The Hero’s Journey: Initiation Part 2: Approach to the Inmost Cave

Introduction

In the Approach to the Inmost Cave, the hero is now rapidly approaching the heart of his journey. He’s approaching another barrier, and he will soon meet up with the Threshold Guardian once again.

Approach to the Inmost Cave

The hero will have to begin making preparations for the heart of the adventure, and the ordeal up ahead of him. He is now coming dangerously close to the climax of the adventure, and he shouldn’t approach unprepared.

Functions of the Approach

This is where the hero has time to prepare. It will give him the chance to make plans, gather any necessary equipment, strengthen the group, and have a final hoorah before the ordeal up ahead.

Courtship

This part of the story is a great place to squeeze in a little romance. Often a romance will develop or reach completion in this part of the story, ultimately making the ordeal a little more dramatic.

Being Bold

If your hero is bold, he might not take the time to prepare. In fact, he’s more likely to march right up to the threshold doors and demand entrance. While this can be fairly reckless of the hero, it also show a commitment to the journey, and to the ultimate goal.

Obstacles

Before the hero reaches the heart of his journey, he’ll likely be met with a series of obstacles and challenges. These challenges should bring the group closer together (if travelling in a group), and will make the hero a stronger and better person.

Threshold Guardians

Once the hero reaches the threshold gates, he’ll be blocked, by a threshold guardian. This guardian will act as a sentry, trying to prevent the hero from getting in.

Preparedness

The hero must polish up his skills, weaponry, armor, etc, before he can cross the next threshold and partake in the heart of the adventure.

Warning

Before the hero can cross into the next realm of adventure, he must be met with a warning. This
warning will rid of any cockiness the hero might be feeling, and replace it with a sense of humility. I will help him to recognize the danger that lies ahead of him, without scaring  him away from proceeding.

Emotional Appeal

The hero may be able to use an emotional appeal to get passed the threshold guardian, and to move on to the next stage of the journey. This might be a sad story, or a good reason why they need to proceed. So long as the story appeals to the guardian’s heart, he will let them past, and the hero will be able to proceed.

A Test

The hero will be required to complete a trying test before he will be able to claim his prize.

Complications

As the hero moves closer and closer to the heart of the adventure, things will seem to get harder and harder. There will be a number of complications that occur that make it seem less and less likely that the hero will successfully be able to proceed.

For more information, try reading:

The Writers Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers, 3rd Edition

or

Joseph Campbell – The Hero’s Journey

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