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Quadrophasic Transformation


Artists' Cycles


The Hero's Journey

by Christopher Sunami (12/8/04)

Quadrophasic cycles are such an important part of our lives that it is no wonder they are represented symbolically in the world's most archetypal story structure, the "Hero's Journey."
  1. The Hero's Journey is generally a combination of the Earth Cycle and the Water Cycle. The protagonist begins in a state of stagnation and conformity known as the "Ordinary World."

  2. Next, the hero crosses a threshold that corresponds to the structural axis on the quadrograph. He or she is now in the "Realm of the Unknown," a chaotic deconstructive place where the hero must learn to live as an outcast or a rebel.

  3. At first the hero responds passively or ineffectively to the new surroundings. Eventually, however, he or she learns to show enough initiative to take a principled stand in pursuit of a goal.

  4. Finally the hero crosses back over the threshold (aka the structural axis) to return to the ordinary world. However, the hero does not return empty-handed, but with a magical "Elixir" or "Gift" --which symbolically represents the profound transformation that is at the heart of every quadrophasic cycle.


© 1999-2004 Christopher Sunami. All Rights Reserved.


Artists' Cycles
Quadrophasic Transformation
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