The Power of Myth

Joseph Campbell was an amazing man full of insight and understanding of the religions of the world and how they all are the same metaphorically, and they all share common themes since the dawn of time. I will share some of his perceptions and thoughts that are reoccurring throughout this 6-hour DVD. Every chapter is spellbinding, delightful and distinctive. There is a wealth of information here that will inspire anyone to a spiritual life and the wonders of the great mysteries of life and God as Campbell sees him. Joseph Campbell was an enlightened man full of the wonder and joy of life. Just watching him I feel a deep sense of connection to God and the mysteries of the universal cosmic truths.

Myths and dreams are transformations of consciousness and are the way to a deep rich life of mystery; transforming thought. The Ego is the dragon holding you in and keeping you small. Following your bliss by doing what brings you vitality within yourself saves the world. The Buddha says that Nirvana is a psychological state of mind that is not compelled by desire, fear or social commitments or acting out of our own center. We are all seeking an experience of being alive; we are not seeking meaning of life since there is none really. It's the inner value we seek and it is not in what we do. The ultimate mystery of being transcends thought and cannot be understood. God is transcendent and God is within our world, others and us. Eternity is here and now. This is it and we must get it from within ourselves not out there and not after we die! We cannot concretize that symbols as fact. Jesus did not ascend up but within us. All the symbols are metaphors and are not fact. We are all manifestations of Buddha consciousness. Jesus is within us all just as are heaven, and Hell and all the Gods. Inward we are the source. All religions are true for their time. Open up to the mysteries of life of all things, and make a choice to stay in your life and realize the truth and depth of your experience of your own being through consciousness and bliss. Experience it here and now.

Do not judge. Open-up and love thy enemy. These, Campbell says, are Jesus' greatest teachings.

We need to shift the perception to joyful participation in the sorrows of life and everything changes. Find the immoveable center within yourself and we can survive anything and float down the stream of life. To save the world we must save ourselves. The influence of a vital person vitalizes the world. The world is a wasteland and we cannot save the world by shifting it around. Bring it to life by being alive yourself.

Choose to affirm life. Life is great say yes to it. It is a childish way of thinking to say no to life with all its pain. We all participate in evil. No matter what we do it's evil to somebody. If all the universe is Divine how can we say no to anything in the world? Brutality, stupidity, thoughtless ness and suffering; we must say yes. Affirm the world and life. We are not to judge anything. This is the greatest teaching of Jesus. Affirm both good and evil. Do not withdrawal from the world when you realize how horrible it is, but see the horror as the foreground of a wonder. Come back and participate in it.

To be spiritual we need a deep sense of mystery of the dimension of the universe that is not available to the senses. Divinity is the realization of wonder that is much larger then the human dimension. Divinity is just what we think. God is a metaphor of what is guiding you and comes from within. The transcendent mystery is where we come from and we do not have to identify it. I am the vehicle radiant of the spirit, as we all are. The virgin birth is the symbol of the birth of the heart to the awakening of the spiritual life in accord with another or a principle. To not be driven by the lower centers of lust, greed, power and wanting but to be driven from the compassion of the heart to open-up to the realization that God is within the other and us; a whole new life comes.

The ultimate mystery is finding God within you. That God is within us just as he is within the earth and all of nature and everything. God is everywhere. This is the real truth- He is not up in the sky separate from us, but within us and around us supporting us always, and we just need to become awake to this fact. I can see why the goal is to die before we die. To die to our animal and material nature and become reborn to the spiritual nature, which is our true nature.

And he often mentions how we are to live our lives in accord with nature and to worship nature just as most of the world does. Western Christian thought sees nature as fallen and our religion is one of exile that nature is fallen and evil. This is ridiculous Campbell says because what else do we have to worship then nature? All other religions but Christianity, teach to live in accord with nature and the God's are much more elemental of the earth. We come from the earth and are a part of the Earth not separate from it.

Here is a quote from Chief Seattle that Campbell dictates and lives by:

"Will you teach your children what we teach our children, that the earth is our mother? What befalls the earth befalls all the sons of the earth. Earth does not belong to man; Man belongs to the earth. All things are connected like the blood that unites us all. Man did not weave the web of life; he is merely a strand in it. What he does to the web he does to himself. One thing we know, our God is also your God. The earth is precious to him and to harm the earth is to heap contempt on its creator. Your destiny is a mystery to us. What will happen when the buffalo are all slaughtered? The wild horses tamed? What will happen when the secret corners of the forest are heavy with the scent of man? When the view of the ripe hills is blocked by talking wires? Where will the thicket be? Gone. Where will the eagle be? Gone. What is it to say goodbye to the swift pony and the hunt? The end of living and the beginning of survival."

Joseph Campbell was a teacher of the great spiritual truths from all of the world's religions. Campbell shows us the difference between connotation and denotation and invites us to read the mythology of the world as a field of reference that refers directly to the transcendent. Mythology is a complicated language built on metaphors that can stump the ill-advised. In this series of interviews we learn that the organs of the body are in conflict with one another and the conflict is externalized by the creative power of our mythic imagination. The interviews are sprinkled with clips of fascinating footage from cultures around the world as well as works of art and brief illustrated stories set to music.

Bill Moyers asks Campbell questions in a sometimes rigid and stilted voice but his heart is in the right place and he is certainly barking up the right tree. Together they explore difficult questions about the state of the world and the continuing relevance of mythology in rapidly changing times. Campbell as a teacher is gentle and inspires us to move forward along the course of our own lives armed with the tools of perception, wisdom and reflection. Along the way there are warnings about the dangers of rigid adherence to systems that threaten to overpower our own humanity. There are also invitations to see what is beautiful. Man has struggled over the ages to come to terms with a world that is at once both nurturing and threatening. In this modern world we wait for men like Joseph Campbell to come along and offer us the historical perspective and mental architecture that will help us build a healthy and functioning world view. We are challenged to do nothing less than bring forth the full potential of our beings for our own benefit and for the benefit of those around us. Watching these DVD's is about one of the best ways a person can spend some free time, there are very important conversations to explore here.

The six hour PBS program JOSEPH CAMPBELL: THE POWER OF MYTH is one of that network's finest, yet they never show it anymore, not even during fundraisers. (Sinatra's Concert for the Americas and Doo Wop revivals are big in my area.)

The charismatic, enthused and quite brilliant Campbell taught at Sarah Lawrence College for 38 years. I would've loved to have attended his courses. He has a way of making the most abstract concepts easily understood, seems to relish recounting fables first spoken by ancient teachers and shamans, and always returns to his main theme: find your bliss, and do it in the here and now.

Journalist and ex-LBJ staffer Bill Moyers interviews Campbell from the proper position of student to teacher. "Joe" as Moyers calls him, reacts happily when his pupil grasps what he's saying, and rephrases a thought when he doesn't. Teacher is patient when Moyers doesn't agree on the meaning of life or divinity, but he never goes off-message, instead pointing out examples from his own past that powerfully support his views.

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The sixth and final chapter has a moment that really resonates for me. It was taped just a few months before 83-year-old Campbell's death.

At one point during this discussion of eternity, the professor mentions that he's lost many friends and his parents, yet realizes that they still live within him. I'm more black & white on this. A memory is an intangible, untouchable thing. No matter how vivid, it's not the same as seeing, hearing or being with lost ones. Yet, I recognize that they do sometimes surface in my most powerfully emotional dreams. In that subconscious realm, they truly exist.

I suppose Campbell would've refuted my view in his good-natured way and left me to reassess. And that is the true joy of this series of talks: they cause you think about things you'd never even considered and appreciate more those that have long been a part of your life.

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CONTENT--

#1 - "The Hero's Adventure" - Citing George Lucas' STAR WARS and ancient folktales in this hour interview, the professor illustrates that the hero's striving is metaphor for struggles that occur within us all.

#2 - "The Message of the Myth" - Common themes across the ages oin God and creation. Religions change as the world does. The four functions of myths.

#3 - "The First Storytellers" - Native American myths. Cave paintings in America and France. Manhood rituals of primitive tribes.

#4 - "Sacrifice and Bliss" - Plant mythology. Stages of marriage. Legend of Gawain and the Green Knight. "Follow your bliss!"

#5 - "Love and the Goddess" - Tristan & Isolde. The goddess cults. Christian themes in earlier religions.

#6 - "Masks of Eternity" - The energy of the Universe. Art that expresses the energy of life. "Elemental ideas" i.e. universal concepts. Trickster myths. Meditation.

I had an old VCR tape copy that I made from a PBS airing years ago. It was well worn from use and showing signs of age. Had not watched if for awhile and played it again. Thought, spirit, soul searching still and needed to be replaced. The insights are timeless a classic treasure. The similarities of the myths and what science now knows about the existence of matter (there is not an answer as to why something is solid) are astonishing. Searching for the answers begets more questions. The answers are we, our existence, life, our origins are more that we can imagine. Appreciate life in all of it's incarnations, it's is found in the moment, nature, temporal with a sense of the everlasting. The only challenge I had was that the subtitles did not work

This is almost as good as the PBS series I saw on TV in 1988(I think). Wonderful.

Yesterday, I sat in front of my computer surrounded by a glow of happiness. The books by Mr. Campbell are valuable, but to watch him and Bill Moyers, well, what can I say? I watched the expression in Mr. Moyers's eyes change from interested to WOW! I get it, when Mr. Campbell explained the ruling myths. I imagined that my eyes were doing the same thing. It's been a long time....

The other reviews covered the contents of the DVDs in detail. I am not going to repeat them.

However, I will share this: the first time I watched and listened to Mr. Campbell,I was clinically depressed. As I listened to this guru, I could feel my body (including my nervous system) shift and change until the empty spaces were filled and I knew that I was healed. The next day, the therapist confirmed this and listened to my adoration of Mr. Campbell with a smile on his lips and in his eyes. He, too, was a disciple of Mr. Campbell. At this time, I am not depressed, but I am a victim of government. My house was destroyed by the flood waters in upstate NY last Sept. It's been a year and I am still waiting for a buy-out. The conversations between Mr. Campbell and Mr. Moyers are what I need to remain lucid until the circle is closed. These discs will be used time and again.

Thank you to those in the Foundation who labored to bring these conversations to us. Thank you to Amazon.com for carrying Joseph Campbell's DVDs.

I am sorry to see that, of this writing, this almost legendary (well it is legendary in terms of the subject, but in terms of the quality too) 5 1/2 hour interview is only available as an absurdly overpriced used item. I am sure it will be available again. Perhaps Criterion or someone will touch up the video and add some previously unreleased footage and re-release it. The version I have is marred by hotspots, a lack of sharpness, and poor color, but that in no way held this viewer back from drinking in every fascinating minute. Other reviewers have made a lot of useful comments about the content, so I won't harp on that subject. I will say that, if you have any serious interest in the narrative arts, or the development of human thought, or mythology, or attempts by the human race to represent and comprehend life in any way, then you will find this video to be an invaluable viewing experience. Of course, a serious perusal of Campbell's writings, some of which were illustrated, like this video was (with short clips and still images), would give you more information. Campbell had a Jungian approach to the study of world mythology, and he had the gift of communicating this subject in a way that is engaging but not watered down. One of the pleasures of this masterpiece is watching the appreciative back and forth between a gifted interviewer, Bill Moyers (who was often lobbing softballs to his subject, but so what), and the charismatic and down-to-earth scholar, Professor Campbell. This is first-rate performance as well as superb presentation and subject matter.

This series of videos is a true eye-opener and life-changer for anyone who is serious about seeking after the Divine, no matter what religion you may practise. Joseph Campbell examines the sacred symbolic stories that have existed in every culture, all over the world, with respect for all of them and denigrating none. At the same time he also strives to drive home the idea that these links to the Divine are not divine in themselves but are paths to knowledge and enlightenment. One segment, Masks of Eternity, talks about the many ways in which God speaks to us or appears to us-- some of them silly, some of them scary, some of them profound-- all of them simply masks. The mask of God, or our perception of Him, is often the hardest thing of all to get past in a true search to touch the Divine. In a sense it gives us permission and encouragement to study and appreciate all forms of religious practise, without ever asking one to give up one's deeply-held beliefs. Indeed, no matter what where one goes to worship or what label one claims to denote one's religious philosophy, this series will help you appreciate your own beliefs even more. Watch this series and free your mind; remember that God is infinite and none have grasped His Magnificence in all of its myriad forms-- setting your attitudes free will make Him visible in more ways than ever before. Prepare for an incredible journey.

Because the reviews below already covered so much ground--about the power and prevalence of myth and mythic structures, etc.--I'll veer a bit to the side and say that if you're steeped in mythology and symbolism already, you won't find a lot of new stuff here, except in bits and pieces. It's a very basic introduction filmed for the benefit of a nontechnical public.

Campbell is always informative and charismatic, but the questions put to him by Moyers are remarkably rudimentary. Good interviewers sense not only the obvious content of what you just said and feed it back to you (the Moyers style in this video), but also get at the shadows of possibility, the alleyways and grottos behind your words. Case in point: Laura Pozzo's way of getting at James Hillman in the book INTER VIEWS. I'd like to see her on video some time.

If you're either a beginner in this field or teaching other beginners, you can't go wrong with this series.

If you're on the spiritual path you can do no better than immerse yourself in the work and wisdom of Joseph Campbell. And this six hour series of interviews recorded shortly before Campbell's death in 1987 is a wonderful culmination and convergence of all his wit and insight, a perfect farewell from a real knower of mystical truth. Campbell learned, over decades of scholarly research and masterful writing and tutoring in America, that mythology is actually a map to spiritual treasure - a treasure ultimately buried deep within every human being. All the world's great folklore tales of heroes, kings and princesses are basically symbolic of YOUR LIFE STORY and your potential to slay inner dragons and demons (ego forces) and win the hand of the fair maiden (the bounty of spiritual enlightenment). Furthermore, Campbell skillfully shows how common themes and virtually identicial motifs have populated the mythologies of every culture on earth throughout all history, suggesting that there really is a single universal unconsciousness at work, which tirelessly and playfully, from generation to generation, draws the individual, and the community, into sub-conscious contemplation of the spiritual quest, through the power of the mythic imagination. The latest and best example in our visual era being films and, most notably, Star Wars. Indeed, George Lucas himself pays credit to Campbell's work as being his main inspiration. Get this DVD asap and marvel at the brilliance of a man who was easily the most spiritual and enlightened scholar of his era.

This is a very thought provoking discussion on the need of humans to have beliefs, even though these beliefs are not tangible. Two highly respected and trustworthy individuals discuss the fundamental need that we humans have to have myths to believe in. Its one on the few things that make us different from all other earthly life forms. This is even more applicable today than when this was initially recorded. Today there are far more unseen, unsubstantiated beliefs than ever before. Many are downright " off the chart" yet are held strongly by some. Conspiracies, political, religious, some seem to come from very disturbing thoughts, some are recycled components of previous myths. Modern myths are rampant. Today's myths are just as improbable as previous, yet are strongly held by their adherents. I highly recommend this in book or dvd format for every thinking person. This should be in every school, however would be banned in those few jurisdictions where free thought is deemed dangerous.

Joseph Campbell is Brilliant. Bill Moyers is a Master Interviewer. The conversations are life-changing. I watched this series when it was originally on PBS. I was completely captivated. I bought several of Campbell's books and began to read his and. many other books that talk about belief systems and creation stories. Comparative religions to this day fascinate me. Somewhere along the way I loaned and lost his books; so I was thrilled to find this set of the interviews. The material is as fresh and life-affirming as ever.

I first saw this on video 20 years ago. This charismatic man with his wealth of knowledge gives one much food for thought. I pick up something new every time I see it

A power thought evoking writer/teacher! Joseph Campbell's research on mythology will have readers captivated. However be prepared for a deep analytical write. Not goer everyone. Recommend for those with more of an analytical mind.