Through culture, schooling and the media we learn to cover up our true nature with what people tell us we are.
This fascinating documentary explores the ideas of Joseph Campbell and his work on mythology and how we can rediscover our true nature.
Campbell’s big discovery was that all great mythologies are really the same story told in a seemingly infinite number of different ways. He called this archetypal story the Hero’s Journey.
It is a cycle of separation from the norm and awakening from the mass hypnosis of mainstream culture, an initiation, vision or a call to adventure where challenges are faced with courage and then finally there is a return as a transformed person who can share their newfound wisdom to enlighten others.
This epic story has been told and experienced by all cultures throughout human history. If you look with a discerning eye you can see it being told in many of our own favourite stories and in mega-popular movies like Star Wars, Avatar, Harry Potter, The Matrix, Alice In Wonderland and Wizard of Oz.
We love and resonate with these stories because they are reflective of journey we are all on to discover our true nature and accept the challenge of embracing our fears, chasing our passion and finding a purpose in our life. These archetypical stories talk to the inner potential in all of us.
The most important lesson that great myths teach us is to go beyond what we perceive as the limits of our possibility. These stories are metaphors, or guides, to a process of transformation.
The most important thing is to learn to trust the deep impulse within you to go out and as Joseph Campbell would say: follow your bliss. Do what makes you feel most alive. That’s the key, the essence of the hero’s journey.
Watch the trailer below for Finding Joe, a documentary about the life and creative vision of Joseph Campbell. I recommend also reading Joseph Campbell’s book The Hero With A Thousand Faces.
I don’t believe people are looking for the meaning of life as much as they are looking for the experience of being alive.
