The Heroine's Journey to Romantic Renaissance
  Paradigms for women are terribly outmoded.   Shall we stay at home, or shall we work? Neither glamorous options, most would admit. There is rarely the sense of purpose, romance and danger in the nest, or the sterility of the workplace. So, the marketplace becomes the focal point of passion, a place to feel the rush of something beautiful and new. Unfortunately, nothing bought can sooth the hungry soul. Our closets overstocked; we have nothing to wear. As Andre Labat advises Alexandra in The House on Black Lake, “The self must first be known before it can be clothed or accessorized.”
But the old ways are crumbling, and as we fear the loss of our power to obtain goods, we are actually gaining the power to attain something far greater. As women delve deeper into themselves and begin to take the heroine’s journey, a new paradigm will evolve – a far richer reality, incorporating creativity, artistry, self expression, fearlessness, adventure and possibly fierce romantic love.Â
In Maureen Murdock’s book, The Heroines Journey, she writes, “In the myth of romantic love, a woman is said to search for a father/lover/savior she thinks will solve all her problems. The unspoken message is - I don’t have to figure out what I want to do. I can live his life.” Men comply with the societal expectation that they take care of a woman and protect her from taking her own journey. They perpetuate the belief that she need not take a heroic journey. A man’s sense of self is enhanced by rescuing a woman. Women are waiters. Women are trained into a sense of expectancy.”
Women have not been taught how to take their Heroine’s Journey.
“In most fairy tales the woman is taken out of her state of waiting, her state of unconsciousness, and dramatically and instantly transformed for the better. The catalyst for the magical change is usually a man. Snow White, Cinderella, Rapunzel, Sleeping Beauty, Eliza Doolittle all share variations of the same prince. When the transformation of the heroine really occurs, however, it is usually the result of not rescue from without but of strenuous growth from within, and over a long period of time.”
 The journey comes first, like the Hero, and the voyage of discovery leads to personal riches.
The transformation of the heroine is what leads to romance – it cannot happen until she is whole.
Â
Anastasia Blackwell
Â
Â
Â
Â
