New PN: The Hero's Journey
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Joseph Campbell on His Life and Workby Joseph Campbell |
“They thought that it would be a disgrace to go forth as a group. Each entered the forest at a point that he himself had chosen, where it was the darkest and there was no path. Where there's a way or path, it is someone else's path; each human being is a unique phenomenon."JOSEPH CAMPBELL |
FROM THE BOOK““As a mythologist with a metaphysical slant on life, a doctor of things-beyond-appearances, he dedicated his life to mapping out the experience of plumbing those depths, which is the journey of the soul itself.
The cartography, as he drew it, was the geography of the inner or underworld, showing perilous territory to be traversed not by the faint, but by the stout of heart. If myths emerge, like dreams out of the psyche, he reasoned, they can also lead us back in. The way out is the way in. It is a movement beyond the known boundaries of faith and convention, the search for what matters, the path of destiny, the route of individuality, the road of original experience, a paradigm for the forging of consciousness itself: in short the hero’s journey:
A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man. This ‘monomyth’ lies at the heart of Joseph Campbell’s steadfast belief in one universal mythology. Like the legendary gryphon, the winged lion of the medieval bestiary, it was a composite, taking shape gradually, piece by piece, an innovative assemblage of key ideas from Campbell’s own masters: Joyce, Mann, Jung, Zimmer, Underhill, Coomaraswamy, and Ortega y Gasset, who wrote in an influential passage that the ‘will to be oneself is heroism.’” |
Brian's Notes
That’s from the introduction by filmmaker Phil Cousineau, who dedicated a big chunk of his life to making sure the world knew who Joseph Campbell was.
As he says earlier in the intro: “Truth is one, the sages speak of it by many names,’ Campbell often quoted the Vedas. To synthesize the constant truths of history became the burning point of his life; to bridge the abyss between science and religion, mind and body, East and West, with the timeless linkage of myths became his task of tasks.”
Campbell is one of my heroes.
A portrait of him passionately teaching hangs from my wall and inspires me daily as I, too, strive to integrate ancient wisdom, modern science, and practical tools to help YOU live Heroically in the modern world.
This is the fifth Note I’ve created on one of his books.
If you want to know why I love this man and his wisdom as much as I do (and how his work has so deeply impacted mine!), check out my Notes on The Hero with a Thousand Faces, A Joseph Campbell Companion, Pathways to Bliss, and The Power of Myth.
Also, as you know if you’ve been following along for a while, I am in a documentary featuring Joseph Campbell and the modern hero’s journey. It’s called Finding Joe. I’m in it alongside Deepak Chopra, Sir Ken Robinson, Laird Hamilton, Tony Hawk, Robin Sharma, Rashida Jones and a bunch of other inspiring human beings.
Watch the trailer here. And watch the full movie free here. (Note: I’m very proud of the fact that the director of the film, Pat Solomon, was inspired to create that documentary after reading my Notes on Campbell!)
As per the sub-title, the book is about “Joseph Campbell on His Life and Work.” It’s basically a (auto)biography of Campbell and the Heroic life *he* lived as he integrated the wisdom of East and West and inspired generations to live Heroically. I highly recommend it. Get it.
As you’d expect, it’s packed with Big Ideas. As always, I’m excited to share five of my favorites, so let’s jump straight in!
As he says earlier in the intro: “Truth is one, the sages speak of it by many names,’ Campbell often quoted the Vedas. To synthesize the constant truths of history became the burning point of his life; to bridge the abyss between science and religion, mind and body, East and West, with the timeless linkage of myths became his task of tasks.”
Campbell is one of my heroes.
A portrait of him passionately teaching hangs from my wall and inspires me daily as I, too, strive to integrate ancient wisdom, modern science, and practical tools to help YOU live Heroically in the modern world.
This is the fifth Note I’ve created on one of his books.
If you want to know why I love this man and his wisdom as much as I do (and how his work has so deeply impacted mine!), check out my Notes on The Hero with a Thousand Faces, A Joseph Campbell Companion, Pathways to Bliss, and The Power of Myth.
Also, as you know if you’ve been following along for a while, I am in a documentary featuring Joseph Campbell and the modern hero’s journey. It’s called Finding Joe. I’m in it alongside Deepak Chopra, Sir Ken Robinson, Laird Hamilton, Tony Hawk, Robin Sharma, Rashida Jones and a bunch of other inspiring human beings.
Watch the trailer here. And watch the full movie free here. (Note: I’m very proud of the fact that the director of the film, Pat Solomon, was inspired to create that documentary after reading my Notes on Campbell!)
As per the sub-title, the book is about “Joseph Campbell on His Life and Work.” It’s basically a (auto)biography of Campbell and the Heroic life *he* lived as he integrated the wisdom of East and West and inspired generations to live Heroically. I highly recommend it. Get it.
As you’d expect, it’s packed with Big Ideas. As always, I’m excited to share five of my favorites, so let’s jump straight in!
Big Ideas
01: THE CALL TO ADVENTURE
02: CAMPBELL'S PATH TO MASTERY
03: RELATIONSHIPS
04: YOUR EGO
05: THE GOATS & THE TIGER
“What is it we are questing for? It is the fulfillment of that which is potential for each of us. Questing for it is not an ego trip; it is an adventure to bring into fulfillment your gift to the world, which is yourself."JOSEPH CAMPBELL |
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