In this final installment of The Occidental Tradition, recorded during Joseph Campbell’s 1973 visit to the Blaisdell Institute, Campbell turns toward the role of myth, symbol, and ritual in modern Western life.
In a wide-ranging and conversational exchange, Campbell explores the symbolic traditions embedded in Christianity, art, American history, and even the imagery of the dollar bill. He reflects on the gradual disappearance of shared ritual in modern culture, the enduring human need for ceremonies of belonging and transformation, and what can happen when that need is left without meaningful forms.
From the funeral of John F. Kennedy and the rituals of political life to football games, protest movements, religious imagery, and the work of artists and visionaries, Campbell argues that our symbolic inheritance has not entirely disappeared. The symbols, he suggests, are still all around us—we have simply forgotten how to see them.
In his closing commentary, host Bradley Olson considers what it means to live among the remnants of older symbolic worlds, and whether myth can still help us give form to the mysteries of death, grief, love, belonging, and the experience of being alive.
Pathways with Joseph Campbell is hosted by Brad Olson, PhD and is a production of the Joseph Campbell Foundation. It is produced by Tyler Lapkin. Executive Producer, Joanna Gardner. Editing and audio services by Tristan Batt.
For more information on the MythMaker Podcast Network and Joseph Campbell, visit JCF.org.
All music exclusively provided by APM Music (apmmusic.com)
