Dr. Bower’s presentation is called “The Heart of the Hero: How Superhero Movies are Re-Imagining the Hero’s Quest Story”
Joseph Campbell tells us in The Hero With a Thousand Faces that once a hero has faced all his trials and succeeded in completing his quest, he can earn the boon of being loved by the feminine, as represented by the Princess—a vague figure who represents “the goddess who is incarnate in every woman . . . mother, sister, mistress, bride.” She is all women, not an individual in her own right.
Marie-Louise von Franz warns us that feminine figures in folk and fairy tales and myths are usually “not a woman’s idea of femininity but rather what Jung called the anima,” and so represent the psychology of men. When Campbell’s hero wakes the sleeping woman, he is awakening his own feminine side that he has suppressed. But awakened or not, he still projects it onto someone else. The feminine remains Other while the hero perceives love as coming from outside him, a gift bestowed on him. He is passive, receiving; love is not something he does.
And yet the archetype of the hero is all about doing!
Our modern myth-making modalities of comic books, film, and television are redressing this issue in origin stories about superheroes. In the new version, love is no longer a reward given to the hero—or the heroine, for modern female superheroes follow a similar story arc—after the quest is finished. Instead, the climactic moment often hinges on the heroic person’s ability to draw upon their innate capacity for love.
In her presentation, cultural mythologist Jody Gentian Bower looks at the origin stories of superheroes, including Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Starlord, Diana the Wonder Woman, Captain Marvel, Jake Sully, and Harry Potter, as examples of this new version of the hero whose greatest power comes from the heart.
About Dr. Bower
Jody Gentian Bower is a cultural mythologist who earned her PhD in Mythological Studies with a Depth Psychology Emphasis from Pacifica Graduate Institute in 2013. She is the author of Jane Eyre’s Sisters: How Women Live and Write the Heroine Story (Quest 2015), based on her dissertation about how women (and some men) have been telling a similar story about female protagonists in novels since the 15th century. She also wrote The Princess Powers Up: Watching the Sleeping Beauties Become Warrior Goddesses (Mandorla 2020), which traces the evolution of fantasy heroines over the last century. She lectures and leads workshops on hero/heroine journeys and blogs about popular culture on jodybower.com.
Dr. Bodsworth’s presentation is called “In Pursuit of Love: the Female Hero’s Journey in Irish Mythology”
In Irish mythological tales such as Tóruigheacht Dhiarmada Agus Ghráinne: (The Pursuit of Diarmaid and Gráinne) and Longes mac nUislenn (The Exile of the Sons of Uisliu), when the woman is led by her heart and, in turn, leads a man away from his social roles and responsibilities, the social fabric is undone and tragedy follows in her wake.
In this paper, I examine how the trajectory of the female protagonist in these tales deviates from the traditional pattern of the male hero’s journey as elucidated firstly by Joseph Campbell and which was later developed as a framing tool for creating contemporary myths. Feminist scholars such as Maureen Murdock and Susan Lichtman responded to Campbell by developing gynocentric models that aligned with storytelling for women but were ideological rather than reflective of established mythological patterns. I propose a very different model that considers the female hero’s journey in the context of the social-cultural function of mythology as antagonistic to a female hero. The female hero is one who persists in following her heart to arrive at a place which, ultimately, results in positive change for the community, whether it is welcomed or not.
About Dr. Bodsworth
Roxanne Bodsworth is a poet, celebrant and farmer living in Bpangerang country, Australia. She is an adjunct researcher with Charles Sturt University and achieved her PhD at Victoria University in 2020 with a feminist reconstruction of Irish mythology in prosimetric form. Her poetry has been published in several journals under the pen-name of ‘Therese,’ including The Incompleteness Book II and Lockdown Poetry. She is widely published in a range of genres, including articles in the peer-reviewed Mythlore and the conference proceedings of Sydney University’s Prophecy, Fate and Memory in the Early Medieval Celtic World (2020).
John’s talk is called “Second Sinai: How Covid-19 Fulfills Campbell’s Fourth Function of Myth”
In former times, civilization was held to principles expressed in foundational myths. As mythology relaxes its grip on our post-Copernican imaginations, a plague has intervened to exercise the same function. Indeed, as I see it, Covid-19 fulfills Joseph Campbell’s fourth function of mythology, the teaching function, the function which integrates the individual to a society.
The fourth function is the psychological force pulling us into community and even nationhood. It has been operant throughout human history: We knew, if we were Pacific Coast Saanish People, that the salmon must be propitiated with song and prayer, otherwise, they might not come back next year. Egyptians knew that the human heart would be weighed against a feather and good deeds must outnumber the bad deeds. If not, the soul would be devoured, consumed at once by a monster. This accountability held the people’s feet to the fire throughout life. In my experience, the behavior of Catholics is a calendar-driven thing of beauty, fasting here, celebrating there and, in accordance with the understanding that a certain hell awaits transgressors, the myth kept us in line, modified us, and above all, identified us. Fourth function, all.
These myths are dying. Egyptians stopped building pyramids a long time ago. Salmon still return to the Pacific Northwest but with a lot less ritualistic fanfare. Catholics, increasingly, think of hell as something more or less symbolic, a not too subtle reminder to be decent. And now, I suggest we have arrived at the Second Sinai moment. Only this time, everyone is invited to the party. Every is called to join with the “Chosen People.” In fact, some will elect not to. The Second Sinai is about two things: The recognition of nature over the patriarchal God, and the behavior modifications expected of us in the light of our subordination to this awesome and greater power.
In the second part of my presentation, I rehearse some of the foundational statements of our ecopsychological community and come to the inescapable conclusion that Covid-19 has a psychic autonomy and has interjected itself in human history with precise intention just as Elohim’s intervention at Sinai had a precise intention. In both cases, we witness the birth of a new consciousness and of a new people.
And, if we are not too busy dancing around the golden calf, we may find we may find we’re part of it.
About John
After a successful career as a television writer in the 1970’s and ’80s with such credits as M*A*S*H and Maude, John’s interest in story became increasingly academic. He transitioned to a new field, with a master’s degree in Conducting, then earned a PhD in Mythology from Pacifica Graduate Institute. His lectures on mythobiogenesis continue to attract interested academics in several fields. More information can be found on his website: johnbonaduce.com.
In this panel, Maile Kaku, Orpheus Black, and Marcene Gandolfo address the question, how does myth comment on the possibility of an ecological society where diverse voices and traditions all have space to flourish?
Maile Kaku will present on “Hawaiian Akua: Laka as Living Myth, Science and Ecological Awareness”
The Hawaiian word akua is usually translated by the English word “god.” This is misleading. It compels us to see the Hawaiian akua through Western eyes—that is, as supernatural or divine beings. However, in the Hawaiian cosmovision, the akua are not so much “beings” as “doings,” less nouns than verbs. They are the energies of the earth and sky, the active, ongoing processes of nature. Becoming aware of these akua and their (inter)actions is ecological consciousness par excellence.
Maile’s talk will focus on the akua Laka, known in modern terms as the “goddess of the forest.” Laka’s realm expresses the interconnective energies that sustain us all as living beings. Her divine powers are indeed the very stuff of science. Through the prism of this akua, we will see how the sacred, the mythological, the scientific and the ecological are all interwoven.
Indigenous ways of interbeing-with-the-world have always been deeply rooted in ecological knowledge and practice. Seeing the environment as an ecosphere of living myth and nature through non-Western eyes incites us to self-reflexively question our own ways of viewing and engaging with not only the world but mythology itself.
About Maile
Maile Kaku is on a twisting-turning never-ending learning journey and is grateful to all of the teachers who have nurtured and continue to nurture this wondrous journey. She has lived abroad most of her life, worked as a documentary translator and traveled the world. She holds a French postgraduate degree in Histoire et Sémiologie du Texte et de l'Image from the Université de Paris-Diderot and is currently a doctoral candidate in Mythological Studies at Pacifica Graduate Institute. Maile is also an ongoing learner in the Ulu Ka ‘Ōhiʻa Hula-Consciousness Seminar as well as a dancer and teacher of hula with Hālau Hula O Mānoa, the only traditional school of Hawaiian dance in France. She divides her time between Honolulu, Hawai’i, and Paris, France.
Orpheus Black will present on “The Missing Myth: The Abduction of the Afro Cultural Unconscious”
Myths and stories are soul-making and speak to cultures about origins and creation. Without mythology, a given group of people may be devoid of archetypes that model survival, familial narratives, and a cultural understanding of self and community, along with the roles that one may play in the wider global lens and the cosmos.
The culture of the African-American has been deprived of inclusion in the collective unconscious, namely with regards to the development and cultivation of culture-specific archetypes. Sustained exposure to the forces of colonization included an intentional archetypal erasure, and this played a major role in the disappearance of these narratives among the African-American population. The mythological and archetypal narratives most cultures adopt as their foundation were deleted from the indigenous African population enslaved into the Americas.
We may consider a multitude of other cultures, such as the Greeks, who have created identifiable archetypes and mythologies that give them reference to who they are as a people. The Greek archetypes are synonymous with who they believe themselves to be. These ancient narratives continue to inform a population and culture to the present day. This cultural isolation would become a type of imprisonment for groups such as African-Amerians who, through colonization, had their stories of who they were as a people ripped from their consciousness.
Joseph Campbell’s “Hero with a Thousand Faces” addresses the idea that many cultures share the same hero archetype. Juxtapose these cultures that share a mytho-poetic narrative with one devoid of the hero archetype. It is difficult for the average individual living in the U.S. to name a single hero from African-American history. Consequently, it is difficult for the communities in possession of a hero archetype representation to empathize with the community lacking this connection.
Without mythology, a group of people may be devoid of the cultural unconscious that seeks to produce archetypes. I will discuss the consequences of the African-American population deprived of its mythological inheritance. I aim to guide an exploration of a relevant contemporary phenomenon and propose practices to move forward into a cultural mythos unique to our time, our place, and our people.
About Orpheus
Orpheus Black is a Los Angeles-based public speaker, teacher, thought leader, and somatic visionary who specializes in the application of ancient wisdom in modern day settings. With a helpful practice steeped in spirituality and intimacy, Orpheus is a living bridge between healthy sex and enlightenment. Through a balanced integration of Afro-Buddhism, psycho-sensuality, and Taoist teachings inherent in his martial arts practice, his light-hearted lessons have become sought after internationally, even as counsel to the experts in his field.
Orpheus aims to propel the intellectual and sensual evolution of masculinity both by challenging men to reconnect with its roots and by inviting them to embrace manhood in its fullness, the way strong modern men wish it to be. In this role, he shares insights, offers tools, and speaks against societal norms of shame and repression. He does it all with the earnestness of a therapist, the knowledge of a guru, and the charisma of a stage performer.
Marcene Gandolfo will present on “Ecofeminism and Contemporary Native American Poetry: Linda Hogan’s Mythopoetic Vision”
Native American poet Linda Hogan asserts that mythical narratives depict “the deepest, innermost cultural stories of our human journeys toward spiritual and psychological growth.” Hogan’s poems manifest as contemporary myths, which derive images, themes, and narratives from traditional Native American mythologies and unite the quest for ecological sustainability to the desire for physical and emotional healing and balance. Inspired by ecofeminist theory, Hogan’s work recognizes the connection between the exploitation and degradation of the natural world and the subordination and oppression of women. Hence, Hogan’s poems seek to restore harmonies between the archetypal feminine and the earth.
This presentation explores ecofeminist themes in Hogan’s poetry and includes a close reading of Hogan’s poem “Hunger,” which maps the journey of European fishermen, as they hunt dolphins and sail toward a Native American settlement. Throughout the poem, Hogan creates a juxtaposition between the dolphins and the Native American women that the fishermen violate and subjugate. The poem explores the hunger that compels colonialism, misogyny, and brutality toward the natural world; however, it also explores mythic themes of forgiveness, restoration, and healing.
About Marcene
Marcene Gandolfo’s poems have been published widely in literary journals, including Poet Lore, Bellingham Review, december, and RHINO. In 2014, her debut book, Angles of Departure, won Foreword Reviews’ Silver Award for Poetry. She has taught writing and literature at several northern California colleges and universities. Marcene is currently a PhD candidate in Comparative Mythology at Pacifica Graduate Institute. Her dissertation explores mythological resonances in the poems of Brigit Pegeen Kelly.
This panel will address “The Myth of the Body and the Body of Myth”
The ancient connection between the body and the stories that humankind has crafted around the body’s functions, purpose, and capabilities has been a key theme in mythological narratives for thousands of years. Healing, both physical and psychological, has been approached through forms ranging from rituals to mindful practices. In this panel, leaders from the Joseph Campbell Foundation will be in conversation with each other and with Renda Dionne Madrigal, PhD, a Turtle Mountain Chippewa clinical psychologist, around Campbell’s ideas concerning myth and healing, as well as practices from the cultures and traditions he studied, including those of First Nations people.
Renda is a Turtle Mountain Chippewa clinical psychologist and UCLA certified mindfulness facilitator. Featured on the cover of Mindful magazine in 2018, her workshops on Mindful Families, Storytelling as Healing, and Theatre of the Oppressed are popular nationally in the United States. She has over 20 years of experience creating and directing evidence-based family and child programs for better health. She regularly incorporates storytelling, writing, and mindfulness into her work. Her new book, The Mindful Family Guidebook, is available from Penguin/Random House.
Bradley Olson, Phd, MythBlast Series Editor at the Joseph Campbell Foundation
Brad is currently a psychotherapist in private practice at Mountain Waves Healing Arts in Flagstaff, Arizona. His work with clients is heavily influenced by his interest in Jungian analytical psychology and mythological studies. Brad is also the author of the acclaimed Falstaff Was My Tutor blog, which earned him a nomination for the 2012 Pushcart Prize in nonfiction.
Robert Walter, President of the Joseph Campbell Foundation
In 1979, Bob began work with Joseph Campbell on several projects, including Campbell’s multivolume Historical Atlas of World Mythology, for which Bob became editorial director. As Campbell’s literary executor, following the famed mythologist’s death in 1987, Bob completed and supervised the posthumous publication of the Historical Atlas. In 1990, when Bob and Joseph Campbell’s widow, Jean Erdman, together with his family and close friends, founded the Joseph Campbell Foundation (JCF), Bob was named vice president and executive director. He was appointed JCF president in 1998. He has spoken internationally about the connections between myth and healing.
This panel will be moderated by Joanna Gardner, PhD, Senior Editor on the Editorial Advisory Group at the Joseph Campbell Foundation.
Leaders from the Joseph Campbell Foundation will offer a presentation outlining a brief history of the work of the organization, exciting future endeavors, and how Mythologium attendees can be a part of collaborating with JCF. The panel will include Bradley Olson, JCF MythBlast Editor; John Bucher, JCF Content Curator; and Joanna Gardner, JCF Senior Editor.
The Foundation’s mission revolves around preserving, protecting, and perpetuating Joseph Campbell’s mythic vision. A global community of artists, scholars, writers, educators, and questers, the organization endeavors to create and promote conversations and work in mythology and comparative religion.
About Bradley
Bradley Olson, Ph.D., is a former police officer who returned to school to earn a Bachelor’s degree in psychology and literature, two Master’s degrees in psychology, and a Ph.D. in Cultural Mythology. Dr. Olson is currently a psychotherapist in private practice at Mountain Waves Healing Arts in Flagstaff, Arizona; his work with clients is heavily influenced by his interest in Jungian Analytical Psychology and Mythological Studies. Brad is also the author of the acclaimed Falstaff Was My Tutor blog, which has earned him a nomination for the 2012 Pushcart Prize in nonfiction.
About John
John Bucher, PhD. is the Content Curator for the Joseph Campbell Foundation. He is a strategist, communicator, and cultural mythologist based out of Hollywood, California. He is also an author, podcaster, and speaker.
He is the author of six books including the best-selling Storytelling for Virtual Reality, named by BookAuthority as one of the best storytelling books of all time. Disruptor named him one of the top 25 influencers in Virtual Reality in 2018. John has worked with companies including HBO, DC Comics, The History Channel, A24 Films, The John Maxwell Leadership Foundation and served as a consultant and writer for numerous film, television, and Virtual Reality projects. He teaches writing and story courses at the LA Film Studies Center and holds a PhD in Mythology and Depth Psychology. John has spoken on 5 continents about using the power of story and myth to reframe how products, individuals, organizations, cultures, and nations are viewed.
About Joanna
Joanna Gardner, PhD is a writer, mythologist, and magical realist. She is a founder of the Fates and Graces Mythologium. Joanna serves as Senior Editor on the Educational Task Force of the Joseph Campbell Foundation, and as a thought leader with the think tank iRewild, where she works on the Healing Stories initiative. She completed her doctoral degree at Pacifica Graduate Institute in mythological studies with an emphasis in depth psychology. Her fiction, poetry, and nonfiction appear in a variety of venues, available at joannagardner.com/stories. To contact Joanna, email joanna at joannagardner dot com.
Bradley’s talk is called, “Thinking Myth: Seeing the Nothing That is not There and the Nothing That Is”
Using poetry, mythic images and stories, I will demonstrate that the compelling power of myth rests upon nothing. There is a nothing at the heart of myth that is not nothing, but is rather a no-thing. A no-thing is a something that should not be confused with a nothing, but developing this discernment is, as Wallace Stevens’ poem, The Snow Man, illustrates is more than a difficult grammatical task, it is an often arduous intellectual and emotional undertaking. But the no-thingness of myth is often overlooked in favor of understanding gods as things in themselves, or even energies, with which one may have some sort of personal connection. Mythic stories and figures are then amalgamated into a kind of catch all, an ersatz deployment of different traditions, times, and locations against the existential dread which results from living an irreducible and fundamentally subjective human life.
One reason this can be so is that so few contemporary people know these stories. If they are familiar with elements of the story or the culture out of which it arises, they may still be unfamiliar with the details. They will still delight in the story because the no-thingness of myth is so present and so powerful.
About Bradley
Bradley Olson, Ph.D., a former police officer, is a writer and a depth psychologist in private practice in Flagstaff, AZ for the past 25 years, and is also a mythologist with a Ph.D. in Mythological Studies from Pacifica Graduate Institute. Dr. Olson is the editor (and frequent contributor) to the MythBlast series on the Joseph Campbell Foundation website (jcf.org).
