The Highest Hero's Journey
By Leo Gura - April 17, 2017 | 29 Comments
What it means to be a real hero
Forrest says: Yay I’m the first.
Have you had a chance to try nn dmt yet? What made you choose 5 meo first ?
Shaggy says: Hi Leo,
After watching your video “The big picture of self-actualisation” I got very excited for the upcoming videos, but I want to know if the future videos will make the Life Purpose Course obsolete. I have just started on the course and I see you have covered some of the early topics already on this episode.
I am a young college student who wants to succeed in my studies and relationship with women as of now and later keep working towards enlightenment. I hope your future videos will cover some areas that will be relevant for me.
Landon says: You should look into the book 3 percent man it is perfect for what your looking for. And the guy who writes the book Courey Wayne has hundreds of hours of YouTube videos aswell.
Rod Power says: I dont know if you know Leo but I AM the one in a million that will come to realization I am almost there brother !!
Charles says: And I AM you …
Leo… i guess could real unconditional happiness be a type of way of viewing the holy grail? Or is it something more like ineffable even than that?
Sandy carter says: Leo,
This was a brilliant talk; an amazing metaphor.
Thank you so much. This battle is like fighting the agents in the Matrix films. They keep multiplying and reappearing. It is so easy to keep slipping into apathy from discouragement. Thank you for being this inspirational voice in the density of this metaphysical forest.
Gavin says: Hey Leo, great video! Timely as ever! (I’ve finally got around to listening to The Hero’s Journey audiobook over the last week).
A recurring theme for me has been trying to find a balance between the inner journey and discovering/living my outer life purpose. I get the sense that these two must be intertwined to a degree. Is that accurate?
Do you think threshold guardians on the inner hero’s journey can manifest themselves in the seemingly external world, such as being faced with a pivotal life decision – around career, relationships or family? To make the right decision means to have defeated the threshold guardian?
I have been trying to determine if my current complex life circumstances are providing the fodder for my inner journey (for polishing/smoothing out the jaggedness that is my rocky self) and whether I should persevere – seeing the external state of affairs almost as a kind of litmus test to assess my inner development – am I still as anxious at work as I used to be? / Am I happier than before even though the situation itself hasn’t changed? etc.
I’m wondering if I need to choose to keep going in this same vein – a challenging life in the material world, striving for creative expression and moderate success or whether to ditch all that and set up my life purely to support the practices for the inner journey, so I have enough time and energy for the inner battle.
The answer is probably that it is a balance, right?
Great stuff anyway!
P.S. was reading a book called the Dharma of Star Wars and couldn’t help but remember it talking about Luke facing an illusion of Vader on Dagobah – a prime example of entering the belly of the whale – with Vader proving to have Luke’s face, when unmasked. Essentially doing battle with himself
Martina says: Hello Leo,
excuse my english.. it would be interesting to ask whether it is a matter of one-time choice or of continuous chain of decisions? perhaps it is not black and white and there are no absolute heros, that live their whole life this way but alternate between the two ways. it would be interesting to think about whether it is possible (or likely) to return to the previous approach once you “accept the challenge”. I can see how it is a freeing choice to choose to dedicate the life to pursuing the truth . but then after choosing this way it is likely that you start questioning it , isnt it? maybe its good to question it. maybe its good to question everything. and … hm… what if , actually, after choosing the way to pursue the truth, what if you find out that there is no borderline between the two ways? that actually there isnt. that actually the absolute truth is what people do until they dont even start thinking about this. that the absolute truth is what is actually natural behavior. ……… mmmmm. so many questions pop in my head after watching this. interesting. …… right now im thinking about whether it would be the case that the next stage of society’s development is – that everyone reaches enlightment… and also, what comes afterwards. what if that is the point of the “universe” and it is its “last stop”, last phase or something…… hmmmmmmmmm. what if it would be easier for an individual to reach enlightment (or how to call it) if just everyone on earth agreed that they are going to reach it together and that they are all giving up pursuing their ego
leo, have you noticed how throughout the history there has been a “swing” of two basic attitudes? – rebellion against everything (against beauty, nature…) and then suddenly returning back to the ratio , to reason, to nature, to harmony …. these two attitudes .. I am recognising this on the history of fine arts (also literature).. but I guess and I can see that it applies to everything, the general society’s attitude to life. … long blocks of time – rebellion / reason……….. ………….
notice how there has been a rebellion for such a long time now.. since long before the world wars. …..
do you think , leo, that this now it is actually coming back to nature?? (and kind of “reason” but not really reason..) … it has been such a huuuge rebellion now against classical conception of beauty. harmony, and so on… breaking the rules, .. art , fashion, I dont know what else, .. is all concerned with either topic of BANALITY or ABSURDITY. i am noticing cult of “uniquess” , pursue of uniquess and individuality. wanting to invent something new. I have a strong feeling that after this there will come some kind of peace… cult of generality, oneness, … I am a student of art and I am thinking a lot about this. I am thinking about this every day, but in terms of PAINTING. I am obsessed with a kind of “rebellion against rebellion” attitude. I am sceptic about what everyone is painting and how they are approaching to painting and to a work of art.
after a great storm there comes a great peace. ?? maybe..
do you think, leo , that there comes now a great great return tu the “truth” and the society is eventually going to “reach the enlightment” in this phase?
thanks for considering my thoughts..
it is all very, very, very interesting for me.
I am obsessed with thinking about these things, but my basis is painting and my thoughts grow from there. but of course I feel that all ways lead to the same destination
Martina says: And Leo, I am enjoying so much how you can give a speach so well. I enjoyed this video also as a work of art. it’s so well done
Martina says: I almost asked “does the holy grail feel good?” but suddenly realised that “feel good” is an ego thing this is tricky
Thanks for this video Leo. I can see how the Hero’s Journey is a metaphor for an inner journey rather than necessarily an external one. However I don’t think that “only” the Zen masters, yogis, and monks are the ones going on real hero’s journeys. Even in a community of monks there is social pressure to conform. They are still capable of ignoring a call to action, or failing to face those first guardians and obstacles. I would prefer to say balance is important. Balancing the external hero’s journey with the internal one. A successful businessman can still practice meditation and yoga and go on inner journeys while simultaneously building successful industries.
If you only have the external journey it’s incomplete. It’s the most obvious so that’s why you noticed it and assume business people, politicians, and other socially successful people are not really heroes. You only see their external journey but have no idea what’s going on with them internally. Sometimes you do hear of rich, successful people, or movie stars who are really depressed and somehow haven’t found real happiness though. In those cases, they may have lived an external heroes journey, but never faced the obstacles and demons present inside.
The same is true for the Zen masters, yogis and monks. They may have all sorts of mystical epiphanies about the true nature of themselves and reality as they meditate for a few hours every day, but they are not engaging reality. Even though their inner journeys may be more exciting and interesting to you, it is still incomplete.
The Hero’s Journey is in the public imagination perhaps mostly because of Star Wars. But the object of the Hero’s quest tends to be vague. The grail, the boon, etc. Thanks for clearly pointing out that it really is about Truth over ego.
Kamil says: I dont get The last quote
Me 
Guillermo says: Great video Leo as always.
I can’t help but think that this is a very odd sort of journey. Normally a journey involves a recognisable destination or goal. But the Truth you speak of appears completely alien to me as a destination. Why would I go on a journey to a destination I don’t comprehend? Or to put it another way, why is the journey worth it? Will it give me super powers or immense self confidence or complete mental peace or make me super wise or turn me into some sort of god?
Or is the journey in fact circular, where I’m already at the destination, but I just need to throw off the clothes of ego and society and culture to realise what I already am?
Questions, questions and more questions!
Thanks again for the videos.
outlandish says: Great video, deep and insightful. Thank you!
Eugene Pfeifer says: Well as usuall you did it again, a great video! Leo
I read The Power of Myth” by Joseph Campbell some time back! Avery good book.
I have been perseuwing the journey ever since it was thrused upon my early consciousness. There were high Mountains and deep valleys, deserts and much loneliness, yet, do I travel on.
Gene!
Marcel 
stephanie says: So is “Leo” from actualized.org a fictional character??? If so, you’re doing really well
ABDOO AMORIO says: wonderful LEO.
Very interesting video.
To more understanding I need the script of this video if possible, otherwise I’ll repeat it until I get all thing.
Thank you very much LEO.
Again, I write here only to tell you how much I thank you for sharing all this. I am really grateful for all the information that is given on all your videos, and the care and intention that comes with it .Send you a big hug all the way from Colombia.
AhCunegonde says: This one is particularly nourishing. Thank you (from Europe)
Aditya says: Apart from having a meditation habit, what else a person can do to accelerate himself on the hero’s journey?
Great talk Leo. Campbell said it is like we are all turning on this large wheel of life and we are all near the edge of this spinning wheel. This metaphor has a major and important component to it and that is time. Our mind must stop our movement in time to absorb the truth to change or correct our path as needed. Energy transforms with time and we are all energy moving in time. The ultimate journey is slowing or even stopping our movement in time. It is scientific because it is cosmic and mathematical. The only thing we have control over is our mind and the mind only reacts to what happens in our time frame.
Karthiksuryavamsiv says: Hey leo please provide transcripts or subtitles …
Max the shithead says: This is what I think, the hero’s journey’s abnormal, it’s not for ordinary people, quirky people are so delusional, they think that not ordinary equals better, wrong! The ordinary is better and more successful and more liable to forget this nonsense than the weirdies will ever be, this is me casting belief on if I wasn’t ordinary, if being not ordinary is so great then why aren’t so many people doing it? If you’re quirky you’re quirky, being not ordinary is for the sake of deviating from the ordinary, being ordinary is so underrated, I’m saying these people don’t take an interest in this scary journey, they remain comfortable and circle back home forgetting about the journey, that’s the reality, ordinary people overdoing something which is low quality, you don’t know what it is, but they’re overdoing it, living in some terror of freedom and condemning freedom, to which they have no right. It’s complicated, as so many people are living boring, mundane lives, a bit of agitation, anger and annoyance and displeasure, only to circle back to their selfish lives, eating, drinking, pissing, sh-ing, cardio exercising, then repeating the cycle, they’re not on the hero’s journey, I doubt they’re even heroes, I don’t think so, you’re not a hero sitting in armchair eating a bagful of Twisties while watching that game show “The Chaser”, I rest my case.