What is a god? A god is a personification of a motivating power of a value system that functions in human life and in the universe. Joseph Campbell More Quotes by Joseph Campbell More Quotes From Joseph Campbell It may be a species of impudence to think that the way you understand God is the way God is. (60). Joseph Campbell god inspirational thinking Essentially, mythologies are enormous poems that are renditions of insights, giving some sense of the marvel, the miracle and wonder of life. Joseph Campbell miracle giving life Whether you call someone a hero or a monster is all relative to where the focus of your consciousness may be. Joseph Campbell focus hero monsters For those in whom a local mythology still works, there is an experience both of accord with the social order, and of harmony with the universe. For those, however, in whom the authorized signs no longer work-or, if working, produce deviant effects-there follows inevitably a sense both of dissociation from the local social nexus and of quest, within and without, for life, which the brain will take to be for 'meaning'. Joseph Campbell quests brain order He who thinks he knows, doesn't know. He who knows that he doesn't know, knows. Joseph Campbell ignorance knowledge thinking The adventure evoked a quality of his character that he didn't know he possessed. Joseph Campbell positive inspirational life The privilege of a lifetime is beingwho you are.The goal of the hero tripdown to the jewel pointis to find those levels in the psychethat open, open, openand finally open to the mystery of your Selfbeing Buddha consciousnessor the Christ.That's the journey. Joseph Campbell journey jewels hero If we fix on the old, we get stuck. Joseph Campbell stuck ifs Every religion, every mythology is true in this sense: It is true as metaphorical of the human and cosmic mystery. Joseph Campbell metaphorical mystery religion The images of Myth are reflections of Spiritual and Depth potentialities of every one of us. Through contemplating those we evoke those powers in our own lives to operate through ourselves. Joseph Campbell depth reflection spiritual Heroism is a matter of integrity--beco ming more and more at each step ourselves. Joseph Campbell heroism matter integrity Within the field of a secular society, which is a sort of neutral frame that allows individuals to develop their own lives, so long as they don't annoy their neighbors too much, each of us has an individual myth that's driving us, which we may or may not know. Joseph Campbell secular-society may long If you realize what the real problem is-losing yourself-you realize that this itself is the ultimate trial. Joseph Campbell real losing trials It is not only that there is no hiding place for the gods from the searching telescope and microscope; there is no such society any more as the gods once supported. Joseph Campbell telescopes microscopes hiding One of our problems today is that we are not well acquainted with the literature of the spirit. We re interested in the news of the day and the problems of the hour. Joseph Campbell news literature today Life is without meaning. You bring the meaning to it. Joseph Campbell what-is-the-meaning-of-life cancer life-is Each of us has capacities. The real trick is knowing the machinery of the boat in which you are crossing the channel. Joseph Campbell boat knowing real What the artist must render is a living moment somehow, a living moment actually in action or an inward experience. Joseph Campbell inward artist inspirational There is a God inside my PC. An Old-Testament God with lots of arbitrary rules and utterly no mercy. Joseph Campbell arbitrary old-testament mercy Sometimes the serpent is represented as a circle eating its own tail. That’s an image of life. Life sheds one generation after another, to be born again. The serpent represents immortal energy and consciousness engaged in the field of time, constantly throwing off death and being born again. There is something tremendously terrifying about life when you look at it that way. And so the serpent carries in itself the sense of both the fascination and the terror of life. Joseph Campbell generations circles tails