Guest Speaker: Phil Robinson
With a mischevious glint in his eye, famed mythologist Joseph Campbell
(1904-1987) would often define mythology as "other people's religion."
In addition to his groundbreaking work in comparative mythology, Campbell also served as president of the American Society for the Study of Religion, and did much throughout his life to cultivate inter-faith dialogue between multiple religious communities. He felt that by
'unwrapping' the specific symbols of each other's wisdom traditions, we
could gain insight into the core of universal human truths which are
relevant to each of us.
'Earthrise,' the 1968 photograph taken of Earth from the moon during the
Apollo 8 mission, was believed by Campbell to be the most significant
mythological image to come into our collective consciousness in modern
times.
In this living room talk, guest facilitator Phil Robinson will offer an
overview of Campbell's major ideas regarding the role of mythology and
religion in our lives, with a special emphasis on Campbell's
interpretation of the taking of the Earthrise photograph as a unifying
spiritual event for all of humaity.
Phil will also recount his personal story of how encountering Campbell's
writings at a young age enabled him to grasp a broader and more
pluralistic view of spirituality than the fundamentalist literal
Christianity that he had been raised with.
Phil Robinson (who will also serve as the night's musical guest) is a
popular singer/songwriter, speaker and community builder active throughout NYC, who often speaks and leads community events around the topics of mythology, creativity and culture. Phil has been involved with the
Joseph Campbell Foundation for a number of years, helping to continue Campbell's work by aiding the foundation in building networks of local community groups based on the exploration of matters of spirituality and culture. Phil is founder of
Roomful of Sky, the NY-based creative community, as well as the indie record label Roomful of Sky Records, where he has most recently been working as editor and release producer of the new Collected Lectures of Joseph Campbell.
