Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth with Bill Moyers

Bill Moyers and mythologist Joseph Campbell begin their groundbreaking and timeless conversation with an exploration of the consistent and enduring hero patterns in literature, real life and even the Star Wars films. Campbell also encourages the audience to view parts of their own lives as heroic journeys.

Bill and Joseph compare creation myths from the Bible and elsewhere, and talk about how religions and mythologies need to change with time in order to maintain their relevance in peoples’ lives.

Bill and Joseph discuss the importance of accepting death as rebirth as in the myth of the buffalo and the story of Christ, rites of passage in primitive societies, the role of mystical Shamans and the decline of ritual in today’s society.

Bill and Joseph discuss the role of sacrifice in myth -- including a mother’s sacrifice for her child -- and the need for all of us to find our sacred places in the midst of today’s fast-paced world.

Joseph and Bill discuss the mythology of love -- from kāma to agape to courtly romance -- and the role of the female as the giver of life and form.

Bill and Joseph discuss commonalities in every culture that create a need for God, and the symbolism of circles in life and literature.