Agent Larsen and Agent Larsen produce a comprehensive database for tracking the network connections established by Matrix Meister, Joseph Campbell in upgrading the virtual reality of daily existence for current generations of citizen believers. Agents Larsen and Larsen provide a compelling and vivid account of Campbell's genius in reformatting the work of earlier master technicians such as Meisters Plato, Paul, Augustine and Eckhart, in maintaining viability of the First Principle of Matrix Management: that the self and its passions must be transcended for the attainment of ultimate bliss. In formulating this upgrade version of the First Principle, Larsen and Larsen carefully document the development of Campbell's ties with Robert Bly, John Cage, Maya Deren, Bob Dylan, Mircea Eliade, Jerry Garcia, Marija Gimbutas, Stanislav Grof, Joan Halifax, Jean Houston, Al Huang, Carl Jung, Sam Keen, Stanley Keleman, Jiddu Krishnamurti, George Lucas, Paul & Mary Mellon, Michael Murphy, Bill Moyers, Swami Nikhilananda, John Steinbeck and Alan Watts, along with institutions that include the Bollingen Foundation, Esalen, the Young President's Organization and the United States Information Service. A remarkable achievement, even Morpheus concedes, despite being largely facilitated, as Agents Larsen and Larsen record, by the estate of industrial/financial magnate Andrew Mellon. AI Central is honoring Agents Larsen and Larsen with benevolent termination. The forthcoming generation of Sentinels will be known as the Meister Campbell. A must read for all novice agents.

An excellent book. The contents of this book made for some of the most interesting reading I have ever done. This will be a treasured hardcover book on my shelves for the rest of my life. Campbell not only taught us during his life, but is stepping over the threshold of time to continue teaching us lessons on what life can hold for those who are willing to follow their Bliss. I have only felt this strongly about a book a dozen times in my life. As for availability, business has never had enough vision and foresight to make available what feeds ones soul. Have this book reprinted for yourself if you can't purchase it!

You state that this book is out of stock. Boarders got it for me in three days.

I've read a lot of books in the area of archetypal psychology. This is a great one. Asklepios is a fascinating figure (note: his emblem is usually one snake around a stick. Mercury--god of commerce among other things-- has two snakes. This difference is potentially tellng in and of itself, but another story) What struck me is how prevelant a god and healer Asklepios was at one time. In this current culture, dreamwork still has a tinge of being somewhat marginal to health and even slightly indulgent. Tick successfully describes how this was not always the case. Previously, dream visions were primary, with the medical applications an important secondary process. Speaking of the medical aspect of Asklepios's worship, I found it interesting how modern objective medicine originally found its support in Asklepian temples.
Tick combines his knowledge of Greek history with his psychological practice. The descriptions of his travels in Greece and the pilgrimmages he leads really show the logistics and the ups and downs of being a modern seeker. While reading the book, I started to get a little bored with the drawn out historical chapters, but I must say, in retrospect, that they are essential groundwork to the personal stories and experiences that follow. In general, this is a very rewarding book.

What I found most interesting about this book was its fascinating combination of material associated with travel writing, in this case on Greece, and its integration with a discussion of the relationship between ancient Greek mythology and contemporary healing practices. The effort to combine those two different genres is quite unusual and made the book an especially interesting "read."

I give this book five stars, and not because I am quoted in it. In _The Practice of Dream Healing: Bringing Ancient Greek Mysteries into Modern Medicine_, Dr. Edward Tick takes us on a journey-literally and figuratively. Mixing travelogue, psychotherapy, and mythology, Tick's book brings us to ancient Greek, where Asklepios, the ancient Greek god of healing, was believed to have worked through dreams. _The Practice of Dream Healing_ is in fact a "spiritual" critique of the entire medical profession as it has evolved in a society dominated by scientific and technological thinking.

This book is the culmination of years of psychologically counseling patients, and years of traveling to Greece with patients and with friends to explore and seek solace in the hot dust of Athens, the cool caves of Elysium, the cutting mountains of Crete. A highly skilled travel writer who has written several pieces for _The New York Times_, Dr. Tick has authored a book that is learned yet wholly accessible. The reader is a valued member of the group, and will find many unexpected turns and interesting "sites"-psychological, mythological, historical, geographical, religious-along the way.

Before I read Baksheesh and Bramhan, all I knew of Campbell was that he was an author of formidable intellect and also engaging wit (if the print version of Moyers series is to be believed)with a deep understanding of Oriental faiths. Campbells' account of his encounter with the land of these faiths - India - is at once insightful of the man and India in the 1950s. Confronted by the actual India - ancient, prudish, theieving, an emerging nation seeking a semblance of pride, low on self esteem, spiritual - Campbell is all at once the fastidous Westerner at odds with a culture he has admired from afar, charmed by its exoticism and occasionally getting bang on and incisively the actual reality of India. This book is an easy read and essential for anyone who has ever admired Campbell's work. Also a must read for anyone who wants to hold up a mirror to the new Indian nation and how far and how less that nation has travelled in the 50 odd years since. Campbelll's acerbism on fellow American travellers make for marvelous diversions.

One small observation and this must stem from being an Indian - that India is a hospitable nation is clear from this book. I am sure a lot of Indians would attribute it to Campbell being white, but there is something in here of hearts and houses being thrown open to a stranger.

Stephen Larsen's Mythic Imagination guides the reader in discovering the presence and power of myth in their everyday lives, from the unhealthy stereotypical myths of society to the healthy and empowering myths that brings one's soul closer to the spiritual realm of universal connection. Using dreams, expressive therapy and creative-play techniques, he explains that by embodying mythological and archetypal powers in a serious yet playful 'as-if' attitude, one can increase their level of self-knowledge and further their spiritual journey. Larsen leaves the reader with a collection of exercises that enable one to invite mythic archetypes into a more conscious role in their lives through guided visualizations, journaling, clowning, and mask making.

The most profound realizations came from seeing Larsen's combination of the mythological, psychological, and therapeutic elements at play toward individuation. I have had the notion that when we are in the presence of something transcendent, we feel and experience it on a much deeper level. Larsen connects the role of the "dark prehuman" automatic nervous system to the healing process through images and experiences that resonate with primary meaning. For me, this reinforces the concept of the collective unconscious and of the archetypal energies that inspire the mythic imagination in us all.

Credo Mutwa once again speaks with power and authority about Mother Africa. Told in his own conversational voice, the Sanusi (High Sangoma) Mutwa reveals much of Africa's mighty knowledge. See Credo Mutwa's various prophesies later in the book for living proof of his visionary abilities. eg: He predicts the role of Monica Lewinsky in Bill Clinton's career. Etcetera! Credo Mutwa is no doubt an authority in his field and we in South Africa look to him as such. Read and learn where-ever you are. This man is talking about the near future lives of us all.

This is a great little book. The pictures are very colorful and interesting. My kids have all liked this book when they were little. My two year old likes finding and pointing to each animal as it comes out of the tent. Also, there is a part in the book where kids can read along..."Come on in".

Since Joseph Campell was such a prolific writer of journals, letters, essays and books, this book was able to capture, in such detail, not only his life events but also the evolution of his studies and thoughts about myth, art, religion and the world. I originally checked this book out at the library but I am buying it as a reference guide because it touches on so many fascinating points about religion and the most prominent spiritual leaders in the last century.

The fire in Joseph Campbell's mind burned through the dross of a mundane existence and forged a character who was ultimately "transparent to transcendence" (his own remarkable phrase).

The book is dense at times because of the Larsens' careful documentation and because Campbell's very life was so dense with accomplishment and discovery. I found the Larsens' scholarship to be impeccable and the coverage of a remarkable life thorough. Because they were friends of the Campbells, an air of authenticiy is added to their work. My only disappointment was their lack of reporting of his deeper response to his illness and impending death. I feel more information in this delicate area would have been appropriate because of the biographical nature of the work and because of Campbell's own personal spiritual belief system.

I highly recommend this volume to anyone who wishes to learn more about one of the most formidable intellectuals of the 20th century. Because the book is so well-written, entertaining, and well-documented, it will enliven the days of your reading...and well beyond!

Before I read Baksheesh and Bramhan, all I knew of Campbell was that he was an author of formidable intellect and also engaging wit (if the print version of Moyers series is to be believed)with a deep understanding of Oriental faiths. Campbells' account of his encounter with the land of these faiths - India - is at once insightful of the man and India in the 1950s. Confronted by the actual India - ancient, prudish, theieving, an emerging nation seeking a semblance of pride, low on self esteem, spiritual - Campbell is all at once the fastidous Westerner at odds with a culture he has admired from afar, charmed by its exoticism and occasionally getting bang on and incisively the actual reality of India. This book is an easy read and essential for anyone who has ever admired Campbell's work. Also a must read for anyone who wants to hold up a mirror to the new Indian nation and how far and how less that nation has travelled in the 50 odd years since. Campbelll's acerbism on fellow American travellers make for marvelous diversions.

One small observation and this must stem from being an Indian - that India is a hospitable nation is clear from this book. I am sure a lot of Indians would attribute it to Campbell being white, but there is something in here of hearts and houses being thrown open to a stranger.

I really wanted to find out about the Santo Daime movement, and while this book has a lot of information, there is just way too much of the very mental ramblings of the author. While in many books this is a good thing, here it is a real distraction.

There is much on the internet about Santo Daime, almost none of which accurately portrays the church or the religious and spiritual significance of the Daime. This book, however, is a deep discussion of the church, the doctrine and the Daime which offers a clear picture from a man who has traveled far on the spiritual path of the Santo Daime. Interested people, please read this book before reading anything else.