Christopher Vogler The Writers Journey
ball fields where they've been playing.
T h e actual Crossing of the Threshold may be a single moment, or it may be
an extended passage in a story. In Lawrence of Arabia,T. E. Lawrence's ordeals in cross
ing "the Sun's Anvil," a treacherous stretch of desert, are an elaboration of this stage
into a substantial sequence.
T h e Crossing takes a certain k i n d of courage from the hero. H e is like the
Fool in the Tarot deck: one foot out over a precipice, about to begin free-fall into the
unknown.
T h a t special courage is called making the leap of faith. Like jumping out of
an airplane, the act is irrevocable. There's no turning back now. T h e leap is made on
faith, the trust that somehow we'll land safely.
ROUGH LANDING
Heroes don't always land gently. T h e y may crash in the other world, literally or figu
ratively. T h e leap of faith may turn into a crisis of faith as romantic illusions about
annaabi.ee 
