Bradley Olson, PhD

Profile

Join date: Mar 27, 2024

About

Bradley Olson, PhD, a former police officer, is a Depth Psychologist with over thirty years of experience in private practice, as well as a mythologist, writer, and speaker, whose work concentrates on the intersections of myth, psychology, literature, aesthetics, and cultural studies. He is the author of The Mythopoetic Impulse: Selected Essays 2017-2022 and Pathways to Bliss: A Skeleton Key Study Guide, as well as a regular contributor to JCFs MythBlast Series, weekly essays that explore the continued relevance of myth to contemporary life. Dr. Olson is also the host of the popular podcast series, Pathways With Joseph Campbell, the flagship podcast of the Joseph Campbell Foundation, which he also serves as the Director of Publications. You can learn more about Dr. Olson by visiting his website, bradleyolsonphd.com, and discover What's Mything in Your Life.

Posts (89)

Jan 5, 2026 ∙ 7 min

Nearer and Farther Than Sound: Myth and the Music of Being

I always cherish the honor of contributing to the MythBlast series. Moreover, with this first essay of the new year, I am pleased to introduce the MythBlast Theme for 2026, which we’re calling Experience the Power of Myth in Music. Music is at least as old as Homo sapiens, and it might well be even older. Neanderthals appear to have possessed the vocal anatomy for making complex sounds, suggesting that early human ancestors used their voices to sing or hum long before developing language.

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Sep 14, 2025 ∙ 7 min

Finding Success in Failure

Before we get to my MythBlast for the week, I want to draw your attention to our new Joseph Campbell Essentials Series. The first two volumes—Joseph Campbell on Bliss and Joseph Campbell on The Hero’s Journey—launch a collection of beautifully designed pocket gift books that bring together Campbell’s most inspiring reflections.

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Aug 24, 2025 ∙ 7 min

Michael Corleone: A Shadow of His Former Self

What better way to explore the power of the shadow—its consequences of inflation—than in The Godfather (1972), a film consistently ranked among the greatest ever made. Given its exalted place in the canon of cultural literacy, I would be surprised to learn of someone who hasn’t seen it, but, nevertheless there are, of course, spoilers in this essay if you haven’t. The Godfather doesn’t simply entertain—it mythologizes.

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