Dear Ercan and Nermin;
How generous your thoughts are on these attempts of my interpretations of Joseph Campbell's material. It never goes unnoticed or unappreciated. You are always supportive and
I hope you know how much I value your opinions! I think many of us struggle in our efforts to express our feelings concerning this dimension; ( I know I sure do ); because of how important and personal it is.
Joe knew how vital and life affirming these themes are and thought it was so critical he spent a lifetime trying to make it accessable to everyone and in a way that was understandable and could be adaptable for re-interpretation in a modern setting. So the question becomes how do we take these insights and this mythic sense and bring it into our everyday life.
You both have brought up an aspect which I think is one of the cornerstones of his understanding of how one might do this; and that is the creation of a "
Sacred Space ". In "
The Power of Myth " he goes into great detail about this concept. In " Sacrfice and Bliss " Bill Moyers asked Joe: ( "
What does it mean to have a sacred place? " ); to which he replied: "
This is an absolute necessity for anybody today. "
From here he goes on to describe in various ways that you must make your own personal kind of temple, room, shrine, or holy imaginary enclosed place
within your consciousness that you can utilize on a regular basis. And to bring forth from the deepest and most meaningful aspect of yourself;
who you are; who you can be; and in this process be able to
identify and connect this aspect with " the life you were meant to live ". (
This is the Holy Grail of the quest; and the bliss is the vehicle. ) And so looking back at the end of your life
in doing this; you find the gift of the Grail is having lived an
authentic life.
He calls this sacred space the
place of creative incubation. And it is
within this context; and in this search for what this is; and how to accomplish this task; that the discoveries are obtained. ( But you and you alone have to decide and determine what
these stars that you are following are going to be. ) You go into the dark forrest where there is no path and there would not be a path for anyone else; and you find or follow the call; and
that call is your life path or journey; like an explorer in a new country; with all the possibilities of both danger and success. Your sacred space and
what ever you determine your bliss is; are the things that help you find your way.
Now although rather simplistic; this is in my humble attempt what the sense of this theme is pointing at that Joseph Campbell is talking about. Others may have a different view or can probably articulate it more eloquently or precisely. But I hope I have expressed my feelings; (
at least the way I see it ); to address the subject you were asking about in a way
that is helpful.
Best Wishes