A Joseph Campbell Companion

1. Follow Your Bliss: The Path to Personal Fulfillment

If you 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.

Discover your passion. Campbell emphasizes the importance of pursuing what truly excites and fulfills you. This isn't about hedonism, but rather about aligning your life with your deepest interests and values. When you follow your bliss, you tap into a wellspring of energy and purpose that can sustain you through life's challenges.

Overcome fears and societal pressures. Following your bliss often requires courage to defy conventional expectations. Campbell encourages readers to listen to their inner voice rather than succumbing to external pressures. This may involve taking risks or making unconventional choices, but it leads to a more authentic and satisfying life.

Trust the journey. When you follow your bliss, unexpected opportunities often arise. Campbell suggests that the universe conspires to help those who pursue their true calling. This doesn't mean the path will be easy, but that the challenges you face will be meaningful and contribute to your growth.

2. Embracing Life's Challenges: The Hero's Journey

The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek.

Understand the stages of the hero's journey. Campbell outlines a universal pattern in myths and stories: the hero's departure from the ordinary world, initiation through trials, and return with newfound wisdom. This pattern applies not just to epic tales, but to our own lives as we face challenges and grow.

Face your fears. The hero's journey involves confronting what we fear most. Campbell argues that our greatest challenges often contain the seeds of our greatest growth. By willingly entering our metaphorical caves, we discover strengths and insights we didn't know we possessed.

Transform and return. The hero's journey isn't just about personal growth, but about bringing back wisdom to benefit others. After overcoming challenges, we have a responsibility to share what we've learned, enriching our communities and the world around us.

3. The Power of Myth: Universal Truths in Stories

Myths are public dreams, dreams are private myths.

Recognize universal patterns. Campbell demonstrates how myths from diverse cultures often share common themes and structures. These similarities point to fundamental human experiences and psychological truths that transcend cultural boundaries.

Apply mythic wisdom to modern life. While ancient myths may seem irrelevant to contemporary society, Campbell argues that their core messages remain profoundly relevant. By understanding these stories, we gain insight into our own psyches and the human condition.

Create personal mythology. Campbell encourages readers to develop their own meaningful narratives and symbols. By consciously engaging with mythic themes in our lives, we can find greater meaning and navigate challenges more effectively.

4. Sacred Space: Creating Meaning in the Modern World

Your sacred space is where you can find yourself again and again.

Cultivate personal rituals. In a secular world, Campbell emphasizes the importance of creating our own sacred spaces and practices. These don't have to be religious in nature, but should provide a sense of connection to something greater than ourselves.

Find transcendence in everyday life. Sacred space isn't just physical; it's a state of mind. Campbell encourages us to approach ordinary experiences with reverence, finding moments of transcendence in nature, art, relationships, or personal reflection.

Balance inner and outer worlds. Creating sacred space allows us to reconnect with our inner selves and recharge. This inner work then informs and enriches our engagement with the outer world, creating a harmonious balance between contemplation and action.

5. Art as Transformation: Revealing the Divine Through Creation

The artist is the one who communicates myth for today.

Understand art's spiritual function. Campbell views art not just as aesthetically pleasing, but as a vehicle for spiritual and psychological transformation. Great art has the power to reveal deeper truths about the human experience and our connection to the divine.

Embrace creativity as a spiritual practice. Creating art, in whatever form, can be a way of exploring our inner worlds and connecting with something greater than ourselves. Campbell encourages everyone to engage in creative acts as a means of personal growth and self-discovery.

Recognize the artist's role in society. Artists, according to Campbell, serve as modern-day shamans or mythmakers. They help society process collective experiences and emotions, providing new symbols and narratives that can guide us through changing times.

6. Balancing Opposites: Finding Harmony in Duality

The goal is to bring the jewel back to the world, to join the two things together.

Transcend binary thinking. Campbell often speaks of the need to move beyond simplistic either/or thinking. True wisdom comes from recognizing the validity of seemingly opposing viewpoints and finding a higher synthesis.

Integrate shadow aspects. Drawing on Jungian psychology, Campbell emphasizes the importance of acknowledging and integrating the darker or repressed aspects of our psyches. By embracing our whole selves, including parts we'd rather ignore, we become more complete and authentic.

Find unity in diversity. At a cultural level, Campbell advocates for recognizing the underlying unity of human experience while celebrating diversity. This perspective fosters greater empathy and understanding across cultural divides.

7. Compassion and Joyful Participation in Life's Sorrows

Participate joyfully in the sorrows of the world. We cannot cure the world of sorrows, but we can choose to live in joy.

Embrace life's full spectrum. Campbell encourages us to fully engage with life, including its painful aspects. Rather than seeking to avoid suffering, we should approach it with openness and compassion.

Find joy amidst sorrow. This isn't about naive optimism, but a deeper acceptance of life's inherent challenges. By choosing joy even in difficult circumstances, we tap into a profound source of resilience and wisdom.

Cultivate compassion. Understanding the universality of human suffering can lead to greater empathy and compassion. This compassionate outlook allows us to connect more deeply with others and find meaning in our shared human experience.

8. The Eternal Presence: Recognizing the Divine in Everything

The goal of life is rapture. Art is the way we experience it.

Perceive the sacred in the ordinary. Campbell encourages us to see the world with fresh eyes, recognizing the wonder and mystery inherent in everyday experiences. This shift in perception can transform our relationship with the world around us.

Understand the concept of "eternal now." Drawing on various spiritual traditions, Campbell speaks of transcending linear time to experience the eternal present. This state of awareness allows us to fully engage with life without being burdened by past or future.

Connect with the divine within. Campbell often emphasizes that the divine isn't something external, but a presence we can access within ourselves. By recognizing our own divine nature, we open ourselves to profound experiences of connection and meaning.

9. Breaking Free from Social Expectations: Authenticity and Growth

The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are.

Question societal norms. Campbell encourages readers to critically examine the expectations and values imposed by society. True growth often requires challenging these norms and finding one's own path.

Embrace individuation. Drawing on Jungian concepts, Campbell emphasizes the importance of becoming one's true self. This process often involves moving away from collective identities and discovering one's unique gifts and purpose.

Take responsibility for your life. Authenticity requires taking ownership of our choices and their consequences. Campbell advocates for a proactive approach to life, where we shape our destinies rather than passively accepting what comes our way.

10. The Importance of Ritual and Symbolism in Daily Life

Myth is the secret opening through which the inexhaustible energies of the cosmos pour into human cultural manifestation.

Create personal rituals. In a world that often lacks traditional rites of passage, Campbell encourages us to create our own meaningful rituals. These can mark important life transitions and help us process significant experiences.

Engage with symbols. Campbell emphasizes the power of symbols to connect us with deeper aspects of our psyche and the collective unconscious. By working with personal and cultural symbols, we can access profound sources of wisdom and inspiration.

Live mythically. Approaching life through a mythic lens doesn't mean escaping reality, but engaging with it more deeply. By seeing our lives as part of larger, archetypal patterns, we can find greater meaning and purpose in our experiences.

Last updated: July 23, 2024