Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth With Bill

Part 2

Season 1, Episode 1 of 1

Sacrifice and Bliss - 104 - Examining the role of sacrifice in mythology, Campbell explains how going through the sacrificial myth provides a rebirth of our own consciousness, whether it is associated with Buddha, Christ, or other religious figures. This episode also includes the discussion of Campbell's famous phrase, "Marriage is an ordeal" -- marriage in terms of sacrificing to the relationship, and moves on to the sacrifice of motherhood. He stresses the need for every one of us to find our sacred place in the midst of today's fast-paced, technological world. Love and the Goddess - 105 - Campbell examines the thirteenth century emergence of romantic love as an ideal. He explains how the troubadours created the notion of a person-to-person relationship, where you find love in another soul, and how this has superseded other forms of love, such as Eros and agape. Campbell notes how the notion of the Goddess has changed over the centuries -- the suppression of the great mother archetype, and how, no matter how she is oppressed, seems to always resurface in a mythological form (goddess of fertility, virgin birth, etc.) as new religions and social constructs emerge. The Masks of Eternity - 106 - For this final hour, Moyers and Campbell move from George Lucas' Skywalker Ranch to New York's American Museum of Natural History, the birthplace of Campbell's deep interest in mythology. They discuss the notion of God in its many forms, and the connection of circles as a metaphor to explain the divine. Campbell provides challenging insights into the concept of God, religion and eternity as revealed in Christian teachings and the beliefs of Buddhists, Navajo Indians, Schopenhauer, Jung and others.

Previously Aired

Day
Time
Channel
3/11/2012
8 a.m.
3/11/2012
11:30 p.m.
3/16/2012
9 p.m.
3/18/2012
noon
9/9/2012
10 a.m.
9/10/2012
1 a.m.
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