“As you set out for Ithaka,
hope your road is a long one,
full of adventure, full of discovery.”
— Constantine Cavafy, “Ithaka”
Inspired by the summer release of Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster film version of The Odyssey, Homer has never been “hotter;” the Odyssey has never been more relevant. How can a 3,000-year-old story still matter so much to people, and at the same time be culturally combustible?
What is it about this story of a wounded warrior trying to return home after ten savage years of war that still speaks to people the world over today? What makes Homer's epic poem an odyssey, and how is it different from Joseph Campbell's hero's journey, Maureen Murdock's heroine's journey, or the spiritual quests that are encouraged in traditional societies the world over? And mostly, where is the wisdom in this endlessly protean tale of Odysseus, Penelope, and Telemachus?
Join us for a three-hour webinar on Zoom on July 23rd, 12-3 pm PT / 3-6 pm ET. This will be an exhilarating exploration of Homer's soulful themes:
- the definition of an odyssey
- the meaning of home
- the role of mentors and muses in our lives
- the loss of soul at war
- the need to heal from trauma
- and the redemptive power of love.
Our webinar will include a short film clip and a few select slides to illustrate the timelessness of all of our odysseys. We will also explore the protean film director Christopher Nolan's version of Homer's Odyssey.
The epic poem is 12,109 verses long, featuring a cast of thousands, including Odysseus, Penelope, and their son Telemachus, plus gods, goddesses, monsters and sorcerers. Out of all scenes, which ones work here, which ones radiate what the ancient Greek poets called "the infinite moment"? Besides being one of our most kaleidoscopic adventure stories, the Odyssey is also one of our most memorable spiritual quests, the tale of a lost soul regaining his way, most significantly by the redemptive power of love. Does this latest cinematic version of Homer's poem still move us today? Let’s share our responses on Zoom!
Recommended reading: The Wisdom of the Odyssey by Phil Cousineau, and Richard Lattimore’s translation of Homer’s epic, or the translation of your choice.
PHIL COUSINEAU is a freelance writer, filmmaker, independent scholar, and writing consultant, who has led mythological tours to Greece for over 30 years. He has published over forty books, including the international best-seller The Hero’s Journey: Joseph Campbell on His Life and Work, The Art of Pilgrimage, Once and Future Myths, The Lost Notebooks of Sisyphus, Who Stole the Arms of the Venus de Milo? and most recently The Wisdom of the Odyssey. Cousineau also has close to fifty film and television credits, and has been a popular commentator on “Myth in the Movies” for myriad movie studios, including Warner Brothers, Pixar, Lucas Films, Twentieth-Century Fox, and the Smithsonian and Discovery Channels.
Thursday, July 23 - Thursday, July 23
$60.00
