| Title | : | Pathways to Bliss: Mythology and Personal Transformation |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1577314719 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781577314714 |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 224 |
| Publication | : | First published October 26, 2004 |
In Pathways to Bliss, Campbell examines this personal, psychological side of myth. Like his classic best-selling books Myths to Live By and The Power of Myth, Pathways to Bliss draws from Campbell's popular lectures and dialogues, which highlight his remarkable storytelling and ability to apply the larger themes of world mythology to personal growth and the quest for transformation. Here he anchors mythology's symbolic wisdom to the individual, applying the most poetic mythical metaphors to the challenges of our daily lives.
Campbell dwells on life's important questions. Combining cross-cultural stories with the teachings of modern psychology, he examines the ways in which our myths shape and enrich our lives and shows how myth can help each of us truly identify and follow our bliss.
Pathways to Bliss: Mythology and Personal Transformation Reviews
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I first came across the concept of Joseph Campbell’s “The Hero’s Journey” many years back and found it fascinating. I subsequently read ‘A Hero with a thousand faces’ and found it a difficult read with it’s references to cultures worldwide since ages. And yet, even then, Joseph Campbell’s intellect and wisdom was apparent. I subsequently read more of his work and each work had important learnings about life. I could better relate to my earlier readings of his work over time. This book is assembled from several of Joseph Campbell’s writings & speeches. It has exceptional material and insights, as indeed all of his writings & speeches do. The philosophies of Joseph Campbell, Carl Jung (who is referred many times in the book) and the myths & ancient wisdom they point to, in my view offer far better lessons for life, than the self-help literature of today.
The role of mythology & symbols finds extensive, thought provoking coverage. Mythology points you to the direction of greater truths and wisdom (which as Heinrich Zimmer says cannot be stated explicitly). The rituals followed are myths enacted, and by participating in a rite, you are participating directly in the myth. The rituals and myths always have a local touch, though you can and should look to other myths as well. Life & nature is often about living off death of others, with myths & rituals providing the means for acceptance. In a very few instances though, I felt Campbell missed the cultural context – especially in his analysis of Jainism. I would not regard the practices in Jainism (with its emphasis on not causing harm to any life forms) as a cancelling of nature. It is rather about according a greater sense of spiritual responsibility to humans, which we are entirely capable of.
If you get rid of myths, as indeed modern life is in danger of doing, Joseph Campbell points out that the metaphoric connection to the transcendent will be lost (the references to the Panchakoshas are very apt here). It is to be understood that myths are metaphorical and not literal. When myths are viewed as historical events, they lead to a closed approach with a fully outward view preventing deep introspection. All religious traditions and myths tell you to look inward.
I came across the below quote sometime back and was a little surprised at the critical message.
“Maslow's five values are the values for which people live when they have nothing to live for. Nothing has seized them, nothing has caught them, nothing has driven them spiritually mad and made them worth talking to.”
Campbell provides a very good explanation for why he holds this view with beautiful references to the seven chakras in the Indian system. The five values which Maslow refers is exactly what mythology transcends. Maslow’s values map to the bottom three chakras of the body. The higher chakras starting from the fourth deal with soul experiences intended to ignite a sense of awe (symbolized in the Indian system by the sacred syllable ‘’Om”). Campbell warns that living with a drive for pride & power as the primary aim will render the person a bore.
“A bore is one who deprives us of our solitude without providing companionship” – Ortega y Gasset.
The book includes a brief outline of the key events in Joseph Campbell’s life. Campbell writes about how Carl Jung had said that looking back at one’s life in later years often makes you feel that it has been a story which was scripted, and his life certainly feels that way – including the time he was without work and spent time reading and pursuing what would become his life’s calling. He relates with a touch of humour that when Joyce’s Finnegan’s wake was released, he was one of the few who understood it, and a commentary he wrote helped him make some money and gain recognition! There is a Q&A at the end of the book which has questions which pave the way for deep, interesting & thought-provoking answers.
This book is a tribute to Joseph Campbell’s towering intellect and his way of making you introspect, think deeply to find a greater purpose in life. As with all of Campbell’s writings, do not just read it once. -
"Follow your bliss."
This must be the most quoted (and misinterpreted) statement of Joseph Campbell. What did the famous mythologist mean by this? Many people take it to mean "do whatever you want to - the world can go hang!" - the ultimate libertarian wet dream. But it's not that - not by a long chalk.
You don't choose bliss - bliss chooses you. Leaving his palace and family and becoming a mendicant was Gautama Buddha's bliss. Dying on the cross was Jesus Christ's bliss. Bliss does not mean unalloyed pleasure in Campbell's lexicon. It's what you are destined to do. It's beyond pain and pleasure. It is "the still centre of existence", where there is nary a breath of wind - "no-wind", nirvana.
And how do you follow your bliss? Well, that's what myths are for.
***
Campbell says that myths originally had four functions: (1) to evoke in the individual a sense of grateful, affirmative awe before the monstrous mystery that is existence; (2) to present an image of the cosmos that will maintain your sense of mystical awe and explain everything that you come into contact with in the universe around you; (3) to validate and maintain a certain sociological system; and (4) to carry the individual through the stages of his life, from birth through maturity through senility to death. Now, the second function is taken over by science and the third, by the secular state. The fourth function has become pedagogical, carried out on the psychiatrist's couch. So the individual is left with this huge disconnect as far as the essential first function is concerned.
Myth is no longer live in society, and religion preserves it as a fossil, treating metaphors as historical facts, and mythical symbols as sacred objects. The individual can no longer live the myth, resulting in neurosis and psychosis. Campbell, living in America in an age when science reigned supreme and humankind seemed to be on the brink of jumping into a new paradigm of existence, was seriously aware of the dangers of a society without a mythical underpinning - and the present turmoil in the world seems to justify him! But that's a whole new topic.
So what is to be done by one in the current world? Travel inward into one's own psyche. All the archetypal images who appear in the myths are there. Recognise them, deal with them. Create your own private myth. Integrate your public "persona" with your anima/ animus (the opposite sex part of your self) and your shadow (your buried, rejected nature), so that your self becomes whole again. This is the method proposed by Carl Gustav Jung, called the process of "individuation".
Campbell, a Jungian, calls it the "Hero's Journey". This is the famous monomyth, which he popularised in
The Hero With a Thousand Faces - the common story of the heroic quest which has variants in almost all world mythologies, and in a number of fairy tales. This is a quest which each individual has to take. At the end of the quest, once you traverse the deep forest and kill the dragons and monsters, is the holy grail, the princess, the treasure... which you bring back to the world.
This is your bliss.
(Interestingly, Campbell sees this as an essentially Western problem, because the Eastern mythologies all stress upon the total dissolution of the ego, and the journey of the individual is essentially aimed at losing one's identity. I think this view has become a bit outdated and needs further debate.)
***
This book, which comprises Campbell's lectures which have been collected and edited by my friend
David Kudler, is a very good primer to the world of Joe Campbell, and the hero's journey. Unlike his scholarly tomes, here the voice is conversational and breezy. It's a very accessible portal to a very rich intellectual universe. -
"Each entered the Forest Adventurous at that point which he himself had chosen, where it was darkest and there was no way or path." You enter the forest at the darkest point, where there is no path. Where there's a way or path, it is someone else's path; each human being is a unique phenomenon. The idea is to find your own pathway to bliss." pg xxvi
Pathways to Bliss is a collection of Joseph Campbell's writings and lectures, expanding upon the theory he put together in
The Hero With a Thousand Faces. Namely, that myths serve a psychological function to help individuals safely traverse the various stages of his or her life.
That statement is over simplifying Campbell's complex and richly-developed discussions of mythology, but it's the basic building blocks of the thing.
"If it is a living mythology, one that is actually organically relevant to the life of the people of the time, repeating the myths and enacting the rituals center you. Ritual is simply myth enacted; by participating in a rite, you are participating directly in the myth." pg xix
Campbell talks about not only the importance of the myths throughout generations of humankind, but the idea that it is a living, breathing system. He believes there is trouble on the horizon if society's myths don't change and evolve to keep up with the challenges of the current day.
He also stresses the need for the individual to find their own meanings in the stories and symbols of the mythology. The pathway to that which you are here to live is something that only you can find for yourself.
Though, he does point out, you could experience your unique pathway through ritual and communion with a community of like-minded believers. Campbell applies his mythological lens to the world religions, to life stages, to everything in-between to see what universal truths he can pull out of the stories and the common experience of humanity.
"And my little sermon to the churches of the world is this: you have got the symbols right there on the altar, and you have the lessons as well. Unfortunately, when you have a dogma telling you what kind of effect the symbol is supposed to have upon you, you're in trouble. It doesn't affect me that way, so am I a sinner?" pg 43
I found this book easier to understand than
The Hero With a Thousand Faces, which I read a few months ago. Despite this, I suggest you read Hero first, because it'll give you a better contextual base to understand what the heck Campbell is going on about.
I had some issues with his concluding chapter of this book, Dialogues. In an open discussion with some female attendees of one of his seminars, Campbell and the women try to define how the woman's heroic journey is different than a man's.
I didn't agree with some of their conclusions. Maybe you had to be there to truly grasp the essence of what he was saying.
"The suffering overtakes women - it is part of the nature of womanhood. Whereas the man has to undertake suffering - it's a big difference." pg 153
Women's life is suffering? hmmmm...
Recommended for readers interested in more of the musings of Joseph Campbell or for people interested in mythology and its practical applications. Beware that some of the material may be somewhat dated. -
Митологията като начин да (се) преведем (на) самите себе си. Да се разкрием като частица звезден прах и едновременно с това да се закодираме, да изчезнем сред пластове символика под пясъците на времето. Докато се появи следващият, който ще ни преведе и разтълкува, и ще ни създаде отново, когато отдавна вече ни няма.
Този сборник с лекции на Кембъл е насочен към разнородна публика. Кембъл хвърля символите както умел комарджия - зарове, пускайки по някой разтоварващ американски лаф, за да не загуби публиката концентрация.
Митологията е продължение на психоанализата с други средства. Поне в наши дни, когато законодателните и космологичните и функции са иззети от държавата и науката. Митологията е великият преобразувател, тънката като стоманена паяжина връзка между разума, необятния тъмен океан на неосъзнатите страхове и заложби и идеала ни за света и нас самите, който често пъти се разминава с всичко останало. Тя е мостът, по който познаваме и приемаме разнородните и подмолни пластове на собствената си личност.
Няма значение епохата - откак го има човекът, той не е спрял да самоизмисля и да си си създава богове, които да го закрилят и чудовища, срещу които да се бори. Имената варира��, смисълът - не.
Кембъл е оптимист - по американски. Индивидуалист от (далечния) Запад - по стъпките, очертани от Коперник, Шопенхауер, Фройд и Юнг. Силно подозрителен към Изтока с неговия колективизъм и единение на противоположностите. Настръхнал в отхвърляне на модерни “принизяващи” теории като пирамидата на Маслоу, която лично аз много харесвам, но той не може да свърже с висшите стремления на духа. Но е един от мъдреците, които е удоволствие и си струва да изслуша човек в настоящата книга. -
“There are something like 18 billion cells in the brain alone. There are no two brains alike; there are no two hands alike; there are no two human beings alike. You can take your instructions and your guidance from others, but you must find your own path.”
“The basic story of the hero journey involves giving up where you are, going into the realm of adventure, coming to some kind of symbolically rendered realization, and then returning to the field of normal life.”
“The scientist knows that at any moment facts may be found that make the present theory obsolete; this is happening now constantly. It’s amusing. In a religious tradition, the older the doctrine, the truer it is held to be.”
~ Joseph Campbell from Pathways to Bliss
This is the third review I’ve created on Joseph Campbell. As I mention in the others (A Joseph Campbell Companion and The Power of Myth), Campbell sits in the Granddaddy slot in my spiritual family tree. I heart Grandpa Joe. :)
This book is from the collected works series New World Library and the Joseph Campbell Foundation are assembling.
The prose and the presentation are stunningly beautiful. If you haven’t explored Campbell and his hero’s journey yet, get on it! I trust you’ll enjoy this gem, Pathways to Bliss.
Here are some of the Big Ideas:
1. Bliss = - Transcendent wisdom.
2. Your Life - Composed by a novelist.
3. Life Is Calling - Answer, please. :)
4. Say “Yes!” - Pretty please.
5. Bringing the Boon Back - Show me the boon!
Let go of your fears that following your quest is an ego trip… And let’s become transparent to transcendence, my friend!
Here's my video review:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFotR...
And click here to find 250+ more of my reviews:
http://bit.ly/BrianReviews
Brian -
Classic Joseph Campbell at his best. Pathways to Bliss is a collection of lectures, interviews, and seminars that Campbell gave between 1962 and 1983. If you've read Joseph Campbell before, then this book may seem redundant at parts, but for those of us who could use a little reminding and repetition it's good to hear some of the same stories and points that Joseph Campbell is so well known for.
Some of my favorite ideas I'll list below:
A myth isn't a lie... a myth points past itself to something indescribable. A myth is a metaphor.
Eternity is now. It is the transcendent dimension of the now to which myth refers.
Follow your bliss: that deep sense of being present, of doing what you absolutely must do to be yourself. If you can hang on to that, you are on the edge of the transcendent already. Your bliss can guide you to that transcendent mystery, because bliss is the welling up of the energy of the transcendent wisdom within you.
The only way to affirm life is to affirm it to the root, to the rotten, horrendous base.
One can know God only when one knows that God far surpasses anything that can be said or thought about God.
The real, important function of the Church is to present the symbol, to perform the rite, to let you behold this divine message in such a way that you are capable of experiencing it. Unfortunately, when you have a dogma telling you what kind of effect the symbol is supposed to have upon you, you're in trouble.
Perfection is inhuman. Human beings are not perfect. What evokes our love --and I mean love, not lust-- is the imperfection of the human being. So, when the imperfection of the real person, compared to the ideal of your animus or anima, peeks through, say, This is a challenge to my compassion.
It is a fashionable idiocy of youth to say the world has not come up to your expectations. "What? I was coming, and this is all they could prepare for me?" Throw it out. Have compassion for the world and those in it. Not only political life but all life stinks, and you must embrace that with compassion.
The only way one can become a human being is through relationships to other human beings.
Each of us has an individual myth that's driving us, which we may or may not know.
Mythological images are the images by which the consciousness is put in touch with the unconscious. That's what they are.
What is the great thing for which you would sacrifice your life? What makes you do what you do; what is the call of your life to you-- do you know it? The old traditions provided this mythic support for people; it held whole culture worlds together. Every great civilization has grown out of a mythic base.
Maslow's five values are the values for which people live when they have nothing to live for. Nothing has seized them, nothing has caught them, nothing has driven them spiritually mad and made them worth talking to. These are the bores. - "A bore is one who deprives us of our solitude without providing companionship."
That awakening of awe, that awakening of zeal, is the beginning, and, curiously enough, that's what pulls people together. People living for these five values (Maslow) are pushed apart. Two things pull people together; aspiration and terror.
There is no aspiration that's been put in front of us to pull people together, nor any overwhelming fear to drive us together.
Now, that's the big thing, to activate your imagination somehow. You can't do this by taking suggestions from somebody else. You must find that which your own unconscious wants to meditate on.
The work of the artist is to present objects to you in such a way that they will shine. Through the rhythm of the artist's formation, the object that you have looked at with indifference will be radiant, and you will be fixed in esthetic arrest.
What is it we are questing for? It is the fulfillment of that which is potential in 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. There's nothing you can do that's more important than being fulfilled. You become a sign, you become a signal, transparent to transcendence; in this way , you will find, live, and become a realization of your own personal myth.
You see, in my youth, in the days of the Depression, people who were what might be called counterculture had been kicked out of the society entirely. There was no room for them. That's different from the ones who leave out of resentment or with the intention to improve it.
What I think is that a good life is one hero journey after another. Over and over again, you are called to the realm of adventure, you are called to new horizons. Each time, there is the same problem: do I dare? There's always the possibility of a fiasco. But there's also the possibility of bliss.
I think the world lives on crazy things. The economics will work themselves out later -- you can count on it. But it's the scope of the aspiration that really matters.
Sometimes the drudgery itself can become part of the hero deed. The point is not to get stuck in the drudgery but to use it to free you. -
Джоузеф Кембъл превърна 2020 в Годината на търсене на личния мит. :)
Всичко негово прочетено е като монумент в ума ми. Мога само да се поклоня пред този ерудиран човек и да му благодаря за това истинско ИНТЕЛЕКТУАЛНО богатство, което е направил достъпно за пънове като мен. Един от най-ценните автори в библиотеката ми. -
In a parallel universe, Joseph Campbell is my wise grandfather and favorite adviser (I think we can assume that Campbell is "alive" for the sake of fantasy here), Bill Moyers is my favorite old uncle, and all of us frolic around Skywalker Ranch on long holiday weekends with their BFF, George Lucas, whilst we wax poetic on mythography and the true meaning of Yoda.
In this universe, I have this lovely book, a compilation of Campbell's lectures and papers published posthumously by by the Joseph Campbell Foundation. Its aim is to show the direct, personal, and hopefully inspirational application of mythology and monomyth into everyday life.
So far it's working.
Moral of the story: Follow your bliss, people... -
I generally enjoy topics that span across multiple academic areas, like linguistics and anthropology or literature and history, so this collection of Joseph Campbell's lectures tickled lots of neurons at once: the ones interested in mythology, as well as those interested in psychology, philosophy, theology, and even a smattering of literature too. Although the title may scare some people away as being a little too new agey/preachy/self helpy, I hope those people take a second look, because it's really worth the read. If you're curious at all about why myths are created, how they all relate, and what it means for today, then this is a great choice. Now I can't wait to read more Campbell, especially his works on James Joyce.
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"Pathways to bliss" is a must-read for every open-minded person, who is interested in mythology and religions.
After reading this book you will not only unterstand yourself better, but also see other persons from a different perspective. One of the greatest things - and still relevant today - is Campbells approach toward heroines. People tend to forget, that Campbells lectures and books are as valid for women as they are for men.
No matter if its washing dishes, writing book-reviews, reading, bringing up children, travelling or creating art - women / heroines can and should follow their bliss, there is no reason why the psychological and spiritual improvement should be exlusively experienced by men.
Conclusion: Follow your bliss (even if it is difficult sometimes)! :) -
Повече за книгата:
http://knigata365.com/patishta-kam-bl... -
The ninth book in the ongoing series, The Collected Works of Joseph Campbell, this is the one that focuses on my favorite Campbellism: Follow your bliss.
More importantly, this book gathers together all of his lectures that talked abut the pathway to bliss.
As always, after reading Campbell, I feel a renewed vigor and drive to get back onto the pathway. . .--From A Reader's Journal, by d r melbie. -
Simply FANTASTIC. A few of my favorite lines from the book:
You enter the forest at the darkest point, where there is no path. Where there is a way or path, it is someone else's path; each human being is a unique phenomenon. The idea is to find your own pathway to bliss.
You must have the courage of your own belief and leave it to somebody else to verify your authority for him or herself.
That is what is given to you - one life to live. Marx teaches us to blame the society for our frailties; Freud teaches us to blame our parents...; astrology to blame the universe.... The only place to look for blame is within: you didn't have the guts to bring up your full moon and live the life that was your potential.
What is it we are questing for? It is the fulfillment of that which is potential in each of us. Questing for it is not an ego trip; it is an adventure to bring it into fulfillment your gift to the world, which is yourself.
The basic story of the hero journey involves giving up where you are, going into the realm of adventure, coming to some kind of symbolically rendered realization, and then returning to the field of normal life.
The whole idea is that you've got to bring out again that which you went to recover, that unrealized, unutilized potential in yourself. The whole point of this journey is is the reintroduction of this potential into the world; that is to say, to you living in the world.
For myself (Campbell), well, Alan Watts once asked me what spiritual practice I followed. I told him, "I underline books."
Now, it took me a long time to get around to marriage, principally because I knew it would interfere with my reading. -
A series of lectures by Campbell on the power of myth for personal transformation. Easy to read, lots to inspire. For many already acquainted with the world of Jung and Campbell and mythological studies, this may not seem deep enough, compared to other books by Campbell, but it's a terrific introduction and refresher.
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An extraordinary book. Campbell presents a compelling and subtle argument about the importance of personal myth in a world where the major world religions have lost their relevance. With one foot firmly rooted in Jungian psychology and the other in the world of comparative mythology Campbell takes readers on a tour of dreams, images, symbols, and the heroic quest. His message struck a very deep chord, but there is too much packed into this book to explicate here. I suggest you read this one--and keep slogging through the complex summary of Jung!
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The introduction and first chapter about bliss were....blissful - really, sublime. The two chapters on Jung and developing one's own personal myth were....my own story, my own thoughts put into words. Campbell's thoughts really are an extention of Jung's - his conclusions brought to their ultimate destination. A very good read for those interested in "getting into Campbell-ian and Jungian thought. Highly reccomended."
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I love Joseph Campbell books. My mom was nice enough to let me steal this book from her even though she was less than half way through it. I love moms.
I think his stuff is a great tool from something we have been losing touch with for a long time, at an exponentially increasing rate. When the modern world has you lost, pick up a campbell book. -
Through the exchange of stories/myths, Campbell suggests, we can discover an understanding of the universal symbols at work in the universe. We can then use these symbols to better understand our purpose as participants in and products of that universe.
I stumbled onto this book in the library in my hometown during a major transition in my life. No other book has shaped my thinking more. -
If you're a lost and don't know nothing about your life, you don't believe in religion and urge to find out more about you...
You definitely must read this book!
This is not a esoteric book, it's about how myth were used to help us understand our lives ages ago and how it can be used again.
Amazing! -
I've become fascinated with the genre of mythology and it's sister topics - world religion and depth psychology. this is a wonderful read to that end. I highly encourage anyone interested in this topic to explore any and all writing by Joseph Campbell. This being a relatively easy one to get through. Starting Hero With a Thousand Faces now and finding it much more dense.
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Joseph Campbell is an academic of rare renown, someone whose work has had significant impact on popular culture; interestingly, very few know his name or appreciate the influence his work has had. Yet, anyone who has seen Star Wars (and myriad other stories), knows Campbell's work without knowing his name. Years ago I read The Hero with a Thousand Faces (probably long before I was ready for it) and have wanted to get back to some of his writing ever since. Pathways to Bliss caught my eye since it intersects with two ideas I have an interest in—a purposeful life and mythology.
My interest in mythology is inseparable from my love for stories. I believe they reveal much, much more about us and our history than a perfunctory study of them can uncover. Considering the title of this book, I was very excited to learn from the timeless myths of humanity to understand more about human purpose and how our ancestors found it and taught it. I was only partially satisfied with the content of the book. Being a collection of writings or speeches from Campbell, some of the material feels disconnected from the topic in question. I would have liked a more focused exploration of the main idea. (Some of this criticism is identical to a few of my grumbles with some of Hugh Nibley's collected works).
Having said that, I did thoroughly enjoy Campbell's perspective on mythology and its importance, especially because I disagreed with so much of it. Of most interest was Campbell's indictment of the Christian tradition, which he treats rather harshly, because of its insistence on historical events. The stories in the Old and New Testament, from the Garden of Eden to Mother Mary, should not be understood historically, Campbell asserts. To do so strips the myths of their didactic value. Using his impressive erudition he links all myths together, pointing out similarities, reflections, and echoes across cultures, races, and nations. Campbell insists these are thematic expressions of psychological characteristics. I disagree. But this isn't the time or place for my rebuttal. Regardless of my own opinion, I was deeply intrigued by Campbell's insights.
For example, I was fascinated by his allegations that as our secular society has lost its moorings from myth, considering them archaic or even barbaric, we have lost the scripts needed to orient ourselves to each other and our universe. If we are not adventurers overcoming brutish monsters and diabolic obstacles to return back home with the heavenly boon, then what are we? What purpose should burn in our hearts? What ought to motivate our comings and goings? Secular society, I think, has given us precious little to fill the void of a de-spiritualized world. I think Campbell would agree. His acceptance of myth as a profoundly helpful tool for human beings to thrive is worth reflection.
Pathways to Bliss offered something valuable I wasn't expecting, while disappointing me in what I was. I think the weakest parts of the book are the psycho-babble that Campbell regurgitates from thinkers like Freud. Its strongest elements are in its comparative study—looking at mythology from across cultures, time, and space and finding the incredible similarities in each. It fascinates me. As a traveler in the 21st century, what can I learn from those in the 1st? What did they know that we have forgotten? Perhaps more than we realize.
https://thethousanderclub.blogspot.com/ -
Joseph Campbell is a favorite of mine.
Something about Campbell speaks to me on a deep, deep level. Reading him is like a revelation every time. The layers are peeled back, and myths and folklore come to life in the modern day. We're all on our own grail quest, Campbell writes, and each one of us must slay our own dragon.
Pathways to Bliss is telling the same story
The Hero With a Thousand Faces tells. Naturally. The monomyth is laid bare in this series of lectures, along with how it is beneficial to day to day living.
Ultimately, this book serves as a bit of a refresher on
The Hero With a Thousand Faces. If you want Campbell at his best, simply pick up that book. If you want more Campell, however, this is where you will find it. The conclusions are reexamined, and you can almost hear Campbell laugh at himself as he realizes how he's been telling the same story all along. Yet it is still a story well worth hearing.
I enjoyed this book in particular for the final chapter wherein the Heroine's Journey is mentioned and examined. The challenges to Campbell were a bit invigorating, his answer's, interesting. The woman who questioned him at the talk I would have loved to have heard more of. I'm still thinking about what she said, and wondering. Ultimately, I suppose I'll just need to read more Campbell to see if he ever formulated a truly in depth response to her questions.
Not that I'm complaining. Campbell is always fun reading. -
A refresher course on the missive I received early in my life from Campbell: "Follow your bliss." The pursuit of bliss becomes vital as you realize that "eternity is not a long time."
A closing quote:
"You've got to find the wisdom, not the clothing of it. Through those trappings, the myths of other cultures, you can come to a wisdom that you've then got to translate into your own. The whole problem is to turn these mythologies into your own. . . . Some have a harder time mythologizing than others, but all have been brought up in a myth of some kind. What I've found is that any mythic tradition can be translated into your life, if it's been put into you. And it's a good thing to hang on to the myth that was put in when you were a child, because it is there whether you want it there or not. What you have to do is translate that myth into its eloquence, not just into the literacy. You have to learn to hear its song." -
As Joseph Campbell loves to remind his regular readers, choosing a place where there is no path is the purest and best way to begin your adventure as well as your pathway to Bliss, which are really the same -- depending on where you're at.
However, as he also likes to regularly remind his readers, there is no safety in choosing a path and beginning an adventure, though there will be help.
This book allows readers further ways to understand and choose their own path. For my part, this is never an easy thing, no matter the stage, and the more diamonds I can gain on my way the better.
Bonus: This book contains Joseph Campbell's most direct exploration of the aging process of any book yet, though it is pretty brief.
Another gem in the Collected, AKA posthumous, Works of Joseph Campbell. -
Joseph Campbell has left behind a rich legacy in his books, and a body of work that continues to enrich the lives of readers. As a novelist, I can only hope that I leave behind a fraction of what he did. This book is good for someone who has never even heard of Joseph Campbell, as well as those who want to revisit his contribution to the Greater Story of who we are as humans.
Author of The Secret Sense of Wildflower (southern/historical/coming-of-age)
(Kirkus Reviews- starred review- and a Best Book of 2012) -
Love Joe Campbell, but this book is basically a compilation of moments from speeches. The title is also a bit misleading as his other work I've read better investigates happiness. Howver, there is some really solid stuff, especially if you're into psychology and Freud v. Jung. The most rewarding part of this book was a Q&A at the end where J.C. breaks down our obsession with duality (good vs. evil, light vs. dark, etc.) eloquently.
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In my mind, Joseph Campbell was one of the greatest thinkers of the 20th century. This book is a selection of his lectures and dialogues. Reading it was entirely transformative--as in, I could almost physically feel my brain expanding. I'll have to give it another few dozen reads before I really begin to understand what he's saying but that's how compelled I am to understanding his work.
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This might be my single, favorite book.
Wide-ranging, Joseph Campbell seeks to tackle the basic questions of direction, purpose and satisfaction in life, all in this one, relatively short volume. I come back to this again, and again. The imagery and truth I've found in it is incredible and beautiful.
