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 of the West.

Campbell reveals how the ancient reverence for the Goddess evolved alongside the emergence of the heroic ideal, weaving together mythic threads that still inform our stories of love, power, and transformation today.

Host Bradley Olson offers an introduction and commentary at the end of the lecture.

Pathways with Joseph Campbell is hosted by Brad Olson, PhD and is a production of the Joseph Campbell Foundation. It is produced by Tyler Lapkin. Executive Producer, John Bucher. Editing and audio services by Tristan Batt.

For more information on the MythMaker Podcast Network and Joseph Campbell, visit JCF.org.

All music exclusively provided by APM Music (apmmusic.com)

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 archetypal images on the psyche, and discusses how Freud and Jung interpreted these imprints in terms of wish, prohibition, neurosis, and symbolic transformation.

Pathways with Joseph Campbell is hosted by Brad Olson, PhD and is a production of the Joseph Campbell Foundation. It is produced by Tyler Lapkin. Executive Producer, John Bucher. Editing and audio services by Tristan Batt.

For more information on the MythMaker Podcast Network and Joseph Campbell, visit JCF.org.

All music exclusively provided by APM Music (apmmusic.com)

This lecture, “Mythology – The Path (Part 2),” was recorded in 1980 at Yellow Springs, Pennsylvania. In it, Joseph Campbell continues the discussion from Part 1, presenting mythology as a path of discovery. Here, he focuses on the search for “the self,” drawing on Jungian language and archetypes.

The recording also includes a brief Q&A following the lecture. Please note: around the 42-minute mark, the original tape speeds up slightly. While this affects the sound quality, the content of Campbell’s talk remains intact.

Host Bradley Olson introduces the lecture and offers commentary at its conclusion.

Pathways with Joseph Campbell is hosted by Brad Olson, PhD and is a production of the Joseph Campbell Foundation. It is produced by Tyler Lapkin. Executive Producer, John Bucher. Editing and audio services by Tristan Batt.

For more information on the MythMaker Podcast Network and Joseph Campbell, visit JCF.org.

All music exclusively provided by APM Music (apmmusic.com)