Customer Reviews

The Experience of God

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This second set is, in my opinion, more interesting than than vol 1. His lectures on chakras and the tibetan book of the dead or just wonderful stuff. Too bad the JC foundation has no lectures of his perseptions of james Joyce on film or video [they do have a good book however] but his A Skeleton Key to Finnegans Wake: Unlocking James Joyce's Masterwork ranks as one of the finest "translations" on that tome and the last volumn of the Masks of God is incredable. You will not be dissapointed in this series and since less than a year ago the set was going for as high as 100.00, its a bargan!! Susan Saraden does an good job in her seques. This is not the place to blab about JC and his thoughts but I find that I go back and watch this series often and hear something new as I grow through the stages of my life- a constant source of thought provoking and inspiration and a remarkable look at human consciousness. If you have an open mind, this will expand it.

I first encountered Joseph Campbell on the PBS series The Power of Myth with Bill Moyers in 1988, as did many people. I was questioning my protestant upbringing and that series was like a thunderbolt coming out of the blue for me. What impressed me the most with The Power of Myth was the reaction of Moyers, a longtime Baptist minister, to Campbell's analysis. He was at first shocked, then disbelieving and finally accepting of Campbell's views. Unfortunately that DVD is no longer in print, but I still have the book.
The Mythos DVD set is a series of lectures given just before Campbell's death. Mythos I is a good introduction to mythology, but Mythos II gets right to the heart of comparative religion.
Campbell's main point is that religious ideas are valuable as myth, but when they are turned into doctrines they are harmful. For example, when Christian fundamentalists deny Darwin and evolution because the bible says the Earth was created in 6 days, they are turning a myth into doctrine and in the process are denying the best scientific theory we have. As myth the creation story is valuable, but as doctrine it is a disaster.
In Mythos II Campbell examines Buddhism and Hinduism in depth and compares them with Judaism, Christianity, and other religions. This is a set, released last year in HD, that is worth watching many times.

As I watch this very engaging group of lectures, I am amazed at how much Joseph Campbell brings to his subjects that is of his own experience. For example, his lectures on Kundalini Yoga are, as far as I know, unique and unprecedented. I went back and read Sir John Woodroffe's classic works on Tantra and Kundalini Yoga, and nowhere in those texts is there the symbolic and psychological understanding and elucidation that Campbell exhibits in his discussion, all of which is so valuable to Western individuals. He does this by referring to our Western systems and correlating them appropriately with some of the major aspects of the Indian experience-system. This comparative method sheds enormous light on what perhaps would otherwise be a very cryptic and obscure set philosophical ideas. Even Carl Jung in his seminar on this topic did not achieve the sort of comprehensive point of reference that Campbell does. So we ought to appreciate Campbell's contribution to Western spiritual development, for a highly understandable, accessible and meaningful translation of Eastern ideas. All the lectures in this series are packed with his experience-based insights, and therefore I strongly recommend this DVD set.

I love Joseph Campbell. I didn't give this DVD 5 stars mainly because I found the constant intrusion by Susan Sarandon to be extremely annoying. I'm assuming it's the script she is reading, but she comes across as very condescending. It would be a much much better video without her.

This ia an outstanding compilation of mythological concepts that explore the very nature of our own humanity.

I have to concur with other reviewers - I found Campbell's lecture very interesting, but the interludes by Susan Sarandon were just plain annoying.

Campbell's lecture was unscripted and "off the cuff", but years of oration shows in a compelling delivery. Susan's sounded liked she was reading a children's book to the viewer.

Perhaps the producers thought they needed to "dumb-down" the content while featuring some celebrity talent to help sell the video.

Nothing against Susan Sarandon, people! A lovely lady and a fine actress. But her inclusion in this video seemed awkward and unnecessary to me.

Joseph's material continues to delight and inform - this is a brilliant recording of the master.

It is no secret the impact Joesph Campbell's work had on his listeners. He was an artistic storyteller; a talent humanly revered and required. Through MYTHOS II Campbell weaves all religions/philosophies together in order to provide the viewer not with instruction, but with doorways to discover their own spiritualism. As Mark Twain consistently directed; everyone should develop his or her own religion. Through MYTHOS I & II the viewer is walked through multiple philosophies, their development and how to develop one's own.Thought stimuli are vital to human spiritual development and Mr. Campbell provided the tour through space and time. Not once does he impose his informative lectures, but instead opens the flower of possibilities one petal at a time. For me it was Campbell's books that spontaneously combusted my spiritual catharsis that had been in the developing process for many moons. In conjunction with a plethora of writers and artists I methodically developed through fiction NOT "The Hero With a Thousand Faces" but 'The HEROINE with Multiple Countenances' in my 4 novels guaranteed to charge a new and improved attitude:
Hear the Calliope: A sentimental journey on the Earth Ride
Legacy: Let the games begin (Volume 2)
Reason Void of Reason: Spirituality Honeymoon Style (Volume 3)
BREATHE: Noumenon (Volume 4)

El producto es muy bueno, tiene mucho material bueno aunque debería tener subtitulos en español (el ingles es algo rápido y aveces no se entiendo mucho.