The print rights to Creative Mythology revert to us in 2024. As soon as they do, we’ll work with New World Library to complete the new print edition of The Masks of God.

In the mean time, you can read our updated edition of one of Campbell’s most beloved titles in ebook form.

Before you start posting and responding in these forums, please read and follow the following guidelines:

• 1. Respect Others You may certainly take issue with ideas, but please — no flaming / ranting, and no personal or ad hominem attacks. Should the opinion of another forum member spark your anger, please take a deep breath, and/or a break, before posting. Posts must be on topic – related to mythic themes.
• 2. Respect Others’ Opinions These are conversations, not conversions. “Conversation” comes from the Latin words con (“with”) and verso (“opposite”). We expect diverse opinions to be expressed in these forums, and welcome them – but just because you disagree with what someone has to say doesn’t mean they don’t get to say it.
• 3. Come Clear of Mind In addition to expanding the mind, certain substances (alcohol, cocaine, marijuana, LSD, etc.) have been known to impair good judgment. We recommend you keep a journal while under the influence and then later make more rational determinations regarding what is appropriate to share in this forum.
• 4. Respect This Space The Joseph Campbell Foundation, a US not-for-profit organization, offers this forum as part of our mission of continuing Mr. Campbell’s work of increasing the level of public awareness and public discourse with regards to comparative mythology.
• 5. Avoid Contemporary Politics Given the volatile nature of contemporary political discourse, we ask that members steer clear of candidates or current political controversies. Forum members come from across the political spectrum. There are other fora across the internet for discussing myth and politics.
• 6. Be Polite Forum members come from many different sets of cultural assumptions, and many different parts of the world. Please refrain from language whose only purpose is offense. If it helps, imagine your grandmother reading forum posts – as perhaps she may, since other folks’ grandmothers are.
• 7. Refrain from Sexually Explicit Posts Please do not make sexually explicit posts within these forums, unless they are absolutely germane to the discussion underway – and even in that case, please try to warn readers at the top of your post. Not all members have the same threshold when it comes to taking offense to language and pictures. NOTE: Under no circumstances will we condone the posting of links to sites that include child pornography, even inadvertently. We will request that such links be removed immediately, and will remove them ourselves if compliance is not forthcoming. Any Associate knowingly posting such links will be suspended immediately; we will forward a snapshot of the offending page, the web address and the associate’s contact information to the appropriate criminal authorities
• 8. Refrain from Self-Promotion Announcements linking to your new blog post, book, workshop, video clip, etc., will be deleted, unless they are demonstrably part of the greater conversation. The only exception is the Share-Your-Work Gallery, a subforum within The Conversation with a Thousand Faces. If you have art, poetry, writing, or links to music and other work you would like to share, do so here.
• 9. Search First If you’re thinking of starting a new topic, asking a question, etc., please take advantage of the search functionality of this forum! You can find the search field above the list of forums on the main page of the forums. Also, consider searching on the greater JCF website – this site is full of amazing resources on a wide variety of topics, all just a search away.
• 10. Report Violations If you witness or experience behavior that you feel is contrary to the letter or spirit of these guidelines, please report it rather than attacking other members. Do this by choosing the Report button (next to “Reply”) at the top of the post, and select a reason from the dropdown menu (Spam, Advertising, Harassment, or Inappropriate Content). The moderation team will be notified. Depending on the degree of bad behavior, further posts might require approval, or the user could be blocked from posting and even banned.
• 11. Private Messages Forum guidelines apply to all onsite private communications between members. Moderators do not have access to private exchanges, so if you receive messages from another member with inappropriate or hostile content, send a private message (with screenshots) to Stephen Gerringer and/or Michael Lambert.

We first started offering digital downloads in the early 2000s, when CD format was still the dominant medium. JCF responded to the tech requirements of the day and released each lecture split up into shorter “tracks” to reflect the standard album format. The .zip file is the best way to transfer and download a package of audio files over the internet.

We recognize that the current user experience of downloading .zip files is not ideal. We are currently working to stay up to date with standard practices and technology, exploring new formats that makes the user experience as easy as possible. We appreciate your patience in allowing us to adapt to your needs.

When you donate to download a lecture from JCF, you’re facilitating the work we do at the Foundation to keep these audio lectures available – and for Foundation associates to digitize more. Any purchase from the site is a tax deductible contribution to the Foundation whose mission is to preserve, protect, and perpetuate the work of Joseph Campbell.

In an effort to reorganize and redistribute Campbell’s published materials to make it easier to listen, we removed the previously published audio from digital streaming platforms.

All lectures are available in The Collected Lectures for direct download. To learn more about why we charge for access to these lectures, please look at our response to “Why do I have to pay for Campbell’s lectures?”

If you’re looking for a free way to listen to full Campbell lectures and commentary, check out:

The MythMaker Podcast Network

Visit the Contact the Foundation page, select Community and Social Media, and fill out the contact form.

If you witness or experience behavior that you feel is contrary to the letter or spirit of these guidelines, please report it rather than attacking other members. Do this by choosing the Report button (next to “Reply”) at the top of the post, and select a reason from the dropdown menu (Spam, Advertising, Harassment, or Inappropriate Content). The moderation team will be notified. Depending on the degree of bad behavior, further posts might require approval, or the user could be blocked from posting and even banned.

Click on the name of the person you want to contact (under their avatar in a any of their posts). This link will take you to that member’s profile page. Then click on “Send a Message,” and compose.

To add an image to your post, click on the image icon in the menu at the top of your post (it’s the icon on the far right):

In the Source field of the pop-up form, click on the camera icon on the far right. This should give you access to the files on your PC / laptop, or the photo library on your mobile device. Select the image, and add a brief description (e.g., “Minoan Goddess”) in the appropriate field.

In the dimensions field, you only need enter the first number (240 is a good size for starters; if too small click the edit icon and increase that number). Then select OK.

We ask that when linking to web pages, please avoid posting the raw URL address in your text. Highlight the relevant text you’d like to link in your post, then select the link icon in your formatting bar above your post (immediately to the left of the picture icon, this looks like a diagonal paperclip). This opens a small field:

Paste the URL of the page you are linking to into the field provided. Then click on the gear icon to the right of that field, and check the box that says “Open link in a new tab” (so readers can see your link without having to navigate back to the forums), before clicking the green “Add Link” button.

When you finish your post, before clicking the Submit button check the box at the bottom of your post that reads, “Notify me of follow-up replies via email.” You can also click on “Subscribe” (in the upper right corner of a thread) to follow the complete conversation (often a comment on someone else’s post might inspire a response from you).

Click on the Profile link under your user name in the upper left corner above the forum menu. Then select Edit and follow the prompts to upload an image file from your computer.

The Conversations of a Higher Order (COHO) consists of ten public forums loosely focused on a central theme. The forums are listed, with a brief description, on the COHO home page (each forum listed on that page also appears in the same order in the menu in the lefthand column – that  menu stays with you as you move about the forums). This also shows who created the last post in each forum, and when.

When you visit a specific forum you will see the list of topics people have posted so far in that forum. Click on one to read that post and any replies. Feel free to add a reply if you have something to share, or just enjoy following the conversation. You can return to the COHO home page by clicking the “Home>Forums” breadcrumb at the top of the page – or move directly to a different forum by clicking on one of the listings from the forum menu in the lefthand column of the page.

If there’s anything you want to introduce – a question, an observation, or anything related to Campbell, myth, or one of his many related interests – create a topic in the forum you feel comes closest to including the subject you want to discuss. Most forums include in their description a link to a corresponding part of the website. For example, The Work of Joseph Campbell description has a link to all his published works: you can of course focus on a specific book or lecture, but also any topic related to the ideas arising out of his work is welcome in that forum.

When posting a new topic or a reply to an existing conversation, check the “Notify me of follow-up replies via email” box (conversations unfold at a leisurely pace: someone might need a few days to let what you write simmer in the back of their brain – this is how you find out someone has replied), and then click Submit. You can also click “Favorite” (top of the page on the right when reading forum threads) to be notified of all responses in a discussion.

Visit the Contact the Foundation page, select Technical Support, and fill out the contact form.

In the menu at the very top of the page, select “Login/Account.” This will lead to the login page. If you’ve forgotten your password, click “Lost your password?” beneath the login fields.

You’ll be prompted to enter your email or username in order to receive an automated email with a new password. If you don’t remember the email address or username you used to sign up, direct your query to “Technical Support” using this contact form.

JCF does not offer transcripts of any of Joseph Campbell’s videos or of any of his Collected Lectures.

That said, we are aware that at the conclusion of some of the earliest lectures that were released there is a statement that suggests otherwise.

In human terms, this website is still a toddler. It walks, but sometimes takes a tumble or bumps into things. Please help us grow this site and let us know if something is broken. Send a message straight to our web lackey…

There are many devices and many ways to unzip files. We encourage you to explore the various options open to you and let us know if you absolutely cannot access the zipped files.

Send an email query to our Rights and Permissions Manager (or use the form below).

Use this form to contact the Rights & Permissions Manager:

Send an email query to our Rights and Permissions Manager (or use the form below).

Send an email query to our Rights and Permissions Manager (or use the form below). Please include:

• The quote(s) you wish to use.
• The source publication of each quote (Not Internet sources such as BrainyQuote, Goodreads, etc.)
• A brief description of the work and context within which the quote(s) will appear.
• Author
• Publisher
• Release date
• Initial print run
• Expected retail price

Please note: JCF does not control the rights to The Power of Myth. Permissions must be acquired from Doubleday (text) or IPF Media (video).

For information on how to access or open your download(s), visit How to Download and Read Your JCF Ebook or How to Download and Listen to Your JCF Audio.

If you are still having a hard time listening to your audio file, let us know where you downloaded it, what make and model computer/device you’re trying to listen to it on, and what audio software you’re using (including OS version and software version).

If you are still having a hard time reading your ebook, let us know where you downloaded it, what make and model computer/device you’re trying to read it on, and what ebook reader software you’re using (including OS version and software version).

For us to help you, we need you to give us enough data with which to work.

No – JCF publishes only works written by Joseph Campbell.

We do not. JCF is a small organization – despite its renown namesake and global footprint. It is a “working foundation,” meaning we earn our keep and neither solicit nor offer grants of any kind. JCF is, in fact, a virtual organization without any offices. We are kept operative mainly through the good efforts of a cadre of engaged volunteers scattered over several continents.

We love to see the many ways that Joseph Campbell’s work continues to influence both creative works of fiction and scholarly non-fiction. However, as a very small organization, we simply do not have the bandwidth to provide the service of reviewing books or other creative works. In short:

Because the works you shared are under copyright (some video assets are under copyright co-owned by JCF and other parties). If we don’t assert that copyright, we may open ourselves to lawsuits from other parties. We certainly appreciate your enthusiasm, but please respect our legal right to secure protection for JCF’s intellectual property.

Actually, the eBooks we create are readable on just about every piece of mobile hardware made since the turn of the millennium — however we can’t test on every configuration, since they’re not all available to us.

For information on how to access or open your download(s), visit How to Download and Read Your JCF Ebook or How to Download and Listen to Your JCF Audio.

The Joseph Campbell Foundation was founded in 1990 by Jean Erdman, Joseph Campbell’s wife and literary executor, for the sole purpose of ensuring that Joseph Campbell’s work was available in perpetuity.

Over the last thirty years, JCF associates have spent thousands of hours digitizing lectures, building and moderating online community, and editing new book editions (including translations) for readers the world over. When you make a donation on our website – that’s right, your purchases are tax-exempt! – to gain access to a lecture, an ebook, or some other piece of Campbell’s work, you’re funding the mission of JCF: To keep Campbell’s work accessible for generations to come. We thank you for your continued support.

Funny you should ask about Wings of Art…

We’re working on completing riverrun, a re-edited series based on Campbell’s Joyce lectures. Keep watching jcforg.kinsta.cloud for news!

We won’t.

The Mythos DVD series contains all of the footage in Transformations plus 2+ hours of never-before-released lectures, and presents them as Campbell intended:

• Mythos I: The Shaping of Our Mythic Tradition (DVD)
  an exploration of the psychology, history and biology of myth, and an introduction to the Western mythos.
• Mythos II: The Shaping of the Eastern Tradition (DVD)
  an introduction to the great mythic traditions of South and East Asia.
• Mythos III: The Shaping of the Western Tradition (DVD)
  an exploration of the great philosophy, art and literature that have shaped the modern West.

For more information, see The Long, Strange, Night-sea Journey from Transformations to Mythos

It’s out now!