I've been imprinted with a sense that September represents a new beginning. It probably dates back from when I was in school, yet I've never been
able to shake it. This year we will start the "new season" of the NY
Mythology group with a change of venue. From the noisy Bread and Butter
Cafe to the beautiful, "private," UWS, 38th Floor at Amber's Place,
beautiful views for a wonderful evening with singer/songwriter/storyteller Phil Robinson.

Phil is the founder of the NY Mythology Group, and he's asked to share a presentation he's created for the "Celebrating the Mythic Life" conference
in upstate New York, this upcoming October.

It will be an inspiring night, with an old friend to the Mythology group and a great performer.

LIVING YOUR BLISS:
Songs Inspired by Joseph Campbell

"Artists are magical helpers. Evoking symbols and motifs that connect us to our deeper selves, they can help us along the heroic journey of our own lives."  -- Joseph Campbell

Joseph Campbell felt that artists always have a special role to play in society-- by following through on their own personal inspiration, they provide the effective symbols by which the individuals of a particular society may come into contact with their own deepest vitality.  Moreover, Campbell felt that his own life's work-- the elucidation of "Mankind's one great story" through myth-- would be of special value to artists, as mythology is "the homeland of the muses, the inspirers of art..."

Phil Robinson is a songwriter and performer whose work-- and life-- have benefited immeasurably from a lifetime's worth of engagement with Joseph Campbell's writings.  With deeply resonant songs such as 'Leaving Home', 'Wasteland', 'Through The Middle' and 'Transcendental Cowboy', Phil uses his own creative output as an intimate case-study in how Campbell's influence can be of benefit to any creative artist, demonstrating three main areas where Campbell's ideas have been of great creative utility to his artistic process:

- 1. Shaping content (homing in on what to write about)
- 2. Aesthetic guidance (how to create work that is powerfully affecting)
- 3. Inspiration (summoning the courage to create and to live a creative life)

This 90-minute presentation will alternate between discussions of key Campbell ideas, and Phil's performances of his own original songs which have been directly informed by those ideas.

Workshop participants will observe first-hand an intimate example of the fruits-- and pitfalls-- of one person engaging deeply with his own myth by pursuing an unlikely calling and coming out successful on the other side. By way of Joseph Campbell's writings, they will also receive some very helpful clues as to how to unleash such vitality and creativity in their own lives.

There will be opportunities for group discussion throughout.

Sign
up early, space is limited for this venue, and well worth the admission
of $5 to be collected at the door. There will be an automatic waiting
list when we reach the limit so PLEASE RSVP and IF YOU RSVP 'YES' AND
THEN CAN"T MAKE IT, PLEASE UPDATE YOUR ATTENDANCE SO SOMEONE ON THE
WAITING LIST CAN BE ABLE TO COME.

Phil Robinson is an accomplished singer/songwriter and public speaker who's been 'following his bliss' by performing his original story-songs and enthralling audiences everywhere with his infectious positive energy and arrestingly unflinching look at the paradoxes inherent in living an authentic life.

Drawing from a deep well of mythic inspiration, Phil founded his
own independent record label, Roomful of Sky Records, in 2005, and soon
thereafter met with some uncommon success: after seeking out and forging a strong relationship with the Joseph Campbell Foundation (JCF), Phil produced The Collected Lectures of Joseph Campbell digital audio series, which he then had the great privilege of releasing through his label.  Beyond the audio series, Phil has helped to continue Campbell's work by aiding the foundation in building its international network of local community groups based on the exploration of spirituality and culture, as well as by personally founding the JCF Mythological RoundTable group of New York.

A contributor to Parabola Magazine, Phil is active throughout NYC, often leading and facilitating community events around the topics of mythology, creativity and culture.  His dynamic rock/pop/gospel band, The Bliss Jockeys, is a popular fixture on the NYC performance circuit, and to fans of his music, Phil is sometimes known as 'The Transcendental Cowboy', after his signature song.