Hercules’ Twelve Labors: Apotheosis Through Mind, Body, Spirit Integration

Abstract

This dissertation examines the legendary hero Hercules through his twelve impos-sible labors as he aims to achieve redemption from the death of his family and fulfill the ultimate reward of his apotheosis. The labors are not merely physical tasks in a story of mythic greatness, but arduous trials that reconciled his whole being through the develop-ment of his psyche, emotions, and spirit. The analysis correlates the twelve labors and the twelve zodiacal signs in astrology, identifies the specific archetypal pattern each of those groupings contain, and how these patterns impact the mind, body, and spirit.

Individuation in C. G. Jung’s depth psychology is the process whereby psycholog-ical wholeness may be achieved when the conscious and the unconscious come together into harmony. As the ego-Self relationship is restored, healing from trauma or painful events is possible. Hercules’ journey is shown to exemplify this process and is further ex-plicated with reference to the stages of the hero’s journey delineated in the monomyth theorized by Joseph Campbell. In order to be transformed, each of us must discover the archetypal significance of each psychological task or labor. None of them can be side-stepped; each must be effectively addressed in a manner that holistically integrates the physical, mental-emotional, and spiritual dimensions of human existence.