{"id":55147,"date":"2021-11-13T14:57:00","date_gmt":"2021-11-13T18:57:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=55147"},"modified":"2021-11-24T10:23:49","modified_gmt":"2021-11-24T14:23:49","slug":"apotheosis-heros-journey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/apotheosis-heros-journey\/","title":{"rendered":"Apotheosis\u2014The Hero’s Journey Leads to Nirvana"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What is apotheosis in the hero\u2019s journey<\/a>? How do cultures typically depict this stage of enlightenment?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The apotheosis stage of the hero\u2019s journey is when the hero conquers his fears and the bounds of consciousness to reach a divine state. Ancient cultures often depict this figure of ultimate enlightenment in both male and female forms. For example, ancient Chinese lore embodies both masculine Yang and feminine Yin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read on to learn more about the Apotheosis stage of the hero\u2019s journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Apotheosis <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

After conquering their fears, the hero, at last,<\/strong> achieves their long-sought enlightenment \u2014the apotheosis stage of the hero\u2019s journey. They have shattered the bounds of consciousness and reached a divine state. Mythological and religious traditions throughout history and across the world teach us that this power lives within us all\u2014we achieve it through our own herohood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Buddhism, there is the figure of the Bodhisattva<\/a>, overflowing with sympathy and compassion for the masses of humanity who must endure the suffering of existence. On the cusp of achieving the apotheosis stage of the hero\u2019s journey, ultimate enlightenment, he turned back\u2014vowing instead to bring all <\/em>creatures to enlightenment first. As such, all of existence is infused with his presence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In many traditions, the apotheosis stage of the hero\u2019s journey is depicted using a figure of ultimate enlightenment that assumes both male and female forms.<\/strong> The Bodhisattva is represented as both masculine Avalokiteshvara and feminine Kwan Yin. The Great Original of ancient Chinese lore similarly embodied both masculine Yang and feminine Yin. In the Judeo-Christian tradition, Adam, the original man, also contains the original woman\u2014Eve is created from his rib.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This motif symbolizes the mystery of creation and the division of the original matter into its component parts. All things are one because they come from the same essential elements<\/strong>. The male and female aspects (the essential ingredients of life) are contained in all things. This has real significance for the apotheosis stage of the hero\u2019s journey: this is the moment when the hero comes face-to-face with the awesome majesty of creation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The apotheosis stage of the hero\u2019s journey represents the final shedding of the divisions and boundaries that mark the world he or she has left behind and the recognition that God or the universal spirit resides within the hero\u2014in the Judeo-Christian tradition, we are all made in God\u2019s image; in the Buddhist tradition, we are all reflexes of the image of the Bodhisattva. The hero is freed from the impulses, desires, hostilities, and delusions of the day-to-day world<\/strong> and achieves the state of being summed up by the Buddhist Eightfold Path: \u201cRight Belief, Right Intentions, Right Speech, Right Actions, Right Livelihood, Right Endeavoring, Right Mindfulness<\/a>, Right Concentration.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is worth noting that, while myth often represents this desire to bring enlightenment to the world as a supreme act of love and an example of the universal brotherhood of humankind, it has seldom played out that way in the pages of history. In actual human practice, the protection and love of God are only extended to members of the in-group, while those outside of the exalted community are persecuted. Thus, we have the historical irony of European Christian society\u2014whose religion has at its core a doctrine of universal love\u2014tearing itself apart through sectarian warfare and launching brutal wars of colonial expansion against the non-European world. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What is apotheosis in the hero\u2019s journey? How do cultures typically depict this stage of enlightenment? The apotheosis stage of the hero\u2019s journey is when the hero conquers his fears and the bounds of consciousness to reach a divine state. Ancient cultures often depict this figure of ultimate enlightenment in both male and female forms. For example, ancient Chinese lore embodies both masculine Yang and feminine Yin. Read on to learn more about the Apotheosis stage of the hero\u2019s journey.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":55153,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[39,9,6],"tags":[59],"class_list":["post-55147","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-history","category-psychology","category-spiritual","tag-hero-with-a-thousand-faces","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"\nApotheosis\u2014The Hero's Journey Leads to Nirvana - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What is apotheosis in the hero\u2019s journey? Discover how the hero conquers his fears and the bounds of consciousness to reach a divine state.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/apotheosis-heros-journey\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Apotheosis\u2014The Hero's Journey Leads to Nirvana\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"What is apotheosis in the hero\u2019s journey? Discover how the hero conquers his fears and the bounds of consciousness to reach a divine state.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/apotheosis-heros-journey\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Shortform Books\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-11-13T18:57:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-11-24T14:23:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/wordpress.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/enlightenment.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"960\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"452\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Joseph Adebisi\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Joseph Adebisi\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/apotheosis-heros-journey\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/apotheosis-heros-journey\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Joseph Adebisi\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d8daf45671a09e8745a7a9f50a03b2a0\"},\"headline\":\"Apotheosis\u2014The Hero’s Journey Leads to Nirvana\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-11-13T18:57:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-11-24T14:23:49+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/apotheosis-heros-journey\/\"},\"wordCount\":580,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/apotheosis-heros-journey\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/enlightenment.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"The Hero With A Thousand Faces\"],\"articleSection\":[\"History\",\"Psychology\",\"Spiritual\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/apotheosis-heros-journey\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/apotheosis-heros-journey\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/apotheosis-heros-journey\/\",\"name\":\"Apotheosis\u2014The Hero's Journey Leads to Nirvana - Shortform Books\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/apotheosis-heros-journey\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/apotheosis-heros-journey\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/enlightenment.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-11-13T18:57:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-11-24T14:23:49+00:00\",\"description\":\"What is apotheosis in the hero\u2019s journey? Discover how the hero conquers his fears and the bounds of consciousness to reach a divine state.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/apotheosis-heros-journey\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/apotheosis-heros-journey\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/apotheosis-heros-journey\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/enlightenment.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/enlightenment.jpg\",\"width\":960,\"height\":452,\"caption\":\"Sunset Universe Wave Person Reflection Meditation\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/apotheosis-heros-journey\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Apotheosis\u2014The Hero’s Journey Leads to Nirvana\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Shortform Books\",\"description\":\"The World's Best Book Summaries\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Shortform Books\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png\",\"width\":500,\"height\":74,\"caption\":\"Shortform Books\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d8daf45671a09e8745a7a9f50a03b2a0\",\"name\":\"Joseph Adebisi\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/IMG_20200519_184908_765-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/IMG_20200519_184908_765-scaled.jpg\",\"caption\":\"Joseph Adebisi\"},\"description\":\"Joseph has had a lifelong obsession with reading and acquiring new knowledge. He reads and writes for a living, and reads some more when he is supposedly taking a break from work. The first literature he read as a kid were Shakespeare's plays. Not surprisingly, he barely understood any of it. His favorite fiction authors are Tom Clancy, Ted Bell, and John Grisham. His preferred non-fiction genres are history, philosophy, business & economics, and instructional guides.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/author\/joseph\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Apotheosis\u2014The Hero's Journey Leads to Nirvana - Shortform Books","description":"What is apotheosis in the hero\u2019s journey? Discover how the hero conquers his fears and the bounds of consciousness to reach a divine state.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/apotheosis-heros-journey\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Apotheosis\u2014The Hero's Journey Leads to Nirvana","og_description":"What is apotheosis in the hero\u2019s journey? Discover how the hero conquers his fears and the bounds of consciousness to reach a divine state.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/apotheosis-heros-journey\/","og_site_name":"Shortform Books","article_published_time":"2021-11-13T18:57:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2021-11-24T14:23:49+00:00","og_image":[{"width":960,"height":452,"url":"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/wordpress.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/enlightenment.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Joseph Adebisi","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Joseph Adebisi","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/apotheosis-heros-journey\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/apotheosis-heros-journey\/"},"author":{"name":"Joseph Adebisi","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d8daf45671a09e8745a7a9f50a03b2a0"},"headline":"Apotheosis\u2014The Hero’s Journey Leads to Nirvana","datePublished":"2021-11-13T18:57:00+00:00","dateModified":"2021-11-24T14:23:49+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/apotheosis-heros-journey\/"},"wordCount":580,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/apotheosis-heros-journey\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/enlightenment.jpg","keywords":["The Hero With A Thousand Faces"],"articleSection":["History","Psychology","Spiritual"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/apotheosis-heros-journey\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/apotheosis-heros-journey\/","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/apotheosis-heros-journey\/","name":"Apotheosis\u2014The Hero's Journey Leads to Nirvana - Shortform Books","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/apotheosis-heros-journey\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/apotheosis-heros-journey\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/enlightenment.jpg","datePublished":"2021-11-13T18:57:00+00:00","dateModified":"2021-11-24T14:23:49+00:00","description":"What is apotheosis in the hero\u2019s journey? Discover how the hero conquers his fears and the bounds of consciousness to reach a divine state.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/apotheosis-heros-journey\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/apotheosis-heros-journey\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/apotheosis-heros-journey\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/enlightenment.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/enlightenment.jpg","width":960,"height":452,"caption":"Sunset Universe Wave Person Reflection Meditation"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/apotheosis-heros-journey\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Apotheosis\u2014The Hero’s Journey Leads to Nirvana"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/","name":"Shortform Books","description":"The World's Best Book Summaries","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Shortform Books","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png","width":500,"height":74,"caption":"Shortform Books"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d8daf45671a09e8745a7a9f50a03b2a0","name":"Joseph Adebisi","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/IMG_20200519_184908_765-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/IMG_20200519_184908_765-scaled.jpg","caption":"Joseph Adebisi"},"description":"Joseph has had a lifelong obsession with reading and acquiring new knowledge. He reads and writes for a living, and reads some more when he is supposedly taking a break from work. The first literature he read as a kid were Shakespeare's plays. Not surprisingly, he barely understood any of it. His favorite fiction authors are Tom Clancy, Ted Bell, and John Grisham. His preferred non-fiction genres are history, philosophy, business & economics, and instructional guides.","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/author\/joseph\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/enlightenment.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55147","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55147"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55147\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":55217,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55147\/revisions\/55217"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/55153"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55147"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55147"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55147"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}