The Power of Myth: Sacrifice and Bliss

The Life and Work of Joseph Campbell

Outline of Presentation: Sacrifice

and Bliss Background of Joseph Campbell Suffering vs happiness – sacrifice &

bliss What is myth? Why do we need myths? What are their types? The language of myths Campbell’s philosophy Four functions of myths Hero’s Journey Mono-myth Myth’s relevance - today’s

individual/world

Campbell‘s Influences

American Indians Juddu Kristnamurti Columbia, Sorbonne & Universität

München James Joyce & Thomas Mann Avant Garde Artists Carl G Jung 5 Years Reading/Researching Bastian, Frobenius, Spengler Heinrich Zimmer His Female Students

The Experience of Suffering

“to suffer"-sub plus ferre (Latin) "to bear or allow." Suffering is:• an experience the fullness of life’s

diversity • a natural process of growth• develops psychological and spiritual

maturity  

“To strive for pleasure to the exclusion of pain is, in effect, to strive for the loss of consciousness."

- Alan WattsLife’s goal is to increase consciousness; so, the temptation to avoid life’s legitimate pain must be resisted and embraced as a natural part of life.

Joseph 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

Joseph Campbell onSorrow, Pain and Joy

“We cannot cure the world of sorrows, but we can choose to live in joy.” “Find a place inside where there’s joy,and the joy will burn out the pain.”

- Joseph Campbell

The Pursuit of Happiness

Our culture emphasizes happiness and pleasure; the natural tendency is to avoid suffering:• happiness is a transient state - cannot be

kept• happiness 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.

Joseph Campbell on“Follow your Bliss“

“I 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 it’s your bliss and there’s bliss behind pain too.” - Joseph Campbell 

Joseph Campbell on“Follow your Bliss“

“If 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 wouldn’t have been a door for anybody else.” - Joseph Campbell 

Joseph Campbell on“Follow your Bliss“

“If your bliss is just your fun and your excitement, you‘re 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 Campbell 

Joseph Campbell on“Follow your Bliss“

“Now 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 “existance“The word Chit means “consiousness“The word Ananda means “rapture“ or “bliss“I don‘t 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 Campbell 

Major Themes for Tonight: Sacrifice and

Bliss What is the significance of the “sacred

place”? How does geography shape one’s 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?

Myths versus other Stories Legends & Sagas

– May have an historical basis - Legend of Atlantis

Folktales– Fictional with local emphasis - Rip van Winkle

Fables & Fairytales– Fictional with moral emphasis -Tortoise & the Hare

What is a Myth?Definition

1. a 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.

2. any invented story, idea, or concept.3. an imaginary or fictitious thing or person. 4. an unproved or false collective belief that

is used to justify a social institution.

What is a Myth?Campbell

Stories of our search through the ages for truth, for meaning, for significance

What is a Myth?Campbell

“Clues to the spiritual potentialities of the human life” – experience of life’s meaning

Why Myths?

Provides a worldview and a set of values – a way of understanding the world– a way of relating

to being alive to nature to animals to others to self

Why Myths?

Can convey important truths in a way that science or history fail to do

Types of Myths

Creation, Cosmgeny, Foundation Paradise Lost, Flood Virgin Births Hero Myths Love & Sacrifice Afterlife / Death & Resurection Dieties / Supernatural Entities – good &

evil End of the World

Quotes from Joseph Campbell

“Mythology 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 Myth

The Language of Myths:

Metaphors Symbols Images Archetypes Rituals

Compares two dissimilar things - implied

Unifies these two things Creates Image suggesting something

else Connotes rather than denotes Expresses what otherwise is

inexpressable

“The best things can‘t be told; The second best are misunderstood“

Heinrich Zimmer (1890-1943)

The Language of Myths: Metaphors

Joseph Campbell on Metaphors

“Half 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 Metaphor

The Language of Myths: Images

– Sacred image - religious statue or painting

– From a dream or the imagination – Considering the metaphor implied by

image – Pondering mythic stories

The Language of Myths: Symbols

Communication element intended to represent or stand for a person, object, group, process, or idea 40

666

1. the 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.

2. (in Jungian psychology) a collectively inherited unconscious idea, pattern of thought, image, etc., universally present in individual psyches.

The Language of Myths: Archetypes

“The 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 Jung

The Language of Myths: Archetypes

Herald - signal change & invite an answer to call

Threshold Guardian - ensure readiness/worthiness

Hero - not bravery or nobility, but self-sacrifice

Mentor - helpers – wise old man: advice & info– good mother: nurturing & intuition

Shadow - negative side: helps/opposes Shapeshifter - change character: dazzle,

confuse Animals - positive/negative: owl, dragon Trickster - sidekick/troublemaker: catalysts,

ego

The Language of Myths: Archetypes

Ceremonial 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

The power of an alive ritual can be tremendous

The Enactment of Myths: Rituals

Campbell´s Fundamental Assumptions about Myths As a metaphor, all myths are true

Myths remain meaningful throughout time & place

Myths are relevant today and to us Myths spring from a common source All religions have a basis in myths

– Texts underlying the world´s major religions are mythical stories rather than logical essays

– When the myths of religions are analyzed and interpreted logically and literally

only part of the whole truth is conveyed misunderstandings will most likely occur

Myths‘ Relationship with Metaphors

It 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 transcendence“

Campbell‘s Philosphy 1

All 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

Campbell‘s Philosphy 2

World religions are culturally influenced “masks” of the same fundamental, transcendent truths

All 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. Volkgedanken

“Truth is one, the sages speak of it by many

names ” - Rig Vedic

Major Mythogical Periods

. Campbell proposed a staged model of cultural development: 1 Shamanistic hunter-gatherers - start of symbolic thinking

2 Planters - rituals of birth, death, & rebirth

3 High civilizations - goddesses, heroes, & priestly orders 4 Current era - illumination comprehended as an internal state.

Campbell‘s Four Functions of

Myths Mystical – relating to the mystery of life Cosmological – relating to the world

around Socialogical – relating to society and

others Pedagogical – relating individuals

psychologically

Mystical FunctionRelating to the mystery of life

“Myth 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

“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 Campbell

Cosmological FunctionRelating to the world around

“Myth 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 Campbell

Socialogical Function Relating to the society and

others

“The 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

Hero‘s Journey Myth

Separation– Call– Refusal– Departure

Initiation– Struggle– Trials– Transformation

Return to Origin– Master of two Worlds– Communicate Boon

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 hero’s 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 hero’s 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.

Modern Society needs Myths

Great civilizations have been built on mythologies

Their loss of meaning leads to decline A society lacking an active mythology

has– a sense of meaninglessness– estrangement– rootlessness– cold life devoid of reverence and awe

What 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 Campbell

Joseph Campbell on Seeking a Meaning for

Life“People say that what we’re all seeking is a meaning for life. “People say that what we’re all seeking is a meaning for life. I don’t think that’s what we’re really seeking.

“People say that what we’re all seeking is a meaning for life. I don’t think that’s what we’re really seeking. I think that what we’re seeking is an experience of being alive,

“People say that what we’re all seeking is a meaning for life. I don’t think that’s what we’re really seeking. I think that what we’re 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 we’re all seeking is a meaning for life. I don’t think that’s what we’re really seeking. I think that what we’re 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 we’re all seeking is a meaning for life. I don’t think that’s what we’re really seeking. I think that what we’re 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 Campbell

Books – Authored/edited by

Joseph Campbell

More info?www.jcf.org

1: 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 Eternity

Further ProgramsAbout Joseph

Campbell?

Questions?, Comments?

Ancient Myths Live in our Culture Today

Pandora'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

months

Campbell‘s Four Function of Myths

“…to 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