The Power of Myth

[EndtheMadnessNow]

The Old Testament God is frequently mocked – as he is by Jung – for being childish and temperamental, but the Hebrew Bible is great in part because it acknowledges the unfathomable truth that good and evil both arise out of the One. Hence, too, the dual benign and maleficent nature of the Goddess.

Having faced and overcome these challenges, the aspirant becomes a master, with the power to move between the worlds of magic and of ordinary life. He then undergoes the process of return. And when he does return, he comes bearing the elixir – the boon that can bring healing to the world.
Revisiting Joseph Campbell: The Power of Myth

Some quotes from the book:

Whether you call someone a hero or a monster is all relative to where the focus of your consciousness may be.

One thing that comes out in myths is that at the bottom of the abyss comes the voice of salvation. The black moment is the moment when the real message of transformation is going to come. At the darkest moment comes the light.

There is a fourth function of myth, and this is the one that I think everyone must try today to relate to—and that is the pedagogical function, of how to live a human lifetime under any circumstances. Myths can teach you that.

BILL MOYERS: So what you’re saying is, if there are not dragons out there, and there may not be at any one moment.
JOSEPH CAMPBELL: The real dragon is in you.
BILL MOYERS: And what is that real dragon?
JOSEPH CAMPBELL: That’s your ego, holding you in.

Whenever one moves out of the transcendent, one comes into a field of opposites. One has eaten of the tree of knowledge, not only of good and evil, but of male and female, of right and wrong, of this and that, and of light and dark.

Campbell: Have you ever read Sinclair Lewis' Babbitt?
Moyers: Not in a long time.
Campbell: Remember the last line? "I've never done a thing I wanted to do in all my life." That's the man who never followed his bliss. (pg 117)

The book based on the 1988 PBS documentary Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth. The docu was originally broadcast as six one-hour conversations between mythologist Joseph Campbell (1904–1987) and journalist Bill Moyers. It remains one of the most popular series in the history of American public television. Campbell died at his home in Honolulu, Hawaii, on October 30, 1987, from complications of esophageal cancer.

In FINDING JOE: A story about Joseph Campbell and The Hero's Journey:



"I don’t believe people are looking for the meaning of life as much as they are looking for experience of being alive". -Joseph Campbell

In the early 20th century, while studying world mythology, Joseph Campbell discovered a pattern hidden in every story ever told and he called it "The Hero's Journey." A truly inspirational film, FINDING JOE takes us on the ultimate hero's journey: the journey of self discovery. As you slay dragons and uncover treasures, you just may find that the holy grail you seek is closer than you think.

If you've seen this film then you know how much of an impact it could make in the world!

A message from the Producer:

"If you haven't seen it then you are in for a treat! This is hope, courage and love all wrapped up in an 80 minute burrito of inspiration. I promise who ever you share this with thank you. Please share this with as many people as you can... the world needs this message now!  With Maximum Love ~ Patrick Takaya Solomon"