A Lifetime Reading List a la Joseph Campbell

This reading list was developed by Joseph Campbell for his Mythology class at Sarah Lawrence College. It was published in Appendix 2 of The Mythic Dimension, edited by Antony Van Couvering.

There is a well-known story associated with this list (or one like it). One of Campbell's students stood up in class and challenged him, saying she didn't see how he expected them to get through all this in a semester. "We do have other classes, you know," etc. etc.

Campbell replied by saying that she had misunderstood him. The list wasn't meant to be read that semester; they had the rest of their lives to read it!

So here is a lifetime reading list a la Joseph Campbell.

Download

Our Wedding

Back in late July of 2007, I posted several journal entries about our wedding, including how we met, the days leading up to it, the wedding itself, and the honeymoon and subsequent parties.

With very little change, I have now published the same article as a PDF that you can download.

Note: This is a large file; you may have to click "reload" to get it to show completely. Rest assured, though, I've checked and double-checked the link, and it works.

Download

Transparent to Transcendence

Several years ago, I had a blog in which I re-published some of my more interesting correspondence.

One of the letters I published there was regarding the phrase used by Joseph Campbell, "Transparent to Transcendence." As of this date, if you Google that phrase, my crappy old blog is the first to come up.

Still, the article gives several perspectives on the meaning of this phrase. It's worth a look.

Download

On "The WIzard of Oz"

The full title of this piece is "The Wizard of Oz: A Journey in Myth and Psychology."

In it, I explore the story of the classic film The Wizard of Oz from two closely-related points of view: the "mythological journey" model from Joseph Campbell, and a Jungian perspective on the main character's growth from childhood through adolescence to adulthood.

The article uses a lot of technical terms related to Joseph Campbell's work. I haven't explored these fully yet, but there are some hints in this post on my "Wisdom Blog" called "Meet Joe Campbell." There's also a link in that article to a fuller exploration that will have to do until I've spelled out Campbell's ideas further.

Download

Meeting a Master: Ji Qun

In the summer of 2006, I celebrated my birthday by spending a week in a temple in Fujian Province, teaching the Buddha-dharma to around 100 young people.

While there, I met one of China's great "living masters," the Venerable Ji Qun.

This article talks about a discussion we had, as well as a Q & A he did with a group of young people.

Download

What is Humanistic Spirituality?

Download

This article discusses a concept I call "Humanistic Spirituality."

It is an inclusive philosophy involving what I (inelegantly) call "The Six Connectednesses": connectedness with oneself, others, one's society, nature, the universe, and "everything."

It suggests that everyone--the person of faith and the atheist--is interested in being happy (what the religions call enlightenment, salvation, liberation, etc.)

After the terms "Humanistic" and "Spirituality" are defined, the article looks more deeply at "The Six Connectednesses" as well as the paths to connection. These embrace "all that is gloriously human," including (but not limited to): academic subjects; the arts; "Great Books" and the spiritual classics; pop culture; the world's religions; the natural environment; relationships; and practices.

The virtues of Truth, Goodness, and Beauty are also explored.

If you download it, and you like it, please consider making a
donation. (Why?)

Thanks.

Articles (and stuff)

I've been writing since before I can remember. This facility got me through university with a minimum of hassle (so why'd it take six years?) In this collection you'll find old school papers, articles I've written for magazines, pieces of unfinished books, and the stuff I've recovered from other websites I've operated. Longer pieces will link out to archives elsewhere on the net for easier viewing.

Everything on these pages is © 2009 by James Baquet.