Joseph Campbell and The Power of Myth with Bill Moyers

In this beloved 1988 PBS series, mythologist and storyteller Joseph Campbell joins Bill Moyers to explore what enduring myths can tell us about our lives. In each of six episodes –“The Hero’s Adventure,” “The Message of the Myth,” “The First Storytellers,” “Sacrifice and Bliss,” “Love and the Goddess,” and “Masks of Eternity” — Moyers and Campbell focus on a character or theme found in cultural and religious mythologies. Campbell argues that these timeless archetypes continue to have a powerful influence on the choices we make and the ways we live.


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Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth with Bill Moyers: The Hero's Adventure

Long before medieval knights charged off to slay dragons, tales of heroic adventures were an integral part of all world cultures. Joseph Campbell challenges everyone to see the presence of a heroic journey in his or her life.

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Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth with Bill Moyers: The Message of the Myth

Bill Moyers and mythologist Joseph Campbell compare creation myths from the Bible and elsewhere. Campbell compares the creation story in Genesis with creation stories from around the world. Because the world changes, religion has to be transformed and new mythologies created. People today are stuck with myths that don’t fit their needs.

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Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth with Bill Moyers: The First Storytellers

Joseph Campbell explains how ancient myths bring humans to understand and accept birth, growth and death. Campbell discusses the importance of accepting death as rebirth as in the myth of the buffalo and the story of Christ, the rite of passage in primitive societies, the role of mystical Shamans, and the decline of ritual in today’s society.

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Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth with Bill Moyers: Sacrifice & Bliss

Bill Moyers and Joseph Campbell discuss where heroism can be witnessed in modern society. Campbell discusses the role of sacrifice in myth, which symbolizes the necessity for rebirth. He stresses the need for every one of us to find our sacred place in the midst of today’s fast-paced, technological world.

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Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth with Bill Moyers: Love and the Goddess

Joseph Campbell talks about romantic love, beginning with the 12th century troubadours, and addresses questions about the image of women — as goddess, virgin, Mother Earth.

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Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth with Bill Moyers: Masks of Eternity

Bill Moyers and Joseph Campbell discuss the common experience of God across cultures. Campbell provides challenging insights into the concepts of God, religion and eternity, as revealed in Christian teachings and the beliefs of Buddhists, Navajo Indians, Schopenhauer, Jung and others.

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