Most notably, Christopher Vogler adapted it to help explain story structure for screenplays. Other writers and writing teachers began to see the value of Campbell's hero’s journey as well. The Empire Strikes Back incorporates the Belly of the Whale even more explicitly as the heroes fly the Millennium Falcon into an asteroid’s cave only to learn that the cave is actually (spoiler alert?) a massive space slug. The Belly of the Whale was translated to the world of science fiction by having the heroes fall into a trash compactor deep within the Death Star and barely escape as the walls closed in on them. I recognized the steps in the journey such as the Call to Adventure and the Refusal of the Call as the steps that I had seen Luke take. I learned that, almost beat by beat, Luke’s journey in Star Wars follows that common template that Campbell had discovered in his studies of comparative mythology. To drive this point home, the Bill Moyers interviews with Campbell were filmed at Lucas’ Skywalker Ranch and featured clips from the Star Wars films I loved so much. By watching the PBS series Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth, I learned that Lucas had based Star Wars largely on Campbell’s description of the common themes of the adventures undertaken by mythological heroes throughout the world. In my teens, I discovered the man who brought us the idea of the hero’s journey in the first place. Clearly, like others of my generation, Star Wars had an indelible impact on my development. In one dream, Emperor Palpatine emerged from the water in the form of an alligator just before I awoke. I also remember the nightmares I had as a child of being pursued by Darth Vader through a vast swamp. I played with my Star Wars action figures imagining that I was Luke Skywalker or Han Solo flying through the galaxy. Before I knew anything about the hero’s journey, I internalized the thrill of adventure and the pull toward the unknown as I watched the movies over and over again. Growing up in the 70s and 80s, the mythology that Lucas created in Star Wars defined my childhood. Joseph Campbell and his hero's journey were especially important to me because George Lucas borrowed heavily from it when he made Star Wars. Campbell articulated the idea that the hero’s journey is one from the ordinary world to the dream world and back again, which is another reason why the circular Ensō brush stroke is such an apt visualization of the journey. The monomyth includes stages such as the Call to Adventure, the Refusal of the Call, and the Belly of the Whale. Campbell drew from world religions, especially Hinduism and Buddhism, and from folklore and fairy tales from around the globe. In that book, he laid out the concept of the monomyth-a template of the common elements of the world's heroic myths. In fact, the symbol appears on the cover of Campbell's seminal book, The Hero with a Thousand Faces. The Ensō circle resonated with me especially because it is associated with a personal hero of mine, mythologist Joseph Campbell. ![]() It encourages us to let go of the fear of failure and embrace a mindset of iteration and growth. ![]() And since the Ensō circle is traditionally hand-drawn, usually in one meditative brush stroke, it represents awareness of the present moment and the beauty of imperfection. Ensō also represents knowledge and enlightenment, a perfect fit for an organization focused on promoting innovation and equity in education. The word Ensō translates from Japanese as “ circle of togetherness.” Since we are building a community of innovators, the name is a reminder that we are stronger together. The name and the symbol resonated with us in several ways. When we named the Ensō Education Institute, we found inspiration in this symbol from Zen Buddhism.
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