Jung and the Split Feminine: A Psychohistorical Exploration of the Building of a Theory

In Memories, Dreams and Reflections, Jung describes his own early life as a gravely troubled period in his individuation. Nowhere is this disturbance more profound than in his relationship with his mother, which Jung himself describes as deeply split, highly conflicted, and fraught with anxiety. The consequences of this most primary of Jung’s relationships shaped not only his character and pattern of interpersonal relations, but they left deep and lasting imprints on the theory and concepts of analytical psychology as well.

This presentation will trace and explore these intimate and problematic connections between Jung’s early life struggles and core Jungian concepts such as the anima/animus syzygy and notions of the masculine and feminine. By illuminating these hidden influences in the building of theory, the talk will outline ways in which these central tenets of analytical psychology, once viewed as liberating, now tend to imprison men and women in restrictive gender identifications and negatively impact their individuation potentials.

The New Mary Magdalene

The true identity of Mary Magdalene – an alleged prostitute, visionary and the disciple who Jesus loved the most – is as elusive as the biblical, Gnostic and popular accounts of her are diverse. With the help of a remarkably varied collection of some 120 images from the history of European painting, fascinating new scriptural accounts from the Gnostic Nag Hammadi Library, a bit of Catholic legend, and a dream of a contemporary woman, we will consider the crucial psychological and religious significance of this highly differentiated personality of Christian history. Mary’s kinship with Eve, Sophia, Aphrodite, anima mundi and other kindred figures will be explored, as well as her relationship with Christ. Magdalene will be seen as a paradigm of feminine individuation and a reflection of the male anima, as well as in relation to Gnostic ritual and the “Mystery of the Bridal Chamber” on one hand, and as a solitary exile to southern France, on the other.

The New Mary Magdalene

The workshop will review the nature and origins of Western Gnosticism, Jung’s fascination with the subject, and the varied mythical contexts in which the Gnostic Magdalene appears. We will carefully consider the visionary “Gospel of Mary” (from the Nag Hammadi Library), as well as the Gnostic myth of Sophia’s descent from supercelestial origins to become the mother of the Jehovah, the Soul of the World, and a saving revealer figure. Particular attention will be given to the development of this Sophia figure from Hebrew wisdom literature, classical mythology and the Egyptian goddess, Isis, to Gnostic cosmology and religious ritual, as well as to some intuitively penetrating images of the subtle body. Photos and mysteries from the sacred sites of Mary Magdalene in the South of France will be included.

The Relationship Between Psychology and Architecture: The Interaction Between the Built Outer World and the Humane Inner World

We have to consider the fact that houses are works of people for people. Architecture and psychology are inseparably bound together. If we build a simple little hut in our garden or if we are planning and constructing a complicated building, the psyche of the architect or worker is always involved. The symbol of the house, which contains the real concrete house, the one we can touch, and the spiritual image – the imago of the house – is always connected with the human being – with our body, soul, and spirit.

The fundamental experience that people make houses and houses make people expresses a process moving from the inner world into the outer world, and from there, it reflects back to act again on the inner world of people. This means that people get stamped by architecture, and if we think further, many people can be stamped by one person, namely, by the one who imagines and constructs the building.

This thought alarmed me. I asked myself: Who are these people who build? What image do they have of the people for whom they build? How much do they know about the souls of the people? How much about the interchange between the built outer world and the humane inner world? Are they aware enough of the responsibility they have for people and their environments?

The evening lecture will address the relationship between psychology and architecture, the symbolism of the house, and the inner-outer world process of “making houses.”

The Relationship Between Psychology and Architecture: The Interaction Between the Built Outer World and the Humane Inner World

We have to consider the fact that houses are works of people for people. Architecture and psychology are inseparably bound together. If we build a simple little hut in our garden or if we are planning and constructing a complicated building, the psyche of the architect or worker is always involved. The symbol of the house, which contains the real concrete house, the one we can touch, and the spiritual image – the imago of the house – is always connected with the human being – with our body, soul, and spirit.

The fundamental experience that people make houses and houses make people expresses a process moving from the inner world into the outer world, and from there, it reflects back to act again on the inner world of people. This means that people get stamped by architecture, and if we think further, many people can be stamped by one person, namely, by the one who imagines and constructs the building.

This thought alarmed me. I asked myself: Who are these people who build? What image do they have of the people for whom they build? How much do they know about the souls of the people? How much about the interchange between the built outer world and the humane inner world? Are they aware enough of the responsibility they have for people and their environments?

The evening lecture will address the relationship between psychology and architecture, the symbolism of the house, and the inner-outer world process of “making houses.” The workshop will deepen the discussion of these questions and look in

Creation and Recreation: Ancient Egypt and Modern Life

The engaged and considered life demands many beginnings. The multiple creation myths of the most mindful of peoples, the ancient Egyptians, not only addressed their questions about the origins and nature of the universe and human life, but offered stirring images for the first and continuous emergences of physical awareness, psychic consciousness, creative reflection and expression. Images similar to those we will view and discuss from Egyptian art and myth often appear in the dreams of modern women and men in moments of inner pressure and outer crisis, when growth, restoration and renewal are essential for on-going life.

The Depth Psychology of Ancient Egypt

Five thousand years ago, vital Egyptian minds were expressing humankind’s concerns about the know, the unknown, and the unknowable. Just as we do, they confronted tensions between order and chaos, and sought balance between harmony and tension, attraction and aggression, good and evil, life and death, light and dark, mortal time and a timeless eternal.

The great conceptions of Egyptian myth, such as Hathor, Maat, and Thoth, reached toward the comprehensive understanding which gives breadth and depth to our interface with the universe. The story of Isis and Osiris dramatizes the intra-psychic struggles, interpersonal intensities, and transformative possibilities of a depth connection to experience. Using Egyptian images and texts, this seminar offers a glimpse into the resonance between the Egyptian sensibility and the Jungian understanding of the inclusive life.

The Splendors of Ancient Egypt

In the beauty and grace of their art, the ancient Egyptians created images which expressed some of the simple truths about the well-lived life and the most profound hopes about an ongoing life after death. The objects of their daily routines, their animals, and their gods were imagined and approached as vital representations of the wonders and mysteries of a meaningful existence. Through understanding the Egyptian sensibility, we come to appreciate their world and our own.

We are pleased to co-sponsor this special lecture with the Portland Art Museum, as part of our mission to present a Jungian perspective to the wider community. We invite you to support this effort by attending the Sunday lecture, which will complement the Friday and Saturday programs and the Portland Art Museum’s special exhibit: The Splendors of Ancient Egypt.

Merlin-Jung Enchained

From Heinrich Zimmer’s The King and the Corpse: Tales of the Soul’s Conquest of Evil, this lecture will make a first attempt to explore the story of Merlin’s enchainment by the goddess with that of Jung’s enchainment by the anima.. What relationship, if any, does this phenomenon play in the connection that a man has with this soul and in his relationships with other men and women?

In Search Of

There are multitudinous ways in which the soul reveals itself for each individual. During the day-long workshop, we will journey into the past as a way of bringing to consciousness the ground out of which one’s individual soul – one’s individual myth – emerged. Each participant is asked to bring a journal and some form of drawing material.

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