Mythos

Campbell begins "Psyche and Symbol" by explaining how a functioning mythology serves both the individual and the society. Then he explains that psychology provides insights into how we live our lives. The more we know about our common…

"The Spirit Land" initiates us in to the world of the American Indian. He begins by looking at modern society and the cycle of life that we all travel through. Campbell asks us difficult questions such as "Are you the vehicle of…

"On Being Human" moves from the psychological origins of myths to the origins of human beings in prehistoric times. By tracing the development of mythic symbols from our earliest ancestors forward, we begin to see the themes that link all…

"From Goddess to God" takes on the first major transformation for humankind. It begins with the emergence of agriculture and culminates with the world's first great empire: Egypt. While to some this may be just history, it is this history…

"The Mystical Life" describes that the seed of the soul is where the inner and the outer worlds meet. While the outer world changes with time, the inner world, or soul, is constant to the human race. It is through myth that provides the…

Campbell introduces us to the core ideas at the heart of the Eastern traditions and explores what Aldous Huxley called the Perennial Philosophy and how it is realize in Hinduism and Buddhism. He traces the development of the idea of…

Campbell uses stories of the Buddha's life and enlightenment to reflect the essence of the Buddhist religion. He explains the difference between the two principal types of Buddhism - Theravada (Hinayana) and Mahayana. Campbell also probes…

Our Eternal Selves introduces us to the systems of yoga that grew out of the mainstream of India spiritually. Campbell demonstrates how the Eastern way of perceiving consciousness is radically different from how it is perceived in the…

Perhaps the most sophisticated form of yoga, Kundalini Yoga, concentrates on the seven chakras or symbolic centers of our psychic energy. Campbell explains the full chakra system of Kundalini Yoga and makes comparison with modern Western…

Campbell demonstrates how Tibetan Buddhists turn the ritual experience of death into a spiritual exercise. Trace with him the stages of the Tibetan Book of the Dead in which the Llama prepares a dying man and his family for the final…

Arthurian romances from 1150-1250 AD have two love forms: lust-zeal of the organs and agape- spiritual love. Christian of Troy writer of 'Tristan', 'Erec', 'Cliges', 'Lancelot', 'The Yuain' & 'Tristan and Iseult'.

The Arthurian quest of the holy grail, or a meeting with God, grail being the passion of Christ. Wolfram von Escher Bach's "Parzival" (1210). "The Quest of the Holy Grail" presents 1st marriage for love. Wow-an earth shattering medieval…

Discusses 18th- and 19th-century German Romantic Philosophies. The philosophy of Schopenhauer: Will in Nature.

Revolutionary impacts on art and thought as it correlates with myth themes, life or art. Specifically looking at Tomas Mann's "The Magic Mountain" (1924), Lord Death and Lady Lust. Hermetic pedagogy, as Campbell himself states.

A close look at aspects of Mann's "Joseph and His Brothers" (4 novel series), its modern retelling of a Biblical tale, use of myth and other religious sources, and psychological insights and relevance to myth and art. "The Myth is the…