Many women are challenging the concept, posed by Joseph Campbell, that things are changing too quickly these days for new myths to be created, that it will be a long time until we have new myths, and that laws and values of society are now our myths. There are too many destructive myths in the lives of today's women and unless we actively participate, with our will and imagination, in the creation of new mythologies, we can never be the Hero in our own lives.
As Carol thought about her old belief system and how out-of-date it was, she began to formulate the outline for her new myth and began by answering the ten questions. The group members explained that, simplistically, this is the best way to write down her present myth, or beliefs and attitudes of her life, based on her background and experience.
"With this system," said Nadine, "you're looking at your childhood, adolescence and adulthood as a mythological journey. You can see the steps of the Hero as she started out and how each event left its mark, whether for good or bad, and the feelings that got stuffed inside. The big things we remember, but the little things make the myth. When I got cancer I had to come to grips with my life and relationships, and realized I had to make some changes. I learned to fight it. I learned to be the Hero."
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