Joseph Campbell The Power of Myth Essay Example

Joseph Campbell: The Power of Myth Essay Myth reveals spiritual truth about the world. Why read myths? You need myths to find your truth. You have elaborate myths to compare to everyday experiences and to other myths. â€Å"Myths give a meaning to life (Campbell, 5). Mythology is a collection of stories based on one’s knowledge and stories of experience. Myths are clues to life meaning. They are clues to â€Å"spiritual potentialities† or your potential to develop spiritually and finding your inner self.For example, marriage creates a transformation in us spiritually because it transforms our perspective of ourselves and our ability to sacrifice. 2. Do people ultimately seek knowledge or experience? In your opinion which is more important in the 21st century? People ultimately seek experience. They believe seeking experience is their true meaning of life. They want something to remember and something to live for and at the same time we do this to resonate from our inner self because from experience we gain kn owledge.This could be a reason many of the 21st century go towards their quest for experience and not knowledge. 3. What is Campbell’s definition of â€Å"consciousness†? How does this consciousness define the role of mythology in our world? Campbell says that consciousness is something that the mind uses to guide you to a certain direction or towards a set of purposes. Consciousness is all your thoughts at a deeper level and your awareness or perception of your surroundings. Your consciousness depends on your level of energy that leads us to higher level consciousness. What leads you to these evels of consciousness? Myth. Mythology transforms your consciousness on a deeper level and to a higher spiritual level. You can not develop your consciousness without mythology 4. How does the modern Western world relate to myths? The modern world developments are myths. The example of machines is a prime relation (Campbell, 24) but they tend to take over our idea of whatâ€℠¢s true. The modern world has rejecting myths and everything about them including the fact that nature surrounds the whole concept. Modern world has a mindset that everything is about you, which rejects mythology’s spiritual messages. . How do we live without myths and why does Campbell claim that America is moving too quickly to become mythologized? Are these two concepts related? When you live without myths you have to figure out life by yourself. That is why America is moving too quickly to be mythologized. As Campbell would say we are focused on â€Å"news of the day† and â€Å"problems of the hour† (Campbell, 1). We lose connection to the meaning to culture and the knowledge of life. These concepts are related because it explains America’s slow self-destruction without myths. Chapter 2 1.Why do myths reflect what we know inside is true? How do myths then help us with â€Å"the public dream? Myths reflect what inside is true because we all come from the same place we go through similar life experiences. We all grow and develop. Myth also comes from our dreams. Campbell describes dream by saying, â€Å"†¦.. a dream that talks about permanent conditions within your own psyche as they relate to the temporal conditions of your life right now. † (Campbell, 47). Your dreams truly reflect your inner self and are just spiritual information about yourself. Your dreams are myths, personal myths.The Public dream is society without its corrupt ways and its lack of mythological knowledge. Myth helps correct this because it is society’s dream and it unites society. That one place is having a dream and when you are on the correct path you are finding your reason and your inner self. 2. Why are the world’s creation stories so similar? The world’s creation stories are so similar because of the similar environment and the basic experiences of birth, growth, temptations, and death. This creates a sense of curiosit y where we ask â€Å"how? † and â€Å"why? † and some record their thoughts.These records reflect mythical reality. The same concept of nothing, paradise, and distance from the creator. Cultures like Christianity, Bassari tribes of West Africa, and the Pima Indians. 3. What is a metaphor and how does it operate in religion? How does metaphor assist one with the â€Å"journey inward†? A metaphor is a comparison that suggests something else. In religion, Campbell says that the metaphors used are not literal. It was a metaphor and in his definition metaphors are not to be taken literally. Myths are written in a way to be discovered and unknown so it is able to awaken your inner self.It is deeper that what most people have been interpreting it as. People may believe that Campbell was undermining Christianity when he said Jesus never really ascended into heaven when in fact he was just cracking the code. It was a metaphor. Society’s problem is that we don†™t use connotation to interpret metaphors and myths, but use denotation. 4. How do myths help us to connect to the spiritual world? Myths and religion share the same qualities. Myths help connect to the spiritual world. â€Å"The myth is for spiritual instruction† (Campbell, 59). Myths help us relate to other spiritual references.Campbell uses the example of reincarnation and how it ties into other concepts of religion also, â€Å"†¦. dimensions of your being and a potential for realization and consciousness that are not included with the concept of yourself. † (Campbell,70). In religion, you come out a new person spiritually because of experience just like in myth. 5. Why is good and evil promoted in mythology? Discuss the purpose of good and evil in your response. Good and evil are promoted in mythology because of duality and characteristics of life. Many have come to a closed, biased mindset that everything should be good and nothing should be evil.Some peopl e’s idea of evil could be another’s idea of good. There is no true definition of â€Å"good† and what is â€Å"evil† because we all contribute to it when we live life. We do need evil without evil there is no duality. They must coincide with one another. Chapter 3 1. What do our souls owe to ancient myths? Myths from ancient times help with transcendence and understanding our fears and mysteries of life. It complements the mind and body on a track controlled by nature because we tend to become astray as we venture through life. Ancient times have the same human development as today.We grow up being taught certain things and how to be dependent then as we grow older we have to transcend into maturity and learn to become independent. Campbell says, â€Å"†¦. myth has to serve both aims, that of inducting a young person into the life of his world-that’s the function of the folk idea-then disengaging him. † (Campbell, 87). Myths open up ide as that lead up to your inner life. Ancient myths also give us rituals. This gives us a larger idea of life instead of what we see it as. It helps us understand the mysteries greater than us.How are men and women initiated into adulthood differently? Once initiated, is there room in modern society for negotiation of responsibility? Men are to be put into manhood automatically and must learn how to provide, seek, and act as society tells them to be. Man is formed by society. Women on the other hand give life, they are life. As Campbell says, â€Å"the girl becomes a woman with her first menstruation† (Campbell, 104). He says this to point out that woman is formed by nature. I think man has to work for their manhood while woman just become a woman by control of nature.The woman gives and nurses without effort, while man has to work for his greater being. 2. How has religious instruction become â€Å"obsolete† to many people today? (focus on idea of ritual) Rituals help p eople grow and develop into appropriate individuals in society. Today they have been ostracized and are not followed correctly. As Campbell says it perfectly it is now â€Å"dumbed down† and â€Å"lacks of substance† (Campbell, 104). Myths help us understand things that are more prominent than ourselves. We must understand the overall picture before we truly understand ourselves. 3.How does the environment shape the mythology? How are artists the keepers of mythology today? How are these two questions related? The development of nature and mythology explains the environmental shape of mythology. Just as the shaman of many Native American times, we must have spiritual growth where we come to understand myth and awaken your inner self through unfamiliar experiences. Artists are the â€Å"mythmakers of our day† (Moyers, 107). They perform rituals by creating their artwork. They are the â€Å"shaman† They are specifically gifted because of the things theyâ₠¬â„¢ve experienced.