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Pathways with Joseph Campbell

Pathways with Joseph Campbell

Joseph Campbell Foundation 101 episodes Latest Jun 2, 2026

An official podcast of the Joseph Campbell Foundation and the MythMaker Podcast Network that unearths little-heard talks from Joseph Campbell and examines their context and meaning. Hosted by Brad Olson, PhD.

Episodes

EP 49: Myth & The Body Jun 2, 2026 01:25:28 Welcome to Season 6 of Pathways with Joseph Campbell. Whether you’ve been listening from the very beginning or are just discovering the podcast, we’re glad you’re here. This new season continues our journey into the archived lectures and enduring insights of Joseph Campbell, exploring the ways myth continues to shape the human experience across time, culture, psychology, and spiritual life. In thi
Bonus: Maya and the Mask of the Divine Feb 17, 2026 00:47:34 Recorded in 1966 at Sarah Lawrence College, this lecture follows Joseph Campbell through the symbolic ascent of Kundalini yoga - moving from instinct and desire at the base of the spine to the awakening of the heart, where the sacred syllable OM is heard as the vibration of being itself. The chakras become a psychological and spiritual map: religion begins, Campbell suggests, when fulfillment is n
EP 48: The Vitality of Myth Feb 3, 2026 01:28:22 In this episode called “The Vitality of Myth,” recorded at the Cooper Union in 1973, Joseph Campbell explores why modern life feels spiritually thin and psychologically unmoored. Campbell argues that myths lose their vitality when they are treated as literal history rather than symbolic language pointing to inner, psychological truth. When living myth collapses, the bridge between consciousness an
Bonus: Archetypes of the Christ Legend Jan 20, 2026 01:04:40 In this bonus episode, "Archetypes of the Christ Legend", recorded at Mann Ranch in 1971, Joseph Campbell explores the Christ story not as literal history but as mythic revelation. Tracing shared archetypes across Buddhism, Mithraism, Hinduism, and Judaism, Campbell reveals how motifs like the virgin birth, the cave, exile, the threatened child, and the tyrant king express a universal pattern of s
EP 47: Mythology & Folklore Jan 6, 2026 01:22:18 In this 1966 lecture recorded at the Cooper Union, Joseph Campbell presents mythology as humanity’s oldest response to the awareness of death and selfhood. Across cultures, myth arises not as history but as symbolic language - shaped by shared human concerns about mortality, belonging, and the mystery of existence. While societies differ, the core mythic themes remain constant, revealing a common
Bonus: The Gods of Egypt Dec 16, 2025 00:26:32 Recorded in 1963 for WNET-TV New York, this rare lecture features Joseph Campbell guiding us through the long, layered emergence of The Gods of Egypt, tracing how five millennia of cultural mingling—from Paleolithic hunters to Neolithic farmers to Near Eastern migrants—slowly shaped the myths that would define Egyptian civilization. Campbell follows the evolution of sacred animals, mother-goddess
EP 46: Symbols of the Christian Faith Dec 2, 2025 01:25:41 In this episode of Pathways with Joseph Campbell, we explore Campbell’s 1976 lecture Symbols of the Christian Faith, where he examines how the great motifs of Christianity - creation, fall, redemption, virgin birth, resurrection - are not literal events to be defended but universal metaphors meant to open us to the mystery of being. Campbell shows how these symbols appear across cultures, pointing
Bonus: The Shaman and the Priest Nov 18, 2025 00:26:48 In this bonus lecture from Campbell’s WNDT TV days in the early 1960's, The Shaman and the Priest, he contrasts two ancient spiritual lineages: the lone visionary who gains power through ordeal, and the priest who serves the continuity of the community. Moving from Paleolithic hunters to Pueblo rituals, he shows how these twin archetypes shape cultures—and the inner life of each of us. Pathways wi
EP 45: Dead Sea Scrolls / No God but God Nov 4, 2025 01:20:10 In this episode, we present audio from two rare televised lectures from Joseph Campbell’s early public-broadcast career - Dead Sea Scrolls and No God but God - originally aired on WNDT in New York in the early 1960s.In these archival recordings, Campbell traces humanity’s spiritual crossroads — from Paleolithic caves and Near Eastern temples to the Essene community at Qumran and the dawn of apocal
Bonus: Psychological Implications of Mythology (Part 2 ) Oct 21, 2025 00:58:37 In this bonus episode, The Psychological Implications of Mythology (Part 2), we continue Joseph Campbell’s exploration of depth psychology—moving from Freud and Adler into the profound insights of Carl Jung. Campbell examines how myth reflects the inner structure of the psyche, tracing the journey from childhood dependency to the mature process Jung called individuation. Along the way, he explores
EP 44: Early Europe and the Celtic Tradition Oct 7, 2025 01:24:45 In this episode of Pathways called “Early Europe and the Celtic Tradition,” we travel back to Joseph Campbell’s 1970 lecture at Sarah Lawrence College, where he traces the mythic roots of Europe - from Paleolithic cave art and goddess-centered societies to the rise of Celtic and Arthurian legend. He explores how the meeting of matriarchal and patriarchal traditions shaped the spiritual imagination
Bonus: Psychological Implications of Mythology (Part 1 ) Sep 16, 2025 00:57:11 In this bonus episode, Joseph Campbell speaks about the psychological implications of mythology. Recorded at the Cooper Union Forum in 1963, this lecture is part one of a two-part series. Campbell explores how myth functions as a system of “energy-releasing signs,” drawing on examples from animal instinct, human development, and psychological theory. He connects myth to the imprinting of archetypa

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