He wanted to know what it means that God assumes such different masks in different cultures. As teacher, scholar and writer, Joseph Campbell spent his life in the study of comparative religion. All our names and images for God are masks, Campbell said, they signify that ultimate reality, which by definition transcends language and art.Ī myth is a mask of God, too, a metaphor for what lies behind the visible world. Joseph Campbell called them “the masks of eternity,” and said they both cover and reveal the face of glory. You are one with the transcendent.īILL MOYERS: The images of God are many. All of these symbols in mythology refer to you - have you been reborn? Have you died to your animal nature and come to life as a human incarnation? You are God in your deepest identity. There is an old story that is still good - the story of the quest, the spiritual quest, that is to say, to find the inward thing that you basically are. He who knows that he doesn’t know, knows. Is he or is he not? Neither is nor is not.Įvery god, every mythology, every religion, is true in this sense: it is true as metaphorical of the human and cosmic mystery. I mean, he’s beyond being, beyond the category of being or nonbeing. God is a thought, God is an idea, but its reference is to something that transcends all thinking. JOSEPH CAMPBELL: We want to think about God. Most impressive is Campbell's encyclopedic knowledge of myths, demonstrated in his ability to recall the details and archetypes of almost any story, from any point and history, and translate it into a lesson for spiritual living in the here and now.Released in 1988, The Power of Myth was one of the most popular TV series in the history of public television, and continues to inspire new audiences. For example, when discussing the mythology of heroes, Campbell and Moyers smoothly segue from the Sumerian sky goddess Inanna to Star Wars' mercenary-turned-hero, Han Solo. The six-part PBS television series hosted by Bill Moyers, this classic is especially compelling because of its engaging question-and-answer format, creating an easy, conversational approach to complicated and esoteric topics.

Herein lies the power of The Power of Myth, showing how humans are apt to create and live out the themes of mythology. Kennedy, and help us understand its impact in the context of ancient mythology. Among his many gifts, Joseph Campbell's most impressive was the unique ability to take a contemporary situation, such as the murder and funeral of President John F.

The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell