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Joseph Campbell and Power of Myth #4
Sacrifice and Bliss: Power of Myth 4
Campbell discusses the role of sacrifice in myth, which symbolizes the necessity for rebirth. He also talks about the significance of sacrifice--in particular, a mother's sacrifice for her child, and the sacrifice to the relationship in marriage--and stresses the need for every one of us to find our sacred place in the midst of today's fast-paced, technological world.
Campbell: " "Going to your sacrifice as the winning stroke of your life was the essence of the early sacrificial idea... when you go to your death that way, as a god, you are going to eternal life, what's sad about that?... The realization of your bliss, your true being, comes when you have put aside what might be called passing moment with its terror and with its temptations and its statement of requirements of life that you should live this way.... I always tell my students to follow their bliss--where the deep sense of being is from, and where your body and soul want to go. When you have that feeling, then stay with it, and don't let anyone throw you off. I say don't be afraid to follow your bliss and doors will open where you didn't know they were going to be.""
Campbell: " "Going to your sacrifice as the winning stroke of your life was the essence of the early sacrificial idea... when you go to your death that way, as a god, you are going to eternal life, what's sad about that?... The realization of your bliss, your true being, comes when you have put aside what might be called passing moment with its terror and with its temptations and its statement of requirements of life that you should live this way.... I always tell my students to follow their bliss--where the deep sense of being is from, and where your body and soul want to go. When you have that feeling, then stay with it, and don't let anyone throw you off. I say don't be afraid to follow your bliss and doors will open where you didn't know they were going to be.""
60 pages, audio cassette
First published July 1, 1990
About the author
Joseph Campbell
380 books6,423 followersJoseph Campbell was an American author and teacher best known for his work in the field of comparative mythology. He was born in New York City in 1904, and from early childhood he became interested in mythology. He loved to read books about American Indian cultures, and frequently visited the American Museum of Natural History in New York, where he was fascinated by the museum's collection of totem poles.
Campbell was educated at Columbia University, where he specialized in medieval literature, and continued his studies at universities in Paris and Munich. While abroad he was influenced by the art of Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse, the novels of James Joyce and Thomas Mann, and the psychological studies of Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung. These encounters led to Campbell's theory that all myths and epics are linked in the human psyche, and that they are cultural manifestations of the universal need to explain social, cosmological, and spiritual realities.
After a period in California, where he encountered John Steinbeck and the biologist Ed Ricketts, he taught at the Canterbury School, and then, in 1934, joined the literature department at Sarah Lawrence College, a post he retained for many years. During the 40s and '50s, he helped Swami Nikhilananda to translate the Upanishads and The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna. He also edited works by the German scholar Heinrich Zimmer on Indian art, myths, and philosophy. In 1944, with Henry Morton Robinson, Campbell published A Skeleton Key to Finnegans Wake. His first original work, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, came out in 1949 and was immediately well received; in time, it became acclaimed as a classic. In this study of the "myth of the hero," Campbell asserted that there is a single pattern of heroic journey and that all cultures share this essential pattern in their various heroic myths. In his book he also outlined the basic conditions, stages, and results of the archetypal hero's journey.
Throughout his life, he traveled extensively and wrote prolifically, authoring many books, including the four-volume series The Masks of God, Myths to Live By, The Inner Reaches of Outer Space and The Historical Atlas of World Mythology. Joseph Campbell died in 1987. In 1988, a series of television interviews with Bill Moyers, The Power of Myth, introduced Campbell's views to millions of people.
Campbell was educated at Columbia University, where he specialized in medieval literature, and continued his studies at universities in Paris and Munich. While abroad he was influenced by the art of Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse, the novels of James Joyce and Thomas Mann, and the psychological studies of Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung. These encounters led to Campbell's theory that all myths and epics are linked in the human psyche, and that they are cultural manifestations of the universal need to explain social, cosmological, and spiritual realities.
After a period in California, where he encountered John Steinbeck and the biologist Ed Ricketts, he taught at the Canterbury School, and then, in 1934, joined the literature department at Sarah Lawrence College, a post he retained for many years. During the 40s and '50s, he helped Swami Nikhilananda to translate the Upanishads and The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna. He also edited works by the German scholar Heinrich Zimmer on Indian art, myths, and philosophy. In 1944, with Henry Morton Robinson, Campbell published A Skeleton Key to Finnegans Wake. His first original work, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, came out in 1949 and was immediately well received; in time, it became acclaimed as a classic. In this study of the "myth of the hero," Campbell asserted that there is a single pattern of heroic journey and that all cultures share this essential pattern in their various heroic myths. In his book he also outlined the basic conditions, stages, and results of the archetypal hero's journey.
Throughout his life, he traveled extensively and wrote prolifically, authoring many books, including the four-volume series The Masks of God, Myths to Live By, The Inner Reaches of Outer Space and The Historical Atlas of World Mythology. Joseph Campbell died in 1987. In 1988, a series of television interviews with Bill Moyers, The Power of Myth, introduced Campbell's views to millions of people.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 13, 2012
The myth is the song. sacrefice is the personal giving of the person for the ideal, the return of the life for life. because life of the old is what has to die for the life of the new. bliss is following your passion, what brings light into a person and when you actually follow your bliss you will find the doors open that were not there before.
January 24, 2017
Thoroughly enjoyed listening to all of these conversations!
September 13, 2023
Rather than write a review of this man's life work, I'd rather just cite the various posts I've written about him in the past:
• Monomyth Definition: A Defense of The Hero’s Journey
• Hindu Monotheism : The Upanishads and Vedanta
• Follow Your Bliss : Results of Joseph Cambell’s Advice
• The New
Hero: Tolkien and Subversion
• Joseph Campbell Religion :: Did Joseph Campbell Believe in God?
• Joseph Campbell Religion :: Did Joseph Campbell Believe in God?
• Was Joseph Campbell atheist?
And because I like having fun, the Zero with 1,000 Faces
Mark: Got a new lighting rig and arrangement that I want to test out, but I need something that changes and moves around a bunch. You up for a challenge?
Lancelot: [silence. I’m thinking…]
Mark: Day… in the… studio?
Lancelot: New lighting set up?
Mark: Yeah, it’s–
Lancelot: What if I tapped into my old thespian and modeling skillset and tried to give you as many faces as possible?
Mark: So… you’d… wait. Like trying to get me to mix it up as you mix it up?
Lancelot: Yes. You’ll keep me on my toes, making sure the faces are all different. I’ll keep you on your toes so you switch your style.
Mark: Sounds fun.
Lancelot: We’ll call it… [Dr. Evil voice] THE ZERO WITH 1000 FACES.
Mark: [Quiet for awhile, then:] Okay.
Well we got into the studio and I brought exactly four billion props and costumes.
• Monomyth Definition: A Defense of The Hero’s Journey
• Hindu Monotheism : The Upanishads and Vedanta
• Follow Your Bliss : Results of Joseph Cambell’s Advice
• The New
Hero: Tolkien and Subversion
• Joseph Campbell Religion :: Did Joseph Campbell Believe in God?
• Joseph Campbell Religion :: Did Joseph Campbell Believe in God?
• Was Joseph Campbell atheist?
And because I like having fun, the Zero with 1,000 Faces
Mark: Got a new lighting rig and arrangement that I want to test out, but I need something that changes and moves around a bunch. You up for a challenge?
Lancelot: [silence. I’m thinking…]
Mark: Day… in the… studio?
Lancelot: New lighting set up?
Mark: Yeah, it’s–
Lancelot: What if I tapped into my old thespian and modeling skillset and tried to give you as many faces as possible?
Mark: So… you’d… wait. Like trying to get me to mix it up as you mix it up?
Lancelot: Yes. You’ll keep me on my toes, making sure the faces are all different. I’ll keep you on your toes so you switch your style.
Mark: Sounds fun.
Lancelot: We’ll call it… [Dr. Evil voice] THE ZERO WITH 1000 FACES.
Mark: [Quiet for awhile, then:] Okay.
Well we got into the studio and I brought exactly four billion props and costumes.
February 1, 2025
My first foray into Joseph Campbell and his groundbreaking work on myth and storytelling. I was enthralled by the conversations between him and Bill, and was unabashedly scribbling notes at times. this should be required listening for everyone!
January 22, 2023
The best one yet. So rich in examples pointing to the aliveness waiting hidden in plain sight.
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October 20, 2016Follow your bliss. Lots of good wisdom in this tape.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews