“The Hero’s Journey and Freemasonry”

In a recent episode of the Craftsman Online Podcast, Worshipful Brother Bull Garlington shared his unique insights into the connection between the hero’s journey and Freemasonry. Garlington, a storyteller and mythologist, draws upon his extensive knowledge of Joseph Campbell’s monomyth to illustrate how it dovetails with the Masonic journey.   For those unfamiliar with Joseph Campbell, Garlington explains, “Basically what Joseph Campbell did, Joseph, he was a mythologist…he studied myth and he would travel the world and he would dig through libraries and he would find the myths of various cultures and strip them down to their bare bones, you know, their bullet points, if you will.” Campbell discovered that despite their cultural differences, these myths followed a similar pattern, a cycle of 12 to 17 steps that a hero must undergo for the story to be complete.

Garlington argues that this heroic cycle is mirrored in the Masonic journey. Just as the hero of a myth embarks on a transformative quest, so does the Freemason. “When you cross over the literal threshold in Freemasonry and step into an actual lodge for the first time,” Garlington says, “that is going from the world of the known to the unknown.” This crossing of the threshold is a decisive moment, marking the initiate’s entry into a new world of meaning and purpose.   The parallels between the hero’s journey and Freemasonry don’t end there. Garlington points out the importance of mentorship in both contexts. Just as the hero often has a mentor to guide them, Freemasons also benefit from the wisdom and support of their brothers. Garlington notes, “Mentorship is not necessarily about age. Mentorship is not even about where you are in your degrees. Mentorship is about understanding and loving this other dude and just basically supporting him in ways that aren’t written down anywhere.”   Ultimately, Garlington believes that the search for meaning is at the heart of both the hero’s journey and the Masonic experience. “What these guys are looking for when they come to Freemasonry,” he states, “is meaning. They want to give their life meaning.” It is this quest for self-actualization that drives men to seek out Freemasonry, and it is the transformative power of the Masonic journey that helps them find it.

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