General Class Information April thru December 2008...

A 9 month study course applying the work and wisdom of Joseph Campbell and his primary influences to the living of modern life. According to the author James Joyce, “Radiance” occurs when the object points beyond itself to illuminate the universe. Let your own life be a mirror of illumination. Come step into the Radiance of your own being!!! Joseph Campbel l was one of the 20th centurys formost authorities on world mythology and religion. (1904-1987).

September 20, 10:00am - 12:00noon

PRESENTATION... Follow your Bliss!!! Living your authentic life. Bringing back the Boon-Drawing upon the thinking of Campbell, Carl Jung, Karlfried Gras von Durkheim, Rudolf Steiner, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Friedrich Nietzsche and others, we will learn to harness the power of Active Thinking and Imaginative Participation/Observation in order to live the life that satisfies our full potential.

October 18, 10:00am - 12:00noon

PRESENTATION... The Mythic Image; Archetypal art as a spiritual journey. Carl Jung-“There is a thinking in primordial images, in symbols, which are older than the historical man, which are inborn in him from the earliest times, and eternally living; outlasting all generations that still make up the groundwork of the human psyche. It is only possible to live the fullest life when we are in harmony with these symbols and wisdom consists in a return to them.” A picture says a thousand words and Joseph repeatedly said that the mythic image is of the utmost importance in re-connecting to and re-integrating with the energies of our own life. I have asked my good friend and national award-winning artist Nancy Wanha P.S.A. to give a presentation on her work as an archetypal artist. She will share the dynamics of her art and we will surely gain a better understanding of the words of W.B.Yeats when he declared; ““The arts, I believe, are about to take upon their shoulders the burdens which have fallen on the shoulders of priests.”

November 15, 10:00am - 12:00noon

PRESENTATION... Alchemical wisdom from a wordless book: An introduction to Alchemy through the mythic image. The 17th century “Mutus Libre” is an enigmatic offering of 15 highly symbolic plates that describe the process of the “great work,” the recipe for the philosopher’s stone. Alchemy, long understood to be the process of turning base metal into gold has been long misunderstood. Throughout history and cross culturally gold has symbolized purity, incorruptibility and immortality. According to many of the highest Western adepts of Alchemy the process of turning base metal into gold was only one aspect of the work. The truly “great work” was the ability to take what was learned in the distillation process and apply it directly to your own life, turning the “lead” of your instinctual nature into the refined “gold” of spiritual life. The prize to be won, the secret to be discovered, was not after death in some far off heaven, but right here and now based on the merits of your own hard work and self-discovery. Please come and help us crack the Cosmic Egg in our pursuit of transmutation through the western alchemical and mystical traditions!

December 20, 10:00am - 12:00noon

PRESENTATION... Presentation: Building a Personal Mythology, Tools of Integration and Transformation. In mid-life, Carl Jung arrived at a point where he felt that he could no longer move forward until he discovered exactly what myth he was living. He came to the realization that his life would remain fragmented until he empowered himself to envision and integrate the energies that were at work in his own psyche (in other words, to develop the ability to raise unconscious programming to conscious awareness). Two of the tools that he used to set about this task were the mandala and the major arcana (greater mysteries) of the Tarot. Joe was very inspired by Jung’s work in this area and he spent a great deal of time studying the cross-cultural manifestations of the mandala and the psychological functioning of the Tarot deck. Finally, to wrap up the course, we will take a look at these two powerfully expansive tools in the hope that we will not only learn to identify, but also empower ourselves to integrate the myths that we are currently living to arrive at a new level of conscious awareness.

"Quotes" by Joseph Campbell...

Follow your bliss.

The heroic life is living the individual adventure.

There is no security in following the call to adventure.

Nothing is exciting if you know what the outcome is going to be.

To refuse the call means stagnation.

What you don’t experience positively you will experience negatively.

You enter the forest at the darkest point, where there is no path. Where there is a way or path, it is someone else’s path. You are not on your own path. If you follow someone else’s way, you are not going to realize your own potential.

The goal of the hero trip down to the jewel point is to find those levels in the psyche that open, open, open, and finally open to the mystery of your Self being Buddha consciousness or the Christ. That’s the journey.

It is all about finding that still point in your mind where commitment drops away.

The goal is to live with godlike composure on the full rush of energy, like Dionysus riding the leopard, without being torn to pieces. A bit of advice given to a young Native American at the time of his initiation: “As you go the way of life, you will see a great chasm. Jump! It is not as wide as you think.”