The Hero’s Journey_4: Crossing the First Threshold

Joseph Campbell says that when the hero begins to perceive and receive supernatural aid, they are also entering a preparatory phase to cross a major threshold.Assuming you’ve read the first three stages, let’s continue the Hero’s Journey.

The fourth stage—Crossing the First Threshold—is the point just before the "belly of the whale" in myths and stories. It is a zone that requires protection, because here, demons stand as gatekeepers. These demons wait at the entrance of the initiation chamber with a clear purpose: to test how ready you are.

As is widely known, the most essential condition for growth is liberation from parental authority. This is the most painful stage of evolution—separating from them is the beginning of individuation. In fact, the entire myth is about breaking free from this. They do not grow us. Those who say yes to the journey of individuation from childhood inevitably encounter threshold guardians—demons or dragons.

The saying “The greatest treasures are guarded by the fiercest dragons” refers to this stage of the journey.

Who are these demons and dragons?

According to Joseph Campbell, they are the dark sides of our parents—the suppressive and fear-inducing images from childhood. They appear in the final exam of courage.

They are the voices programmed into us as children. Just when we set out to become the hero of our lives, when we dare to step into our potential, they rise as inner voices declaring:“You can’t. You’re not enough.”

They are our inner saboteurs, what we now call Imposter Syndrome. They block our right to speak up, to be ourselves. They suppress our freedom, our authenticity.Because this new realm frightens the ego/mind, the voices we’ve internalized step in to cut off our access to wholeness and magic. Sad as it is, they are our own voices.

Let’s pause the story here and invite you to take a self-assessment—to meet your saboteurs.

You may have noticed: when you keep doing what you’re doing despite these voices, they begin to fade.Has this happened to you too?

These voices are there whenever you’re about to make a decision, express a talent, or stand up for your rights.

Although they may seem to want to drive us away from the path, their deeper purpose is to test our courage—to prepare us for the next stage.This is self-activation.

The greatest obstacle to our growth is the failure to cross this threshold. And the hero must cross it.

If we don’t die here, we grow stronger.As we stand tall, the threshold guardians disappear.This is not a place children can enter—there is no entry without permission. This place requires commitment and courage.It develops us through tension.

The threshold guardians will try to push the unready off the path:Those who are afraid, immature, comfort-seeking, waiting for a savior, or projecting blame—they shall not pass.Some people, having spent too long at this stage, eventually become threshold guardians themselves.These are the ones who get swallowed by the journey—those who give up, numb themselves, or lose their way.

Failure to cross the threshold leaves us in depression, repetitive patterns, and shadowy spaces.We drift away from our true selves, give up on being authentic, and in our effort to avoid hopelessness, we develop addictions—to the material world, to distractions.

But if the soul doesn’t die, and we don’t lose touch with our emotions, this threshold becomes a doorway to a greater realm.And with this new level, wisdom and a matured hero are required—which means larger crises may come later on.

How do we recognize saboteurs and threshold guardians?

• They judge you harshly

• They offer unsolicited advice, criticize, and moralize

• When you achieve something, they try to sabotage it

• They may bully you—these are inner bullies, diminishing your self-worth

• They show up as accidents, injuries, or misfortunes

• Procrastination, indecisiveness, and lack of willpower are also threshold guardians

• They claim to know everything; they are the most moralistic, traditional, and rigidly religious

• Their dark side is primitive

• They exhibit unethical behavior; we fear them—they represent the parental complex

  
  

So what do we do when we meet them?

We accept them in order to transform them.We dissolve them by remembering why we set out on this journey.

These threshold guardians appear first as family—then as close circles, rule-makers, the ones who put us in line.Later, they take the form of teachers, the state, even God.

Our first surrender was to our parents.We accepted them without question. This is the realm of humanness.If we get stuck here, we can’t move forward.This journey is about uncovering our own myth.With time and repetition, we cross the threshold—as long as we remain aware of it.

Instead of criticism, let us turn to inquiry.Instead of over-focusing on external events, let us turn inward.By reflecting on our traumatic experiences and asking disruptive questions, we enter this sacred space more easily.

After each experience, we can ask ourselves:

• Why did this happen to me?

• What do I need to discover about myself?

• What am I afraid of?

• What is my shadow?

Through this process, we slowly enter that realm.And once we do, the mind will align with the heart, and the heart will become the true guide.Every decision will come from within.

Those who are tested, reach the treasure.Threshold guardians only admit the brave.

And by the time you reach this stage, they will no longer hold power over you.They will become projections—figures you once created.Eventually, you’ll have no need for them.

Once the unconscious meets its own shadow, we step into the real adventure—the place where the true demons reside.

“One cannot reach the divine without passing through the devil,” the author says.

And in this journey, the only place we are meant to surrender to is the heart—To the divine. That is true freedom.