Pathways to Bliss: Mythology and Personal Transformation

Features

• Cover Type: Hard Cover with 224 pages
• Published by: New World Library October 26, 2004
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 1577314719
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-1577314714
• Book Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Weighs: 12.8 ounces

Reader Reviews
I am drawn to Pathways to Bliss because it is very much "practical Campbell," focusing directly on the wisdom that myth presents pertaining to our individual lives. "Pathways" offers practical observations for life based on Joseph Campbell's study of mythology. I find "Pathways" a delightful read. Campbell's's voice is fresh, his words full of wit and wisdom - definitely has more of an intimate feel than some of his heavily referenced scholastic tomes. There is no mincing of words, either - Campbell makes very clear that ancient myths remain guideposts for our individual lives today - if we know how to read them ... as in the following passage: "Now all of these myths that you have heard and that resonate with you, those are the elements from round about that you are building into a form in your life. The thing worth considering is how they relate to each other in your context, not how they relate to something out there - how they were relevant on the North American praires or in the Asian jungles hundreds of years ago, but how they are relevant now - unless by contemplating their former meaning you can begin to amplify your own understanding of the role they play in your life." Here Campbell makes clear that his books aren't just for armchair scholars, as he brings mythology out of the Academy and into the street ... which is indeed unnerving for many in specialized disciplines. They might study myth, but to apply patterns discovered therein to one's own life carries the same stigma as an "objective" anthropologist "gone native." For Campbell, though, the same elements of story that power myth remain active in our lives today. Of course, another reason i enjoy Pathways is that David Kudler has done a wonderful job of stitching together these lectures into one seamless whole - far from easy to do. The result, though, should not only appeal to the Campbell afficionado, but will also serve as an excellent introduction for those new to the work of this original thinker. Comment | | (Report this)