrown down, as represented by the maternal uncle, and most importantly, the dragon. The dragon fight now moves to the fore. To return to the Terrible Male, it can be stated that he represents locking consciousness in the wrong direction, and thus is a symbol of self-destruction and regression. The Terrible Father (not the same as the Terrible Male) has two faces - the Earth Father and the Spirit Father. The Earth Father represents overwhelming aggression of sexual urges, and over accentuation of aggression and power instincts. Obviously, he is closely related to the Great Mother. The Spirit Father's destructive aspect is the holding back of consciousness in any form; that is, binding by old law, religion, convention, tradition, etc. There are two forms of Patriarchal Castration, they being captivity and possession. Captivity is the form already discussed, of remaining within the bounds of the old way, not allowing the creative, higher father to shine through. Possession is the opposite - fascination with the spirit, leading to lack of connection with one's earthy aspect. This "annihilation through spirit" is the same as loosing oneself through the Earth Mother, i.e. unconscious. Symbols of annihilation through spirit include Icarus, who flew too near the sun and then crashed to his death. Possession is the overvaluation of ego. Also, it must be kept in mind that a reverse of this occurs as well, called the "eternal son," who is the permanent revolutionary. The eternal son refuses to accept that he will be thrown down by a future son, and as such, he never truly inherits his kingdom.