The Power Of Myth
The Power of Myth: Sacrifice and BlissThe Life and Work of
Joseph Campbell
1Outline of Presentation: Sacrifice and BlissBackground of
Joseph CampbellSuffering vs happiness sacrifice & blissWhat is
myth? Why do we need myths?What are their types?The language of
mythsCampbells philosophyFour functions of mythsHeros Journey
Mono-mythMyths relevance - todays individual/world2Campbells
InfluencesAmerican IndiansJuddu KristnamurtiColumbia, Sorbonne
& Universitt MnchenJames Joyce & Thomas MannAvant Garde
ArtistsCarl G Jung5 Years Reading/ResearchingBastian, Frobenius,
Spengler Heinrich ZimmerHis Female Students
3The Experience of Sufferingto suffer"-sub plus ferre (Latin)
"to bear or allow." Suffering is:an experience the fullness of
lifes diversity a natural process of growthdevelops psychological
and spiritual maturity To strive for pleasure to the exclusion of
pain is, in effect, to strive for the loss of consciousness." -
Alan WattsLifes goal is to increase consciousness; so, the
temptation to avoid lifes legitimate pain must be resisted and
embraced as a natural part of life.4Joseph Campbell onSuffering
from Budhism"All life is sorrowful; there is however an escape from
sorrow; the escape is Nirvana which is a state of mind or
consciousness, not a place somewhere, like heaven. It is right
here, in the midst of the turmoil of life. It is the state you find
when you are no longer driven to live by compelling desires, fears,
and social commit-ments, when you have found your center of freedom
and can act by choice out of that. Voluntary action out of this
center is the action of the bodhisattvas joyful participation in
the sorrows of the world. - Joseph Campbell 5Joseph Campbell
onSorrow, Pain and JoyWe cannot cure the world of sorrows, but we
can choose to live in joy.Find a place inside where theres joy,and
the joy will burn out the pain.
- Joseph Campbell 6The Pursuit of HappinessOur culture
emphasizes happiness and pleasure; the natural tendency is to avoid
suffering:happiness is a transient state - cannot be kepthappiness
never lasts.
Happiness is related to the Middle English word "hap," the root
meaning of which implies that happiness is more due to luck --
happenstance -- than effort. If lucky, we might be happy, at least,
for a short time. 7Joseph Campbell onFollow your BlissI have a firm
belief in this now, not only in terms of my own experience but in
knowing the experience of others. When you follow your bliss, and
by bliss I mean the deep sense of being in it, and doing what the
push is out of your own existence it may not be fun, but its your
bliss and theres bliss behind pain too.-Joseph Campbell8Joseph
Campbell onFollow your BlissIf you do follow your bliss you put
yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while,
waiting for you, and the life that you ought to be living is the
one you are living. Follow your bliss and don't be afraid, and
doors will open where you didn't know they were going to be and
where there wouldnt have been a door for anybody else.-Joseph
Campbell9Joseph Campbell onFollow your BlissIf your bliss is just
your fun and your excitement, youre on the wrong track.You need
instruction. Know where your bliss is. And that involves coming
down to a deep place in yourself.If you are following your bliss,
you are enjoying that refreshment, that life within you, all the
time.-Joseph Campbell10Joseph Campbell onFollow your BlissNow I
came to this idea because in Sanskrit, there are 3 terms that
represent the jumping-off place to the ocean of trancendance:The
word Sat means being or existanceThe word Chit means
consiousnessThe word Ananda means rapture or blissI dont know if my
consiousness or being is proper, so let me hang on to rapture, and
that will bring me both my consiousness & my being. -Joseph
Campbell11Major Themes for Tonight: Sacrifice and BlissWhat is the
significance of the sacred place?How does geography shape ones
culture and religion?What is the purpose of sacrifice?What is the
mythic idea of self-sacrifice?How does a person find his or her
bliss?12Myths versus other StoriesLegends & SagasMay have an
historical basis - Legend of AtlantisFolktalesFictional with local
emphasis - Rip van WinkleFables & FairytalesFictional with
moral emphasis -Tortoise & the Hare
13What is a Myth?Definitiona traditional or legendary story,
usually concerning some being or hero or event, with or without a
determinable basis of fact or a natural explanation, esp. one that
is concerned with deities or demigods and explains some practice,
rite, or phenomenon of nature. any invented story, idea, or
concept.an imaginary or fictitious thing or person. an unproved or
false collective belief that is used to justify a social
institution.
14What is a Myth?CampbellStories of our search through the ages
for truth, for meaning, for significance
15What is a Myth?CampbellClues to the spiritual potentialities
of the human life experience of lifes meaning
16Why Myths?Provides a worldview and a set of values a way of
understanding the worlda way of relating to being aliveto natureto
animals to othersto self
17Why Myths?Can convey important truths in a way that science or
history fail to do
18Types of MythsCreation, Cosmgeny, FoundationParadise Lost,
FloodVirgin BirthsHero MythsLove & SacrificeAfterlife / Death
& ResurectionDieties / Supernatural Entities good & evilEnd
of the World19Quotes from Joseph CampbellMythology is not a lie,
mythology is poetry, it is metaphorical. It has been well said that
mythology is the penultimate truth--penultimate because the
ultimate cannot be put into words. It is beyond words. Beyond
images. Mythology pitches the mind to what can be known but not
told.Joseph Campbell,The Power of Myth20The Language of
Myths:MetaphorsSymbolsImagesArchetypesRituals21Compares two
dissimilar things - impliedUnifies these two thingsCreates Image
suggesting something elseConnotes rather than denotesExpresses what
otherwise is inexpressable
The best things cant be told; The second best are
misunderstoodHeinrich Zimmer (1890-1943)The Language of Myths:
Metaphors22Joseph Campbell on MetaphorsHalf the people in the world
think that the metaphors of their religious traditions, for
example, are facts. And the other half contends that they are not
facts at all. As a result we have people who consider themselves
believers because they accept metaphors as facts, and we have
others who classify themselves as atheists because they think
religious metaphors are lies.Joseph Campbell,Thou Art That:
Transforming Religious Metaphor23The Language of Myths:
ImagesSacred image - religious statue or paintingFrom a dream or
the imagination Considering the metaphor implied by image Pondering
mythic stories
24The Language of Myths: SymbolsCommunication element intended
to represent or stand for a person, object, group, process, or
idea
40666
25the original pattern or model from which all things of the
same kind are copied or on which they are based; a model or first
form; prototype.(in Jungian psychology) a collectively inherited
unconscious idea, pattern of thought, image, etc., universally
present in individual psyches.
The Language of Myths: Archetypes
26The whole of mythology could be take as a sort of projection
of the collective unconsciousness.
In the individual, archetypes appear as involuntary
manifestations of unconcious processes.
- Carl JungThe Language of Myths: Archetypes
27Herald - signal change & invite an answer to callThreshold
Guardian - ensure readiness/worthiness Hero - not bravery or
nobility, but self-sacrificeMentor - helpers wise old man: advice
& infogood mother: nurturing & intuitionShadow - negative
side: helps/opposes Shapeshifter - change character: dazzle,
confuse Animals - positive/negative: owl, dragonTrickster -
sidekick/troublemaker: catalysts, egoThe Language of Myths:
Archetypes28Ceremonial practices often accompany major myths and
allow participants to enter into a personal experience of the story
through dramatic re-enactment
The Enactment of Myths: Rituals
29The power of an alive ritual can be tremendous
The Enactment of Myths: Rituals
30Campbells Fundamental Assumptions about MythsAs a metaphor,
all myths are trueMyths remain meaningful throughout time &
placeMyths are relevant today and to usMyths spring from a common
sourceAll religions have a basis in mythsTexts underlying the
worlds major religions are mythical stories rather than logical
essaysWhen the myths of religions are analyzed and interpreted
logically and literallyonly part of the whole truth is
conveyedmisunderstandings will most likely occur31Myths
Relationship with MetaphorsIt is not something said from the brain,
rather experienced by the heart, from recognitions of identities
behind or within the appearance of nature
The life of a mythology derives from the vitality of its symbols
as metaphors delivering, not simply the idea, but a sense of actual
participation of transcendence32Campbells Philosphy 1All
spirituality is a search for the same basic, unknown force from
which everything came, currently exists, and into which will
return. Ultimately unknowable Cannot be expressed in words -
rituals & myths refer to the force using metaphors - stories,
deities, and objects of spirituality
33Campbells Philosphy 2World religions are culturally influenced
masks of the same fundamental, transcendent truthsAll religions can
bring one to an elevated awareness above and beyond a dualistic
conception of reality, or pairs of opposites These basic, universal
truths are expressed in different manifestations across different
cultures Bastian: Elementargedanken vs. VolkgedankenTruth is one,
the sages speak of it by many names - Rig Vedic34Major Mythogical
Periods . Campbell proposed a staged model of cultural
development:
1 Shamanistic hunter-gatherers - start of symbolic thinking
2 Planters - rituals of birth, death, & rebirth3 High
civilizations - goddesses, heroes, & priestly orders
4 Current era - illumination comprehended as an internal
state.
35Campbells Four Functions of MythsMystical relating to the
mystery of lifeCosmological relating to the world
aroundSocialogical relating to society and othersPedagogical
relating individuals psychologically
36Mystical FunctionRelating to the mystery of lifeMyth awakens
and supports a sense of awe before the mystery of being. It
reconciles consciousness to the preconditions of its own existence.
Myth induces a realization that behind the surface phenomenology of
the world, there is a transcendent mystery source. Through this
vitalizing mystical function, the universe becomes a holy picture.
- Joseph Campbell
37 This function shows the shape of the universe, but in such a
way that the mystery still comes through. The cosmology should
correspond to the actual experience, knowledge, and mentality of
the culture. This interpretive function changes radically over
time. It presents a map or picture of the order of the cosmos and
our relationship to it. - Joseph CampbellCosmological
FunctionRelating to the world around
38Myth supports and validates the specific moral order of the
society out of which it arose. Particular life-customs of this
social dimension - ethical laws and social roles, evolve
dramatically. This function, and the rites by which it is rendered,
establishes in members of the group a system of sentiments that can
be depended upon to link that person spontaneously to its ends. -
Joseph CampbellSocialogical Function Relating to the society and
others
39The myths show how to live a human lifetime under any
circumstances. It is this function that carries the individual
through the various stages and crises of life, from childhood
dependency, to the responsibilities of maturity, to the reflection
of old age, and finally, to death. It helps people grasp the
unfolding of life with integrity. It initiates individuals into the
order of realities in their own psyches, guiding them toward
enrichment & realization. - Joseph Campbell
Pedagogical FunctionRelating to individuals psychologically
40Heros Journey
MythSeparationCallRefusalDepartureInitiationStruggleTrialsTransformationReturn
to OriginMaster of two WorldsCommunicate BoonSeparation:Separation
is the culmination of a person awakening from a world of drudgery
and despair to pursue a higher calling.
The initial step is a Call to Adventure where the heroic figure
is made aware of a place beyond the world he has known his whole
life. A herald is encountered that gives the hero a reason to
rethink what he (or she) "knows." This herald usually provides some
direction to enter into the adventure and may remain with the hero
as a guide.
The hero may refuse the adventure or deny the ability to move
beyond the status quo. The heralded event may even be ignored All
of these constitute the Refusal of the Call.
The use of magical intervention is then needed to plunge the
hero into the unknown. The reluctant hero requires supernatural
forces to urge him on, while the willing adventurer gathers amulets
(magical items) and advice from the protector as aid for the
journey.
A portal or threshold represents the transition into the world
of adventure, the step of Crossing the First Threshold. A sense of
danger as well as opportunity is conveyed. The threshold guardian
or "gatekeeper" must test the heros mettle for competency before he
may enter the realm. Gatekeepers are terrifying creatures such as
Cerberus (the three-headed dog of the Underworld), Pan, ogres, and
shape-shifters of classical mythology.
The hero having crossed the threshold is swallowed into the
unknown abyss, reborn in the new world, and may appear to those
left behind as dead or lost. This may manifest as the hero is
swallowed into the darkness and lands in the Belly of the Whale.
There he awaits rebirth or release from this purgatorial state. His
release here symbolizes a relinquishing of attachment to the world
left behind.Having crossed over into the new realm or escaping the
belly of the beast, the hero encounters a series of tests known as
The Road of Trials. Each task prepares the hero to pursue the
ultimate mythological goal. These trials show the hero as moving
from childish behaviors to self-reliance. This is his personal
evolution from personal limitations to unrealized potential.
The Road of Trials leads to an encounter with the Queen of the
World the Meeting with the Goddess. The goddess figure is
representative of the Earth Mother or source of life. She may be
approachable, as the heros mother, sister, beloved, or She may be
seemingly larger than life. She is encompassing beauty, unrevealed
mystery, and unification of good and evil.
In myth, Woman is the totality of what can be known. As the hero
is initiated into life, the goddess becomes transfigured through
his understanding. Alas, those with inferior eyes cannot see her
magnificence they may even perceive her as ugly. While the goddess
can never be greater than the hero, she always promises more than
he can comprehend. The hero can take her as she is and thus be the
king of her created world. Through the goddess, the hero attains
mastery over life itself. His trials have prepared him to recognize
the richness of life that She offers.
The hero may encounter the negative side of woman Woman as
Temptress. In this scenario, the hero finds himself occupied with
selfish pleasures. The ease with which the hero falls into
temptation places the path to enlightenment in peril. While the
purified hero will be repulsed by these offerings, the struggling
hero must soar beyond the sin and despair, to regain his path.
Atonement with the Father: In myth, a parental figure is
responsible for guiding the hero through the journey. This
representation echoes the need for each person to break free from
childhood into adulthood. A father figure may be portrayed as the
vengeful male threatened by the rise of the hero and so establishes
a horrifying conflict. The hero seeks atonement or "at-one-ment"
with the father. Despite a wrathful figure, the hero has faith that
The Father is merciful and he must rely on that mercy. In turn, The
Father has a change of heart and the fearful image dissolves. The
hero is released from the situation through reconciliation,
forgiveness and mercy.
Conversely, the father figure may be benevolent, recognizing
that as with all life, the cycle must continue. While he assists
the hero through his journey, the father figure is mindful that the
budding hero is destined to replace him. Just as the mother may be
portrayed both as good or evil, so does the above contrast
represent the father as a positive and negative force. Our
initiation into an adult role in life is contrasted with this dual
role of the parent.
The heros transformation could be a kind of deification or
realization of the essence of life and ultimate purpose this is his
Apotheosis. This may be achieved through the conquering of an enemy
or the acquisition of supernatural powers. The most far-reaching
achievement is that of selflessness, a new ability for
unconditional love.
The Ultimate Boon is the benefit, favor, or blessing that is
bestowed on the hero figure. There is a drive for the hero to share
the boon with humankind, whether it is an elixir of immortality, a
holy grail, true love, perfect knowledge, or the meaning of life.
Most prevalent is the recurring theme of Immortality. The hero
achieves illumination that there is an indestructible life beyond
the physical body. This Immortality is timeless and experienced in
the here and now
Return:On closure of the quest, the hero generally sets off for
home to bring the knowledge of his adventure to others. In some
cases, the hero does not wish to flee the newfound world this is
his Refusal of the Return. He may hold a belief that those still in
the former world cannot comprehend what the hero has learned. The
hero may take refuge in his immortal bliss accompanied by the
Goddess free from the burdens of ordinary life.
For the hero who accepts the need to return, there are two
principal scenarios flight or rescue. Where the hero has won
blessings, he is commissioned to return to the world to heal it.
The protector may assist him on a supernatural return journey or
The Magical Flight. If the treasure was obtained through conflict
or without consent, this will become a flight of difficult
obstacles and pursuit by the angered force.
In the second case, the hero requires the outside world to pull
him back from the adventure this is the Rescue from Without. The
reluctant hero loses all desire to abandon his bliss, he does not
want to take on the burdens of the world. Someone or thing may
facilitate his miraculous return from apparent death. An overriding
reason is necessary to bring the hero back to the world to save
it.
Regardless of how the return is accomplished, a supernatural
force is again needed to resolve the final crisis, Crossing the
Return Threshold. The narrative now brings the hero full cycle it
is his destiny to depart from the mystical world he has discovered,
and return to the banalities of life with his bounty. Symbolically,
through this adventure, the hero has lost his life (self or ego),
but by grace it is returned.
On return, the hero must resolve the Two Worlds divine and
human; known and unknown; yin and yang. The key to understanding
the myth is that the two kingdoms are actually one. The unknown is
a forgotten dimension of the world we already know. To explore that
dimension is the whole deed of the hero. By crossing this final
threshold, the hero recognizes that the apparent separation in
reality does not exist and he becomes the Master of Two Worlds.
What is the result of the journey and return? The last task of
the hero is to try and communicate his discoveries and the boon for
all humanity. He encounters many incapable of comprehending beyond
their physical world. But inevitably, another will hear the
message, and arise as the next hero.
Our hero achieves a Freedom to Live that is, the ability to pass
freely between realms. The hero is transfigured unencumbered by
personal limitations and death holds no power over him. Through his
transfiguration, the hero is prepared for at-one-ment. He is a
presence benefiting the world as it perpetually renews itself,
understanding perfected knowledge is imperishable.
41Modern Society needs MythsGreat civilizations have been built
on mythologiesTheir loss of meaning leads to declineA society
lacking an active mythology hasa sense of
meaninglessnessestrangementrootlessnesscold life devoid of
reverence and awe42What are the Modern Myths/ Personal Myths?
Myths are public dreams; dreams are private myths. By finding
your own dream and following it through, it will lead you to the
myth-world in which you life. But just as in dream, the subject and
object, though they seem to be separate, are really the same. -
Joseph Campbell43
Joseph Campbell on Seeking a Meaning for LifePeople say that
what were all seeking is a meaning for life. People say that what
were all seeking is a meaning for life. I dont think thats what
were really seeking. People say that what were all seeking is a
meaning for life. I dont think thats what were really seeking. I
think that what were seeking is an experience of being alive,
People say that what were all seeking is a meaning for life. I dont
think thats what were really seeking. I think that what were
seeking is an experience of being alive, so that our life
experiences on the purely physical plane will have resonances with
our own innermost being and reality, People say that what were all
seeking is a meaning for life. I dont think thats what were really
seeking. I think that what were seeking is an experience of being
alive, so that our life experiences on the purely physical plane
will have resonances with our own innermost being and reality, so
that we actually feel the rapture of being alive. People say that
what were all seeking is a meaning for life. I dont think thats
what were really seeking. I think that what were seeking is an
experience of being alive, so that our life experiences on the
purely physical plane will have resonances with our own innermost
being and reality, so that we actually feel the rapture of being
alive. We're so engaged in doing things to achieve purposes of
outer value that we forget the inner value, the rapture that is
associated with being alive, is what it is all about.Joseph
Campbell4445Books Authored/edited by Joseph Campbell
1 Read myths with the eyes of wonder: the myths transparent to
theiruniversal meaning, their meaning transparent to itsmysterious
source. 2 Read myths in the present tense: Eternity is now. 3 Read
myths in the first person plural: the Gods and Goddessesof ancient
mythology still live within you. 4 Any myth worth itssalt exerts a
powerfulmagnetism. Noticethe images and stories that you aredrawn
to andrepelled by. Investigate the field of associated images and
stories. 5 Look forpatterns; don't get lost inthe details. What
isneededis not morespecializedscholarship, butmoreinterdisciplinary
vision. Make connections; break old patterns of parochial
thought.
6 Resacralizethesecular: evenadollar bill reveals theimprint of
Eternity. 7 If God is everywhere, then myths can begenerated
anywhere, anytime, by anything. Don't letyour Romanticaversionto
science blind you to the Buddha in the computer chip. 8 Know your
tribe! Myths never arise in a vacuum; they are theconnective tissue
ofthe socialbody whichenjoys synergisticrelations with dreams
(private myths) and rituals (the enactmentof myth). 9Expand your
horizons! Any mythology worth remembering will be global in scope.
The earth is our home and humankind is our family. 10 Read
betweenthe lines! Literalism kills; Imagination quickens.
46More info?www.jcf.org
471: The Hero's Adventure
2: The Message of the Myth
3: The First Storytellers
4: Sacrifice and Bliss
5: Love and the Goddess
6: The Masks of EternityFurther ProgramsAbout Joseph
Campbell?48Questions?, Comments?49Ancient Myths Live in our Culture
TodayPandora's box, Oedipus complex, nymph, & olympian. Words
derived from mythology include:chronology (from Kronos)discipline
(from Disciplina)discord (from Discordia)eros (from Eros)fate (from
Fate)fauna (from Faunus)fidelity (from Fides)flora (from
Flora)fortune (from Fortuna)fraud (from Fraus)Hades (from
Hades)Hell (from Hel)hygiene (from Hygieia) jovial (from
Jove)liberty (from Libertas)lunar (from Luna)morphine (from
Morpheus)mortality (from Mors)mute (from Muta)narcissism (from
Narcissus)nemesis (from Nemesis)ocean (from Oceanus)planets, and
some of the months50Campbells Four Function of Mythsto foster the
centering and unfolding of the individual in integrity, in accord
with himself, his culture, the universe, and that awesome ultimate
mystery which is both beyond and within himself and all things.In
the human heart and in the human mind--no matter what the race, the
culture, the language, the tradition--there is at least the sense
of a mystery, and an awesome and a very terrifying mystery
inhabiting the whole universe: the very mystery of being
itself.Myths are public dreams; dreams are private myths. By
finding your own dream and following it through, it will lead you
to the myth-world in which you life. But just as in dream, the
subject and object, though they seem to be separate, are really the
same. But according to the scientific view, nobody knows what is
out there, or if there is any "out there" at all. There is just a
display of things that our senses bring to us. What lies beyond is
a mystery so great that it is going to be inexhaustible in its
revelations, and Man has to be great enough to receive it.Joseph
Campbell
51
