--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In the older view the goddess Universe…" description: "\"In the older view the goddess Universe was alive, herself organically the Earth, the horizon, and the heavens. Now she is dead, and the universe is not..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d77/joseph-campbell-300_alive_in-the-older-view-the-goddess-universe-w_1574679.png" --- # In the older view the goddess Universe was alive, herself… ![“In the older view the goddess Universe was alive, herself organically the Earth, the horizon, and the heavens. Now she is dead, and the universe is not an organism, but a building, with gods at rest in it in luxury: not as personifications of the energies in their manners of operation, but as…” quote by Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d77/joseph-campbell-300_alive_in-the-older-view-the-goddess-universe-w_1574679.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d77/joseph-campbell-300_alive_in-the-older-view-the-goddess-universe-w_1574679.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d77/joseph-campbell-300_alive_in-the-older-view-the-goddess-universe-w_1574679.png) > “In the older view the goddess Universe was alive, herself organically the Earth, the horizon, and the heavens. Now she is dead, and the universe is not an organism, but a building, with gods at rest in it in luxury: not as personifications of the energies in their manners of operation, but as luxury tenants, requiring service. And Man, accordingly, is not as a child born to flower in the knowledge of his own eternal portion but as a robot fashioned to serve.” [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote contrasts ancient mythic view of the cosmos as a living goddess with modern view of the universe as a static structure inhabited by indifferent deities, reducing humanity to a servile robot. **In simple terms:** Old myth sees cosmos alive; modern view sees it as a building with luxury gods, making humans servants. Key Takeaway Recognize how worldview shapes our sense of purpose. Themes mythology cosmology human purpose technology existentialism Mood reflective critical contemplative Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - philosophy - religion - science - artificial intelligence - environmental ethics Key Concepts anthropomorphism deism determinism Questions to Reflect On - How does your belief about the universe affect your daily actions? - Can we find meaning beyond serving imagined luxury gods? A Different Perspective It may overlook the agency and creativity humans can still exercise within any framework. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/energy/) [Eternal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eternal/) [Flower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flower/) [Goddess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goddess/) [Heaven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heaven/) [Horizon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horizon/) [Luxury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/luxury/) [Manners](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/manners/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Organisms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/organisms/) [Paganism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paganism/) [Personification](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personification/) [Robots](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/robots/) [Universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe/) ## Related quotes > [“Today, you are the goddess my universe revolves around.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-d-reiss/today-you-are-the-goddess-my-universe-revolves-around/) [C.D. Reiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-d-reiss/) > [“If you and I were living in a Universe that was not alive, conscious, and fully aware of us, it might be the case…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-and-i-were-living-in-a-universe-that-was-not-alive-conscious/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [How does your heart respond to the thought that the Universe is alive and compassionate and that with it and with other souls of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-zukav/how-does-your-heart-respond-to-the-thought-that-the-universe-is-alive/) [Gary Zukav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-zukav/) > [Both the forces of good and evil will keep the universe alive for us, until we awake from our dreams and give up this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/both-the-forces-of-good-and-evil-will-keep-the-universe-alive-for-us/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [“The Universe is alive, conscious, and aware.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-prentiss/the-universe-is-alive-conscious-and-aware/) [Chris Prentiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-prentiss/) > [The universe is alive and conscious, and it responds to our intent when we have our intimate relationship with the universe and see it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/the-universe-is-alive-and-conscious-and-it-responds-to-our-intent/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Man is a piece of the universe made alive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/man-is-a-piece-of-the-universe-made-alive/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [She was ... the arch personification of the power of Space, Time, and Matter, within whose bound all beings arise and die: the substance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/she-was-the-arch-personification-of-the-power-of-space-time-and/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [What is a god? A god is a personification of a motivating power of a value system that functions in human life and in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/what-is-a-god-a-god-is-a-personification-of-a-motivating-power-of-a/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [“Your Mom's Car. Think about that. Try to wrap your brain around the supernatural and spiritual implications that the name bears down you. Your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/your-mom-s-car-think-about-that-try-to-wrap-your-brain-around-the/) [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) > [ In Stalin each \[Soviet bureaucrat\] easily finds himself. But Stalin also finds in each one a small part of his own spirit. Stalin is… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-trotsky/in-stalin-each-soviet-bureaucrat-easily-finds-himself-but-stalin-also/) [Leon Trotsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-trotsky/) > [We had better dispense with the personification of evil, because it leads, all too easily, to the most dangerous kind of war: religious war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/we-had-better-dispense-with-the-personification-of-evil-because-it/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [It would be curious to discover who it is to whom one writes in a diary. Possibly to some mysterious personification of one's own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beatrice-webb/it-would-be-curious-to-discover-who-it-is-to-whom-one-writes-in-a/) [Beatrice Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beatrice-webb/) > [Monarchs not only fashion their age, but are fashioned by it, so that they can become a sort of personification of the age. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-figes/monarchs-not-only-fashion-their-age-but-are-fashioned-by-it-so-that/) [Eva Figes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-figes/) > [Few things are more important at this time in history than for religious people to listen to the New Atheists as if these unbelievers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dowd/few-things-are-more-important-at-this-time-in-history-than-for/) [Michael Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dowd/) ## More by Joseph Campbell > [If a person does not listen to the demands of their own spiritual and heart life and insists on a certain program, you're going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/if-a-person-does-not-listen-to-the-demands-of-their-own-spiritual-and/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [The last act in the biography of the hero is that of the death or departure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-last-act-in-the-biography-of-the-hero-is-that-of-the-death-or/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-privilege-of-a-lifetime-is-being-who-you-are/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [The eternal principle, which never was born, never will die: it is in all things: it is in you now. You are the wave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-eternal-principle-which-never-was-born-never-will-die-it-is-in/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [How do you find the divine power in yourself? The word enthusiasm means 'filled with a god,' so what makes you enthusiastic? Follow it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/how-do-you-find-the-divine-power-in-yourself-the-word-enthusiasm/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [What we're learning in our schools is not the wisdom of life. We're learning technologies, we're getting information. There's a curious reluctance on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/what-we-re-learning-in-our-schools-is-not-the-wisdom-of-life-we-re/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [ The fall \[of your soul\] from perfection into duality...was naturally followed by the discovery of the duality of good and evil...This is the Biblical… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-fall-of-your-soul-from-perfection-into-duality-was-naturally/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [So that's what destiny is: simply the fulfillment of the potentialites of the energies in your own system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/so-that-s-what-destiny-is-simply-the-fulfillment-of-the-potentialites/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [Your ego is your embodiment and your self is your potentiality and that's what you listen to when you listen for the voice of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/your-ego-is-your-embodiment-and-your-self-is-your-potentiality-and/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [When you follow your bliss a kind of track opens up, that's always been there, waiting for you. And the life that you should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/when-you-follow-your-bliss-a-kind-of-track-opens-up-that-s-always/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [The best we can do is lean towards the light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-best-we-can-do-is-lean-towards-the-light/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [I think of mythology as the homeland of the muses, the inspirers of art, the inspirers of poetry. To see life as a poem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/i-think-of-mythology-as-the-homeland-of-the-muses-the-inspirers-of/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [When you are falling --- Dive!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/when-you-are-falling-dive/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [We're all seeking...the rapture of being alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/we-re-all-seeking-the-rapture-of-being-alive/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [Both the artist and the lover know that perfection is not loveable. It is the clumsiness of a fault that makes a person lovable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/both-the-artist-and-the-lover-know-that-perfection-is-not-loveable-it/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) [Explore all 711 Joseph Campbell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) ## More Alive quotes > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I feel very grateful to be alive and well enough to make music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-ant/i-feel-very-grateful-to-be-alive-and-well-enough-to-make-music/) Adam Ant > [I don't crave applause. I'm not one of those guys who comes alive on stage. I'm much more alive at home, I think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-don-t-crave-applause-i-m-not-one-of-those-guys-who-comes-alive-on/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [We must master our egoism, and through this mastery, step outside ourselves and educate ourselves in giving. Fasting requires that we rediscover all that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ramadan/we-must-master-our-egoism-and-through-this-mastery-step-outside/) [Tariq Ramadan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ramadan/) > [I can't say that there are 'things' that make me come alive. There are thoughts that make me come alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/i-can-t-say-that-there-are-things-that-make-me-come-alive-there-are/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [We're like the wicked witch. We promise gingerbread, then eat the little brats alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/we-re-like-the-wicked-witch-we-promise-gingerbread-then-eat-the/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [If Jovan Belcher didn't possess a gun, he and Kasandra Perkins would both be alive today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-costas/if-jovan-belcher-didn-t-possess-a-gun-he-and-kasandra-perkins-would/) [Bob Costas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-costas/) > [Peace is an ongoing process. It begins with the first step and it does not end. We, all of us alive today, are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-krieger/peace-is-an-ongoing-process-it-begins-with-the-first-step-and-it-does/) [David Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-krieger/) > [I think adoption becomes complicated whenever the biological parents are alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-haven/i-think-adoption-becomes-complicated-whenever-the-biological-parents/) [James Haven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-haven/) > [The pain of love is the pain of being alive. It is a perpetual wound.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-duffy/the-pain-of-love-is-the-pain-of-being-alive-it-is-a-perpetual-wound/) [Maureen Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-duffy/) > [I have tried to resign myself, and to console myself; and that, I hope, I may have done imperfectly; but what I cannot firmly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-have-tried-to-resign-myself-and-to-console-myself-and-that-i-hope-i/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [If Melanchthon were alive today, he might not weep because of controversies that surround the Lord's Supper, but he might well sorrow because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-w-lutzer/if-melanchthon-were-alive-today-he-might-not-weep-because-of/) [Erwin W. Lutzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erwin-w-lutzer/) > [If you’re alive, don’t move, if you’re dead, don’t worry about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/if-you-re-alive-don-t-move-if-you-re-dead-don-t-worry-about-it/) [Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/) > [Here Greek and Roman find themselves alive along these crowded shelves; and Shakespeare treads again his stage, and Chaucer paints anew his age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-greenleaf-whittier/here-greek-and-roman-find-themselves-alive-along-these-crowded/) [John Greenleaf Whittier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-greenleaf-whittier/) > [You're alive!" Fezzik cried. The man in black sat immobile, like a ventriloquist's dummy, just his mouth moving. "That is perhaps the most childishly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/you-re-alive-fezzik-cried-the-man-in-black-sat-immobile-like-a/) [William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) [Browse all 7,282 Alive quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In the older view the goddess Universe was alive, herself organically the Earth, the horizon, and the heavens. Now she is dead, and the universe is not an organism, but a building, with gods at rest in it in luxury: not as personifications of the energies in their manners of operation, but as luxury tenants, requiring service. 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