“Dreams are public myths; myths are private dreams.” –Joseph Campbell

MYTH, DREAM & THE HERO’S JOURNEY

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…

JOSEPH CAMPBELL ON MYTH• “…mythology must fulfill if it is to render life to modern lives is that of cleansing the doors

of perception to the wonder, at once terrible and fascinating, of ourselves and of the universe of which we are the ears and eyes and the mind.”

• --Joseph Campbell, Myths to Live By (p. 257)

THE EVOLUTION OF ORPHEUS

“HOW’S ABOUT TEAM NORMAL?”• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4SmQ9RLOWc

HOW DOES A MYTH BECOME A RELIGION?

ARE THESE MYTHS?• Can you name some TV shows, films, etc. about witches, vampires, or other beings

founded on myths?

MYTH & THE HERO’S JOURNEY• Joseph Campbell’s Hero with a Thousand Faces

• Departure

• Initiation

• Return

WIZARD OF OZ

Call: Dorothy is an unhappy

witch

Departure: (leaves home

literally)

Initiation: Series of trials

Return: “Home” is redefined

SYMBOLISM OF THE JOURNEY• Life is a journey towards enlightenment (“We’re off to see the Wizard…”)

• We must follow the right path (“Follow the yellow brick road...”)

• We WILL meet witches, demonic monkeys, and experience trials along the way

• Help comes from WITHIN an WITHOUT

HOW DO I MAKE A MYTH?

• Have you ever been to a magical place where time stood still, you could fly, where someone close to you died, or where you had special powers, etc.?

Do secret powers exist?

How can you create a magical world?

MYTHS ARE DREAMS::DREAMS ARE MYTHS

experience interpretation

art/myth dream

psyche

“Myths are public dreams; dreams are private myths.” – Joseph Campbell

conscious

unconscious

MYTHS ARE DREAMS::DREAMS ARE MYTHS

personal / conscious

collective / unconscious

THE COLLECTIVE UNCONSCIOUS

Personal conscious

Collective conscious

Psyche

Wak I ng

D r eam I ng

MINDFULNESS AND THE ART OF LIVING• Learn to dream all of the time and be aware of the unconscious

• Christianity: Being conscious of the unconscious (“Consider the lilies of the field”)

• Buddhism: smrti स्मृ�ति� “mindfulness,” “awareness,” literal translation “memory”

• Be mindful of the symbols create your own mythology (don’t let the dreams sort this out solely)

• When you create a myth, be sure that the character moves from the conscious to the unconscious and back again (separation, initiation, return)

• CREATIVE PEOPLE ARE ABLE TO GO BACK AND FORTH EASILY

MYTHMAKERS – CREATIVITY

• Creativity is being in touch with the symbolic realm of the imagination

• Separate yourself, initiate yourself, return and report

Personal conscious

Collective conscious

Separation

Initiation

Return

YOUR HEROIC MYTH

Separation

Initiation

Return

THE STUDENT’S (HERO’S) JOURNEY

Separation

Initiation

Return

“You should have heard it man. I had it written out. It was about going all these-- this land…these lands. This mythical. Cause that’s what I like to do is write a lot of mythical songs. You know the history of the wars on Neptune and all this mess, you know. And the reason why the [] rings are there. Cause you know how they got the Greek gods and that-- mythology? Well you can have your own mythology scene, or write fiction. Complete fiction though, you know. I mean, anybody could say, “I was walking down the street and I see[n] an elephant floating through the sky.” Well it has no meaning at all…

“…you can have your own mythology scene.”

ORPHEUS: EVOLUTION OF A MYTH

• Poet/Musician

• Descent into Underworld

• Deals with grief/loss

• Mental illness

ORPHIC RELIGIONS

• human souls as divine – potential for reincarnation

• by prescribing an ascetic way of life

• That death can be a punishment for sins committed during one’s lifetime

• Religions affected by (or upon) Orphic religions: Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, Gnosticism