Nobody can afford to look around and to wait for somebody else to do what he is loath to do himself. But since nobody seems to know what to do, it might be worthwhile for each of us to ask himself whether by any chance his or her unconscious may know something that will help us.
– C.G. Jung (CW 18, par. 599)
Human caused climate change has placed life on the planet in a precarious state. It is imperative we address this situation as soon as possible for the longer we wait, the more we commit future generations to great disruption. Yet there is great resistance to addressing this issue, especially within the United States. Jungian psychology provides a unique means to understand the problem of climate change for it recognizes the importance of the unconscious in our lives. In this presentation, I explore how the dynamics of unconscious processes relate to climate change and how these processes provide pathways to addressing the problem. I consider further the current myths that lie at the root of our collective dissociation from Earth. The presentation concludes with a discussion of how to reconnect to the sacredness of Earth, which is essential to address the issue of climate change. More details.
Mandala as a Path to Healing Our Split with the Sacred Earth
Mandala symbols appear very frequently in moments of psychic disorientation as compensatory ordering factors.
– C.G. Jung (CW 3, par. 582)
Jung identified the mandala as an archetypal image of wholeness. In this workshop we explore the manifold forms of mandalas, West and East, and how they can help us heal our split with the natural world. Mandalas make the invisible visible and are portals into deep psychic experiences. We discuss how mandalas provide a bridge between the macrocosm and the microcosm, and how the mandalas provide a lens through which we can view our sacred world. We will learn how we can make mandala practices a part of our everyday lives. More details.
Jeffrey Kiehl, PhD, is a Diplomate Jungian Analyst and senior training analyst for the C.G. Jung Institute of Colorado and the Inter-Regional Society of Jungian Analysts. He is also an adjunct professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz and an adjunct faculty member of Pacifica Graduate Institute. He is the author of Facing Climate Change: An Integrated Path to the Future, which provides a Jungian perspective on climate change. Jeffrey has presented on various Jungian topics at national and international conferences. He lives in Santa Cruz, CA.
