THJ Step #2 Call to Adventure

 2. Call To Adventure

The Hero’s adventure begins when he receives a call to action, such as a direct threat to his safety, his family, his way of life or to the peace of the community in which he lives. It may not be as dramatic as a gunshot, but simply a phone call or conversation but whatever the call is, and however it manifests itself, it ultimately disrupts the comfort of the Hero’s Ordinary World and presents a challenge or quest that must be undertaken.

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“A hero is someone who has given his or her life 

to something bigger than oneself.”

We must let go of the life we have planned, 

so as to accept the one that is waiting for us.

Whether small or great, and no matter what the stage or grade of life, 

the call rings up the curtain, always, on a mystery of transfiguration. 

A rite, or moment of spiritual passage, which, 

when complete amounts to a dying and a rebirth.

The familiar life horizon has been outgrown.

The old concepts, ideals, and emotional patterns no longer fit.

The time for a passing of a threshold is at hand.

Think of this stage as the beginning of ‘the awakening of the self.’

A pull that initiates you on your quest for healing, recovery, and becoming whole.  

To Campbell, life was affirmed as an adventure. 

So we can view this initial stage as a Call to Life.

A call to live more awake and aware.  

– Joseph Campbell

The Call to Adventure sets the story rolling by disrupting the comfort of the Hero's Ordinary World, presenting a challenge or quest that must be undertaken. The Call throws the Ordinary World off balance, and establishes the stakes involved if the challenge is rejected.

The Call to Adventure is the first step any character must encounter. It is what pulls or pushes the character forward, much like Harry Potter receiving his acceptance letter from Hogwarts in The Sorcerer’s Stone.

It is the first time the reader gets to witness your hero's values in action. In other words, it's your first chance to establish your story's core value by showing the reader what the hero is willing to suffer and sacrifice for it.