"Firedance," the second, larger idea we'll be playing with, is a holistic view of the body-mind connection, coordinating elements of yoga, martial arts, mythic structure, and neuro-linguistics. This model is highly theoretical, and feedback from those who have played with it (including the readers of this letter) are crucial to its development.

Lifewriting suggests that the "Hero's Journey" repeats itself not only because it is the basic course of our lives, and is recognized as such by all people, but that the pattern itself is a fascinatingly useful way to organize personal resources. This enables writers to create a channel directly from their lives into their writing, and vice-versa. Working on either is working on both.

Our statement of Joseph Campbell's pattern is:

1. Hero confronted with a challenge
2. Initially, she rejects the challenge
3. Then she is forced to accept it
4. She sets out upon the road of trials
5. On which she gains allies and powers
6. She has her initial confrontation with evil, and is defeated
7. She enters the "Dark Night of the Soul"
8. She takes the Leap of Faith
9. She confronts evil again, and this time is victorious
10. The student becomes the teacher

Clearly, the first and most important step in life is accepting "Response-Ability" for your actions and the results you want. We all know people who have refused to do this, blaming society, parenting, spouses, employers or educators for their current situation. How does this affect the three major arenas of life (body, mind, and spirit)? To examine, let's look at the external manifestations of these three arenas: Physical health, Career, and Relationships.

Physically, this leads to people denying themselves their full energetic aliveness. Telling themselves that genetics or environment make it "impossible" for them to be fit, healthy, and sexy.

In careers, this leads to a person abandoning dreams because they don't have the education or "opportunities," rather than simply deciding to do Whatever It Takes to succeed ethically.

In relationships, this can lead to a string of damaged, destructive affairs, rationalized as "there aren't any good man/women out there." The person who takes responsibility commits to completing whatever healing or growth may be necessary to attract and hold a worthy mate.

Whatever your challenge in life, its root is likely to be found in one of these three areas. By committing to heal in all three of them, you are absolutely guaranteed to confront your demons and any progress you make will be GENUINE progress, not merely sweeping your problems under a rug.

MOVIE ANALYSIS How does this work in fiction? The suspense film PLAY MISTY FOR ME, starring (and directed by) Clint Eastwood is a good example. In this film, an obsessive fan (Jessica Walters) stalks Eastwood. It is truly nail biting suspense, but one of the interesting things is the complete passivity of his character.

Because we are used to Eastwood as a "Man of Action," decisive and aggressive, we watch disbelieving as Walter's escalating insanity unravels his world: he simply can't take a stand! He is stuck at the "first step" of the hero's journey, and it isn't until the end of the film that he is forced to take an action (step two), and the entire third act is a collapsed form of steps 3-9.

The last step, "Student becomes teacher" is left to the viewer's imagination. Tension is created in the film by painting him as a somewhat dishonest, manipulative seducer. He doesn't know how to deal with honest emotion (his girlfriend) and let alone insanely intense emotion (Walters). He is literally paralyzed.

I invite you to examine the times in your life that you have been frozen by fear or complacency, and ask yourself:

1. When I got myself out of it, what techniques did I use, or what finally pressured me?
2. What are three other movies or books where the plot existed primarily to force the lead character to make a decision?
3. What has "decision reluctance" cost me in my life? What would I gain if I learned to take full responsibility for my life and actions?

Until next time, remember it's your life: Be the Hero of your story!

Steven Barnes