Welcome Spirit Launchers to the Hero Series! I had a calling to start this series out of the blue as I was thinking of a way to describe the premise of my website to someone who was questioning what it was about. My intentional spiritual journey began about a year and a half ago. I wanted to get closer to my Divine. I took a job as a nurse with hospice in order to have my questions answered. Not only were the questions being answered, I was introduced to teacher after teacher in the field of wisdom. So this series is to present to you, my spiritual teachers, or heroes as I call them. I define a hero as someone who within their own enlightenment, influences someone to step out of their own darkness and into their own light. I am so excited to introduce to you, the hero in Joseph Campbell.
Joseph Campbell was introduced to me last November. I had never heard his name and knew nothing about his work, but in an instant, a miracle, his words gave me the keys to living within my own purpose. I came to find out that although his passing was in 1987, his work, his very legacy, still lives on and is lived and breathed by countless many.
Joseph Campbell was born in New York City in 1904. His accomplishments ranged from teaching, writing and the study of mythology and how it relates to real life. From a young child, he read about the American Indian cultures and frequently visited the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Through mythology, Joseph discovered a common theme, a pattern within the heroic journey. As he explains in his book, Pathways To Bliss, "Your bliss can guide you to that transcendent mystery, because bliss is the welling up of the energy of the transcendent wisdom within you. So when the bliss cuts off, you know that you've cut off the welling up; try to find it again. And that will be your Hermes guide, the dog that can follow the invisible trail for you. And that's the way it is. One works out one's own myth that way."
My introduction to Joseph Campbell was through two of his quotes. Each one filled my heart with overwhelming emotion due to the fact that his teaching within these quotes were exactly what I needed to hear at exactly the right time. The first quote was, "Follow your bliss." This quote in particular led me to the understanding that within each of us we possess gifts. Those gifts are essentials to the world and Universe functioning optimally. If we sit back and hide our gifts, we have the feeling of discontent and unsettledness. However, if we follow our bliss, life unfolds to us in perfect order. And our Divine smiles within us, fully.
The second quote, "The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are," made me weep as soon as I heard it. I realized at that moment that I was made a perfect being from a loving source. I didn't need to change who it is that I was. I needed to just be who it is that I am. I had spent my entire life, fighting myself and all of the differences I was trying to hide in order to fit in and be loved and accepted. The reason I didn't feel loved and accepted was because I wasn't loving and accepting of myself. In an instant, Mr. Campbell's words performed a miracle within my own heart that I will always carry with me wherever I go.
In that very moment he gave me the keys to life. The world opened up to me in ways I could have never imagined. In a sense, this was where my spiritual journey took flight. I realized that the key to enlightenment and fulfillment in life was to embrace and accept the gifts given within each of us. No matter how different they may be to someone or everyone else. Without my participation, there creates a hole in the Universe's whole, that cannot be filled by anyone but me. And this key goes for everyone because we are all "the chosen ones" carrying a particular gift waiting to be shared with the world.
Other gifts given to me is the collection of interviews that were produced by Bill Moyers that aired in 1988, called, The Power of Myth. The question and answer series defined Campbell's passion for the connection between myth and living. I also own his book Pathways to Bliss, Mythology and Personal Transformation. The life lessons and connections possessed within these creations were absolute saviors to me.
Although I am saddened that I will never be able to personally thank Joseph Campbell for the gifts he has given me, I can honor him by following my bliss in my everyday life. I hope that everyone who reads this article who is on the search for the hero within, will explore the miraculousness that is Joseph Campbell and his contributions of wisdom to the world.
For more information on Joseph Campbell and his work go to http://www.jcf.org/new/index.php?categoryid=31 . All information on Joseph Campbell in this article are sited from, www.jcf.org.
As always with love,
Jennifer
©2013 Jennifer Fremion. All rights reserved.
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