January 8, 2018, presentation by Joseph Campbell Foundation Mythological RoundTable® Group of Sarasota to explore the mythological impact of NASA’s Apollo missions as we enter the 50th anniversary of the famous “Earthrise” photo.

Space travel and the Apollo missions altered the mythological landscape of humanity, and continue to inspire the poetry of our existence today. As we enter the 50th anniversary year of the famous “Earthrise” photo, taken by the crew of Apollo 8 on Christmas Eve Day, 1968, George Haddad, senior engineer and project manager at NASA, will be in Sarasota to present a behind-the-scenes look at the planning around NASA’s missions and relate it to the worldviews inspired by Joseph Campbell and Carl Jung.

“When we looked to the Earth for the first time from outer space, NASA was in a unique position to help humanity take a leap forward in consciousness. The mission was focused on discovering the Moon, but we really discovered the Earth,” says Haddad. “It had an incredibly strong emotional impact on the collective psyche of the human race because it revealed a new image of the cosmos.”

Myths can serve as guideposts in troubling times because they provide societies and individuals with a framework of reference and meaning that communicates the universal truths of our world and cosmos through symbols, imagery and metaphors. Myths also reach into the unconscious realms of our being and connect us with intuitive guidance so that we can better deal with the reoccurring, cyclical challenges that face humankind over the ages. This interactive presentation will offer us an opportunity to explore a bigger picture of consciousness evolution and how our inner journeys correspond to our external journeys and exploration of the universe and “outer space.”

“With our view of Earthrise, we could see that the Earth and the heavens were no longer divided but that the Earth is in the heavens. There is no division and all the theological notions based on the distinction between the heavens and the Earth collapse with that realization. There is a unity in the universe and a unity in our own experience.” ~ Joseph Campbell (1987, just before his death)

This is a presentation of the Joseph Campbell Foundation Mythological RoundTable® (MRT) Network Group of Sarasota in conjunction with the C. G. Jung Society of Sarasota. The event is FREE and open to the public, but registration is required at: www.cgjungsarasota.org/events.

The group will meet at the Jane Bancroft Cook Library at New College from 6-7:30 p.m. on Monday, January 8, 2018.