I have long been interested in the Monomyth, an idea popularized by Joseph Campbell of the commonalities between various heroes’ stories. We see it across literature, and even in our own lives. Yet it strikes me that this is a very masculine story about the activities of the hero and these stories shape our culture.

Recently, I’ve been getting more and more interested in the idea of counter-narrative. What happens if we tell some of the other stories, stories that belong to others than the active victor? Recently, I heard a quote that sums this up nicely, “Until the lion tells the story, the hunter will always be the hero”. Perhaps to add a little more to it, we should replace lion with lioness.

For the past couple of years, I’ve felt called to ministry and have been trying to discern exactly what God is calling me to. As I’ve started talking about my journey, I’ve heard story after story of people whose journey did not go as they hoped or expected, so much so that I’ve started to wonder if there is a discernment monomyth.

It typically starts, with some sort of deep personal experience of the divine. It is so personal, so powerful, that it is hard to find words to describe it. There is a sense of fear and uncertainty, of being told it is the Lord and not to be afraid, a sense of unworthiness, of being made worthy, and a sense of awe and praise. We find elements of this in many of the great calling stories in the Jewish bible: Samuel, not recognizing the sound of the Lord’s voice, the Lord telling Jeremiah not to say, “I am only a youth”. Perhaps the story of the Annunciation captures most these elements best.

At times, people here the call and don’t respond or try to flee from it. Perhaps they doubt the call or feel the time isn’t right. Jonah comes to mind, as do so many modern stories.

The next big point in the journey seems to be the visitation. Within the Episcopal Church it is often the person being called meeting with their priest. A calling is a hard thing to talk about. Will people believe me? Take me seriously? Be supportive? This validation often comes in a response where the people being confided in say that they saw this coming, perhaps even asking what took so long. The story of Mary visiting Elizabeth is a great archetypal example.

This is where the hero’s story and the seeker’s story seem to really diverge. In the hero’s story, the hero needs to accomplish certain tasks, certain works. For the seeker, the ministry slowly takes shape inside, like a child in the womb.

Of late, I’ve been encountering people who are ordered on bed rest. Often, this is followed by a miscarriage, or an early birth, where the child lives a very short time. There is incredible grief which seems never to go fully away. I have seen this in the stories of many seeking ordination in the Episcopal Church who have been rejected.

Those who have seen their hopes and dreams die are then faced with difficult choices. Do we try again? Do we give up? Do we adopt someone else’s hopes and dreams for us?

What started me thinking along these lines was wondering if Mary had a mid-wife. What sort of pre-natal care did she receive? What did she do for her pregnancy diet and exercise? What role did Joseph take in the pre-natal care and the birth? What was her labor like? How long did it last? How sharp were the pains? When did the water break? How big was Jesus at his birth?

It is not surprising that the description of the birth, by a male doctor, is amazingly terse. “While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.” It almost sounds like the ICD-10 code, O80 and Z37.0 should be added into the text.

I am working with a medical education project, and I’m struck by the idea of using this as a case study. A young immigrant comes to your clinic. She says she has missed her period and is feeling nauseous. She says she has a boyfriend. They hope to marry when the time is right. Yet she claims not to be sexually active. ICD-10 Code Z32.01, but I digress.

What do you think? Is there an Advent Discernment Monomyth? Does this capture aspects of it? Are there other parts that should be added?