Sam Wittenbraker- Return

 In Joseph Campbell’s book, “The Hero with a Thousand Faces”, Campbell lays out the steps of a journey in 3 distinct phases. The third phase, return, is what I will focus on in this blog. After successfully completing the journey, one has successfully completed their transformation. At the beginning of the journey, a hero sets out to change some aspect of themselves or the world around them. After finally separating from the current world, trials and tribulations help to prove the hero capable of this transformation. Following the final test, a hero has completed their transformation. At this point, all that is left is to return to the original world with this newfound knowledge. The whole point of the original journey was to transform an aspect of oneself. This transformation is impossible without a return to the original world. Upon return, the complete transformation is now possible to observe. This knowledge or transformation is called “Return with the Elixir”. Returning with the elixir, typically personal traits or physical objects, legitimizes a journey as successful.