READING JUNG

Readings in Jung: Mother Complex and Mother Archetype

Presented by Rose Holt, MA

Six (6) Sundays: 2:00 - 3:30 PM
March 6, 13 , 20; April 3, 10, 17
First Congregational Church UCC Picture of the Church
6501 Wydown Blvd., Clayton, MO, 631055 Map it!
Fee: Friends $115; Others $135 (9 CEUs)
Text: C. G. Jung, "Psychological Aspects of the Mother Archetype," in Aspects of the Feminine, Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1982

The Mother Archetype comprises many ambivalent patterns. An individual's particular and powerful personal pattern or imprint is determined by his/her relationship with both the personal mother and other significant female influences, especially early in life. Parts of the mother compex are lived consciously; parts are split off to reside in the unconscious. Unconscious parts then are often projected onto figures in one's life, clouding real understanding of the other and the relationship. Working with one's personal mother complex, usually as it appears in dreams, can lead to increased understanding so that split-off parts--positive and negative--can be made conscious. Resolution of the complex brings increased feelings of freedom and, quite often, an improved relationship with women in one's life.

For anyone interested in the group who feels unfamiliar with basic Jungian theory, we recommend two videos: Rose Holt: "An Overview of Jungian Psychology & Its Value for Today", and Ken James: "Complexes, Archetypes, and the Transcendent Function." Both are available through our website or by calling 314-533-6809. If you have questions regarding the course, please contact Rose at 314-726-2032 or roseholt@aol.com.


Rose F. Holt, MA, a Jungian Analyst in private practice in St. Louis and advisory analyst to The C. G. Jung Society of St. Louis, is on the faculty of the Chicago Analyst Training Program. She has lectured widely, taught numerous courses, and authored a number of essays on topics in Jungian psychology.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION OR TO REGISTER, PLEASE VISIT WWW.CGJUNGSTL.ORG

AN APPROACH TO THE DREAM

An Approach to the Dream
Presented by Rose F. Holt, M.A.

Friday, January 29, 2016 - 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
First Congregational Church UCC Picture of the Church
6501 Wydown Blvd., Clayton, MO, 63105 Map it! 
Fee: Friends $15/ Students $2 / Others: $20 (2 CEUs)

Both Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung demonstrated the significance and value of dreams in psychoanalysis although their assumptions about and approaches to working with dreams were markedly different. Jung's understanding of dreams as a spontaneous living manifestation of nature and his way of working with them open up the possibility for any of us to self-explore via the dream, if we are so inclined. In this lecture, Rose will outline the differences between Freud's and Jung's approach, will offer helpful assumptions for working with dreams, and will provide examples of the effect of dreams in the lives of individuals. She will also discuss the importance of dreams with archetypal images and motifs that emerge from the deepest layers of the unconscious. 

Rose F. Holt, MA, a Jungian Analyst in private practice in St. Louis and advisory analyst to The C. G. Jung Society of St. Louis, is on the faculty of the Chicago Analyst Training Program. She has lectured widely, taught numerous courses, and published a number of articles on various aspects of Jungian Psychology.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION OR TO REGISTER, PLEASE VISIT:  CGJUNGSTL.ORG

THE GIFT OF CONSCIOUSNESS

If you are casting about for an unusual but intriguing gift for a friend or loved one, do consider the gift of consciousness.  The C. G. Jung Society of St. Louis has a number of superb programs which are available on DVD or CD.  Some of the programs are of an introductory level to Jungian Psychology; others are more nuanced and expand upon some of Jung's original ideas.  The quality of the recordings is excellent.  You can see trailers and order various ones at www.cgjungstl.org.  Order now to receive one or more in time for Christmas.

PROFESSIONAL RESOURCES LISTING

PROFESSIONAL RESOURCES LISTING

St. Louis has a vibrant Jung Society where many Society members have educated themselves in the facets of Jungian Psychology. The Society is providing a list of professional resources for individuals seeking analysis, therapy, spiritual direction, or other services from practitioners versed in Jungian psychology and who maintain membership in the Jung Society. This will include:

Jungian Analysts
Analysts in Training
Counselors
Spiritual Directors
Bodyworkers
Coaches
Social Workers

The C.G. Jung Society of Saint Louis makes no endorsements for any specific practitioner listed. We offer this information as a service to those interested.

If you are a Jungian Analyst, Analyst Candidate, Counselor, Spiritual Director, Social Worker, etc., and are a Society Member who has attended lectures, workshops, and study groups, you are eligible to be listed on the Society's website under "Resources" for an annual fee of $99. To be listed, please complete the application below. The Society will review all applications for suitability.

1. Go to Our Website  http://www.cgjungstl.org

2. Click the "Resources" tab

3. You will see a heading that says "Jungian Analysts and Jungian-Influenced Practitioners. Are you interested in being listed here? "Click here to find out how"

4. Click that link and complete the form

In addtion to completing the registration form, you will also need to submit photograph (headshot) of yourself, a copy of your license or certificate, and your check for $99 (if sending payment and form by postal-mail) for a one-year listing.

Please submit this information electronically to cgjungstl@yahoo.com, or mail to: C.G. Jung Society of St. Louis, P.O. Box 11724, St. Louis, MO, 63105.

JUNG IN THE HEARTLAND CONFERENCE Photos

There are a number of photographs from the recent Jung in the Heartland Conference, "The Altar of the Earth," posted on www.cgjungstl.org   To view the photos, click on the "recent happenings" tab or follow the thread on the Facebook link on the main page.  Donna Leone, a Society board member, was the conference photographer.

This September 10-13, 2015, event was the fourth major conference undertaking for the C.G. Jung Society of St. Louis and, by all attendee reports, the finest of the four.  Video and audio recordings of the conference presentations will soon be available for order through the Society's website, cgjungstl.org    New to this year's conference was an art exhibition that added interest and depth to the conference theme.

The winners of the 2014 writing contest on the conference theme, "The Altar of the Earth," read their essays during the Authors' and Artists' Reception on Saturday evening at the conference.  The winning essays along with other fine entries have been published in a book, which is also available for order on the website.

These Society conferences are partially underwritten by an anonymous donor and by Society Friends' subscription fees so that attendee costs for the event, the book, and the recordings are quite reasonable.

The mission of the C. G. Jung Society of St. Louis, a not-for-profit 501C organization, is to educate the public about the work of C.G. Jung and the psychological understanding it affords everyone.  Above all, Jungian Psychology is a guide for a more creative and satisfying life.

THE INDIVIDUAL AND THE EARTH

THE INDIVIDUAL AND THE EARTH

     The C. G. Jung Society of St. Louis will soon release a book of the finest essays from the Society’s third writing contest, this one on the theme of “Honoring the Altar of the Earth.”  The book will be available at the Jung in the Heartland Conference - “The Altar of the Earth” to be held at King’s House Retreat Center September 10-13, 2015.
     When Kathryn Stinson, the editor of the book, invited me to write a blurb for the back cover, I offered this:

     Jung’s view was that one could not be reconciled with one’s own deepest nature without becoming reconciled with Nature itself.  These essays illustrate ways in which the authors, finely attuned to their own delicate and precious natures, are also finely attuned to our exquisitely-balanced Earth.  Civilization requires sufficient numbers of such individuals to save itself, and in doing so, save our small home in the great cosmos. 

     This short statement leads to critical questions.  What does it mean to become reconciled with one’s own deepest nature?  How does one effect reconciliation?  For people steeped in religion, the tenets and dogma of their tradition provide working answers.  Others, for whom religious institutions no longer hold value or provide answers, may not bother to ask, or even to know, the questions.  Yet reconciliation, though an old-fashioned notion, can be a pressing need that arises from one’s deepest nature and requires some kind of response.
     Often an individual’s first response to vague feelings of discontent and dissatisfaction is a combination of denial and repression.  He or she tries to soldier on, to pretend nothing is awry.  In extreme cases the result of so much energy invested in defenses that do not work is extreme ennui or depression.  What is behind such disturbing feelings is an inner force for fuller development that initially seems hostile because it is often foreign and upsetting to the status quo.
     At the onset of this inner urge from one’s truest and deepest nature, an individual may have threatening and difficult dreams, even nightmares.  Repressed unconscious contents presenting themselves and seeking reconciliation with waking consciousness appear as people breaking into one’s home, threatening animals, angry teachers, condemning or indifferent parental figures, or situations in which windows and doors cannot be kept shut.  Another recurring motif is the lost wallet, purse, keys, car, baggage.  Other common dreams feature dismemberment motifs and are accompanied by feelings of being torn apart by inner conflict.
     These contents from the deep can also be life-giving and expanding.  The dreams may show the dreamer finding new wings of his/her house, discovering hidden tunnels, entering fascinating caves or ancient temples, opening ancient texts, meeting wisdom figures.
     One’s deepest nature (the “Self” in Jungian terms) seems to want to tear away parts of the individual’s self-identity yet at the same time preserve essential elements and add to them.  It is as if the “sculptor” of one’s being molds delicate material to one’s armature structure while carving away at existing casting, all at the same time.  To the individual experiencing this process, it is disconcerting, disturbing, and at times terrifying. There are also moments of joy, of numinous insight, of secret delight.  Mostly, it is a set of experiences that can hardly be communicated to anyone, a secret one cannot disclose.
     This is the painful and exhilarating process C. G. Jung calls “individuation,” a word that means “not divided.”  It is the movement of the whole person toward reconciliation of consciousness with the unknown and with the seemingly unknowable backdrop of the unconscious. Jung’s lasting gift is a rough guide through this difficult but rewarding process which apparently ends only in death.
     The value of immersing oneself in and tending to this long-term careful process of development is that one becomes an instrument for harmony, a sort of tuning fork of nature.  If one feels horribly awry within one’s being, the first questions to answer are:  Where might I be at odds with the Self, and what thoughts, attitudes, behaviors do I need to change?  Almost miraculously, “fixing” oneself, i.e., reconciling oneself, brings harmony to an outer situation.  Perhaps just as frequently, one determines to change one’s outer situation.
      And that brings us back to my book blurb.  Are we reaching a critical mass, a sufficient number of reconciled individuals to effect the change necessary to save our small home in the cosmos?

     For information about the C. G. Jung Society of St. Louis, about the September 10-13, 2015, Jung in the Heartland Conference, and about the book of essays, Honoring the Altar of the Earth, visit cgjungstl.org or call (314) 533-6809.  The Heartland Conference will feature an art show with the conference theme.  The Society is hosting a reception at 7:00 pm Saturday, September 12, 2015, at the King’s House Retreat Center featuring the artists and authors presenting their prize-winning essays.


Rose F. Holt
Jungian Psychoanalyst
August 11, 2015
         

JUNG IN THE HEARTLAND CONFERENCE September 10-13, 2015

There are still a few openings for the Jung Society of St. Louis fourth Jung in the Heartland Conference to be held at King's House Retreat Center in Belleville, Il.  For detailed information, please visit www.cgjungstl.org

A guest speaker will be Monika Wikman, Jungian Analyst from Santa Fe, NM, author of Pregnant Darkness.  A feature of this conference will be an art exhibit.  Winning authors of the writing contest will present their essays.  There will be an Authors' and Artists' Reception on Saturday evening, September 12, to which the public is invited.  Details also at www.cgjungstl.org

The St. Louis Jung Society opens it new and used book store at each conference.  Conference goers have the opportunity to purchase books on Jungian topics.

Attendees at previous Jung in the Heartland Conferences have described them as "a happening";  "best conference ever!"' "a wonderful group of like-minded folk"; "rich with community and spirit",;"delicious food."

All rooms at the center are private rooms with bath.   Meals are prepared from locally-owned, organic gardens.  Special diet restrictions can be accommodated.

Psychology and Religion Study Group

The C. G. Jung Society of St. Louis organizes various study groups on topics related to Jungian Psychology.  I usually lead a study group on some Jung lecture or text.  This fall the text is Jung's Psychology and Religion, the Terry Lecture Jung presented at Yale in 1937.  Here are the particulars:

Jung Readings Study Group – Psychology and Religion

November 1, 8, 15, 22; December 6, 13, 2015
Sundays 2:00 – 3:30 pm

First Congregational Church UCC Conference Room
6501 Wydown Boulevard, Clayton, MO  63105

Test:  C. G. Jung, Psychology and Religion, New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1938.  [This lecture, “Psychology and Religion,” is also included in Volume 11 of Jung’s Collected Works.]

In this work Jung discusses “what psychology has to do with or to say about religion.”  Regardless of one’s religious affiliation or personal belief system, there is considerable evidence that within the psyche there is something like a religious function that has psychological implications in one’s life.  In this study group, we will read and discuss Jung’s views in an effort to discern how his psychological approach might inform our own lives in a modern world increasingingly torn apart by religion.

(For people who are interested in the group but feel they lack a familiarity with basic Jungian theory, we recommend reviewing two videos: Rose Holt: "An Overview of Jungian Psychology & Its Value for Today", and Ken James: "Complexes, Archetypes, and the Transcendent Function."  Both are available through the C. G. Jung Society of St. Louis website (www.cgjungstl.org) or by calling (314) 533-6809.)  If you have questions or would like to discuss the course before registering, please contact Rose at (314) 726-2032 or roseholt@aol.com.

[Rose Holt is a Jungian analyst in private practice in St. Louis. She serves as advisory analyst to the C.G. Jung Society of St. Louis and is on the faculty of the Chicago Analyst Training Program. She has taught numerous courses and has authored numerous essays on topics in Jungian Psychology.]

THE WATCHER IN THE DREAM

I recently had an inquiry from a college student who had had a troubling dream about being watched. He awoke feeling anxious and tried to google information to understand the dream.  In response to his questions, I sent him a couple of pages about the "seeing eye" in a dream and the following explanation:

Hi Danny,

I sent you two pages that are pretty opaque.  Essentially the idea is that there is an entity (The Self, in Jungian Psychological terms) that lies in the unconscious and keeps a watchful eye on the ego.  The Self is a kind of guiding principle that needs something from the ego and will guide and grow it up in ways so that it (the ego) can function effectively both in the world and in the unconscious. All real creativity emerges from this Self-ego relationship, and it is fundamentally important for full development of the personality.

One way to examine the state of the relationship is by reflecting on one’s dreams.  Is something (the Self) in the unconscious critical of me, pleased with me, helping me, wanting something from me?  The dream storyline and characters present a drama in which the dream ego (the part of the dreamer’s personality depicted in the dream) has a role.  Is the role cooperative, adversarial, passive, etc? Does the dream depict me as responsible, worthy, adult or as a petulant child, angry, obdurate, difficult?  The dream seems to hold an opinion about our ego, and will tell us that opinion in no uncertain terms.  That is precisely the reason so many people ignore and/or dismiss their dreams.

Of course, if you think about it a minute, for every dream there has to be something like an "eye" (of a camera?) or "watcher" that captures the action and presents it the dreamer as a memory upon awakening.

If you pay attention to your dreams, jot down notes and reflections about them, you will, over time see that the dreams begin to respond to your attention.  That is when it gets really interesting.

There is solid empirical evidence for all this, so don’t take it as an article of faith but as a working hypothesis for your own personality development.

Anyway, Danny, this might give you a foot hold for gleaning some meaning out of that one dream and, of course, out of others.

Best of luck in the coming school year.

Sincerely, Rose F. Holt

C. G. JUNG'S BIRTHDAY - JULY 26, 1875

Carl Gustav Jung would be 140 years old today.  I am truly grateful to this man who has changed my life for the better through his ideas and theories.  The more I learn about his process of individuation, his explanation for many of the quirks of personality, his willingness to be merely human, his notions of process theology, the more I admire the man.  Truly, he has left us a great treasure which will take centuries to discover and unpack.

The Jung Society of St. Louis

For those of you interested in Jungian Psychology, an excellent way to expand your understanding and meet like-minded folk is membership in a local Jung Society.  Following is a summary report of programs of our society in St. Louis:

The Jung Society St. Louis Society hosts a major Midwest Jung in the Heartland Conference every other year (September 10-13 in 2015).  The upcoming conference theme is “The Altar of the Earth,” and will include an art show that focuses on that theme.

The Society also sponsors lectures and workshops by major Jungian Analysts and scholars, provides a host of study groups led by local analysts and others well versed in Jungian studies, presents authors’ evenings for Society members who have published on topics of Jungian Psychology, offers film nights, and various other social events of interest to members.

Biennially the Society sponsors a writing contest (with the theme of the next year’s conference and focused on topics of Jungian Psychology) that draws global-wide entries.  The Society publishes winning contest entries in a book, and invited authors read and discuss their winning essays during the conference.

Lectures by Jungian analysts and scholars are videotaped and are available on DVD.  Audio recordings of the lectures are available on CD.  Jane Wilson, a long-time board member, interviews major speakers for the Society.  Those interviews are now part of the Society’s Video/Audio library and will soon be available in a collection.  Interviewees include James Hollis, Lionel Corbett, Murray Stein, Jean Shinoda-Bolen, Donald Kalsched, Monika Wikman, Gary Sparks, Mary Dougherty, Ken James, et. al.

The Society’s offerings are underwritten by subscribing members and generous donors so that all programs are more affordable for everyone.

For more information or to purchase program DVD’s, CD’s, and books, visit www.cgjungstl.org.  To receive the St. Louis Jung Society Newsletter, e-mail www.cgungstl@yahoo.com

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SUPPORT THE JUNG SOCIETY OF ST. LOUIS BY USING AMAZON SMILE

The nonprofit Jung Society of St. Louis is eligible for the Amazon Smile program.  You can support the Society by simply clicking on the Amazon Smile link that is in the center of the page on the Society’s website at www.cgjungstl.org  We suggest you set up your own bookmark through our link.  That is all you need to do.  With every eligible purchase you make, Amazon will make a small donation to the Society.

Our Jung Society is dedicated to getting information our Jung's ideas into the wider culture.  You can help.  Thank you!

FW: Jung in the Heartland: The Altar of the Earth

Click on the link below to.... See the Brochure! Register Now Early Bird Deadline Ends in 1 Week  July 8!!  Jung in the Heartland: The Altar of the Earth  Featuring Monika Wikman, Ph.D.     Belden Lane, Ph.D.     Mary Ryan, M.S.   September 10 - 13, 2015 at King's House Retreat Center Belleville, IL   CLICK HERE FOR EARLY BIRD PRICING!     REGISTER NOW - SPACE IS LIMITED!    CLICK HERE TO REGISTER!  HELP THE SOCIETY DONATE YOUR USED JUNGIAN  BOOKS The C.G. Jung Society of Saint Louis P.O. Box 11724 Saint Louis, Missouri 63105 314-533-6809

C. G. JUNG'S IDEAS IN THE WORLD

The charter for the C. G. Jung Society of St. Louis is to educate the public about the helpful ideas and theories of C. G. Jung.  Jungian Psychology is a practical, concrete way toward a richer, more fulfilling existence.  Education about Jung's ideas can be extremely rewarding.  One approach is reading and studying either Jung's own works or those of people who follow and disseminate his work.

If you wish to explore Jungian Psychology and support the St. Louis Jung Society, you can do both by ordering books, CD's, DVD's on the St. Louis Society website OR by clicking on a link on the website to Amazon.com for an array of resources.  Accessing Amazon.com through the St. Louis Society website will result in a small donation to the Society.

The works of June Singer (especially Boundaries of the Soul) and of Murray Stein are excellent ways to start or expand your understanding.

Please visit www.cgjungstl.org.

A MUSING

The older I grow, the more it seems to me there is a scheduler working behind the scenes to arrange events into an orderly pattern.  The image that comes to me is that of iron filings moving into a beautiful symmetrical pattern as a magnet is brought near.  Too near and without some protective layer between them and the magnet, the filings lose all shape and merely jump onto the magnet in chaos.  So it seems for us and the events of our lives in relation to the magnetic power that operates behind a thin separating layer.   Only when we have amassed a great number of disparate and seemingly unrelated bits as well as an ability to view those bits somewhat dispassionately, can we discern the developing pattern.  And a beautiful pattern it is!

A problem I have had with religious dogma for a very long time is that it provides a pattern that may or may not fit our own lives.  Fixated on dogma, we may be in danger of missing what is our own uniqueness.  When the dogma fits, all is well.  When it does not, my guess is the process of alignment goes on unconsciously so that we never see it and, hence, cannot learn to cooperate with it.

The I CHING puts it this way (paraphrased):  One must find one's way in the skein of being.

2015 JUNG IN THE HEARTLAND CONFERENCE - "THE ALTAR OF THE EARTH"

THE FOURTH EVENT - REGISTER EARLY! 2015 Jung in the Heartland Conference Speakers and Program Set: “The Altar of the Earth” at King’s House Retreat Center  - Registration is now open - Click here for details and to take advantage of Early Bird pricing!        The 2015 conference, “Jung in the Heartland: The Altar of the Earth,” will include three outstanding speakers. Monika Wikman will return, augmented by Belden Lane, an expert in green theology, and Mary Ryan, a psychotherapist who is familiar to many members for her engaging presentations. The conference will be held September 10-13 at King’s House Retreat Center, in Belleville, IL. The return to this location again offers comfortable spaces, private rooms, excellent meals, and the opportunity for establishing community.      Monika Wikman, Ph.D., is a Jungian analyst and astrologer who lives near Santa Fe. She is the author of Pregnant Darkness, in which she shows readers that the best way to cope with their darkest times is by fostering a connection to the deeper current of life. Among her conference topics are “Open Your Eyes and Arrive in the World” and “Emily Carr: the Light in Nature.”      Belden C. Lane, Ph.D., was Professor of Theological Studies, American Religion, and History of Spirituality at Saint Louis University, now retired, and is the author of four books. A theologian, he once found himself delightfully introduced as a Presbyterian minister teaching at a Roman Catholic university telling Jewish stories at the Vedanta Society. His latest book is Backpacking with the Saints. He is also the author of The Solace of Fierce Landscapes: Exploring Desert and Mountain Spirituality. Dr. Lane’s conference topics include The Four Elements in Life Stages” and “First Great Conversations.”      Mary Ryan, M.S., has been a psychotherapist for nearly 30 years with a private practice in Springfield, IL and Jacksonville, IL. She is an adjunct professor at Benedictine University and faculty member for the Academy of Addiction Treatment Professionals. One of her conference topics will be “What’s on Your Altar?”      Jung Society essay contest winners on the topic, “Honoring the Altar of the Earth,” will be invited to read their work at a Saturday evening author’s night reception. Further information on the conference program and cost will be available in the Spring.       Early bird conference rates will apply until July 8. Participants must be members of the C.G. Jung Society of St. Louis at the time of the conference in order to enjoy Friends’ lower registration rate.

KNOWING AND NOT-KNOWING

For a very long time I have puzzled over the question of the meaning of dream symbols, themes and motifs.  Why do they so frequently befuddle and confuse?  Why my inability to understand, to find meaning in them?  The temptation always is to find meaning that agrees with my assumptions and worldview.  Often when I do, I discover belatedly that I was wrong.

It seems one of the primary functions of dreams is to befuddle and confuse consciousness, and by doing so to call into question established assumptions and a fixed worldview.  The result of constant bewildering input from dreams, often highly irrational and nonsensical in their very nature, is to open consciousness to real life.  And much of real life (whatever that mysterious things is) is highly irrational and nonsensical, often most uncomfortable for consciousness to accept.

I just finished a most entertaining and interesting book, The Rosie Project.  The author creates a main character, Don, with an extremely rigid and different consciousness.  As the story unfolds, the reader gets glimpses into the telos underlying Don's consciousness.  Much to ponder in this little book.  

DONALD KALSCHED PRESENTATION AVAILABLE ON DVD (VIDEO) AND CD (AUDIO)

The C. G. Jung Society of St. Louis is now offering video and audio recordings of Donald Kalsched's recent lecture before a St. Louis audience.  The quality of the recordings is excellent.  Dr. Kalsched's understanding of trauma and approaches to healing trauma is profound.  The video recording will make an excellent teaching tool for people interested in the diagnosis and treatment of traumatic injury.  Go to cgjungstl.org for more detail or to order.

DONALD KALSCHED PRESENTATION ON TRAUMA IN ST. LOUIS FEBRUARY 13, 14, 15, 2015

For people interested in the psychological and emotional effects of trauma, the work of Donald Kalsched, Ph.D., Jungian Psychoanalyst, is of particular interest.  Dr. Kalsched will be presenting in St. Louis, MO, on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, February 13, 14, and 15, 2015.  For detailed information about this event or to register, please visit cgjungstl.org