Life is a Quest: to find and be yourself

One popular theme in the many myths and legends of the world is that of a hero setting out on a Quest to find a treasured object. Today we find this same theme in popular movies such as Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, the Matrix, etc. Joseph Campbell once found that many of these stories follow a similar outline, even though they originated in completely different cultures. This is because these themes represent every person’s own Quest in life, which is the same in each culture: to be the hero of one’s own life, and go to find and be oneself. You, too, partake on this same Quest: to find a life worth living, to be true to you, and live authentically!

When I wrote the Steps of Essence: How to Live Life Well and Authentically, it was clear to me that this is fundamentally about this same Quest. I knew of Campbell from my earlier work at Walt Disney’s Feature Animation studio, where his texts played a key role in our research library, and in some cases were used to drive some themes in the movies I had worked on. And if this really is the Quest of every person, then I believe we could use Campbell’s finding as guidance on this endeavor. I therefore structured the whole book along this outline.

In The Steps of Essence you will find many of the same stations that Campbell found in so many myths (or today’s movies), but applied directly to your life.

For example, the first such station is the “Call to Action.” Here, the hero, “you,” is summoned onto the Quest, finds a mentor, and gets a first taste of the dangers that lie ahead -- just like Luke Skywaker in Star Wars, Neo in the Matrix, or Frodo in Lords of the Ring. They all were once “mere men,” and it was only when summoned to their Quest that they became “The Hero.” And so it is with you! If you feel a discontent in some area of your life, then something is calling you! Something is amiss, and you may be ready to go on your life’s Quest. In the book, I give a very short test that tells you if your time is right for you now, and you are ready to go on this journey. If you are, then the book serves as a sort of guide on this way—drawing on the thoughts and wisdom of so many that went before us.

I invite you to come along on this journey, and be the hero of your life!

Namaste — I and the Divine in me bow to You and the Divine in You.
~Hanns