Jungian Seminars - 2001
“She was on the Moon”
Saturday, January 27, 2001
An often-neglected aspect of interpreting dreams is consideration of their settings. “I was in my grandfather’s house….” “I was flying through space….” “I was caught in a no-man’s land between warring armies….” This seminar will explore the many ways that time and place may be represented in dreams and the power of these images to evoke emotion and meaning.
Fateful Meetings
Saturday, February 17, 2001
The stories of many lives include a special cast of characters—others who seemed magically to open doors onto a realm of depth and meaning: teacher, inspiration, lover, friend…. How might we understand these connections? What is their place in the individuation process, so often described as solitary and self-contained? We will look at concepts such as projection, but this seminar will be based on the sharing of experiences.
The Monkey King
Saturday, March 31, 2001
In every culture, there are a few classic tales whose appeal never fades. The Journey to the West is one of these: a 16th century Chinese novel about the much-storied pilgrimage which brought Buddhist Scripture out of India. Join us to make the acquaintance of its most beloved character: the dauntless & irreverent Monkey King—a Trickster hero of truly archetypal proportions & inspiration for everything from classical Chinese opera to a wildly popular TV series of the 1970’s.
Struck by Lightning
Saturday, April 28, 2001
There are approximately 1,800 thunderstorms in progress over the earth every moment & lightning hits the planet one hundred times each second. In the U.S. there are several thousand lightning-related injuries each year, with almost 600 fatalities. Lightning is a natural phenomenon evoking feelings ranging from fear to fascination. But how are those who survive lightning strikes affected—physically, emotionally, psychologically, & spiritually? What myths, stories, dreams has lightning provoked? This seminar will examine the phenomenon from all these perspectives. Survivors are welcome.
When Relationships End
Saturday, May 19, 2001
Most people have experienced the break-up of a valued relationship—the “divorce”, if not of a spouse, then of a friend or family member. Sometimes the other confronts us with a fait accompli. Sometimes we are the ones who decide to “leave”. Sometimes the level of conflict is so great that neither escapes the inevitable conclusion that something has been damaged beyond repair. No matter what the circumstances, the parting is rarely easy. How do we make peace with such life events? And what if a sense of acceptance eludes us?
The Garden as Living Symbol
Saturday, June 23, 2001
We can sense a deep disturbance in the relationship today between human beings and the natural environment. Yet Charlotte, this prolific green city, offers us ample opportunities to cultivate our own small plots as expressions of what we want that relationship to be. At another level, the Garden has long been a symbol of how we cultivate ourselves, how the Self takes shape within us. Participants are invited bring cuttings or photographs, reminiscences or pipe dreams, as we reflect together on this living symbol.
The Self in Dreams
Saturday, July 14, 2001
Jung wrote that the concept of the Self can be described in terms of a magic circle: Imagine some “unknown agency” selecting parts of the collective unconscious and setting them within this space, as if to preserve a work of art that is now finished and perfect. What could be more static than this image of the magical enclosure? Yet it was not the circle so much as its formation that intrigued Jung, who wrote, “This selecting, and rejecting of what does not belong, is what we call the process of individuation.“ How can we make sense of this brain-teaser? Might a dream image be your window onto the mystery of creative process as you are living it?
Expressing Soul Through Clay
Saturday, August 11, 2001
A blank page, an empty canvas, a ball of clay—each is waiting for soul to give it content, expression, form. Until the spark of creativity is given room to jump from its hidden recesses, these mediums remain only silent potentials. The same is true for us. Jung believed that we contain a treasure house full of wisdom, healing and creativity. But too often the door is locked with no way to access or reveal what lies inside. This seminar will invite its participants to play with clay in order to give soul a chance to express itself. Wear something casual.
The Symbol of the Dog
Saturday, September 22
Of all the animals we commonly encounter, the dog is the most attuned to human emotions and human language. Scientists now believe that the dog has been companion to human beings for over 100,000 years, so that we can speak of a genuine co-evolution of the two species. For some of us, life experiences shared with a special dog may carry as much meaning—whether joyful or traumatic, as those lived with fellow-humans. But even those of us who have never grown attached to a pet may find ourselves approached by the Dog as a powerful archetypal image. Join us to explore this image in fantasy, myth, and dream.
Synchronicity: Life’s Meaningful Coincidences
Saturday, October 20
All of us have heard stories of meaningful coincidences in the lives of others—if we do not have our own stories to tell. They have become the miracle tales of our time. When C. G. Jung introduced the term synchronicity into common parlance in 1951, it caught on like wild fire—presumably because there is such a phenomenon in our lives just waiting for language to give it expression. In New Age circles today, the concept of synchronicity creates barely a ripple. Yet it is so difficult, so alien, to the Western mind that it deserves a closer look. What have been your experiences of synchronicity? How might you understand them? What does it mean to live in a world where meaningful coincidences can occur?
The Self in Dreams—Part II
Saturday, November 17
Last summer, in a seminar on “the Self in Dreams,” we looked at ways the normally invisible author of dreams sometimes makes its own appearance on the stage. Most of our time was spent examining a variety of archetypal representations of the Self. The depth of the topic and participants’ interest made this a natural “to be continued.” This fall’s sequel will pay more attention to actual dreams, particularly those dealing with death and religious themes. How does the Self enter into time, place, and story? What can glimpses of the Self contribute to everyday processes of individuation? Newcomers are welcomed. We will begin with an overview of the topic that may serve as either an introduction or a fresh look at familiar material.
Pregnant Moments
Saturday, December 15
Somewhere between the “what was” and “what now is” of our lives lie silent pauses that exist neither here nor there. Subtle and elusive, they cannot be grasped. The stuff of myth, fairy tale, and dream, these moments in life are particularly brimming with possibility; so heavy in fact, we can even feel them in our bodies. They provide an invisible, creative bridge between old and new, nothing and something, isolation and relationship. This seminar will examine the phenomenon of “pregnant moments” in an attempt to familiarize ourselves with their presence, understand their dynamics, and prepare ourselves for what they bring.