I’d like to share the complete excerpt of Joseph Campbell’s statement about amor fati from ShamanTube, January 2014. It reads:
“Nietzsche was the one who did the job for me. At a certain moment in his life, the idea came to him of what he called ‘the love of your fate’ (Amor fati). Whatever your fate is, whatever the hell happens, you say, ‘This is what I need.’ It may look like a wreck, but go at it as though it were an opportunity, a challenge. If you bring love to that moment—not discouragement—you will find the strength is there. Any disaster that you can survive is an improvement in your character, your stature, and your life. What a privilege! This is when the spontaneity of your own nature will have a chance to flow. Then, when looking back at your life, you will see that the moments which seemed to be great failures followed by wreckage were the incidents that shaped the life you have now. You’ll see that this is really true. Nothing can happen to you that is not positive. Even though it looks and feels at the movement like a negative crisis, it is not. The crisis throws you back, and when you are required to exhibit strength, it comes. –Joseph Campbell.”
My visualization of amor fati (“the love of your fate”) became a 30 x 40 inch artwork in November, 2021, using acrylic paint on canvas. The image started forming with the idea of incorporating a labyrinth to illustrate one’s entire life journey—its twists and turns, its endings and beginnings. This struck me as appropriate, especially as one’s lifetime displays a single road traveled so to speak. The resulting maze in my artwork was further inspired by a drawing of the Versailles labyrinth printed in 1680 and designed by Charles Perrault (1628-1703).
On My Personal Color Choices and Symbolism:
The canvas side edges are a rose pink, signifying an amenable or at least unbiased universe. The gray edges represent mixed realities underlying the pearlescent white background representing Life. The fact that the path is green suggests possibilities for growth on the journey through the maze (i.e. through time). The round copper-colored circles represent one’s being as a loving presence. It travels on its way to completion to the north end of the artwork. The black squarish forms along the way indicate appropriate blockages.
“Nietzsche was the one who did the job for me. At a certain moment in his life, the idea came to him of what he called ‘the love of your fate’ (Amor fati). Whatever your fate is, whatever the hell happens, you say, ‘This is what I need.’ It may look like a wreck, but go at it as though it were an opportunity, a challenge. If you bring love to that moment—not discouragement—you will find the strength is there. Any disaster that you can survive is an improvement in your character, your stature, and your life. What a privilege! This is when the spontaneity of your own nature will have a chance to flow. Then, when looking back at your life, you will see that the moments which seemed to be great failures followed by wreckage were the incidents that shaped the life you have now. You’ll see that this is really true. Nothing can happen to you that is not positive. Even though it looks and feels at the movement like a negative crisis, it is not. The crisis throws you back, and when you are required to exhibit strength, it comes. –Joseph Campbell.”
My visualization of amor fati (“the love of your fate”) became a 30 x 40 inch artwork in November, 2021, using acrylic paint on canvas. The image started forming with the idea of incorporating a labyrinth to illustrate one’s entire life journey—its twists and turns, its endings and beginnings. This struck me as appropriate, especially as one’s lifetime displays a single road traveled so to speak. The resulting maze in my artwork was further inspired by a drawing of the Versailles labyrinth printed in 1680 and designed by Charles Perrault (1628-1703).
On My Personal Color Choices and Symbolism:
The canvas side edges are a rose pink, signifying an amenable or at least unbiased universe. The gray edges represent mixed realities underlying the pearlescent white background representing Life. The fact that the path is green suggests possibilities for growth on the journey through the maze (i.e. through time). The round copper-colored circles represent one’s being as a loving presence. It travels on its way to completion to the north end of the artwork. The black squarish forms along the way indicate appropriate blockages.
