by Richard Stromer | May 24, 2019 | Calling, Hero's Journey, Joseph Campbell, Paul Tillich, Spirituality, Ultimate Concern
I first became interested in the idea of “hearing a call” through the work of the mythologist Joseph Campbell. Probably the most famous aspect of Campbell’s work concerns the archetypal pattern of transformation he named the “Hero’s Journey.” It was this concept,...
by Richard Stromer | Feb 2, 2019 | Archetypes, Hero's Journey, Joseph Campbell, Movies, Spiritual Development, Symbols and Symbolism, Uncategorized
One might imagine the scariest aspect of life is not knowing what’s going to happen next, but as the weatherman Phil Connors in film Groundhog Day vividly reminds us, there is something even more horrible and that’s knowing exactly what’s going to happen...
by Richard Stromer | Sep 21, 2018 | Depth Psychology, Joseph Campbell, Personal Mythology, Religious Function of Myth, The Sacred
Of all of the figures who can be said to have played seminal roles in the development of the concept of personal mythology, Joseph Campbell is probably the individual most commonly associated with this idea. Moreover, regarding the idea of personal mythology as...
by Richard Stromer | Aug 31, 2018 | Biblical Myths, Joseph Campbell, Judaism, Midrash, Soul
As I observed in an earlier post, Joseph Campbell was consistently critical of the tendency of the monotheistic religions to confuse myth and history, to literalize the stories found in their scripture rather than understand them in mythological terms. That said, of...
by Richard Stromer | Jun 30, 2018 | Hero's Journey, Joseph Campbell, Movies
Anyone acquainted with the life and work of Joseph Campbell will be familiar with the archetypal pattern of transformation he named the “Hero’s Journey.” It was this concept, — originally presented in 1949 in his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces — that...
by Richard Stromer | Feb 2, 2018 | Joseph Campbell
Even if people know little else about Joseph Campbell, they’re probably familiar with the phrase “Follow Your Bliss.” Indeed, I suspect there are folks out there who’ve heard and even used this phrase who might not know Campbell was its source. Not surprisingly for a...
