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July 18th-19th - With
gentle voice but thunderous ideas, Dr. Lionel Corbett gave us a
weekend that has us contemplating some very big plans!
Thank you Dr. Corbett!
April 25th-26th, 2008 - Jenny
Yates' events were warm, related and intelligent. Her depth
and breath of knowledge on the topic, and her ability to tap into that
upon making her points as well as answering questions, made these events
a joy to attend. Many participants have already requested that we
have her back again!
February 8-9th, 2008 - We
were proud and honored to have Jean Shinoda Bolen!
Speaking at the workshop, participants in "circles",
chatting with attendees.
A
quote from Dr. Bolen (from her Introduction to the 25th Anniversary
edition of The Tao of Psychology: Synchronicity and the Self)
which expresses the energy our Society has been experiencing:
"When kindred spirits
work together for a common good, it can feel as if there is an upwelling
of energy available, like a big wave is forming under the surface that
can carry us and our cause further. Right timing and connections help
move what we are doing along... it feels as if the Tao or the universe
supports what we are doing."
Some
further remarks about Bamboo from Debby Stutsman’s introduction
to Dr. Bolen’s lecture:
“…Over the past two years, the
bamboo plant, its qualities and its growth patterns, have become a
symbol for this organization. The bamboo grows in segments, controlled
spurts, establishing nodes of strength along its trunk, which support
its height. It has a slow and steady growth, upward as well as
spreading. Its roots go long distances underground, where new shoots
spring up. Bamboo is resilient, naturally regenerative, and hard to
stop from spreading, extremely strong but light, replenishes itself, and
is 100% biodegradable. It is now used for fabric, floors, kitchen
accoutrements, furniture, office supplies, musical instruments, yarn,
culinary goods, and on and on. I even saw an ad on the Super Bowl that
had bamboo in it. Bamboo is the Ultimate Green Resource.
And so we liken our
organization to, and pattern our organization after, the resilient
Bamboo, symbol in various cultures of longevity, friendship, a sacred
barrier against evil, the uniting of hard and soft, straightforwardness,
adaptability, strength, and optimism. This is our Society’s symbol, our
mascot. May we all grow a resilient and flourishing life!”
Fall 2007 - Our first season
of Movie Nights, in quite some time, has been well attended.
Excellent movie choices by our analysts and lively discussion make for a
great night out. Come join us this
season!
Shirley Fontenot discusses "Chocolat" and
Rose Holt discusses "The Heiress"
Fall 2007 - Study Groups
are a great way to get in-depth learning in a casual, small class-size
setting. Please know that you don't need to be a professional to
attend any of our events, just an interest and a desire to explore!
Groups lead by Rose Holt, Shirley Fontenot
and Ellen Sheire
October 5-6th, 2007 - James
Hollis draws a record crowd! For the first time we used the larger
sanctuary of the church due to the number attending. True to form, Dr.
Hollis gave a contemplative and thoroughly entertaining lecture on
Shadow. Afterward, Gerri Zobel had organized an ice cream social
that was quite a hit. What's not to like about Ted Drew's frozen
custard? Thanks Gerri! The following day's workshop was
introspective yet revealing. Dr. Hollis, using his natural ability
to draw us in, helped us examine Shadow aspects of ourselves and showed
us constructive methods to address those aspects. What a
weekend!
Photos, left to right: Friday Lecture; Debby
Stutsman, James Hollis
and Sandy Van Arsdale; Ice Cream Social; Saturday Workshop.
October 9th, 2007 - Brewing
up events for the Winter/Spring season at our October Board meeting!
September 14-15, 2007 -
Francesca Ferrentelli held a torch and guided us into the
underworld! Among many illuminations, she clearly showed how we
all can identify with a given mythological story, find our place in it
and see meaning in that. Also that we can revisit the same myth at
a different time in our lives and most likely find that we identify with
a different point in the story. She presented a vast amount of
information, beautifully distilled through PowerPoint presentation.
April 27th, 2007 - Mary Ryan
gives us a wonderful presentation on The Self Through Film.
With an impressive media resource of several DVD movie clips, she was
able to reinforce many great ideas beautifully and shared her insights
on how to use film from a therapeutic standpoint. Thank you Mary!
Sandy Van Arsdale and Mary Ryan
April 10th, 2007 - We are
energized after Dr. Moore’s recent events! At our latest board
meeting we were moved to honor the Dragon in various ways, having a
potluck dinner before our meeting that included “Roast Beast”, a Dragon
egg (green-tinted cheese ball), Dragon blood (Pomegranate juice) and
Dragon-back bread (braided egg-bread), among other tasty things.
Our special guest of the evening was a creation made by Debby Stutsman
that you see below! We hope that you saw/heard/felt, at Dr.
Moore’s events, the potential of working with this Dragon energy that is
in every one of us and certainly has made its presence known within the
Board.
March 30-31, 2007 -
Dr. Robert Moore gives an inspiring luncheon-lecture on compulsion and
healing that led to sharing his thoughts on a "Neo-Jungian" view of many
national and international issues. That evening he gave a
presentation on the Dragon as archetype. Using a PowerPoint
presentation, he showed us many exciting images of Dragons and the
progression of their relationship with the individual. The following day
he expanded on these ideas and worked with us on his concepts/diagrams
from The King Within. This was a most interesting and
gratifying weekend for all who attended!
February 2-3, 2007 - Dr.
Robin Robertson guides us to the correlation between Alchemy and
Chaos Theory with an incredibly well composed PowerPoint presentation
and breath-taking "zoom-in" of the Mandelbrot Set. The following
day he gave an ethereal workshop on some of the ultimate mysteries of
human experience.
January 19th, 2007
- Dr. Joseph Callahan gives an invaluable perspective on the Freud-Jung
relationship. His speaking experience and vast knowledge of
the subject matter were obvious and he generously gave all he knew to us.
Available on CD!
January 19th, 2007 - Debby Stutsman
gives introduction "Jung and Restless" before Dr. Callahan's lecture.
This captures why our Society believes in the importance of educating
the public about Jungian psychology.
This is included in
the audio recording of Dr. Callahan, but here is
a transcription:
"A warm Welcome to you all this evening from the C. G. Jung Society of
Saint Louis. My name is Deborah Stutsman and I am the current President
of the Society. Tonight we will have a chance to share and enjoy the
life’s work and insights of Dr. Joseph Callahan, noted Freudian and
Jungian scholar, teacher, therapist, and generally great individual. But
before we do introductions, however, I am going to take a few minutes to
say some words on a subject which is very important to me.
I have
entitled my introduction “Jung and Restless”, but this light-hearted
description belies the seriousness of the topic. A week ago, I was
engaged in marketing and PR work for our upcoming Jung Society programs.
I had sent an introductory email explaining who the Society and I were
to the chairperson of the Psychology Department of a local, highly
reputable University. The email I received back, although friendly and
helpful, stated that “No one on our current faculty practices Jungian
psychology, nor do we teach it in our graduate courses. It is an
interesting branch of psychology, but mainly for historical reasons, and
really does not inform the kind of contemporary psychology done by most
of our faculty.” This email has had a profound effect on me, and frankly
has probably hit one of my complexes (!), so I feel compelled to talk
about it.
My job, as
the President of the Jung Society of St. Louis, is to help educate the
public about Carl Jung and his life’s work. We, as a Society, and as a
board of directors, feel that this job, this goal, is of tremendous
importance for our world today. I would like to speak about what I see
to be the current status of Jungian Psychology today. I am obviously not
a noted author, educator or head of a large Jungian Institute. I speak
as someone who all my life has perhaps incurably searched for meaning
and understanding of the conflicting elements in my personal and
community life. I confess that I am passionate about Jung, and a few
other things: my husband and family, creativity, nature, and the divine
energetic spark within all beings. I speak as a therapist, as a wife and
as a family member, and tonight especially as a community-oriented,
concerned person. I am not a trained Jungian analyst, but in my
professional therapeutic practice, Jungian psychology is the theory base
and understanding of the human psyche that makes the most sense to me of
any of the psychological schools of thought that I know of. I find it to
be the most useful and inclusive approach to understanding and helping
to heal myself and those around me.
Robert Moore,
quite well-known author, educator, philosopher and Jungian analyst, also
our upcoming speaker in March, says “In today’s cultural and planetary
context, the Jungian point of view is, in my judgment, the only point of
view with the comprehensive scope and complexity to address the problems
of being human in a pan-tribal, postmodern way. Jungian thought has
excellent resources for a truly human spirituality and a
species-inclusive approach to both the psyche and human community. To be
frank, the Jungian way of thinking about both personal and societal
issues is one of the few resources available today that holds much
promise for a way out of the current frightening political, cultural,
and planetary situation, a situation fueled by lack of awareness of the
archetypal dynamics [at work within us].”
Jungian, or
Analytical Psychology, is an understanding of the human psyche which
takes into consideration three aspects of the whole person 1) the
conscious mind of the individual, with its particular developmental
patterns, 2) the unconscious mind, which includes both individual and
collective or universal cultural aspects, and 3) the transpersonal or
“god element” within us, the Self, which Jung believed provides deep
meaning and direction for the life and soul of each person. I take time
to describe this, because no other theory base takes into consideration
the interrelationship and influence that these various aspects have on
each other, and the importance of searching for the meaning within them.
Jungian
Psychology today is often misunderstood, overlooked or undervalued by
the professional health community as a valid or effective approach to
healing, as you can witness by the response I received from the
department head at the local university. Perhaps this is because of the
current pharmaceutically dominated medical industry or the popular
desire in our society for a quick fix. Modern day academia, the
scientific community, and the “Age of Reason” itself promote the belief
that we must scientifically measure and prove things or otherwise they
do not exist. Perhaps the lack of recognition is that the circuitous,
intuitive Jungian path to the human heart and soul confounds treatment
plans, or that Jungian analysis does not get covered by insurance
companies. What can we say, then, as Jungians, to convince the folks who
believe that the study of Carl Jung is only important from a historical
perspective, or to those that perhaps avoid him as too esoteric,
cerebral, or spiritual?
What would
your answer be? How has Jung been significant or helpful for you? In a
recent correspondence that I had with James Hollis, Director of the Jung
Center of Houston, educator, and noted author of many books on Jungian
Psychology, he says that he runs into the disdainful mainline
psychologist response all the time, all the time, yet he observes that
Jungian practices are full. He goes on to say:
“Most modern
psychology and psychiatry address behavioral and biochemical disorders,
which are clearly important. But psychodynamic psychology, such as
Jungian analysis, seeks a much deeper, more sustained dialogue with the
unconscious, believing that our deepest pathologies come from our own
divisions. Jungian psychology is posited on the presumption that there
is an autonomous psyche which seeks healing and wholeness and that an
informed "reading" of symptoms, dreams, life patterns, et al. is
critical to healing these splits. More than a therapy that addresses
behaviors and biology, Jungian psychology addresses the question of
meaning. More people suffer from disorders of meaning than from
conventional neuroses. As an approach to a deepened conversation around
the meaning of one's life, Jungian psychology is an effort to recover an
individual's depth, dignity, worth, and purpose. For this reason,
analytic psychology seeks less symptom relief than transformation.”
I want to leave you with the following thoughts, which are my
observations about what I have gained most from my personal study of
Jung:
- The conflict between the material and the spiritual is as vital, and
strident, today as it was in Freud and Jung’s time,
- We live in the era of the importance and power of imagery, symbol and
archetype to communicate,
- This is the time when the Masculine and the Feminine, within each
person, need to be honored and voiced,
- We need to understand that life proceeds on multiple coexisting but
interrelated levels,
- It is imperative for our world survival that we learn enough about our
shadow selves that we don’t project them on everyone else,
- And, as hard a task as it is, we must truly learn to accept the
differences among peoples and cultures and work toward moderating our
extreme polarities, within ourselves and without.
These are all Jungian ideas.
Thank you for choosing to be with us here tonight, and for the bright
spark that you each bring.
I hope that you will consider how you have benefited from Jung’s
psychology, and that you will pass a little of that light to someone
else. New is not necessarily better, and the depth study of Jungian
psychology can have significant relevance to our lives today.
I leave you with one further quote from James Hollis:
“I know no better definition of life than Jung’s, that “life is a
luminous pause between two great mysteries which yet are one.” The
mystery which can be known by the narrow band of being we call
consciousness is not the whole mystery. We never arrive at the day when
we know finally and for sure what the journey has been about. We are
only called to live it as consciously as we can.”
We sincerely
hope that our programs in Jungian psychology will influence and inform
not only the general public, but also the educational and health care
professional communities. We welcome any thoughts and assistance you may
give us to help us achieve this goal.
Thank you,
and I now wish to introduce Rose Holt, one of our dedicated St. Louis
Jungian analysts and friend of Dr. Joseph Callahan. She will introduce
our speaker tonight."
November/December
2006 -
Grant Proposal Subcommittee at Work: Jung Society Board Members
Norma Pawloski, Rose Holt (Advisory Member), and Deborah Stutsman,
President, work on ideas for Grant Money Funding.
October 20-21 2006
-
Alden Josey gives a lecture on The Politics of Consciousness.
Showing through graphical representations the conscious and unconscious
lines through which we all communicate in "political" way; often giving
glimpse into our relationships, the complicated world today, and of the
past. Saturday he continued with a fascinating look into the rich
symbolism of the images from Splendor Solis and their
alchemical/psychological implications. Group photo below from left
to right: Alden Josey, Sandy Van Arsdale, Mitchell Cripe, Debby Stutsman
and RJ Fitch.
September 15, 2006
-
Analysts Sheldon Culver, Shirley Fontenot, Rose Holt and Ellen
Sheire share with us what's been rippling on their waters.
Nancy Russell did an excellent job as moderator; shown at far left in
the first picture below. For those who attended, this was an
excellent opportunity to hear four of St. Louis' finest analysts and ask
questions on a variety of topics.
Sheldon Culver, Shirley Fontenot, Rose Holt and Ellen
Sheire
November 18, 2005 -
Laurence Hillman gives an
information packed lecture to more that 60 participants. There is
consideration of bringing Mr. Hillman back for a full day seminar.
He presented a overview of astrology in just two hours and we were left
wanting more! The association of astrology to Jung's material is
much like that of alchemy; rich in content and tools to attain glimpses
of the archetypes.
Available on CD!
Click on picture below to
view a larger image.
October 14, 2005 -
Dr. James Hollis
gives lecture to a packed house! There were over 90 attendees for
the Friday night lecture. Dr. Hollis was his usual; a speaker with
profound insight and clarity of thought.
Available on CD!
Click on picture below to
view a larger image.
October 15, 2005 -
In an interesting synchronicity; Dr.
Hollis was mentioned in a St. Louis Post-Dispatch article the same day
as his seminar here:
From the stltoday.com article by
Jake Wagman:
Perhaps there is no better place to delve into the psyche of Houston and
Astros fans than at the Jung Center in the city's museum district. The
center is dedicated to the work of Carl Jung, the Swiss psychiatrist who
developed the concept of the collective unconscious.
"Houston is a place where the cowboy myth still flourishes, a place
where anyone can come in and try his thing, do his best," says the
center's executive director, James Hollis.
Read the entire article
It is of interest to see what Dr. Hollis submitted to the Post for this
article. This information
was given to us with his permission.
"Houston is a place where the cowboy myth still flourishes, a place
where anyone can come in and try his thing, do his best. Houston resists
definition. Having no zoning laws, surely a prescription for housing
disaster, it has disseminated urban clusters so there is very little
jamb up as troubles most cities.
I have never been around a major city which has more social, economic,
and ethnic fluidity than Houston. I came here a Phillies fan but have
come to value the Astros. Everyone locally thinks of them as good
guys...not because they are the home team, but because they all are
members of the community, support charities, and really do seem to be
good guys. One guy last season was arrested, and he was out of town and
on another team within 48 hours. The locals thought that was
appropriate.
Although not as bad as the Cubbie fans, the locals are long suffering.
They have glimpsed the promised land from afar and never got closer than
the series with the Cards last year. Still, I never sensed any animosity
toward the Cards. Everyone seemed to consider the Cards deserving of
their wins. If this sound a bit too good to be true, it is, nonetheless,
true. I lived for years in the Philly area where they booed Santa Claus,
and cheered when Michael Irvin was lying prone on the turf with a
career-ending injury. Compared to that, the Astros fans cheer a lot, but
don't drink very much beer, and generally seem to respect the opponents.
They aren't carrying frustrations from other parts of their lives and
dumping it on vicarious enemies.
I find Astro fans good people, by and large, which is why they like
their team to be made up of good guys. They like scrappers, kids who
come up from nowhere places, like Oswalt. They like, perhaps in an
insular way, kids from Texas too, kids like Berkman, Petit, and that
Clemens fellow. They play "God Bless America" or "Deep in the Heart of
Texas" for the seventh inning stretch rather than "Take Me Out to the
Ball Game." I have, over time, come to value Astro fans, and, now, of
course, to love the Stros."
Dr. James Hollis
Jungian Analyst |
