the power of myth series / joseph campbell with bill moyers

 

The Power of Myth continues to exert a profound influence on our culture.  To learn more about the greatest mythologist of our time, please visit and support the Joseph Campbell Foundation at jcf.org

The Power of Myth American Public TV series from 1985-86 (the most watched series ever in PBS history) launched an extraordinary resurgence of interest in Joseph Campbell and his seminal work on the hero’s journey motif. (Note: This YouTube channel compilation features 62 segments of these shows.)

Campbell died in 1987; and is famous today for his inspirational advice: “Follow your bliss – find where it is and don’t be afraid to follow it.”

A preeminent scholar, writer, and teacher (38 years at Sarah Lawrence College) he has had a profound influence on millions of people — including Star Wars creator, George Lucas. (Most of the conversations were recorded at Lucas’ Skywalker Ranch.)

To Campbell, mythology was the “song of the universe, the music of the spheres.”

This extraordinary and extensive series (also in book form as, The Power of Myth) reveals how the themes and symbols of ancient narratives continue to bring meaning to birth, death, love, and war.  From stories of the gods and goddesses of ancient Greece and Rome to traditions of Buddhism, Hinduism and Christianity, a broad array of themes are considered that together identify the universality of human experience across time and culture.  An impeccable match hosted by renowned television journalist and interviewer Bill Moyers, these programs feature a timely and timeless distillation of Campbell’s exhaustive work.

Bill Moyers on Campbell, “He was a man of a thousand stories.”