Following your bliss is metaphor for a process that begins with a journey, a quest, to uncover what you find most fulfilling in your life: the quest for the Holy Grail, that which gives life meaning and purpose. My bliss is not your bliss; I have to discover my bliss on my own, by listening to myself, following clues dropped by the greater part of my being.
You enter the forest at the darkest point, where there is no path. Where there’s a way or path, it is someone else’s path; each human being is a unique phenomenon. The idea is to find your own pathway to bliss.
~ Joseph Campbell (1904–1987) influential American writer and professor of literature at Sarah Lawrence College, renowned for his pioneering work in comparative mythology and comparative religion. He is best known for his 1949 book, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, which introduced the concept of the monomyth (or the “hero’s journey”), a universal narrative pattern shared by myths and stories across different cultures. Campbell’s theories, which drew heavily from the psychological work of Carl Jung, posited that these mythic structures reflect fundamental human experiences and desires.
Dear friend and neighbour and fellow traveller;
I first became familiar with Joseph Campbell in the 80s from a PBS (Public Broadcasting System (USA)) television special hosted by an icon of “old school” journalism Bill Moyers. I had already met my guru and was seeking wise support wherever I could find it. Below are some wonderful passages from this series, “The Power of Myth”, highlighting his famous exhortation, “Follow your bliss.”
Joseph Campbell’s concept of “following your bliss” is centred on the idea that aligning with one’s deepest joys and passions reveals a unique life-path that was always waiting for you. Campbell distinguishes this from fleeting excitement, defining true bliss as a deep, life-filling sense of being that guides individuals toward their authentic potential. I often explain this to my clients as, “Enthusiasm, yes. Excitement, no.”
The Power of Myth
What you seek is waiting for you: If you do follow your bliss you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while, waiting for you, and the life that you ought to be living is the one you are living. When you can see that, you begin to meet people who are in the field of your bliss, and they open the doors to you. I say, follow your bliss and don’t be afraid, and doors will open where you didn’t know they were going to be.
Excitement is not your bliss: If your bliss is just your fun and your excitement, you’re on the wrong track… You need instruction. Know where your bliss is. And that involves coming down to a deep place in yourself.
The need to be vigilant: The way to find out about your happiness is to keep your mind on those moments when you feel most happy, when you really are happy—not excited, not just thrilled, but deeply happy. This requires a little bit of self-analysis. What is it that makes you happy? Stay with it, no matter what people tell you. This is what I call ‘following your bliss.’
Following your bliss is the most selfless thing you can do: Following your bliss is not self-indulgent, but vital; your whole physical system knows that this is the way to be alive in this world and the way to give to the world the very best that you have to offer. There IS a track just waiting for each of us and once on it, doors will open that were not open before and would not open for anyone else.
On Courage and Adventure: The heroic life is living the individual adventure. There is no security in following the call to adventure. Nothing is exciting if you know what the outcome is going to be.
For excerpts from the PBS special, The Power of Myth, visit this link.
May you become the best of friends with your bliss.
🤗
Warm thoughts and many blessings,
David 🙏🏻
astrologyofjoy.com
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