Saturday, January 22, 2011

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Nothing can be as embarrassing or as titillating as waking from an arousing dream full of sexual images, situations or activities. Such dreams may provoke feelings of guilt, surprise, hope, disgust or euphoria. Freud saw such dreams as wish fulfillment. And although there may an element of this, depending on the circumstances, dreams with subtle or overt sexual imagery can also be pointing to something much deeper in the human psyche which has nothing to do with sexuality at all. This seminar will approach sexual dreams from a Jungian perspective. It will examine sexual symbolism in dreams with an eye toward understanding its underlying message. We will also remain open to the possibility that the dream may be saying exactly what it means.

“The Symbol of the Eye”

Saturday, March 26, 2011

The human eye is a complex organ. It truly provides a window into our world. Physiologically, its function is one of reception and conversion. During this seminar we will spend a little time examining the process of how the human eye actually works. But a majority of our attention will be directed to its symbolic meaning as reflected in dreams, fairy tales, myth and popular culture. The eyes, or sight, sometimes refers to a limitation, while at other times it reflects an ability to perceive the eternal. It has often been used as an image to describe the profound meeting between two people. However it is “seen,” it does carry a very personal meaning, as reflected in the saying, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” Participants are invited to bring their own Eye dreams for a gentle consideration.

Inanna was a goddess of love and procreation worshipped by the Sumerian people during the fourth millennium B.C. E. in what is now Iraq. "The Descent of Inanna" comes down to us on a series of clay tablets inscribed sometime around 3100 B.C.E. The story itself is probably much older, a part of that culture’s oral tradition. It serves as one of the earliest examples we possess of a woman’s individuation process unfolding in symbolic form. We will follow Inanna’s journey, step by step, as she descends into the underworld to meet her older, darker sister Ereshkegal. If we survive that fateful meeting, we will then accompany her as she makes her way back to everyday life. This seminar will follow the same format as our other “Images of Individuation” offerings. We will look at the text, present provocative questions for reflection, and then welcome whatever responses may arise from the participants.

Grimms’ fairy tale, “The Goose Girl,” tells the story of a young Princess who leaves her mother, the Queen, to wed her Prince. As she begins her journey, her mother gives her a golden goblet, a waiting maid, a talking horse, and a handkerchief bearing three drops of the Queen’s blood. What happens next is the stuff that individuation is made of. As the individuation process unfolds one can almost hear the voice of the alchemist describing how a person grows more conscious, more balanced, more mature as she moves through the various stages of nigredo, albedo, rubedo and finally the multiplicatio. We will examine this tale scene by scene, reflecting on the symbolism it contains and the pertinence it may have for our own lives.

“The Individuation of Gilgamesh”

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Last May we examined the ancient Sumerian myth of Inanna as a symbolic representation of a woman’s individuation process – that movement toward discovering and living out one’s true personality. Now we are set to follow a complementary story, The Epic of Gilgamesh, as illustrative of a man’s journey toward individuation. We will learn how King Gilgamesh tormented his people in Uruk - we will witness the fateful arrival of the wild man Enkidu - and on the story goes, unfolding with an archetypal resonance.  Inanna and Gilgamesh, whose mythic lives are intertwined in the imagination of ancient Sumeria, embody Jung’s observations on human development as a process in which masculine and feminine both mirror and are differentiated from one another.  Bring your memories, your experiences, your reflections, as we travel over 4,000 years into the past, looking for wisdom and common ground.

“The Last Picture Show”

Saturday, October 8, 2011

“Life review” is a common feature of what has come to be known as a Near Death Experience. One’s entire life, or an important segment thereof, may be revisited as in a movie – fast forward or in slow-motion, either two or three dimensional, in a familiar room or large amphitheater, with known or unknown figures. A variation of this life review also occurs naturally as one grows older and nears the end of life. Memories, issues, peak moments of happiness, wounds, and accomplishments surface with increased frequency. It is thought that these reminiscences not only prepare one for death, but are also designed to facilitate a deeper sense of self while one is still alive. In this seminar we are going to address life review as a general phenomenon. But we are also going to leave ample time and space for personal sharing.  If you could watch one scene from your life, in great detail, before you died, what would it be?

“Occupations in Dreams”

Saturday, November 12, 2011

How often have we had dreams where one of the characters was identified as a police officer or an attorney, a doctor or a nurse, a professor or a teacher, a banker or a therapist? Sometimes we recognize the person; sometimes we do not. If the dream figure is someone known to us, his or her actual profession in life may be something quite different. Who are these characters who, in dreams, play a particular role in the fabric of society?  What might they represent or evoke?  What associations do we bring to them? What can they teach us about the social order of our inner world? In this seminar we will examine several dreams where various occupations are represented, in an attempt to discover their symbolic value. We will also allow opportunities for participants to share and explore such figures from their own dreams.

“The Symbolic Animals of Alchemy”

Saturday, December 3, 2011

Jung spent a considerable amount of time researching and reflecting on the practice of alchemy: Three volumes of his Collected Works address this topic. For him, alchemy represented a pre-conscious attempt to engage in furthering the individuation process.  Due in part to Jung’s insights, we are now able to understand the process of turning lead into gold psychologically.  Its symbolism points the way to a conscious work with our own shadow material and the discovery of an “incorruptible value” within, a value that, once realized cannot be taken away. As Jung examined alchemical manuscripts, he noticed how various animals appeared as symbolic representations of this inner process unfolding. In this seminar we are going to examine some of those animals – raven, swan, lion, peacock, unicorn, pelican and phoenix, to name a few. There will be an opportunity for synchronicity to operate as each of us chooses an animal (or allows it to choose us?) as part of our own alchemical journey.  

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