could not figure it out until he dreamed of a snake holding its tail
in its mouth. He intuitively knew that this provided the answer—the
carbon atoms took a ring formation. He then tested and proved this
hypothesis true.
FROM VICTIM TO HEROINE
In thinking about the heroine’s journey, I have been struck by how
the Alcoholics Anonymous organization (AA) transforms an alco-
holic from victim to heroine or hero. AA evokes the transcendent
function, and, in effect, provides lessons in how to become a
choicemaker.
The alcoholic begins by accepting that she is in a desperate di-
lemma: she cannot continue to drink, and she cannot stop. At this
point, in despair, she joins a fellowship in which people on the same
journey help each other. She is told that she must call on a power
greater than herself to get her out of this crisis.
AA emphasizes the need to accept what cannot be changed, to
change what can be, and know the difference. In teaching the person
to take one day at a time, the AA principles show what is needed
when a person is in a precarious emotional state and cannot see the
way clearly. Gradually, one step at a time, the alcoholic becomes a
choicemaker. She discovers that help is available from a power
greater than the ego. She finds that people can help each other and
forgive each other. And she discovers that she can be competent and
have compassion for others.
Similarly, the heroine’s journey is an individuation quest. Travel-
ing this path, the heroine may find, lose, and rediscover what has
meaning to her, until she holds on to these values in all kinds of
circumstances that test her. She may repeatedly encounter whatever
threatens to overcome her, until finally the danger of losing her
selfhood is over.
In my office, I have a painting of the interior of a chambered
nautilus shell that I painted many years ago. It emphasizes the shell’s
spiral pattern, and serves as a reminder that the path we take is so
often spiral in shape. We cycle through patterns that bring us re-
peatedly back in the vicinity of whatever our nemesis is that we
must meet and master. Often it is
The Heroine in Everywoman