Dune (2021) Warner Brothers Pictures Voyaging into the unknown The human spirit has always been defined by a profound restlessness—an innate drive to venture beyond known horizons. In 1977, this impulse manifested when humanity launched the Voyager probes into the dark expanse of space. Today, those metal emissaries have traveled farther than any human creation—Voyager 1 races at over 38,026 mph, more than 15 billion miles from Earth, carrying our collective yearning into the cosmos. As journalist Sharon Begley reflected in the August 15, 1977, Newsweek article on astronomer Carl Sagan's vision: "Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known" (“Seeking Other Worlds” 53). The nature of seeking begins with "What if?" What if there were something more? Within this question lies the sacred restlessness that has propelled human discovery since our earliest days. Messages from the deep This same sacred restlessness drives the hero of Frank Herbert's Dune . The planet Arrakis orbits the star Canopus, and upon its surface, Paul Atreides carries out his own Hero's Journey, seeking his future, purpose, and identity. Denis Villeneuve's film adaptation of Dune  sets Paul (Timothy Chalamet) on a journey deep into the desert to discover his place in this new world after his father's murder. Paul's journey mirrors the internal path that all seekers must undertake—moving from the known into the great unknown. Like the Voyager probes sent into cosmic darkness, Paul ventures into his own uncharted territory, driven by the same profound human impulse to discover what lies beyond. The film opens with a disturbing vocalization subtitled as "Dreams are messages from the deep," as if we were receiving transmissions from within. If cinema is collectively dreaming, Dune  provides a truly Jungian-laden dream to explore. The Seeker archetype The Seeker archetype emerges whenever we look towards the horizon. While C.G. Jung first coined the term "archetypes" in 1919, the "Seeker" archetype was explored through Joseph Campbell and Carol S. Pearson. Campbell's concept of "The Hero's Journey" places the Seeker as the quest-taker, demonstrated throughout world myth. Pearson defined it as the embodiment of humanity's quest for authenticity and self-discovery. The Seeker is characterized by searching, seeking their place in the world, their identity, a sense of belonging, or something wonderful elsewhere. The journey identifies the Seeker—both into the unknown and into themselves. The planet Dune symbolizes the complete self: ego above (visible and thin) and the unconscious below. When his father dies, Paul utters a harsh reality: "My road leads into the desert. I can see it." Sacred restlessness: the divine discomfort that drives us At the heart of the Seeker's journey lies what we might call a "sacred restlessness"—that divine discomfort that propels us beyond comfortable boundaries. This restlessness is not a flaw to be corrected but a sacred calling to be honored. The universe is speaking through us, compelling us toward growth and transformation. Paul Atreides embodies this sacred restlessness from the film's beginning. He cannot explain why he must go to Arrakis early, except that he's dreamed it. This inexplicable pull, this holy dissatisfaction with remaining in place, becomes the catalyst for his entire journey. Sacred restlessness manifests as that persistent feeling that there must be more—more to discover, more to become, more to understand. It is the uncomfortable blessing that prevents us from settling for less than our authentic selves. In Paul's case, his dreams of Arrakis and the Fremen woman haunt him with possibilities not yet realized, with a self not yet fully formed. The collective expression: the Hero's Journey Campbell's Hero's Journey centers on the Seeker archetype, as Phil Cousineau notes in his introduction to The Hero’s Journey: Joseph Campbell on His Life and Work : "The journey of the hero is about the courage to seek the depths; the image of creative rebirth; the eternal cycle of change within us; the uncanny discovery that the seeker is the mystery which the seeker seeks to know" (xxiv). The Seeker looks for that great discovery which seems remarkable and truly wonderful. Campbell notes: "There is what I would call the hero journey, the night sea journey, the hero quest, where the individual is going to bring forth in his life something that was never beheld before" (76). The journey promises something truly new. At the heart of the Seeker's journey lies what we might call a "sacred restlessness"—that divine discomfort that propels us beyond comfortable boundaries. Blending the voices The Seeker strives to integrate all experiences into a greater understanding, melding the voices of teachers, sages, and fools into a more diverse viewpoint than when they started. Paul learns he is half Atreides and half Harkonnen—the great evil that has set his tribulations in motion. This knowledge arrives as Paul travels into his inner self, encountering ancestral memories, coalescing opposing ancestors into a singular mind. Herbert's ancestral memory parallels Jung's collective unconscious. Reflection & lessons: the courage to face the deep Paul's struggle with his nature is viscerally felt in Chalamet's performance, showing both torture and transcendence. Paul seeks safety across the barren sands but ultimately seeks his own identity. He receives glimpses of his future, some causing fear, but his drive to discover his authentic selfhood requires embracing difficult truths. The Seeker sees obstacles as opportunities. Each barrier translates into motivation—if the journey is this difficult, the goal must be equally wonderful, as Cousineau reminds us that "the journey of the hero is about the courage to seek the depths" ( The Hero’s Journey  xxiv). Hope and ruthlessness: the Seeker's paradox The song " Seven " by Sleeping at Last captures the Seeker's yearning: "Let's climb this mountain before we cross that bridge! / 'Cause I'm restless / I'm restless / I'm restless / For whatever comes next." Hope flames brightly in the Seeker's heart. There must be an answer, something to be discovered. The Seeker remains eternally optimistic, seeing potential with each step. Yet the journey also requires ruthlessness: "Arrakis teaches the attitude of the knife - chopping off what's incomplete and saying: 'Now, it's complete because it's ended here'" ( Dune  169) To continue journeying, the Seeker must brutally eliminate things which slow their travel, leaving behind elements of comfort. Sacred restlessness as evolutionary force This sacred restlessness serves as an evolutionary force within the human spirit. Just as physical evolution occurs through environmental pressure, spiritual and psychological evolution happens through this divine discontent that pushes us toward greater wholeness. In Paul's journey, his sacred restlessness transforms him from privileged heir to desert wanderer to potential messiah. Each step of this transformation is precipitated not by external comfort but by the inner pressure of his restless spirit seeking completion. His dreams and visions are manifestations of this restlessness—glimpses of what might be if he honors the call. Sacred restlessness refuses the easy path, often emerging as the voice that whispers "not this" when we attempt to settle for less than our authentic becoming. This impetus constitutes both blessing and burden—uncomfortable in its persistent nudging yet sacred in its connection to our deepest potential. Swimming in strange water: finding the self "Survival is the ability to swim in strange water," says Lady Jessica in Dune , speaking to the adaptability required of seekers (350). Those strange waters, those depths often manifest physically, as Paul travels underground into the Fremen Sietches. As Campbell says, "The very cave you are afraid to enter turns out to be the source of what you are looking for" ( A Joseph Campbell Companion: Reflections on The Art of Living  24)    Mythologically, those depths are internal—the Seeker must go where others fear to tread. For Paul, that is into "a place where no Truthsayer can see ... He will look where we cannot—into both feminine and masculine pasts" ( Dune  12). The fearful depths are those of our own nature. The Seeker discovers purpose and identity through physical journey because it forces an internal one. The discovery is ignited by the external journey because its difficulties require a descent into the soul. What the Seeker seeks is ultimately discovered waiting in the depths of their own soul. As Jung notes : "Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes” (33). Discovering ourselves  In the end, the destination of the Seeker is themselves—we truly want to know  who we are, because, as Campbell understood, “The privilege of a lifetime is being  who you are” ( Art of Living  15; emphasis added). We want to discover ourselves and hope that through the journey, we will. This eternal truth of the Seeker's journey resonates across time and space, from ancient myths to modern tales like Dune . It whispers to us at life's crossroads, when we feel that familiar restlessness in our souls. That restlessness is not to be ignored—it is the voice of the Seeker within, calling us beyond comfortable horizons. When you feel that spark, that hunger for something more, recognize it as the archetypal flame that has guided humanity's greatest explorers. The journey may demand sacrifice, requiring the "attitude of the knife" to cut away comfortable illusions. It may lead through desert wastes and underground caverns where your deepest fears reside. But remember that the desert contains hidden waters of transformation. The cave that terrifies you most likely harbors the treasure you seek. Heed the call if you feel it stirring. Step into your own myth with the knowledge that countless Seekers have walked this path before you. The journey outward is always a journey inward. And when you return—changed, integrated, more fully yourself—you become a beacon for others standing at their own thresholds, wondering whether to take that first, crucial step into the unknown. The Seeker's journey is humanity's oldest story, and it waits, always, to become yours. MythBlast authored by: Jason D. Batt, Ph.D. , is a technological philosopher, mythologist, futurist, artist, and writer specializing in mythologies of space exploration. He co-founded Deep Space Predictive Research Group, Project Lodestar, and the International Society of Mythology. He has authored three novels, edited four fiction anthologies, and his short fiction and scholarly work have appeared in numerous publications. Jason currently serves as Senior Editor for the forthcoming Journal of Mythological Studies, Co-Managing Editor of the Beyond Earth Institute Space Policy Review, and Associate Editor of the Journal of Space Philosophy. This MythBlast was inspired by Goddesses: Mysteries of the Feminine Divine and the archetype of The Seeker. Latest Podcast Francis Weller has spent his life restoring the sacred work of grief and deepening our connection to the soul. A psychotherapist, writer, and soul activist, Francis weaves together psychology, mythology, alchemy, and indigenous wisdom to show us how grief is not just personal but profoundly communal. His bestselling book, The Wild Edge of Sorrow, has guided thousands in embracing loss as a path to renewal. Through his organization, WisdomBridge, and his work with the Commonweal Cancer Help Program, Francis helps others navigate sorrow with ritual, story, and deep remembrance. In this conversation, we explore how grief can serve as an initiation into a richer, more connected life—and why reclaiming lost rituals of mourning is essential to healing both ourselves and the world. For more information about Francis, visit: https://www.francisweller.net/ Listen Here This Week's Highlights "There's nothing you can do that is more important than being fulfilled. You become a sign, a signal, transparent to transcendence; in this way, you will find, live, and become a realization of your personal myth." -- Joseph Campbell Pathways to Bliss , 108 The Great Goddess See More Videos Subscribe to the MythBlast Newsletter

American Beauty , Copyright © 1999 by DreamWorks. All Rights Reserved. The shadow is one of the many archetypes that populate our psyches. According to Jungian psychology, the shadow is frequently associated with one’s personal unconscious: everyone has a shadow, but every shadow is different , depending on its contents: The shadow is, so to say, the blind spot in your nature. It’s that which you won’t look at about yourself ... It is made up of the desires and ideas within you that you are repressing—all of the introjected id. (Joseph Campbell, Pathways to Bliss , 73) Shadow is present when we refuse to face certain things about ourselves, such as a repetitive, self-destructive behavior. The more we struggle to maintain our denial, the more life conspires to muck up the works, leaving us at the mercy of events seemingly beyond our control. Unfortunately, I don’t know what my shadow contains, as it is unconscious to my waking ego. One can't see one’s own shadow full on. We have to catch it obliquely, often through the eyes of others (easier to see someone else’s shadow than my own). Another clue comes from paying attention to what disturbs us about others. When I react to individuals or situations with disproportionate anger, that emotion is fanned by shadow projections, allowing me to hate those parts of myself without actually owning them. A valuable tool to help recognize the ways shadow impacts those living unexamined lives comes to us courtesy of the silver screen. This week’s essay highlights one film that has enhanced my own understanding. (Spoilers Ahead) One can't see one’s own shadow full on. We have to catch it obliquely, often through the eyes of others  Shadow puppet American Beauty , which swept the Academy Awards the spring of 2000, focuses on forty-two-year-old Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey), his wife Carolyn (Annette Bening), and their teenage daughter, Jane (Thora Birch). The Burnhams appear to be a comfortable middle-class family living the American dream; all however, is not what it seems. Lester, a well-paid advertising executive in a soul-deflating job, doesn’t make waves in life. His wife and daughter consider him a loser, a perception Lester does not dispute, until he falls for Angela (Mena Suvari), his daughter’s best friend on the high school cheerleading squad—a siren call that triggers a full-blown midlife crisis. Surreptitiously eavesdropping on Angela as she tells Jane she’d consider sleeping with her dad “if he built up his arms and chest,” Lester quits his job, begins lifting weights in the garage, buys the muscle car he dreamed of as a teen, applies for a low paying, low stress job at a local fast food outlet, and starts smoking marijuana he gets from the boy next door. What deepens this beyond mere farce is the creepy infatuation with his daughter’s teenage schoolmate, and Lester’s announcement, shared in a voiceover at the beginning of the film, that he will be dead in exactly one year. Shadow of doubt Lester is far from the only character pushed around by their shadow; projection also plays a part in the relationship between Jane and Angela. Jane sees herself as plain and dreary, in contrast to bright and shiny Angela, who is constantly recounting her sexual escapades. As Jung observes: It is not uncommon that friendships are formed in which one partner is the shadow of the other. (C.G. Jung, Children’s Dreams: Notes of the Seminar Given in 1936 - 1940 , 129) We do glean a huge clue to Angela’s shadow when she tells Jane “there is nothing worse in life than being ordinary”—which is why Angela is shattered the final evening of Lester’s life, when Ricky Fitts (Jane’s boyfriend and her dad’s pot connection) tells her she is “boring, and you’re totally ordinary – and you know it.” Stung by this verbalization of what she fears most, Angela flees downstairs in tears, and right into Lester’s arms. As he lowers her to the sofa, Angela seeks reassurance, asking, “You don’t think I’m ordinary?” Shadow Boxing The shadow ... swallows those things that would be dangerous for you to express. ( Pathways to Bliss, 74) While there are similarities as well as differences in how shadow manifests in Angela’s and Lester’s lives, the tightly wound next door neighbor, Colonel Fitts (Ricky’s disciplinarian father), presents a far more jarring illustration of what can come from ignoring one’s shadow. Our first clue comes early, when Fitts fumes about a gay couple in the neighborhood. As the film progresses, he spies Lester signaling Ricky to “call me,” prompting Fitts to snoop in his son’s room. There he finds and plays a video trained on the garage windows next door, which Ricky had left running when he dashed over to deliver weed to Lester during a workout. Unfortunately, the camera view is partially obscured. The audience knows Ricky has knelt to roll a joint on the bench as Lester, clad just in gym shorts, takes a toke and leans back to enjoy the high; Fitts, however, sees his teenage son kneeling and leaning forward, head obscured, as their apparently naked, middle-aged neighbor smiles in ecstasy, and so connects the dots to draw a picture that reflects his own repressed shadow. The enraged father confronts Ricky and kicks him out of the house. Later that night, when Lester sees the colonel outside in the pouring rain looking dazed, he raises the garage door and compassionately wraps his neighbor in a towel. Asked where his wife is, Lester, who had earlier caught Carolyn in a tryst, replies, “Our marriage is just for show. A commercial for how normal we are, when we’re anything but”—which Fitts takes as confirmation of his worst suspicions. Expecting confrontation, the audience is surprised when the troubled man suddenly kisses Spacey’s character full on the lips! Lester gently tells his neighbor he has the wrong idea, and the distraught colonel wanders out into the night. That rejection drives him right back into denial, with ultimately tragic consequences for our protagonist. This episode is almost a textbook example of shadow projection in the extreme: Fitts projects the contents of his shadow, and the accompanying self-loathing, outward, onto an “Other”—in this instance, Lester. Harming that Other can serve as a substitute for destroying what one most fears in oneself. So, is there no escaping Shadow’s grip? Seeing through the dark Of course, what makes anything shadow is that it’s outside the light of conscious awareness. Once I see it, it's no longer shadow, and no longer has the power to direct my behavior. Lester Burnham spends most of the film channeling adolescent fantasies that he abandoned when life forced him to grow up, which have remained frozen in his personal unconscious ever since: driving a fast car, working an undemanding job, indulging in antiauthoritarian snark, getting stoned with the neighbor kid, and, yes, even bedding the cheerleader . . . almost. The moment of truth arrives after the encounter with Fitts. Lester enters the kitchen and hears the object of his lust crying in the living room. Angela explains that she and Jane had argued because Angela thinks he’s sexy. Hearing this, Lester makes his move. ( This is cringe-inducing , intentionally so. At the start of the film, Jane looks relatively innocent and naïve next to her glamorous, seductive friend. As Jane experiences her own sexual awakening, her character starts wearing more and more makeup, while Angela wears less and less, looking ever younger and more childlike.) As Lester unbuttons Angela’s blouse, she confesses this is her first time. He thinks she’s joking, but disbelief gives way to horror as projections pop (anima, as well as shadow, though that’s a whole other MythBlast), and he finally sees her not as an object, but a vulnerable teen about to be violated by her best friend’s dad. Face to face with his own shadow, the spell is broken; what follows is the first authentic, compassionate exchange either character has experienced all film. Awareness depotentiates shadow: You are to assimilate the shadow, embrace it. You don’t have to act on it, necessarily, but you must know it and accept it. ( Pathways to Bliss , 80) Of course, this is Hollywood, so it’s all epiphany, absent the discipline and hard work necessary for true shadow integration*; nevertheless, as the final moments of his life creep up and cut short his redemptive arc, we see Lester gazing with love and affection at a photograph of Jane, Carolyn, and himself in happier times. There is far more to American Beauty , a symphony of symbolism and cinematography that still speaks to me. Rave reviews have in recent years given way to more nuanced analysis; nevertheless, the film’s poetic exploration of variations on the Jungian shadow remain relevant today. *For more on integrating archetypal images, read “Cultivating Gratitude Through the Transcendent Function” , a MythBlast essay by Craig Deininger. MythBlast authored by: Stephen Gerringer has been a Working Associate at the Joseph Campbell Foundation (JCF) since 2004. His post-college career trajectory interrupted when a major health crisis prompted a deep inward turn, Stephen “dropped out” and spent most of the next decade on the road, thumbing his away across the country on his own hero quest. Stephen did eventually “drop back in,” accepting a position teaching English and Literature in junior high school. Stephen is the author of Myth and Modern Living: A Practical Campbell Compendium, as well as editor of Myth and Meaning: Conversations on Mythology and Life, a volume compiled from little-known print and audio interviews with Joseph Campbell. This MythBlast was inspired by The Hero With a Thousand Faces and the archetype of The Shadow. Latest Podcast This lecture, "Mythology - The Path (Part 1)", was recorded in 1980 at Yellow Springs, Pennsylvania. In it, Joseph Campbell discusses archetypes that guide us toward deeper inward experiences. He explores the Sanskrit word for "path," Marga, using it as a mythic metaphor for life. Drawing on Jungian psychology, Campbell expands on this theme to offer deeper insights into mythology. Host Bradley Olson introduces the lecture and provides commentary at its conclusion. Listen Here This Week's Highlights "The shadow . . . swallows those things that would be dangerous for you to express." -- Joseph Campbell Pathways to Bliss , 74 Kundalini Yoga: Enlightment and Dharma See More Videos Subscribe to the MythBlast Newsletter

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988) Orion Pictures Tricksters in myth and folktale have long charmed us with their creativity, spontaneity, and intimacy with the dynamics of chance. And yet, in tale after tale, we encounter the most  unsavory aspects of this character. Driven by appetite, tricksters lie, thieve, and act rude, crude, lewd, and completely self-centered. Not known for either empathy or self-reflection, the Trickster never seems to learn from consequences, ever blundering from one scrape to the next. Still , despite Trickster’s flawed character, we remain entranced.  One reason might be that we see a bit of the trickster in ourselves – but also, as Joseph Campbell tells Bill Moyers, because “the imagery of mythology is rendered with humor” ( The Power of Myth , 276). Trickster makes us laugh. A trickster myth The !Kung  people in the Kalahari tell a tale about Jackal out hunting one day, when he comes across Lion’s house. Jackal asks Lion’s wife where her husband is. She haughtily replies that her husband, a great leader, would have nothing to do with the likes of him. Jackal shrugs off the insult and informs Lady Lion, “Your husband is my servant.” When Lion arrives home, he gets an earful; he promises his wife he’ll teach Jackal to respect his betters and goes hunting for the rogue. Eventually, Lion finds him napping under a bush, shakes him awake, and orders the rapscallion to follow him home — but Jackal feigns blindness, telling Lion he had earlier only accidentally stumbled across his house. Impatient, Lion growls, “Well, then I’ll carry you,” and helps Jackal climb onto his back. But Jackal has hidden away hornets and bees that he releases as they near Lion’s house, which then attack his regal mount. Lion’s wife hears a ruckus, rushes outside, and sees her husband racing past, with Jackal, astride his back, lashing him with a whip and shouting, “Faster, you knave, faster!” Spying Lion’s wife, Jackal calls out, “Your husband would have nothing to do with me? And yet, you see, he is my servant!”  In indigenous cultures, the Trickster is often depicted in animal form. But it’s not unusual to find these same images surfacing in popular media today. Trickster times two The Jackal, as an icon for the Trickster, plays a central role in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels , a lighthearted 1988 comedy directed by Frank Oz. (WARNING: Here be spoilers!) Lawrence Jamieson (Michael Caine) is a suave, sophisticated Englishman living on an elegant estate in the charming French Riviera town of Beaumont-sur-Mer. With the help of the corrupt Inspector Andre, he poses as an exiled royal to swindle rich, decadent, unsophisticated tourists out of significant sums under the guise of supporting the liberation of his homeland. After a visit to his Swiss bank account, an amused Jamieson observes Freddy Benson (Steve Martin), a loud, vulgar American, scamming an attractive young woman out of a free meal. Benson later mistakes Michael Caine’s character for a dull, domesticated husband, and boasts to the older man about how he cons women out of relatively small amounts of money.  Enter the jackal The following morning, Inspector Andre informs Jamieson that an unknown American con artist, nicknamed “the Jackal,” has been fleecing tourists on the Riviera. Worried “a poacher who shoots at rabbits may scare big game away,” Jamieson arranges a phony arrest; as the only person in town whom Freddy knows, Jamieson “persuades” Inspector Andre to release him, and puts Freddy on a plane back to the U.S. Things take a turn during the flight when another passenger lets slip that she, too, knows “the prince.” Realizing he has been outwitted, the brash young American shows up at Jamieson’s estate begging to be tutored. There follows a series of playful, amusing vignettes. Freddy, however, chafing under Jamieson’s discipline, eventually decides to strike out on his own. As there’s not enough room for both to work Beaumont-sur-Mer, they strike a wager: the first to extract $50,000 from an agreed-upon dupe wins, with the loser leaving town. Their target? The just arrived U.S. soap queen, Janet Colgate (Glenne Headley), a young, well-dressed, doe-eyed heiress from the Midwest. Freddy poses as a disabled Naval officer; he confides to Janet that he can only be cured by Dr. Emil Schaffhausen, who charges $50,000. Jamieson then convinces Janet, who is developing feelings for Freddy, that he  is the renowned psychiatrist and agrees to take the case – on the condition she pay the fee directly to him. So begins a delicate dance. As neither can expose his rival without dropping his own mask, each takes turns turning the tables on the other; this results in much frustration for the protagonists, and much merriment for the filmgoer – until Jamieson learns the innocent and naïve Janet is no heiress, but rather the winner of a soap company contest. He tries to call off the bet, but Freddy insists they instead make Janet the prize: if Freddy can seduce her, he wins. Hilarious hijinks ensue. Jamieson eventually learns a “cured” Freddy has spent the night with Janet. Prepared to accept his loss to the Jackal, he is surprised when Janet appears in tears; after a night of passion, Freddy has disappeared, along with her jewelry, the cash prize, and more. No spoilers as to how the situation is resolved: suffice to say there remain laughs and a reveal or two to come. Trickster motifs in play  The debt the film owes to Trickster symbolism is clear, reflected in one of Inspector Andre’s observations: “Perhaps the Jackal realizes he is no match for the Lion.” The mythic Trickster is associated with gambling, so it’s no surprise the major cons in this film all begin at the roulette table, or that the ultimate outcome rides on a wager. Double the tricksters allows for a wider range of trickster traits. While Lawrence Jamieson embodies the charm and noble carriage associated with trickster figures in the myths of later cultures, Freddy Benson channels many of the baser qualities exhibited by tricksters in pre-literate traditions: greed, an obsession with sex, and, when posing as Ruprecht (the younger brother of Jamieson’s prince), the crude, scatological humor common to Coyote and others. Much like the traditional figures of Raven and Coyote in Native American myths, Freddy gives no thought to the consequences of his misbehavior, which explains much of his success. Compassion, after all, is the Trickster’s kryptonite: once Jamieson sees Janet not as an “Other” (one of a series of silly, superficial, interchangeable, and undeservedly wealthy women), but a “Thou” (an individual and authentic human being), he loses his edge. The trickster within In his essay, “On the Psychology of the Trickster Figure,” in The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious , Carl Jung declares, “All mythical figures correspond to inner psychic experiences and originally sprang from them” (256). The Trickster mirrors shadow qualities; Jung, nevertheless, stresses this figure is by no means the face of evil.  Meeting the Trickster, whether in myths or at the movies, reveals something about ourselves. We laugh at the characters in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels  because those same tendencies, however exaggerated, resonate with our own experience. We can see the consequences of such behavior on the screen, even if we haven’t always been cognizant of these energies as they play out in our own lives. The greater that awareness, the less power we cede these otherwise unconscious aspects of the psyche.  The Trickster mirrors shadow qualities; Jung, nevertheless, stresses this figure is by no means the face of evil.  But these figures also mirror positive shadow traits. Like their mythical counterparts, Lawrence Jamieson and Freddy Benson are inventive, playful, persistent, optimistic, and resilient in the face of the unexpected. As my colleague, Joanna Gardner , points out, these same qualities are essential to the creative process: Trickster can return to us our inner flame, the sparks that sometimes sputter out along the way, the embers of personal creativity and world-making. (Joanna Gardner, Ph.D., “In the Company of Coyote,” The Practice of Enchantment ) Of course, the primary objective of this film is to entertain and make us laugh. I doubt viewers experience any life-changing illumination as the credits roll . . . apart from the insight that one should never, ever, underestimate the Jackal. MythBlast authored by: Stephen Gerringer has been a Working Associate at the Joseph Campbell Foundation (JCF) since 2004. His post-college career trajectory interrupted when a major health crisis prompted a deep inward turn, Stephen “dropped out” and spent most of the next decade on the road, thumbing his away across the country on his own hero quest. Stephen did eventually “drop back in,” accepting a position teaching English and Literature in junior high school. Stephen is the author of Myth and Modern Living: A Practical Campbell Compendium , as well as editor of Myth and Meaning: Conversations on Mythology and Life , a volume compiled from little-known print and audio interviews with Joseph Campbell. This MythBlast was inspired by Creative Mythology and the archetype of The Trickster . Latest Podcast Enuma Okoro , is a Nigerian-American author, essayist, curator and lecturer. She is a weekend columnist for The Financial Times where she writes the column, “The Art of Life,” about art, culture and how we live. And is the curator of the 2024 group exhibition, “The Flesh of the Earth,” at Hauser & Wirth gallery in Chelsea, New York. Her broader research and writing interests reflect how the intersection of the arts and critical theory, philosophy and contemplative spirituality, and ecology and non-traditional knowledge systems can speak to the human condition and interrogate how we live with ourselves and others. Her fiction and poetry are published in anthologies, and her nonfiction essays and articles have been featured in The New York Times, The Financial Times, Aeon, Vogue, The Erotic Review, The Cut, The Atlantic Monthly, Harper’s Bazaar, NYU Washington Review, The Guardian, The Washington Post, and more. Her Substack, "A Little Heart to Heart" is a labyrinth towards interiority, exploring the fine line between the sacred and the ordinary in our daily lives. Find it at Enuma.substack.com and learn more about Enuma at www.enumaokoro.com . In this conversation, we explore Enuma’s journey, the ways myth, art, and storytelling shape us, and how we can use them as tools to reimagine both our personal and collective realities. Listen Here This Week's Highlights "The trickster hero represents all these possibilities of life that your mind hasn’t decided it wants to deal with. The mind structures a lifestyle, and the fool or trickster represents another whole range of possibilities." -- Joseph Campbell An Open Life: Joseph Campbell in Conversation with Michael Toms , 39 The Mythic Symbology of Release Subscribe to the MythBlast Newsletter

Collateral (2004) Dreamworks Pictures and Paramount Pictures By shadow I mean the “negative” side of the personality, the sum of all those unpleasant qualities we like to hide, together with the insufficiently developed functions and the contents of the personal unconscious  Carl Jung, Footnote #5, Two Essays on Analytic Psychology Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow Knows. Radio serial, 1931 Is it just me, or does any movie set in Los Angeles at dusk necessarily trigger profound mythological associations? We are in fertile and vibrant transpersonal psychic territory from the first FADE IN of Michael Mann’s Collateral  with actors Jamie Foxx, Tom Cruise, and Jada Pinkett Smith as Cab driver Max, his homicidal hit man passenger, Vincent, and a high-end public defender, Annie Farrell. Full disclosure. This is not a movie review. I don’t care if you liked it or if you hated it. Our task this month is to identify the presence of an archetype, The Shadow, as it manifests in cinema. I’ve chosen this 2004 crime drama in which a cab driver and a hit man are brought together for one night in which five homicides will take place on the mean streets of the city of angels. Five murders break down into five acts, a strange format but very Shakespearean, if you think about it. Why do you think they call it “noir,” anyway? Max is a modern Osiris, a dead man in his barque, the corpse forever in motion in the streets of Los Angeles, his dead dreams of a limousine service briefly fanned into flames by the attractive district attorney in his back seat, her Isis to his Osiris. People are always leaving little bits and pieces of their fractured lives in his hack for hire. Some passengers talk, whining about those fatal lapses from which they have never recovered, that stock deal gone south, that mistress who decided to spill the beans, thus destroying a whole family. Others weep. Max hears it all as he conveys his lost souls from places they shouldn’t have been to places they don’t need to be. And then there’s Annie. Max can read her like a book. Gotta be a lawyer by the looks of the suit and the briefcase. She likes Max but has more important things to do than explore human relationships. Her job is simply to take the worst of society and remove them from civic life, to throw them into that vast network of hidden humanity, our prison system, where the shadow of our culture sleeps in the cages required to restrain them. Tonight, Max will encounter his own shadow, menacing and confident in a relationship of parts to the whole which Campbell describes in Pathways to Bliss : The shadow is, so to say, the blind spot in your nature. It’s that which you won’t look at about yourself. This is the counterpart exactly of the Freudian unconscious, the repressed recollections as well as the repressed potentialities in you … It is made up of the desires and ideas within you that you are repressing—all of the introjected id … In the myths, the shadow is represented as the monster that has to be overcome, the dragon. It is the dark thing that comes up from the abyss and confronts you the minute you begin moving down into the unconscious. It is the thing that scares you so that you don’t want to go down there. It knocks from below. (73) The ultimate back seat driver Tom Cruise as Vincent is the only character in the picture to be denied a last name. He is a hollowed-out man, man minus morals, light on his toes because he carries no ethical qualms like the rest of us. And he is everything that his driver, Max, must become if he is ever to move his dream of a company called “Island Limos” to more than a little photo of a tropical paradise behind his cab’s sun visor. The relationship between driver and passenger is always transactional. Charon accepted a single obol back in the archaic era, though by Aristophanes’ time it had risen to two obols due to Athenian wartime inflation.   Knowledge, too, is exchanged, as many of us have experienced from life in the ride-share era where we are tempted to divulge everything to some dude we will never see again, precisely because we will never see him again. Since I tend to be older than most of my Uber drivers, I am often asked my opinion on a variety of subjects about which I know nothing but try my best. It was, after all, knowledge of the universe that Arjuna’s charioteer imparted to his mortal employer. The driver, of course, turned out to be one of the chief deities of the cosmos, Krishna. Vincent, like Krishna, accepts the inevitability of violence and mocks his driver for his refusal to engage the world at the level of warfare. He asks Max how long he has been planning to launch his own company. Max says, “Twelve years.” Vincent scoffs. He lectures the driver on the need to be reactive and proactive in life: “Adapt. Darwin. I Ching.”  Of course, the Shadow is a know-it-all. “The ego is being reminded that it knows nothing about the psyche in its totality. The part cannot express the whole” ( Ego and Archetype: Individuation and the Religious Function of the Psyche , Edinger, 90). The Shadow always has knowledge superior to the ego. This is beautifully evoked by the dialogue between driver and his fare conducted through the narrow aspect ratio of the rear-view mirror. It is literally a moment of reflection for the driver, a driver ironically stalled in his life’s pursuits. And the man in the back seat, in terms both pitiless and practical, lays out Max’s alternate future, consistent with Campbell’s assessment that the “shadow is you as you might have been; it is that aspect of you which might have been if you had allowed yourself to fulfill your unacceptable potential” ( Pathways , 73).  The Shadow always has knowledge superior to the ego. The bewildering interplay between good and evil Max’s descent into the Los Angeles’ cartel-influenced underworld precipitates the disintegration of his persona as he merges with the Shadow. At the point of a gun, Max is told that he must literally assume the role of “Vincent” serving as a decoy for the actual assassin. It is a stunning character reversal, the humble cabbie telling hardened killers to back off before they get hurt. You can tell Max has waited a lifetime to say that.  The sequence recalls what Jung called “the bewildering interplay of good and evil” (from “The Phenomenology of the Spirit in Fairy Tales,” The Essential Jung , 127). [Faust] awakened in me the problem of opposites, of good and evil, of mind and matter, of light and darkness. Faust, the inept, purblind philosopher, encounters the dark side of his being, his sinister shadow, Mephistopheles, who in spite of his negating disposition represents the true spirit of life as against the arid scholar who hovers on the brink of suicide. ( Memories, Dreams, Reflections , 235) Ultimately, the Shadow must emerge. Despite our tendency to deflect its influence and to project its face onto others, to dodge the worst of its behavioral excesses, to match the expectations of society, to keep one’s head down, the Shadow will find us, will erupt when we think it is under our control, will get in the back seat of our car and tell us there’s a turn up ahead.  MythBlast authored by: John Bonaduce, PhD , a seasoned writer for Norman Lear and for most of the major Hollywood studios (Fox, Paramount, Warner Bros, et al.) developed a profound interest in story structure beyond the commercial objectives of the industry. His exploration led him to conclude that much of what we call myth derives from a biological origin. This insight inspired his pursuit of deeper relationships between biology and narrative through his theory of Mythobiogenesis, which he explored in his dissertation at Pacifica Graduate Institute and was recognized as a “discovery” in the field of prenatal psychology by Dr. Thomas Verny. John was recently appointed to the editorial board of the Journal of Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology and Health (JOPPPAH) where he advocates for an unrecognized level of human consciousness which exists at the border of biology and mythology. As a featured writer for the Joseph Campbell Foundation’s MythBlast, he passionately showcases Joseph Campbell’s enduring relevance to a modern audience. This MythBlast was inspired by The Hero With a Thousand Faces and the archetype of The Shadow. Latest Podcast In this episode of The Podcast With a Thousand Faces, we’re joined by Maureen Murdock - author, psychotherapist, educator, and a groundbreaking voice in the world of myth and memoir. Maureen is best known for her influential book The Heroine’s Journey: Woman’s Quest for Wholeness, written in response to Joseph Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Maureen had a personal and professional relationship with Campbell and it was through their dialogue that her vision of the feminine mythic path began to take shape. Her newest work, Mythmaking: Self-Discovery and the Timeless Art of Memoir, invites us to explore how our personal stories echo ancient archetypes and how writing can become a transformative act of reclaiming the self. In this conversation with host John Bucher, we explore the evolution of the heroine’s journey, Maureen’s reflections on Campbell’s legacy, and how myth and memoir together can help us find meaning in the chaos of change. Listen Here This Week's Highlights "The shadow . . . is that aspect of yourself that your ego doesn't know about, which you bury because it doesn't fit how you perceive yourself to be." -- Joseph Campbell Pathways to Bliss , 74 Slaying The Dragon See More Videos Subscribe to the MythBlast Newsletter

Ex Machina  (2015) A24, Universal Pictures I have seldom met a mythologist who didn’t have a well-rehearsed elevator pitch on the nature of Jungian archetypes. Here’s mine. It’s like a box of chocolates, See’s in particular. Once the classic Milk Butterchews, Salted Caramel, and California Brittle are gone, what’s left? Just a little sheet of molded plastic with indentations for each famous treat, tiny coffers of sweet possibility. These represent for me the Platonic ideals, Bastian’s elementary ideas, and Jung’s archetypes. Sure, you can fiddle with the recipe, vary the sugar content, add more or less sprinkles on top, perhaps tweak the cinnamon or hold up on the corn syrup, but the perduring forms remain unvaried for all eternity. To review, the nature of the archetypes is like a box of chocolates. And the flavor of the month is the Seeker. As a writer, I have learned to love the Seeker as a driver of story. Want a writing tip for free? I got this from my father, also a writer. He said, though in different terminology, make the Seeker your star, and watch who else shows up. That’s the secret to this archetype. Gods and archetypes, as James Hillman loved to point out, never show up alone but in groups and, when the occasion arises, assemble the pantheon from which they rule the universe. The seeker is an unconscious curator of other archetypes. Usually uninteresting in themselves (with exceptions), Seekers are natural born pilgrims lapping the miles, often heedless of where the road is taking them. There is often an emptiness in Seekers, and so they look for fulfilment and identity in others. Thus, Parsifal finds his roundtable, Dorothy her three-man posse of misfits, Ishmael his doomed crewmates, and Luke Skywalker his phalanx of sages and warriors some of whom are character archetypes without benefit of being human (R2-D2 comes to mind). The Seeker is the writer’s friend and leads us to the whole box of chocolates. Silicon Valhalla The protagonist of Alex Garland’s film Ex Machina is a “hero” in the literary tradition of Melville’s Ishmael—he is our eyes and ears to a world from which we would be otherwise excluded. His function in life—and in literature—is to be a tabula rasa, an analytic blank to be filled in with all sorts of impressions from much more fascinating, complicated, intimidating characters, all of them with a legit claim to archetype status (which, in Moby Dick , include Ishmael as The Seeker, Ahab, as both Seeker and Leader, Queequeg the Wise Man, the Pequod itself as Death, and Moby—the Destroyer). Caleb Smith (Domhnall Gleeson), the Ishmael of Ex Machina , is on a professional journey. He has made the same vocational choice as many young people these days, to go to Silicon Valley where he will eventually be recognized as a talented software developer in his own right. It would appear at the outset of the picture that his efforts have paid off. He has won an in-house contest entitling him to a fabulous week at the private home of the company founder, Nathan Bateman (Oscar Isaac), who is seldom seen beyond the remote mountain retreat where his ethically questionable experiments in human consciousness take place. As Caleb looks out from his helicopter window to the endless acres of snow-flocked conifers below, he asks how long it will take to get to Nathan Bateman’s estate. “We’ve been flying over his estate for the last two hours,” grins the pilot. We are in the abode of the gods. Men seeking archetypes Recall, in my take on the Seeker, he or she is a node of generativity more than a person. Bland in his own right, Caleb Smith conjures about him a polymorphic display of personality types, each driving the story by virtue of a unique subplot. The Threshold Guardian is the helicopter pilot, easily recognizable as a contemporary iteration of big-shouldered Charon. The implacable oarsman ferrying souls to the underworld never appeared more benign. Caleb treads dangerous ground in approaching the Creator, his employer Nathan, because like all relationships of unequal power, it is a dangerous liaison. I recognize the outline of a Zeus/Semele dynamic, which must end badly. Recall, Semele was burnt to a cinder because her mortal eyes were overwhelmed by proximity to unfiltered divinity. Nathan may see himself as God, but he is really a sort of Ahab for the ones-and-zeros crowd, perhaps not unlike a lot of us who occasionally see ourselves as masters of the universe. And then there is Ava. I must assume it’s a nickname, short for Avatar (which in Sanskrit means “descent,” as in the descent of a deity incarnated among mortals), identifying her as that most exalted of archetypes, the Goddess. Ava is graceful, inquisitive, physically powerful and beautiful. She is also a machine, the eponymous machina of the film’s title, designed by Nathan to embody all that a man might perceive as “feminine.” What unites the trio of archetypes–Seeker, Creator, Goddess–is in itself a quest, the Anima Quest, perhaps the most famous motivational force undergirding the spiritus mundi . The seeker is an unconscious curator of other archetypes.  Designing women The first woman ever designed by men was Eve; known for having sold us out as a species, she was, like Ava in Garland’s cult masterpiece, supposed to be an ideal companion. Though it did not work out well—for anybody—men have been designing women ever since: Daedalus, the sculptor of Pygmalion, or his 20th-century iteration, Professor Henry Higgins in George Bernard Shaw’s 1910 theatrical hit, Pygmalion , reprised decades later as My Fair Lady ; Dr. Niander Wallace, the sociopath CEO of Wallace Industries in Blade Runner , whose female automata has learned a new trick—it can sexually reproduce; Victor Frankenstein, whose female monster never really made it out of Beta. Anyway, the result of these experiments is usually disappointing, because the one ingredient the designers hold back is the one women seem to want the most. Autonomy. And then there’s Homer. I’ll start this singing with That grand goddess, Bright-eyes, So shrewd, Her heart inexorable, As virgin, redoubtable, Protectress of cities, Powerful, Tritogene, Whom shrewd Zeus himself Produced out of his sacred head… The Homeric Hymns trans. Boer 137-38 The “Birth of Athena” is an obstetrical nightmare. Is it really about a female archetype? Put another way, has Athena ever really been an adequate symbol of female actualization? She certainly meets Campbell’s criteria for the Goddess in that she is transformative of the male. Boy to Man, Man to Warrior, Warrior to Hero. Ava transforms Caleb into the Lover and the Big Boss; Nathan, into a corpse. But isn’t the whole yarn really about the guy with the splitting headache, the guy trying to even imagine how a fully actualized female human psyche might appear? Recall, Zeus turned Athena’s mother (Metis) into a fly, swallowed her whole so that she could not bear the male child destined to overthrow him. Guess what? The fly is pregnant. And therefore, in a sense, so is Zeus. My own read on the “birth of Athena” from her father’s head has always been that it is a composite image meant to register the fragility of the male psyche in its contemplation of woman as equal. How relevant. Is not the fragility of the male psyche on full display in our national failure (twice) to elect a woman president? For some men, even to imagine a woman of equal or greater influence is painful, sort of like having your skull split open by an axe. Ava is Nathan’s baby, born from the womb of his mind. She may or may not be a fully conscious entity capable of self-awareness. She is, shall we say, unburdened by notions of binary reality, the kind that draws distinctions between self-defense and, well, murder. But, not counting her homicidal tendencies, she is certainly attractive. After all, as Jane Harrison points out, "All men, in virtue of their humanity, are image-makers, but in some the image is clear and vivid, in others dull, lifeless, wavering. The Greeks were the supreme ikonists, the greatest image-makers the world has ever seen, and, therefore, their mythology lives on to-day” ( Myths of Greece and Rome 11). Thanks to our wide-eyed Seeker, we have realized there is a new shape in the chocolate box. A new female archetype yearns to be born and threatens to be a transitional stage between human and machine. Her attributes shall be many, but surely among them is the ability to decapitate a Trojan with one hand while making decorative orange slices with the other. MythBlast authored by: John Bonaduce, PhD , a seasoned writer for Norman Lear and for most of the major Hollywood studios (Fox, Paramount, Warner Bros, et al.) developed a profound interest in story structure beyond the commercial objectives of the industry. His exploration led him to conclude that much of what we call myth derives from a biological origin. This insight inspired his pursuit of deeper relationships between biology and narrative through his theory of Mythobiogenesis, which he explored in his dissertation at Pacifica Graduate Institute and was recognized as a “discovery” in the field of prenatal psychology by Dr. Thomas Verny. John was recently appointed to the editorial board of the Journal of Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology and Health (JOPPPAH) where he advocates for an unrecognized level of human consciousness which exists at the border of biology and mythology. As a featured writer for the Joseph Campbell Foundation’s MythBlast, he passionately showcases Joseph Campbell’s enduring relevance to a modern audience. This MythBlast was inspired by Goddesses: Mysteries of the Feminine Divine and the archetype of The Seeker. Latest Podcast Francis Weller has spent his life restoring the sacred work of grief and deepening our connection to the soul. A psychotherapist, writer, and soul activist, Francis weaves together psychology, mythology, alchemy, and indigenous wisdom to show us how grief is not just personal but profoundly communal. His bestselling book, The Wild Edge of Sorrow, has guided thousands in embracing loss as a path to renewal. Through his organization, WisdomBridge, and his work with the Commonweal Cancer Help Program, Francis helps others navigate sorrow with ritual, story, and deep remembrance. In this conversation, we explore how grief can serve as an initiation into a richer, more connected life—and why reclaiming lost rituals of mourning is essential to healing both ourselves and the world. For more information about Francis, visit: https://www.francisweller.net/ Listen Here This Week's Highlights "As I see it, the quest of Odysseus is to return home, decently, to Penelope, his wife—not to a blonde, not to someone who is the victim and the booty of war, but to his wife. A wife is someone with whom one is in counterplay as the other side of the mystery of the androgyne, and so Odysseus has to be debriefed from his warrior attitude, where there is no idea of dialogue between the male and female powers." -- Joseph Campbell Goddesses , 160 The Ego and the Tao See More Videos Subscribe to the MythBlast Newsletter

Elizabeth (1998) Gramercy Pictures There are films that depict history, and there are films that distill it into myth. Shekhar Kapur’s Elizabeth  (1998) is one such mythic work, not because it meticulously tracks the political maneuvers of the Tudor court, but because it translates the life of Queen Elizabeth I (r. 1558–1603) into a sacred rite of passage. The film therefore moves beyond biography and becomes the chronicle of a soul initiation.   At the story’s center is Cate Blanchett’s luminous embodiment of a woman who ceases to be mortal and evolves into something else entirely: a vessel, a vision, an archetype, a mythic sovereign. Here Elizabeth is not merely a political figure–her psyche undergoes a profound metamorphosis and her body is the alchemical crucible. In the film we observe her no longer belonging to herself during her reign, but belonging to history, and to the symbolism of iconography. Elizabeth develops into a representative interface between the divine feminine and the temporal world, the spirit and the sovereign state. And in Blanchett’s hands, we experience the queen as no mere ruler. Instead she transforms into a living mythos. There is something so otherworldly about Blanchett’s performance. Director Kapur remembers , “The moment I saw her, I knew I had found my perfect Elizabeth.” Her performance exists in a liminal space outside of time because she doesn’t simply act as Elizabeth; she becomes a conduit for her spiritual majesty to be felt. Then, now, and for the future.  The maiden and the threshold  In the film’s opening sequences, Elizabeth Tudor is not yet the triumphant Virgin Queen that we recognize from the iconic Armada portrait commemorating the English victory over the Spanish Armada in 1588. However, we do get to view her as a vivacious, instinctual, tender, young woman of the court. She is the archetypal maiden: free-spirited, intuitive and impulsive, but until now, unformed as a sovereign being. She dances barefoot in the garden, kisses her lover in secret, and challenges her advisors with youthful defiance.  The film makes no attempt to rush Elizabeth’s coronation because political authority alone fails to define her form of queenship to the throne. Instead what unfolds is the slow shedding of the personal self through many years of hardships and challenges. These start with Elizabeth being only two years and eight months old when her mother, Anne Boleyn, is beheaded, and continue with her being announced illegitimate by her father, King Henry VIII. She is then held under house arrest, and further obstacles include: being imprisoned in the Tower of London, reconciling her gender and the jurisdiction of her rule, getting constantly attacked by religious factions, being excommunicated by Pope Pius V, constantly undermined and betrayed by courtly rivals, and manipulated and deceived by the man she loves.  The alchemy of the self Blanchett’s Elizabeth is far more than a character growing in confidence; she is an expanding presence who is being forged in the fire of the tempestuous politics and courtly dramas of her time. She is the maiden crossing into her queenhood, Psyche navigating betrayal, Inanna descending into the underworld, and Artemis (equated with the Roman goddess Diana) severing ties to love in service of a greater destiny.  The betrayal by Lord Robert Dudley–the man she trusted, desired, and nearly married–is not just a personal heartbreak; it is the figurative death of any possibility for a private life. When she discovers his marriage, her maidenhood fractures, and in the ruins of that fracture, the latent, archetypal queen awakens. Elizabeth isolates herself in her chambers with her ladies-in-waiting to craft her now immortalized image: the public persona of a chaste, unmarried, divinely appointed, Protestant monarch. Her declaration of the words “I have become a virgin” mark this climactic transfiguration not by chastity, but by consecration. This virginity is not of the body; it is of the soul, and of the spirit. While she is untouched by men, she is now untouchable by earthly life too. She has channeled the personal to be in service of the mythic. Blanchett moves differently in these final scenes. As the Virgin Queen she no longer walks; she glides. Her voice lowers and drops into stillness. Her gaze steadies and no more flickers with doubt. Her body becomes a monument and a defiant emblem of sacrifice and virtue. She is not playing the queen. She is  the queen, who now also looks like the Virgin Mary–an enlightened being–firm in her righteous place of purity and absolute power. This holy pattern descends, penetrates and inhabits her, and she crosses the threshold from flesh to symbol. The sacred marriage When Elizabeth emerges reborn as an icon of divinity, her stark face is covered in deadly makeup: Venetian ceruse (also known as ‘spirits of Saturn’)–a poisonous, white, lead-based makeup to present a mask of youth and to hide the scarring from smallpox–pupils dilated with belladonna eye drops to appear more attractive, and on her lips cinnabar-based vermilion–a toxic mineral containing mercury–believed to ward off evil spirits. Her jewel-encrusted, flame-red wig crowns her head like a halo. “Observe, Lord Burghley, I am married ... to England,” she proclaims. She has chosen the transcendent over the mortal, for the queen is not merely Elizabeth; she is now England itself. This was a brilliant political maneuver, but more than that, it was a sacrosanct vow. By renouncing personal marriage, she wed herself to her country and the symbolic role of the Queen of Heaven, who is full of grace and the mother of her people. And by appropriating Marian imagery and attributes in her portraits (iconoclasm forbade sacred images), Elizabeth superseded the Virgin Mary’s image with her own. She has chosen the transcendent over the mortal, for the queen is not merely Elizabeth; she is now England itself. The mythic sovereign “I have rid England of her enemies,” Elizabeth whispers with quiet desolation. “What do I do now? Am I to be made of stone? Must I be touched by nothing?” This is the sacrifice of wearing the Crown, because the monarch does not merely rule, she must also contain–contain the tension of the many opposites within the collective psyche and all the associated chaos and turmoil–without herself ever coming undone. Hers is no longer a life lived for self-expression, but for the stewardship of both celestial and material realms.  Elizabeth becomes, quite literally, the body politic. Her body is not hers because it is the insignia of an incarnate ideal. In the ancient world, a sovereign ruler was not considered a mere administrator, but rather, the axis mundi: the living center of the state’s health, vitality, and divine favor. So Queen Elizabeth I is not simply a woman in power and a great patron of the arts (William Shakespeare’s most productive period coincided with the Elizabethan era); she is simultaneously an eternal representation of the sacred as England’s Grail-bearer, priestess and protector.  Beyond the mask Joseph Campbell wrote that “to become – in Jung’s terms – individuated, to live as a released individual, one has to know how and when to put on and to put off the masks of one’s various life roles” ( Myths to Live By , 67). As an ordinary woman, Elizabeth’s private emotions were suppressed. Her love, renounced. As monarch, her will sanctified. Yet as the carefully curated image in portraits, the cult of Gloriana– an immortal goddess sworn to protect a nation –she was exalted to a mythical status and the symbol of England’s cultural renaissance and Golden Age.  Elizabeth’s story, as rendered by Blanchett and Kapur, is not merely the depiction of a solitary, female ruler in a patriarchal world. It is a tale of the highest form of sovereignty: the long road from self-doubt to sacred stewardship to become a vessel for something larger than her everyday self. In this day and age where power is so often confused with domination and leadership styles with tragic, thespian performances, Elizabeth’s marriage to more elevated ideals calls us back to our souls. She is the fortitude after betrayal, the calm at the center of all that is temporal, and with a gaze that sees through the personality into its divine purpose. The life and reign of Queen Elizabeth I serves to remind us that the truest form of power is not in ruling others, but in securing authority over ourselves.  MythBlast authored by: Kristina Dryža  is an ex-futurist, author, TEDx speaker, archetypal consultant, one of the Joseph Campbell Foundation’s Editorial Advisory Group, and a steward for The Fifth Direction. Based between Australia and Lithuania, her work focuses less on the future and more on the unknown. Presence. Not prediction. What’s sacred? Not only what’s next. Kristina is passionate about helping people to perceive mythically and sense archetypally to better understand our shared humanity, yet honor the diverse ways we all live and make meaning. To learn more about Kristina, you can view her TEDx talk: Archetypes and Mythology. Why They Matter Even More So Today  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2o4PYNroZBY&t=525s This MythBlast was inspired by The Hero With a Thousand Faces and the archetype of The Sovereign. Latest Podcast In this episode of The Podcast With a Thousand Faces, we’re joined by Maureen Murdock - author, psychotherapist, educator, and a groundbreaking voice in the world of myth and memoir. Maureen is best known for her influential book The Heroine’s Journey: Woman’s Quest for Wholeness, written in response to Joseph Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Maureen had a personal and professional relationship with Campbell and it was through their dialogue that her vision of the feminine mythic path began to take shape. Her newest work, Mythmaking: Self-Discovery and the Timeless Art of Memoir, invites us to explore how our personal stories echo ancient archetypes and how writing can become a transformative act of reclaiming the self. In this conversation with host John Bucher, we explore the evolution of the heroine’s journey, Maureen’s reflections on Campbell’s legacy, and how myth and memoir together can help us find meaning in the chaos of change. Listen Here This Week's Highlights "To become – in Jung’s terms – individuated, to live as a released individual, one has to know how and when to put on and to put off the masks of one’s various life roles." -- Joseph Campbell Myths to Live By, 67 On Consciousness See More Videos Subscribe to the MythBlast Newsletter

George Nolfi's The Adjustment Bureau © Universal Pictures My favorite films are all about strangers, friends, and near-miss lovers meeting and the story of their entwining destinies: Sliding Doors , A bout Time , One Day , Cloud Atlas , The Fountain , Groundhog Day , and The Adjustment Bureau . Need I go on? They’ve deeply shaped my perception of the world I want to live in. But why? Because in these films we’re in the realm of The Moirai (The Fates). They’re the ones with the hands on the steering wheel of our lives. But what does it take for us to wrestle back control? And is that even possible? The theme for this month’s MythBlasts is The Lover archetype at the movies, so I want to explore how the lovers in The Adjustment Bureau   transform their fate and rewrite their destiny. [For the purposes of this article, I’ll be defining fate  as something imposed on us–a predetermined set of circumstances, while destiny  is a path that we actively shape through our conscious choices and actions.] *The following content contains spoilers. The Adjustment Bureau The movie (released in 2011) is loosely based on Philip K. Dick’s 1954 short story “Adjustment Team.” Google’s synopsis reads: “Just as he is on the brink of winning a Senate seat, politician David Norris (Matt Damon) meets a ballerina named Elise Sellas (Emily Blunt). Though David is instantly smitten, mysterious men conspire to keep him away from the beautiful dancer. David learns that he is facing the powerful agents of Fate itself, and glimpsing the future laid out for him, must either accept a predetermined path that does not include Elise or else defy Fate to be with her.” The Adjustment Bureau (representing a Higher Power) has a “plan” for every individual, suggesting a predetermined course of events. Every human has a case officer and David’s agent, Harry (Anthony Mackie), has been with him since birth assisting him to reach his potential. According to the plan created for him by “The Chairman,” David is to be President of The United States, but the Bureau staff are worried that if he falls in love with Elise, he’ll lose all his political ambition. She was only needed to enter his life at a particular moment to inspire him, and then they were never meant to meet again. Three years later though, Harry misses a crucial “adjustment” for David, which leads him to unexpectedly see Elise again.  In the film, the powers of the agents (“angels”) of The Chairman (“God”) are vast but limited. Their job is to subtly adjust, nudge, and encourage the direction the Bureau has determined for each human within the grander scheme of life. But now that David has “by chance” crossed paths with Elise again, he refuses to let her go. This has alerted Thompson (Terence Stamp), a high-ranking agent who oversees the fate adjustments of lower-ranking agents like Harry.  Amor fati : loving your fate Portraying the ever-present tension between fate and destiny, the film asks us to consider if it’s even possible to outrun our fate with our free will. Joseph Campbell writes in A Joseph Campbell Companion: Reflections on the Art of Living :  At a certain moment in [Nietzsche’s] life, the idea came to him of what he called “the love of your fate.” Whatever your fate is, whatever the hell happens, you say, “This is what I need.” It may look like a wreck, but go at it as though it were an opportunity, a challenge. If you bring love to that moment–not discouragement–you will find the strength is there. Any disaster you can survive is an improvement in your character, your stature, and your life. What a privilege! This is when the spontaneity of your own nature will have a chance to flow. (38) The heart wants what it wants David certainly brings love to his challenge of choosing Elise, so that the spontaneity of his own nature flows as he literally petitions God to intervene on his behalf. He sides with love over any career aspirations. And we all know that choosing love always drastically alters one’s life plans, whether it’s the love we have for another person, or the love we hold for a country, artistic skill, or ideal. To again emphasize what Campbell expresses, choosing love allows strength to be found in moments that look like a complete and utter wreck. And that love brought to a disaster will immeasurably improve our character, stature, and life. David asks Thompson, “If I’m not supposed to be with [Elise], then why do I feel like this?” The agent responds, “It doesn’t matter how you feel, what matters is in black and white.” So is it that we’re too controlled by our feelings, and that’s why we need a higher force to step in and adjust our lives? The interplay between logic and emotion is central here–only by being denied Elise does David realize, on a much deeper level, that she is his true destiny. The heart wants what it wants, and isn’t love often deemed an illogical choice?  The heart wants what it wants, and isn’t love often deemed an illogical choice?  The power of invisible forces Let’s for a moment turn the focus onto ourselves. How often has our future been adjusted without our awareness? Are we in touch with our angel who is always invisibly guiding us? Do we have a sense of The Chairman’s plan for our life? And if so, have we willingly aligned with it? Or have we accessed the inner freedom required to co-create a different plan? We most often invoke destiny when we refuse to be fated by our fears, recognizing that obstacles don’t control fate; they’re merely its agent. While external factors (like the Bureau’s plans) do indeed influence choices, individuals ultimately possess the agency to break free from these constraints. Philosophically, this reflects compatibilism–the belief that fate and free will are not opposing forces, but interwoven. We might be shaped by genetics, environmental and societal structures (and the like), but within these bounds we still make choices. The role of choice is pivotal in defining who we are because it allows us to affirm or defy the influences acting on us, showcasing our agency. And like David declares, “All I have are the choices I make, and I choose her, come what may.”                            The right to free will  David and Elise change their plans by refusing to conform to what was laid out for them by The Chairman. They display and embody courage, persistence, and an unwavering belief in their love, even when faced with seemingly insurmountable odds. To defy a predetermined plan requires recognizing your more noble desires, acting on them with utmost resolve, and being willing to face obstacles and risks for what matters most to you. And fighting for the right to free will is one of the most profound battles of all.                                                                     The Adjustment Bureau is a beautiful reminder that plans can be rewritten when humans exercise their free will if  done with enough conviction. This is because free will isn’t really free if it isn’t fought for. And so the film is less about The Chairman’s plan for David and Elise, but rather the bountiful love and inner exertion with which they engage the plan. In this way, The Lover archetype awakens and transforms their struggle into a rich exploration of fate and destiny, and the very meaning of love and life itself. On that note, I’ll leave you with the final lines that Harry says to David:   Most people live life on the path we set for them, too afraid to explore any other. But once in a while people like you come along who knock down all the obstacles we put in your way. People who realize free will is a gift that you’ll never know how to use until you fight for it. I think that’s The Chairman’s real plan. That maybe one day, we won’t write the plan, you will. MythBlast authored by: Kristina Dryža  is an ex-futurist, author, TEDx speaker, archetypal consultant, one of the Joseph Campbell Foundation’s Editorial Advisory Group, and a steward for The Fifth Direction. Based between Australia and Lithuania, her work focuses less on the future and more on the unknown. Presence. Not prediction. What’s sacred? Not only what’s next. Kristina is passionate about helping people to perceive mythically and sense archetypally to better understand our shared humanity, yet honor the diverse ways we all live and make meaning. To learn more about Kristina, you can view her TEDx talk: Archetypes and Mythology. Why They Matter Even More So Today   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2o4PYNroZBY&t=525s This MythBlast was inspired by Creative Mythology and the archetype of The Lover . Latest Podcast Crispin Freeman is a renowned voice actor, director, and storyteller whose career has left a mark on the worlds of anime, video games, and animation. Beginning his journey as a theater actor in New York City, Freeman transitioned to voice acting in 1997 and quickly became a prominent figure in English-language dubs of Japanese anime. His performances have brought to life a wide range of complex and memorable characters, captivating audiences around the globe. In the conversation, JCF’s John Bucher joins Crispin to explore Crispin’s life and work, the history of animated storytelling in both the East and West, its connection to mythology, and the ways Joseph Campbell’s influence is woven into it all. Listen Here This Week's Highlights "Fate is a dimension that is not of your person. It’s transpersonal. You open up to something that is deeper than your own personal notion of yourself. Even though it’s you, it’s beyond what you know of yourself. It’s experience that’s coming to you." -- Joseph Campbell Myth and Meaning , 215 Kundalini Yoga: Solar & Lunar Energy Pathways (see more videos) Subscribe to the MythBlast Newsletter

The Lost King (2022) Warner Brothers Pictures The film The Lost King  (2022) tells the fictionalized story of a real woman who, inspired by Shakespeare’s fictionalized play Richard III , successfully led the discovery of the real remains of King Richard III of England. Although the movie includes no literal, living kings or queens, it revolves around the archetype of the Sovereign in the form of the historical Richard (Harry Lloyd) and an utterly charming, modern-day apparition of him visible only to the protagonist, Philippa (Sally Hawkins). But wait: Who is the Sovereign? For most of its history, the noun “sovereign” referred to someone who has power over others, such as political rulers, religious leaders, and even God, indicating the divine dimension of sovereignty. In 1783, however, a new definition came into being: “A citizen of the United States of America, considered after independence from Britain as having supreme authority in place of the monarch” (“Sovereign, N., Sense I.2.c.” Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford UP, June 2025, https://doi.org/10.1093/OED/5717858291 ). In creating a new country, the nation’s founders brought the archetype of the Sovereign down from on high. Sovereignty became accessible, if not yet to all, to many more than it was before. Through the image of Richard, who was once a king over others but now serves as a metaphor for Philippa’s inner authority, The Lost King  combines these two meanings of sovereignty, inner and outer, the same way it combines history and fiction to make something far more than the sum of its parts. Something mythic. The inner Sovereign’s jobs include making decisions for the short and long term, charting a course to help the realm blossom and thrive, and figuring out how to deliver on the soul’s goals. The Sovereign forms and dissolves alliances with other equal Sovereigns, managing borders and boundaries with wisdom and compassion. The Sovereign appears When The Lost King  begins, Philippa’s sense of personal sovereignty lies in tatters. Perpetually dismissed and devalued, she struggles with a chronic illness that consumes her energy. Her boss lies about her behind her back and passes her over for promotion. Her marriage has ended, and her two young sons alternately ignore her and regard her with dubious concern. Richard’s sovereignty is similarly damaged. Painted as a usurper and hunchback through centuries of propaganda, this former king of England was reduced to a footnote of evil in the historical record. But when Philippa attends a performance of Shakespeare’s play, she relates with Richard. She sees him as unjustly reviled due to physical differences that others fear and don’t understand. She suspects he wasn’t as awful as the play makes him out to be. And then something wonderful happens. Richard begins appearing to Philippa. As she goes about her daily routines, she sees the long-dead king as though in the flesh—as though alive—again and again. But this Richard is no sniveling villain. His features match the Richard in the play, but Philippa’s Richard stands straight and tall wearing a silken red tunic, robes lined with fur, black leather boots, and most of all, a golden crown. He embodies Philippa’s image of her inner sovereignty. Quiet and confident, Philippa’s Richard listens to her, makes eye contact with her, often with a wry, compassionate smile. At first, she sees him outside through windows when she’s indoors, suggesting his attributes are distant from hers. Before long, he appears indoors as well—her inner Sovereign has drawn closer. Then he speaks, and her personal sovereignty gains a voice. The inward quest for sovereignty Electrified by Richard’s presence in her life, Philippa sets off to find the physical remains of this maligned sovereign. At last, after her final confrontation with the archeologist she hired to lead the search for Richard’s resting place, when she refuses to be dismissed and instead insists on where she wants the work to focus, she goes for a walk to unwind. Richard appears to her again, this time riding a white steed and urging her to follow him back to site. Her sovereignty is now her guide, leading her from its full power. Sure enough, the team has found Richard’s bones under the asphalt crust of a paved parking lot that held him underground, held him in the underworld, for five long centuries. Philippa, similarly, did the deep work required to accomplish her quest. She demonstrates the two levels of the hero’s adventure Joseph Campbell describes: “The passage of the mythological hero may be over-ground, incidentally; fundamentally it is inward—into depths where obscure resistances are overcome, and long lost, forgotten powers are revivified” ( The Hero with a Thousand Faces , 22). Murky resistances, bested. Forgotten powers, brought back to life. These are the exact fruits of Philippa’s journey of connecting with and reclaiming her inner Sovereign. The Lost King  is about royalty and therefore sovereignty, but its only king is a figment of the imagination, like a recurring waking dream. Philippa’s psyche obligingly provides her with the image she needs to recover her dignity. And so, as she searches for Richard’s remains, she steps into her own strength, determination, passion, and courage. Together, she and Richard travel the soul’s road from dishonor and disrespect to honor and value.  The Sovereign is an image of your best self The Sovereign is the archetype of dignity, discernment, boldness, and respect for self and others. Sovereignty enables right action, right livelihood, and right relationship while protecting and providing for the inner realm. To relate with your inner Sovereign is neither to deny nor glorify these energies but instead to honor their capacities as the gifts of one archetype among many, the same way that in a nation of sovereign souls, each contributes their equal and unique powers to the flourishing of the whole.  Sovereignty enables right action, right livelihood, and right relationship while protecting and providing for the inner realm.  MythBlast authored by: Joanna Gardner, PhD , is a writer, mythologist, and magical realist focusing on creativity, goddesses, and wonder tales. She is the author of The Practice of Enchantment: MythBlast Essays, 2020-2024   and the lead author of Goddesses: A Skeleton Key Study Guide . Joanna serves as director of marketing and communications for the Joseph Campbell Foundation and as an adjunct professor in Pacifica Graduate Institute’s Mythological Studies program. She also co-founded and co-leads the Fates and Graces , hosting webinars and workshops for mythic readers and writers. For Joanna's updates and publications, you are most cordially invited to visit her website at joannagardner.com . This MythBlast was inspired by The Hero With a Thousand Faces and the archetype of The Sovereign. Latest Podcast This bonus episode, The Iliad and The Odyssey, was recorded at Sarah Lawrence College in 1956. It serves as a rich companion to our previous episode (41) on the same topic, recorded years later in 1971. In this earlier lecture, you’ll hear Joseph Campbell’s initial reflections on Homer and the epic Greek myths offering a fascinating glimpse into the evolution of his thought over time. Listen Here This Week's Highlights "The mind of Man, according to the deist view, has never been by any such “original sin” made so beclouded that it cannot come to a sufficient knowledge of God directly by way of reason. No special revelation to a chosen people is required, nor in fact has anything of the kind ever been delivered, according to this view. All peoples are capable of the knowledge of God—which is finally why the principle of democracy can be reasonably announced and proclaimed." -- Joseph Campbell Myth and Meaning , 191 Seeing Through the Symbol - Q&A See More Videos Subscribe to the MythBlast Newsletter

Bless Me, Ultima (2012) Gran Via Productions If you’ve spent time in New Mexico, you might know the spell the place casts. Mesas and mountains rest beneath a sky that stretches into the heart of forever. The air feels so thin it might break and let the gods pour through in all their blazing tumult. At night, the Milky Way sprays across heaven like glitter spilled upward, and owls hoo-hoo  deep in the dark. The land is home to the descendants of Indigenous people, Spanish colonizers, and later Anglo-American arrivals. Most of its stories will never be written, but one weaves these legacies together: the novel Bless Me, Ultima  by Rudolfo Anaya, upon which a movie of the same name is based. Innocence meets wisdom Bless Me, Ultima  (2012) is about a boy named Antonio who lives in rural New Mexico in the 1940s. The story begins with the arrival at Antonio’s house of an elder—a wise woman curandera , or folk healer, named Ultima, who midwifed the births of Antonio and his siblings. In gratitude for her help, Antonio’s family welcomes her into their home to live out her days.  When Antonio meets Ultima his life changes forever. The film captures this moment with haunting music and a close-up of Antonio’s awe-struck expression (2:17) but the book describes his full experience:  She took my hand, and I felt the power of a whirlwind sweep around me. Her eyes swept the surrounding hills and through them I saw for the first time the wild beauty of our hills and the magic of the green river … The four directions of the llano met in me, and the white sun shone on my soul. The granules of sand at my feet and the sun and sky above me seemed to dissolve into one strange, complete being. (Anaya 10-11) Clearly in this story, wisdom is sacred, even mystical. From this spiritual moment of union, Antonio goes on to navigate many opposing forces of disunion. His father’s vaquero , or cowboy, background contrasts with his mother’s farming heritage. The Spanish culture of his home collides with the English ways he learns at school. Most of all, he confronts two differing approaches to the sacred: an enclosed church ruled by an Anglo father-priest who focuses on control, and Ultima’s knowing acceptance of all that is, from the church, to the open land peopled with plants and animals, to the forces of fear that seek to destroy her.   wisdom is sacred, even mystical. The ways of the Wise One When Ultima arrives at Antonio’s house, so does her owl—a symbol of wisdom—with whose soul her own is bonded, showing the shamanic aspect of her powers. She teaches Antonio “to listen to the mystery of the living earth” (14:43). She tells him stories of his people, assures him the “smallest bit of good can stand against all the powers of evil in the world” (25:03). She says that “destiny must unfold itself like a flower with only the sun, earth, and water making it blossom” (1:22:53). Her wisdom educates Antonio’s soul with earth-centered images and moral strength. Ultima embodies the Wise One archetype. Hers is the wisdom of wonder and myth, the same wisdom Joseph Campbell refers to when he describes myth as “the final terms of wisdom—that is the wisdom of the deep mysteries of life” ( Goddesses: Mysteries of the Feminine Divine , 15).  Ultima serves those life mysteries directly in her role as a healer. When someone is sick or wounded, she offers all her skills and knowledge. When a threat imperils an innocent, she places her tiny body between danger and the endangered. She treats trauma and curses as well as physical ailments. How does she accomplish these wonders? As Antonio’s father says: “Ultima has sympathy for people, and it is so complete that with it she can touch their souls and cure them—” “That is her magic—” [Antonio replies.] “Ay, and no greater magic can exist.” (1:27:38) Ultima’s sympathy creates connections where there seemed to be divisions. Wisdom’s power, then, flows through those connections from a wellspring of compassion and empathy.  Like the owl, wisdom can see what others don’t. Wisdom heals. Wisdom teaches. Wisdom listens and effects change. Wisdom is brave and generous. Wisdom recognizes hatred and works to neutralize it. Wisdom is simple but not simplistic. Wisdom’s intelligence embraces mind, body, soul, and earth. Wisdom appears in women. Wisdom blesses.  When wisdom speaks  While writing Bless Me, Ultima , Rudolfo Anaya struggled to craft the story, until one night, he reports in this remarkable account, he “felt something” behind him: I turned and there was this woman, older woman, dressed in dark. And she asked me what I was doing. And I said I’m writing a story about Antonio, about my childhood. And she said, “Well, you’re never going to get it right unless you put me in it.” … And so then I asked her, “Well, what’s your name?” She said, “Ultima.” And that was the inspiration that changed the novel completely.… Her spirit was now in it, and I had to go deeper into that world of the Shaman, of spirituality, of conflicts of the soul that Antonio has to solve . ( NEA Art Works Podcast, Sep 30, 2010 ) Guided by Ultima’s wisdom and inspiration, Antonio’s story arises from the center of those “conflicts of the soul.” Antonio and Ultima, however, have no conflict. An unshakeable bond unites them, even though they are young and old, male and female, innocent and wise. This love enables Antonio to occupy a place of witnessing the conflicts around him rather than reacting to them, allowing them to become available for Anaya’s creative work of storytelling.  I have heard the call of an owl fill the dark blue air of a New Mexican night, but that land is not mine. And yet because Anaya listened to Ultima and wrote this exquisite book, I know the land far better than I could have otherwise. The same way Ultima loved the land and conveyed that love to Anaya, he passed that feeling on in the story. Ultima’s blessing, then, is wisdom’s radical acceptance, the connections that flow from it, and the story that has allowed so many people to experience those sacred gifts. MythBlast authored by: Joanna Gardner, PhD , is a writer, mythologist, and magical realist focusing on creativity, goddesses, and wonder tales. She is the author of The Practice of Enchantment: MythBlast Essays, 2020-2024   and the lead author of Goddesses: A Skeleton Key Study Guide . Joanna serves as director of marketing and communications for the Joseph Campbell Foundation and as adjunct professor in Pacifica Graduate Institute’s Mythological Studies program. She also co-founded and co-leads the Fates and Graces , hosting webinars and workshops for mythic readers and writers. For Joanna's updates and additional publications, you are most cordially invited to visit her website at joannagardner.com . This MythBlast was inspired by Goddesses: Mysteries of the Feminine Divine and the archetype of The Wise One. Latest Podcast In this episode, we welcome Maria Souza - Comparative Mythologist, poet, educator, and host of the Women and Mythology podcast on the Joseph Campbell Foundation’s MythMaker Podcast Network. Maria’s work bridges myth, ecology, and the sacred. With advanced degrees in Comparative Mythology and Ecology & Spirituality—and years working in the Brazilian Amazon with Indigenous communities—she brings a unique and powerful perspective to the relevance of myth in our lives today. Her book Wild Daughters explores feminine initiation through myth and poetry, and her workshops and mentorships help women reclaim archetypal wisdom and sovereignty through mythic storytelling.In this rich conversation with JCF’s Joanna Gardner, Maria reflects on her journey, the deep initiatory stories of the feminine, and how myth can be a living, healing force for our time. Find our more about Maria at https://www.womenandmythology.com/ Listen Here This Week's Highlights "When a wise old man wants to learn something, he always goes to a wise old woman. " -- Joseph Campbell "The Male and Female Journey" L0828 Audio Discussion (March, 1987) The Virgin Birth See More Videos Subscribe to the MythBlast Newsletter

Wonder Woman (2017) Warner Brothers Pictures Spinning and spinning, I hoped that I, too, would transform into Wonder Woman . Lynda Carter’s portrayal of the character in the television series from 1975 to 1979 is etched into my two-year-old psyche. Her armbands still come to mind when I seek protection, and the memory of her transformative spin emerges when life calls me to step into my power, my sovereignty. Amazon by birth, and in some retellings, a demigod, Wonder Woman holds sovereignty as her birthright. In her 2017 cinematic depiction in Wonder Woman , her nemesis, Ares, is also sovereign; however, they each depict differing ways of exercising the power they hold. * The following content contains spoilers. A tale of two Sovereigns Long before she becomes known as Wonder Woman, young Diana’s sovereign spirit shines forth. She slips away from school to watch the Amazons spar, trains in secret with her aunt despite her mother’s disapproval, and ultimately leaves her island home against her mother’s wishes. When she learns that the human world is at war and many are suffering, she feels compelled to act. As she boards the boat to enter the human world, her mother asks her to stay. But Diana, standing tall in her integrity, replies, “Who will I be if I stay?” (00:37:17). Her sovereignty lies not just in her power, but in her unwavering commitment to live in alignment with her calling—to protect humanity, no matter the cost. We then witness Diana enter London in the midst of World War I. The Amazon begins to draw attention, which unnerves Captain Steve Trevor, a spy who has offered to take her to the front lines of the war and is attempting to go unnoticed. He tries to mold her to fit in, to not draw attention, but the world doesn’t need Diana to fit; it needs her strength and power. Diana’s singular purpose is to find Ares. Akin to the Greek deity after which he is patterned, Ares is the god of war. He sows strife amongst humans because he finds them weak, cruel, and capable of the greatest horrors (01:49:46). They do not deserve the world they’ve been given. As a god, Ares is also sovereign. Yet while Diana seeks to create a safe world where humanity can live and thrive, Ares aims to eradicate human life altogether. He uses his power to oppress and destroy and is uncompromising in his ability to see only evil in human beings. Ares is a shadow sovereign. The Sovereign archetype embodies power and the expression of the vital energies of life in the world. Thus, the Sovereign can use their power to enliven or extinguish life, use their authority to help create a stable world where others can grow, or become authoritarian, controlling, and life-suppressing. Wonder Woman  depicts both aspects of the Sovereign archetype, and we as viewers are able to see how the world responds. Stepping into power Diana enters the heat of battle with Steve and their motley crew, who herd her along, attempting to protect her. Still, all she can see is human suffering. Her rage rises, and Steve tries to explain, “This is no man’s land, Diana. It means no man can cross it. This battalion has been here for nearly a year, and they’ve barely gained an inch … This is not something you can cross. It’s not possible … We can’t save everyone in this war. This is not what we came here to do” (01:13:18). Yet the suffering stirs something within her. Diana seems to stand at a crossroads. She can continue to allow others to tell her what to do, or she can act on her inner knowing, her inner sovereignty. The pain that surrounds her galvanizes her sacred duty to protect humanity, and she steps into her power. She loosens her hair, places her Aunt’s Amazonian diadem, a symbol of sovereignty, upon her head, and responds: “No, but it’s what I am going to do” (01:13:47). Emerging from the trench in full Amazon regalia, Diana embodies the Sovereign. She takes the battlefield that no man could cross—not to conquer, but to restore. Her actions are precise and clear, she destroys the weapons, not those who wield them, and then presses forward to liberate the village. She gives orders, and the motley crew complies. They recognize her power, trust her strength, and stand by her vision of prosperity for all. When the dust settles in the village, she rises from the ruins of the town church where the steeple once stood—a vision of light amid the desolation of war. With authority born to enliven the vital energies of life in the world, her aggression serves the well-being of the collective, and her destruction is aimed only towards those who take life from the world. Her righteous fury is not driven by dominance, but by a call to heal humanity. In the realm of Diana’s authority, life emerges. We hear laughter and joy. The motley crew starts to share their dreams, that before the war, they wanted to be actors, musicians, and artists. People begin to dance, and Diana asks, “Is this what people do when there are no wars to fight?” (01:26:44). The town is living again. Diana’s sovereignty has caused a ripple effect, even if it is a bubble in time, for dreamers to dream and hope to spring forth. The Sovereign allows for the creative energy of the universe to emerge. The Sovereign allows for the creative energy of the universe to emerge. Fierce love As a child, Diana was taught that protecting humanity was her sacred duty. Humans, she learned, are just and wise, strong and passionate, but war has the power to corrupt them (00:06:00). Thus, stopping the god of war is Diana’s primary goal. But her optimistic vision of peace built upon these stories has yet to grasp the complexities of humankind. And though she frees the village, by the next evening, it is destroyed in another attack. She is confronted by the depths of human cruelty and loses heart in her purpose. In her ongoing battle with Ares, she witnesses Steve sacrificing himself for the greater cause. His final words echo through her: “I can save today, you can save the world. I love you” (02:03:08). As she loses him and hears his words in her head, in her heart , something ancient and unwavering stirs within her. When Ares scoffs, “They do not deserve your protection” (02:04:46), Diana responds: “It’s not about deserve, it is about what you believe. And I believe in love” (2:04:51). She once again gains strength and resolve from her inner sovereignty, and a fierce love emerges as she decides to protect humanity, not because it is perfect, but because loving is sacred. The Sovereign’s gift Diana destroys Ares. As the smoke dissipates, the sun rises, and those around her stir as if they awaken from a nightmare. Hope renews, but it is infused with sorrow. Wish as she might, Diana can’t destroy  war; she can’t save humans from themselves. In The Hero with A Thousand Faces , Joseph Campbell explains that “the work of the hero is to slay the [tyrant ogre] and release from its ban the vital energies that will feed the universe” (303). The life-force is released from the bonds of tyranny. And yet, the hero, the redeemer, is always also capable of becoming the tyrant. The sovereign can heal or harm, for “this is the wisdom of the end (and rebeginning) of the world.” The capability to create and destroy remains within us all. After the harrowing ordeal, Diana begins to grasp this unsettling truth. She is no longer under the delusion that she alone can stop war. These archetypal energies are bigger than even she, a sovereign demi-god. The movie ends with Diana explaining this self-awareness: “I used to want to save the world, to end war and bring peace to mankind, but then I glimpsed the darkness that lies within their light and learned that inside every one of them there will always be both— a choice each must make for themselves . Something no hero will ever defeat. And now I know that only love can truly save the world. So I stay, I fight, and I give—for the world I know can be.” (02:09:12) The Sovereign's gift to the world is not only power and life,  but sovereignty itself . She gives others the stability and resources to choose their own paths, to hold power and authority in their own lives, a safe space that allows creativity to flourish, for inhabitants to grow into the fullest version of themselves. What we do with that power is our choice . Still, giving of ourselves to help create the world we know can exist seems like a worthy goal. Perhaps it is no surprise that the United Nations named Wonder Woman  an “Honorary Ambassador for the Empowerment of Women and Girls.” She has remained with me for a lifetime. Her heroic powers seeding wonder in me as a child, mirroring the fierce love of the feminine sovereign to me as an adult, and demonstrating the unwavering courage required to live my dreams for the world, not my fears. MythBlast authored by: Stephanie Zajchowski, PhD  is a mythologist and writer based in Texas. She serves as the Director of Operations for the Joseph Campbell Foundation and is a contributing author of Goddesses: A Skeleton Key Study Guide. Stephanie is also a co-founder of the Fates and Graces, hosting webinars and workshops for mythic readers and writers. Her work focuses on the intersection of mythology, religion, and women’s studies. For more information, visit stephaniezajchowski.com This MythBlast was inspired by The Hero With a Thousand Faces and the archetype of The Sovereign. Latest Podcast In this episode of The Podcast With a Thousand Faces, we’re joined by Maureen Murdock - author, psychotherapist, educator, and a groundbreaking voice in the world of myth and memoir. Maureen is best known for her influential book The Heroine’s Journey: Woman’s Quest for Wholeness, written in response to Joseph Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Maureen had a personal and professional relationship with Campbell and it was through their dialogue that her vision of the feminine mythic path began to take shape. Her newest work, Mythmaking: Self-Discovery and the Timeless Art of Memoir, invites us to explore how our personal stories echo ancient archetypes and how writing can become a transformative act of reclaiming the self. In this conversation with host John Bucher, we explore the evolution of the heroine’s journey, Maureen’s reflections on Campbell’s legacy, and how myth and memoir together can help us find meaning in the chaos of change. Listen Here This Week's Highlights "The goddess is red with the fire of life; the earth, the solar system, the galaxies of far-extending space all swell within her womb. For she is the world creatrix, ever mother, ever virgin. She encompasses the encompassing, nourishes the nourishing, and is the life of everything that lives. She is also the death of everything that dies. The whole round of existence is accomplished within her sway, from birth, through adolescence, maturity, and senescence, to the grave. She is the womb and the tomb." -- Joseph Campbell The Hero With a Thousand Faces, 95 - 96 The Hero with a Thousand Faces See More Videos Subscribe to the MythBlast Newsletter

Wicked (2024) Universal Pictures In a sparse room that smells of antiseptic and efficiency, the Physician’s Assistant asks me a litany of questions, marking down numbers and checking off boxes while she collects the data points that determine where I land on the health chart. Once complete, I dare to ask a question of my own: “It feels like my body is changing. Things are off; like something is wrong with me. I’m 48. Should I be doing anything about menopause?” Her response is direct: “We don’t offer hormone replacement therapy.” I take a deep breath, “Okay,” and push further, “but can you tell me where I am, maybe, so I can do some research?” I can sense the desperation in my own eyes. “I will see what I can do,” she offers, though I am not sure where that leaves me. I’m not sick, not really, but I’m not exactly well either. I can feel I am crossing a threshold that requires something of me. But I don’t really know what that is. Leaving with more questions than answers–is this what healing looks like? Learning to fly In the movie adaptation of the musical Wicked , Elphaba also feels like something is wrong with her. Shunned by those around her and even her own father because she is astonishingly green, Elphaba struggles to find her place in a society that adores sameness and simplicity. She seeks healing for her perceived affliction from the Wizard of Oz, whose reputation boasts of his all-knowing ability to fix anything. Through a series of serendipitous events, Elphaba finds herself attending university with her sister. The university separates her from her society, which shunned her, and exposes her to others seeking knowledge, or at least pretending to do so. Although those around her continue to fear her differences, Elphaba learns how powerful she is under the tutelage of Madame Morrible. Her abnormal greenness is tied to her incredible magical powers, and she begins to recognize that what she is attempting to suppress–what she thought was wrong with her–might actually be her greatest gift. Seeking to control her power, the Wizard summons her to Oz and offers to “fix” her greenness–he offers to heal her. But during her time of self-discovery at the university, something shifts in Elphaba. And as the pressure from the Wizard builds, she hesitates to accept his offer. Her friend Glinda tries to convince her, “What you've worked and waited for, you can have all you ever wanted,” yet her response questions this desire: “I know, but I don't want it, no, I can't want it anymore. Something has changed within me. Something is not the same. I'm through with playing by the rules of someone else's game” (2:17). And in this moment, Elphaba’s perspective of herself changes. She embraces her magnificent power, defies the Wizard’s attempts to control her, and sings that it is time to “trust my instincts, close my eyes and leap.” Taking a leap of faith, she falls, and in her free fall, she sees herself as a young girl; she reaches for that child and saves herself as she takes flight. Her external circumstances haven’t changed; everyone around her continues to fear her, but Elphaba changes. She finds her own healing within herself. Awakening our curative potentialities In Goddesses: Mysteries of the Feminine Divine , Joseph Campbell describes the healing rituals held at the temple of Asclepius, the Greek god of healing. While Asclepius represented all aspects of health, such as diet, exercise, and medicine, the Asclepian temple of Epidaurus explored a deeper sense of healing. Protected from the outside world, the temple provided a sacred space surrounded by beauty where patients could meditate, pray, and then sleep in the sanctuary in a receptive state in order to receive a healing dream. Those seeking cures believed that the trek to the sanctuary and separation from daily life awakened the “curative potentialities” within the patient's psyche (123). As Campbell explains, “The whole function of the Epidaurian experience was to awaken the healing power in ourselves and bring about a psychosomatic cure” (123). Healing was not only biological, but also holistic. Rather than something that happened to you through a prescription or procedure, the patient worked to co-create their own cure. The Healer archetype has long represented the vital role of healing in human society. Throughout history, seekers have searched for healing in various forms, from bathing in sacred springs to magical cures to the advancement of modern medicine. The archetype reflects our yearning for some reprieve from our own unique version of the human condition, our enduring hope for restoration. The gift in the affliction The depth of the Asclepian healing experience lies in the fact that we each carry the Healer archetype within us, with its capacity to hold the complexities of all aspects of healing – all that encompasses “the vitality of spiritual consciousness in the life of the world” as Campbell states in Goddesses (120). There are, of course, external needs for health, medicine, and wellness, but healing, as Campbell describes it, is more than numbers and charts. By its nature, such healing expands to encompass the multitude of human experiences within the field of time, with its ongoing evolution. For Elphaba, her powers expand beyond the boundaries of what is deemed acceptable to the society around her. Her healing journey is one of depth, a psychological shift of self-acceptance that allows her to see the gifts in what has been considered her affliction, to push against society’s limits and step into the power she has always held. The depth of the Asclepian healing experience lies in the fact that we each carry the Healer archetype within us Elphaba inspires me to consider that perhaps what I am trying to “fix” in myself might actually be exactly what is needed for the next chapter within my unique journey in the field of time. Instead of trying to fit things into the way they were before, perhaps holistic healing involves allowing these symptoms to summon the Healer archetype from within, initiating the psychological shift necessary to cross this new threshold. Embracing change means seeing the “affliction” of menopause as a gift, an awakening to a deeper sense of healing. MythBlast authored by: Stephanie Zajchowski, PhD  is a mythologist and writer based in Texas. She serves as the Director of Operations for the Joseph Campbell Foundation and is a contributing author of Goddesses: A Skeleton Key Study Guide. Stephanie is also a co-founder of the Fates and Graces, hosting webinars and workshops for mythic readers and writers. Her work focuses on the intersection of mythology, religion, and women’s studies. For more information, visit stephaniezajchowski.com This MythBlast was inspired by Goddesses: Mysteries of the Feminine Divine and the archetype of The Healer. Latest Podcast In this episode, we welcome Maria Souza - Comparative Mythologist, poet, educator, and host of the Women and Mythology podcast on the Joseph Campbell Foundation’s MythMaker Podcast Network. Maria’s work bridges myth, ecology, and the sacred. With advanced degrees in Comparative Mythology and Ecology & Spirituality—and years working in the Brazilian Amazon with Indigenous communities—she brings a unique and powerful perspective to the relevance of myth in our lives today. Her book Wild Daughters explores feminine initiation through myth and poetry, and her workshops and mentorships help women reclaim archetypal wisdom and sovereignty through mythic storytelling.In this rich conversation with JCF’s Joanna Gardner, Maria reflects on her journey, the deep initiatory stories of the feminine, and how myth can be a living, healing force for our time. Find our more about Maria at https://www.womenandmythology.com/ Listen Here This Week's Highlights "Asclepius’s great temple at Epidaurus was a sanatorium to which people went for health cures. Now, how was healing handled at Epidaurus? It was a great and gloriously beautiful sanctuary of harmony and beauty that included dormitories, temples, and parks. The individual would come to the sanctuary and meditate and pray under the instruction of the priest but would then go to sleep and dream in the sanctuary of the god, and in the dream the healing power would appear.” -- Joseph Campbell Goddesses: Mysteries of the Feminine Divine , 121 Jung, Pedagogy, and Projection of the Shadow See More Videos Subscribe to the MythBlast Newsletter

Invictus  (2009) Warner Brothers It's only when a man tames his own demons that he becomes the king of himself, if not of the world. Joseph Campbell, quoted by Bill Moyers  in conversation with Maurice Sendak As we enter into the month of July in this year’s MythBlast series, we turn to filmic expressions of the archetype of the Sovereign (occasionally called the Ruler or sometimes split into the binary of the King and Queen). While certainly this archetype appears in many societal structures—families, businesses, religious institutions—its presence in politics often garners the most attention. Because a political sovereign can influence all those affiliations mentioned (and more), it evokes more fascination and fear regarding its manifestations in the world. I have chosen to explore the 2009 film Invictus , a movie that I believe both speaks to the current political state of the world and is instructive across time and geopolitics because its archetypal resonances transcend the setting of the story. Moreover, it can address the inner Sovereign within us all, no matter what our relation to power is in the outer world. Sovereign or tyrant? The story of Invictus  follows the unlikely alliance between black South African president Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman) and Francois Pienaar (Matt Damon), the white captain of the South African rugby team known as the Springboks. When the nation elects Mandela as president, he faces more than just the problems of his country’s poverty and crime; he also understands that he must confront the pressure stemming from many of his fellow black South Africans’ desire for retributive justice against their white Afrikaner neighbors after years of oppression. In other words, Mandela is feeling hard-pressed to embody the Tyrant variant of the Sovereign archetype–a role which would certainly not embrace the almost all-white Springbok team.Robert Moore and Douglas Gillette, in their book King, Warrior, Magician, Lover , outline the attributes of mature Ruler archetypal energy.  It stabilizes chaotic emotion and out-of-control behaviors. It gives stability and centeredness … It looks upon the world with a firm but kindly eye. It sees others in all their weakness and in all their talent and worth. It honors them and promotes them. It guides them and nurtures them toward their own fullness of being. (62)  This, the noblest function of the Sovereign, is able to bring balance and order to seemingly oppositional forces that would each seek just to overcome each other. Defying the expectations of the more vengeance-minded within his country, Mandela convinces the South African Sports Committee to keep the Springboks intact in a powerful speech: Our enemy is no longer the Afrikaner. They are our fellow South Africans, our partners in democracy. And they treasure Springbok rugby. If we take that away, we lose them. We prove that we are what they feared we would be. We have to be better than that. We have to surprise them with compassion, with restraint and generosity; … You elected me your leader. Let me lead you now. Mandela here expresses some of the high attributes of the Sovereign archetype, strategic in his use of power towards the ends of “taming the demons,” as Campbell points out in the epigraph above. But the origin of Mandela’s nobility as a leader in the outer world began with his journey into inner sovereignty.  the Sovereign, is able to bring balance and order to seemingly oppositional forces that would each seek just to overcome each other. Soul sovereignty When Mandela meets with Pienaar to reveal his plan to make the Springboks the symbol of political unity, Pienaar is shocked. He appreciates the support and belief in the team’s ability to win the upcoming World Cup (hosted in South Africa), and yet he questions how Mandela can show such “restraint and generosity.” So Pineaar arranges for the entire rugby team to visit Robben Island, the site of eighteen of Mandela’s twenty-seven years of imprisonment. The words of the poem  “Invictus,” written in 1875 by William Ernest Henley–words which served as inspiration for Mandela during his incarceration–now echo through Pienaar’s mind: “I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul.” Pienaar begins to realize that Mandela, through his “ Long Walk to Freedom ,” first gained sovereignty within, a captaincy of his own soul (both the light and dark aspects). This kind of freedom transcends politics; it emanates from the soul, thus it can be found in all kinds of worldly situations. The state of inner sovereignty is not about “mastery” in the most oppressive sense. Indeed, Henry David Thoreau commented in Walden , “It is hard to have a Southern overseer; it is worse to have a Northern one; but worst of all when you are the slave-driver of yourself” (11). Self-mastery is more akin to the fluid capability of a dancer to move freely, to occupy whatever positionality serves the best in the moment. Joseph Campbell addressed both the idea of the Sovereign and this concept of freedom in the final two stages of the hero’s journey, the Master of the Two Worlds and Freedom to Live. He observes, “Freedom to pass back and forth across the world division … is the talent of the master. The Cosmic Dancer, declares Nietzche, does not rest heavily in a single spot, but gaily, lightly, turns and leaps from one position to another” ( The Hero with a Thousand Faces , 196). To many, Mandela’s dance between the two political sides of his country felt puzzling, but it simply embodied an outward expression of his own completed hero’s journey from prisoner to president. While one may already know the outcome of the 1995 World Cup, the real story-behind-the-story as told in Invictus  is that of two Sovereigns–one of an entire country, one of a rugby team–who work together to epitomize the mastery of two worlds in a symbolic but powerful way. Moore and Gillette remark that the Sovereign archetype is “the energy that seeks peace and stability, orderly growth and nurturing for all people ” (62, emphasis added). Whether through the inner work of integrating all of our own soul’s qualities, or through the outer work of exerting whatever power we have towards those ends, we all can embody the Sovereign, with the principles of these two people as guiding examples. MythBlast authored by: Scott Neumeister, PhD  is a literary scholar, author, TEDx speaker, mythic pathfinder and Editor of the MythBlast series from Tampa, Florida, where he earned his PhD in English from the University of South Florida in 2018. His specialization in multiethnic American literature and mythology comes after careers as an information technology systems engineer and a teacher of English and mythology at the middle school and college levels. Scott coauthored Let Love Lead: On a Course to Freedom with Gary L. Lemons and Susie Hoeller, and he has served as a facilitator for the Joseph Campbell Foundation’s Myth and Meaning book club at Literati. This MythBlast was inspired by The Hero With a Thousand Faces and the archetype of The Sovereign. Latest Podcast This lecture was recorded at Sarah Lawrence College in 1971, Campbell’s final year of teaching there. In this episode, he delves into Homer’s epic, The Odyssey, framing it through the lens of the Hero’s Adventure. With insight and depth, Campbell explores the myth’s historical roots and its enduring power as a metaphor for the journey of life. Host Brad Olson introduces the lecture and returns at the end with closing reflections. Listen Here This Week's Highlights "Freedom to pass back and forth across the world division . . . is the talent of the master. The Cosmic Dancer, declares Nietzsche, does not rest heavily in one spot, but gaily, lightly, leaps from one position to another. It is possible to speak from only one point at a time, but that does not invalidate the insights of the rest." -- Joseph Campbell The Hero With a Thousand Faces, 196 A New Mythology - The Planet See More Videos Subscribe to the MythBlast Newsletter