Joseph Campbell Foundation

Campbell in the News: Oprah Winfrey and George Lucas on the Hero Journey Print | Email

Oprah Winfrey discussed artistic process with filmmaker George Lucas this week on her new program, Oprah's Next Chapter. The discussion turned to Star Wars, the Hero Journey, and Joseph Campbell.

To see more of their conversation, visit Oprah.com.

Unsung Stories & Evocative Songs: JCF's Mythological ToolBox™ Playshop, March 25-30, 2012 Print | Email | More >>

Every year for decades, Joseph Campbell celebrated his birthday (March 26th) by spending a week at Esalen. JCF has continued the tradition of "Campbell week" with an exploration of the personal myths shaping our lives. This year's 19th edition of the Mythological ToolBox™ Playshop is entitled "Unsung Stories and Evocative Songs."

Robert Walter, Joseph Campbell's friend, publisher, and JCF president, will be joined by Tai Ji Dancer Chungliang Al Huang and author/artist Gerald McDermott (both JCF Fellows and longtime Campbell friends). In keeping with the spirit of this year's title, Bill Baird's Diamond Dead will provide musical inspiration.

If you dare to revision yourself, then join our improvisational rebirth rituals, March 25 -30, 2012, at the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, CA.

Learn More>>

The Hero's & Heroine's Journeys Print | Email

"The Hero's Journey" is a schema first charted by Joseph Campbell in his 1949 classic, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, that delineates a motif of adventure and transformation running through all of humanity's mythic traditions. Given that JCF's primary mission is the preservation, protection, and perpetuation of Campbell's work, the Foundation is committed to protecting this term from exploitation by those who profit from confusion over a nonexistent connection to Joseph Campbell.

At the same time, JCF is supportive of individuals or organizations that are open, authentic, and honest in their intentions and performing meaningful work. To that end, the Foundation is pleased to announce licensing agreements with two such organizations - the Hero's Journey Foundation, focused on personal development and transformation, and Ruby Slippers, LLC, which, under the rubric of the Heroine's Journey, fosters personal and professional growth for women.

While both organizations are independent of Joseph Campbell Foundation, we applaud their commitment to helping those in transition and invite you to visit their websites for more information. JCF also welcomes the participation of Susanna Liller, founder of Ruby Slippers, LLC, in this year's Mythological ToolBox Playshop (March 25 - 30), at the Esalen Institute in Big Sur.

Hero's Journey Foundation

Heroine's Journey

Joseph Campbell In Popular Culture Print | Email

Stephen Colbert, interviewing Bill Moyers last week about his return to public television in Moyers and Company, opened the conversation with a light-hearted reference to our favorite mythologist:

COLBERT: Thanks for coming on. I've always wanted to meet you ... I've enjoyed your work ever since the Joseph Campbell interviews you did.

MOYERS: Twenty-five years ago.

COLBERT: That's how I found out that I was the Hero with a Thousand Faces

New Joseph Campbell Audio Lecture Downloads Print | Email

We're excited to announce three new Joseph Campbell audio releases, available now for download. These are the first three lectures from Series I, Volume 5.

Click on the individual album covers below to access and download each lecture, or visit our audio download page to see other Joseph Campbell lectures currently available as our Thank You Gift with a donation of $5.99 (these can eventually be purchased over iTunes® and Amazon; however, if you download from JCF, the full amount of your donation will be spent on Foundation programs).

JCF will continue to release three selections each month until Series I is complete, and then move on to previously unreleased lectures in Series II and III.

Lecture I.5.1 - Interpreting Symbolic Forms
by Joseph Campbell
$5.99

Lecture I.5.2 - Mythic Vision
by Joseph Campbell
$5.99

Lecture I 5.3 - Experiencing the Divine

by Joseph Campbell
$5.99

Mythological RoundTable® Program - Welcome to our new groups! Print | Email | More >>

MRT Program The enormous increase of interest in Joseph Campbell's work that we have been experiencing the past several months affects all working areas, and has already resulted in a number of new Mythological RoundTable® Groups.

Learn more about our new MRT groups>