Joseph Campbell on Reincarnation

Joseph Campbell, was the world’s foremost authority on mythology, a preeminent scholar, writer, and teacher, and his works had a lasting and profound effect on millions. Many of us came to know Joseph Campbell when the PBS television series of six interviews of him by Bill Moyers aired.

For those not familiar with Joseph Campbell’s mythological writings or teachings may be familiar with this well known quote of his, one of my favorites:

“Follow your bliss!”

In The Power of Myth book, with transcripts of the interviews, in the chapter, The Journey Inward, Bill Moyers asks, “And what does the idea of reincarnation suggest?”

Joseph Campbell replies, “It suggests that you are more than you think you are. There are dimensions of your being and a potential for realization and consciousness that are not included in your concept of yourself. Your life is much deeper and broader than you conceive it to be here. What you are living is but a fractional inkling of what is really within you, what gives you life, breadth, and depth. But you can live in terms of that depth. And when you experience it, you suddenly see that all the religions are talking of that.”

He had so much to say that it is difficult to share only a small portion of his words. This is also another of my favorite quotes of his, and it has been valuable in my life several times: “We must be willing to get rid of the life we planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us.”

Campbell began his teaching career at Sara Lawrence College in 1934 and taught there for nearly forty years. He died in 1987, at the age of eighty-three. Two of his classics are The Hero With a Thousand Faces and The Masks of the Gods.

The Power of Myth DVD at Amazon





~Linda

Mystical Changes

From my book, Whispers From the Soul: The Divine Dance of Consciousness by Don and Linda Pendleton:

Do we know what kind of changes are taking place within us, moment to moment? Do we feel that we have control over those changes–so that we may make the decision, “This change would be good but that one would not.”

So, is it sometimes good to change, sometimes not so good?

Do we really wish to change the self or are we more interested in changing someone else?

Changing the “other fellow” seems to be the more common desire–but all true change must occur within the self–in the way it came for astronaut Edgar Mitchell and his “peak experience” after which he never again saw this world as he had known it before.

Joseph Campbell defines it this way. “The peak experience refers to actual moments of your life when you experience your relationship to the harmony of being.”

What is it that all of us need to “change” in order to feel that sense of oneness and an intimate relationship with the divine? In a word, attitude. There is no need to change our clothes, our occupation, our religion, our politics–or anything else other than the mental attitude. It has become a cliche of sorts to say of someone that he/she has an “attitude” problem. We have “attitude adjustment” hours at local bistros in recognition of the usual stress and strains commonly experienced in our every day lives. Of course, there is no need to take refuge in alcohol if our attitude is healthy all the time.

For all of us, a mere change of attitude can be the most healing experience–and maybe we can even achieve a “peak” if we ever learn to do it right. A neurosis is characterized by a stubborn resistance to change. In the rapidly changing world of today, it may be very healthy for all of us to accommodate change in a realistic way, to strive for resilience of attitudes and to merely relax a little when the tempo of our world seems to be getting a bit uncomfortable. We might take some small comfort from the wisdom of Heraclitus who remarked many centuries ago, “There is nothing permanent except change.”

It is those mystical experiences that leave an impact on us, often deep enough to be life changing.

Have you had a life-altering mystical experience or experiences?


Carolyn Myss is a medical intutitive and a best-selling author. Her latest book is DEFY GRAVITY: Healing Beyond the Bounds of Reason.





~Linda

Famous Quotations of Wisdom

"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you have imagined.” ~ Henry David Thoreau, Poet, Transcendentalist, (1817-1862)

"Live each moment completely and the future will take care of itself. Fully enjoy the wonder and beauty of each moment." ~Paramahansa Yogananda, Spiritual Teacher, (1893-1952)

“The moment you have in your heart this extraordinary thing called love and feel the depth, the delight, the ecstasy of it, you will discover that for you the world is transformed.” ~Jiddu Krishnamurti, Spiritual Philosopher, Author, (1895-1986)

“Dreams are today's answers to tomorrow's questions.” ~ Edgar Cayce, American psychic, Reincarnationist, (1877-1945)

“Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors where there were only walls.” ~Joseph Campbell, Teacher, Author, (1904-1987)

“To understand the heart and mind of a person, look not at what he has already achieved, but at what he aspires to.” ~Kahlil Gibran, Poet, Artist, Writer, (1883-1931)

~Linda

Rose Photograph, Copyright by Linda Pendleton.

Contact With Spirit and Mystical Peak Experiences

“There is another reality enfolding ours—as close as our breath!”
~Don Pendleton (1927-1995)

I believe many spiritual experiences can be labeled peak or mystical. And that includes contact with spirit, whether spontaneous or by choice. Any contact or communication can be awe-inspiring, confirming, healing, unifying. Realizing that one is not alone and that there is a connection to the Divine is empowering. Accepting that we are all spiritual beings, whether in the physical body as a spiritual being, or on the Other Side as a spiritual being – we are all one and the same.

When we begin to acknowledge that we are connected to one another, to the Divine, we have laid the groundwork to sharpen our higher spiritual sense. We are powerful transmitters and receivers. If we learn to think of spirit communication as an exchange of energy, a radio signal, or an open telephone line, it becomes a normal event, and there is nothing paranormal about it. I personally like Joseph Campbell’s explanation of a peak experience as the moments in our lives when we experience our “relationship to the harmony of being.”

~ Linda