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The
C.G. Jung Society of Queensland
Newsletter
April - June 2003, Vol A, No 35
Letter from the President
Dear Reader,
Iraq
As I write, the USA seems set to attack Iraq within days. For months, I have closely followed
the arguments for mostly on the television and against mostly on the Internet the attack on Iraq. Like many millions around
the world, I have become
convinced and enraged that Bush and his oil and armaments buddies are interested only in
control of Iraqi oil or at least in establishing a strong military presence in that part of the globe. I doubt if they have any real
concern for the perhaps thousands of people likely to be killed not to mention the horrendous injuries for the survivors.
Given that position, how should I respond? As a Jungian, how should one view the situation? Guided by the ideas and
philosophy of Jung, as well as by my own inner promptings, should my response be any different from that of the average person
angered by the situation?
Taking into account Jungs views on war, the answer is probably yes. We know already that Shadow is a component of the
current situation. As Jung puts it, evil always seems to begin just behind enemy lines. All that is good is on the side of
Bush: all that is bad is Saddams doing. But looking a bit more deeply, Jung felt that we all have an unconscious urge towards
war if only to escape the banality of our existence, the remorseless day in and day out routines the ordinary person must
pursue. War, we think, according to Jung, will at least bring some change, perhaps for the better.
Individual relating to the Collective Unconscious
Fundamentally, Jung saw war as an unfettered eruption of accumulated, undifferentiated contents of the collective unconscious.
.only the tiniest fraction of the psyche is identical with the conscious mind and its box of magic tricks, while
for much the greater part it is sheer unconscious fact, hard and immitigable as granite, immovable, inaccessible, yet ready
at any time to come crashing down upon us at the behest of unseen powers. The giant catastrophes that threaten us today are
nothing other than psychic epidemics. At any moment several millions of human beings may be smitten with a new madness, and
then we shall have another war
He felt the religious archetype to be an essential expression of the collective unconscious. Where the healthy expression
of this archetype is weak or missing as in post-age-of-enlightenment, western society, the destructive eruption of the contents
of the collective unconscious may be inevitable in the shape of the horrendous wars we have seen.
Religious Archetype
Were the religious archetype to flow in a healthy way from the unconscious, what might it look like? Jung thought of
the life of Jesus in such a way. Jesus somehow embodied the struggle between the spiritual and material power of his time. In
his case, that was the Roman Empire, easily correlating to the American empire of today. In Jungs view, Jesus temptations
in the desert in which he was offered limitless earthly power by the devil involved an internal confrontation with the concentrated
power of the Roman Empire. In that case, the spirit resisted the material.
Of course, part of the problem with the Christian movement was that it aligned itself with the light energy, thereby
contributing to the projection of the shadow: exactly the scenario we see being acted out at the moment. Nevertheless, Christianity
has at least focussed within the individual the struggle with ones shadowy characteristics, ones sins.
Following Jung, if there is to be a confrontation with shadow or evil, it should take place within the individual.
Each of us, by doing our own inner work, by at least grappling with the murky depths within ourselves (as well as the ecstasy!)
in whatever therapeutic modality we choose, contributes to the integration of the shadow. Thus, theoretically, the shadow
is less likely to be projected.
Inner Work
The advantage of approaching the inner struggle from a Jungian perspective is that one does not simply attempt to conquer
ones negative side as my Catholic upbringing would have me do. The failure of that approach is evident in the many sexual
abuse scandals throughout the Catholic Church worldwide. In the Jungian approach, one recognises that the shadow, the evil
thing, the projected thing is ultimately part of oneself. Integration, not domination, is the key.
The spectacle of this catastrophe (World War 1) threw man back on himself by making him feel his complete impotence.Too
many still look outwards, some believing in the illusion of victory and of victorious power, others in treaties and laws and
still others in the overthrow of the existing order. But still too few look inwards, to their own selves, and still fewer
ask themselves whether the ends of human society might not best be served if each man tried to abolish the old order in himself,
and to practise in his own person and in his own inward state those precepts, those victories which he preaches at every street
corner, instead of always expecting these things of his fellow men. Every individual needs revolution, inner division, overthrow
of the existing order, and renewal.Individual self-reflection, return of the individual to the ground of human nature, to
his own deepest being with its individual and social destinyhere is the beginning of a cure for that blindness which reigns
at the present hour.
Outer Action
Does this then mean that one should not bother to sign petitions, that one should not protest or send anti-terrorist
information packages back to John Howard? Personally, I think that there is room for outer action. Acting in the outer world
can be part of ones inner development and a contribution to peace too. Again, it seems to me that much lies in the attitude
or energy we bring to our action.
But perhaps, in conjunction with inner work and with the Jungian attitude, something can be achieved. I am certainly
not prepared, on the basis of a purist Jungian approach, to avoid outer-world action towards peace. But I act with the understanding
that the titanic force of the collective unconscious is at work and its expression cannot facilely be altered at a conscious
level.
World Psychotherapy?
There are also ways for inner work to be brought to the outer environment. I am thinking here particularly about the
World Work of Process-Oriented Psychology, a development of the work of Arnold Mindell, whose own therapeutic roots are in
Jungs work. In World Work, people of opposing views, even if bitter enemies, come together at a meeting or workshop of sometimes
hundreds of people. There the Process Oriented facilitators work to bring these opposing energies together, often by finding
first the slimmest areas of shared compassion or interest the factions may have. These are the fundamental principles of counselling
expressed at a grand level. Listening is a basic part of the process. No voice is excluded. All are invited to share no matter
how objectionable their viewpoint seems to be. The whole assembled group is considered to have or to be an organic identity.
The flow of energy of the entire group as well as of the individuals is the material the facilitators work with. Clearly,
the energy in such a group could become heated and highly charged. The facilitators guide individuals or the group to allow
the energy to be there and to sit with it, thus allowing for the possibility of its transformation.
This is psychotherapy of the group rather than of the individual. One can see here the possibility of applying such
work at intergovernmental level at some time in the future. One cannot avoid recognising that in the example of world work
and in other ways something has changed in world consciousness since the time of Jung. The very fact that millions have protested
this imminent war before it even started is an unprecedented event. To me it says much about the conscious awareness of the
protesters. I read recently an article suggesting that the current struggle exists between two superpowers: the US administration
and public opinion. This may overstate the situation slightly but perhaps not by much.
These developments are to me grounds for some optimism in the face of the current world politics. In all of this, I
feel grateful for Jungs ideas and for their contribution to an understanding of this time in world development: an understanding
that I think leads to the possibility of individual action at least on the inner level and perhaps stepping a little outside
pure Jungian theory, on the outer level too.
Best Wishes
Frank Coughlan
President
frankacoughlan@bigpond.com
07 3356
1127
Review
Evoking Alchemy: Five Lectures by Robert Bosnak
Robert Bosnak, Jungian analyst and
creator of the Embodied Dream Imagery (EDI) method of dream work, is a pioneer in the use of the Internet for community building.
Through his web site www.cyberdreamwork.com he and his colleague Jill Fischer organise dream groups that meet regularly over the Internet using a voice software called
Paltalk. Recently Bosnak has created what he calls the CyberAcademy where he uses Paltalk to deliver lectures. He has launched
the CyberAcademy with a series of five lectures introducing the subject of alchemy.
The study of alchemy is a long-time and ongoing enthusiasm of Robert Bosnak and these
weekly lectures, delivered from mid-January to mid-February 2003, are the fruit of his studies up to now. In the lectures,
lasting approximately an hour each, he teaches us his way of seeing alchemy and how it can be used as metaphor in both psychotherapy
and dream work. To do this, he distils from the texts of the alchemists the stages in the alchemical work towards the creation
of the philosophers stone, and weaves into them his own experience of the stages of change and transformation in the human
psyche. His manner of explaining and linking this very difficult material can be likened, he says, to improvisational jazz.
I will make no attempt to turn his
jazz into a nursery rhyme. However, to give you an idea of the material covered by the lectures, I will give a very skeletal,
and unavoidably inadequate, outline of the work of the alchemists as Bosnak sees it.
The books
that he recommends are Alchemy by Johannes Fabricius (Diamond Books, 1976) and The Hermetic Museum: Alchemy and
Mysticism by Alexander Roob (Taschen, 1997).
The alchemists said that in order
to transform any metal into another metal, it had first to be reduced or led back to its prima materia, which is the
animating principle in matter (slightly different from the way Jung saw it, says Bosnak.) The alchemists used heat to melt
or cook a substance to rid it of the inert mass that surrounds the animating spark and thus reduce it to its seed. In the
process of heating, the substance was said to go through stages each of which expresses its essence through colour. Over the
centuries, the alchemists differed as to the number of stages, but the texts that Bosnak has used proposed green, followed
by black (the nigredo), then blue, then a stage of many colours, then white, followed by yellow and red. Bosnak sees green
as the colour of beginnings. The nigredo, the black of putrefaction, is when the old falls apart. Without this stage, the
new cannot happen. Out of the black, the blue emerges. This is the dark blue of sadness, nostalgia for what is lost in the
nigredo. There might then enter the creative spirit, which is the light blue of the heavens, called the caelum. This is the
creative principle embodied in all matter. The next stage is called the tail of the peacock, of many colours, the moment of
possibilities. The white of the moon and of reflection follows, then yellow, the stage of fermentation, equivalent to the
stage in which embodiment of insights must take place. Finally, the red is the
moment of multiplication, the moment of sacrifice, of giving up something old so that the future can be born as understood
from the image of the pelican that feeds its young from the blood of its breast. This is the end of the alchemical opus. Once this stage is reached, the tincture is so subtle and refined that it can move
into the outside world and become an agent for change. These metaphors become clearer as Bosnak illustrates them with examples
from moments and stages in therapy and in life.
In the final lecture, Bosnak takes
a text from the 12th 13th century alchemist Geber which describes the kind of substance from which the
stone (lapis) can be made (a substance that is inter alia non-combustible and that retains its root moisture and its
flowing quality) and brilliantly draws parallels with psyche and the characteristics it needs in order to be able to be transformed.
This transformation is long, slow and patient work requiring the ability to hold
the various stages of transformation and not to lose them (for example, not to get carried away by the wow moment and believe
that this is it). It can take place, says Bosnak, in psychotherapy or in living life behind the plough.
In following Bosnaks thought through
the lectures, I found I was starting to behold and understand the way the human psyche transforms itself in an excitingly
new way, yet in a way that is very difficult to grasp or explain without recourse to imagery. This difficult yet rewarding
material requires repeated listening and reflection, but it is well worth the effort.
The lectures
are available on 4 cassette tapes at a special price to Australians of US$25 plus US$8 for shipping. To purchase them, visit www.cyberdreamwork.com/cydwacady.html and scroll down until you see the special button for Australian buyers.
Part
II of the alchemy series is entitled Alchemy and Relationships and will take place at 10:30 am (Brisbane time) on Wednesday
mornings April 16, 23 and 30 and May 7 and 14. The lectures are offered at a special price to Australians of US$16. To see
the alchemical images that will be referred to in the lectures, go to the Cyberdreamwork web site www.cyberdreamwork.com - and click on archives. To sign up for the Alchemy and Relationships lectures, go to: www.cyberdreamwork.com/cydwacady.html.
To participate in the lectures you have to do three things:
1) Make
sure that your computer allows you to hear through your computer speakers and/or both hear and talk through a headset comprising
earphones and a microphone, which can be purchased from computer stores.
2) Download
Paltalk, which you can do free of charge (or you can pay if you want the banner-free version) by scrolling down until you
see the Paltalk icon, and clicking on it.
3) Follow the instructions for paying either over the Internet via PayPal or by mail.
Dont forget to scroll down until you see the special button for Australian participants.
Anne Di Lauro
Upcoming Talks at
the Jung Society
April
The Grail Quest
A Presentation by Paul den Ronden
Thursday 3 April 2003, 7:30 9:30
pm
St Marys Parish House, Merivale
St (Corner of Peel St) South Brisbane
Members and concession $5; non-members $10
Nearly every boy at some stage of
his life is fascinated with the quest for the Holy Grail or the Arthurian Legends of the Knights of the Round Table. What
is so fascinating about these stories, and why do we still thrill to the idea of a spiritual search or quest in this day and
age? The Grail Quest has deep archetypal roots in the unconscious of all men. It is a journey of discovery, of meaning for
all men to make sense and purpose of their lives. From the barren wastelands of the wounded Fisher King to the glorious Grail
castle, Percival our hero typifies all men on their journey to wholeness or individuation. To know where we are at on our
journey gives us immeasurable comfort and assurance and a road map to know what is ahead. This presentation explores the levels
of consciousness throughout our journey, from simple to complex to enlightened. It explores mans awakening and self-discovery
via the Quest and the Dark Night of the Soul which ultimately leads him to the Grail King.
Paul den Ronden has been interested for over 30 years in the Grail Quest
and Jungian psychology and has been intimately able to chart his lifes experiences via the Grail legend. His many years spent
in the Mens Movement have given him a clear vision of the necessity of furthering this quest among men who are searching and
yearning for the answer Whom does the Grail serve?
May
Living the Dream
A presentation by Debra Bennett McLean
Thursday 1 May, 2003 at 7:30 pm
St Marys Parish House, Merivale St (Corner of Peel St), South
Brisbane
Members and concession: $5; non-members: $10
Debra will share her experiences of working with dreams in
the Gurrie way the waking dream the dreaming that unfurls itself in the process of life. Debras knowledge is passed on to
her by her maternal grandmother and Debra has an ongoing relationship with her grandmothers knowing.
Debra will introduce the indigenous model of enlightenment,
including lucid dreaming. These teachings have been passed on as womens business with the permission of Debras women elders
and the broader indigenous communities. Debra sees it as imperative for women in her stage of life to practise and conserve
roles of spiritual leadership.
Debra reinitiated the practice of the yarning circle using
ancient indigenous archetypal traditions to reactivate and reaffirm the spirit of community in contemporary life. Debra works
with the Queensland Community Arts Network in the role of Indigenous Cultural Development Officer. Her mothers grandfathers
people came from South West Queensland, the Kullali nation. Her mothers ancestors are from the Gubbi Gubbi and Wakka nations.
The Sugarman Project: Dionysos in Australia
The Film, presented
by Craig San Roque (Jungian Analyst)
Thursday June 5, 2003 at 7:30
pm
St. Marys House,
Merivale St (Cn Peel St), South Brisbane
Members and concession:
$5; non-members: $10
This documentary video was made by
David Roberts as a Guerrilla Project through the Australian Film Commission. David is known for his documentaries on indigenous
and social action themes ( Anangu Story, The Road to Xanandu, Dealing with the Demon).
It is an account
of the unique project developed in central Australia during the mid 1990s. Under the direction of Jungian
analyst Craig San Roque and a group of indigenous people with 50 or so
very talented Australians, this
film records the evolution a performance/ceremonial as a rite of passage event. Melding traditional European mythology
with an indigenous sensibility, and based on a heritage of creation stories, cross referenced to
dreaming stories
and the legends of Dionysos, this project lays out a pattern and conceptual base for handling primal emotions associated
with the psychology of addiction, self destruction and drunkenness. It demonstrates a non-rational basis for Drug and Alcohol
intervention and is a counterbalance to the more tightly organised cognitive behavioural approaches favoured by professional
agencies.
This is a moving and passionately inspiring film. If you are
interested in creativity, the paradox of traditional cultures, and the practical uses of myth, then this event
will appeal.
Dr. Craig San Roque will introduce the film, present extracts of the script and engage
in discussion on themes raised by the project. The Sugarman is part of a
complex project adapting and updating Jung's psychology to meet contemporary Australian cultural issues. There are suggestions
of developing another version of the Sugarman production in the south Queensland area. Anyone interested in such a project
is invited to attend.
Dr. San Roque is involved in central Australian indigenous affairs, intercultural law, cultural restoration,
and substance misuse. He lectures in Analytical Psychology at the University of Western Sydney and on the Australian
Jungian training program. The Sugarman Story, which Craig composed, is a poetic performance script which radically
reanimates Mediterranean and Middle Eastern mythology and provides a map to major cultural sites, and the figure
which generate western civilisation.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________For your diary: coming in July
May Workshop
Intensive Journalâ Life Context
Workshop
A Weekend Workshop
led by Kate Scholl
â Intensive
Journal is a registered trademark of Ira Progoff and is used under license by Dialogue House
Saturday and Sunday May 17 and
18, 2003, Saturday 9 am to 5 pm, Sunday 10 am to 4:30 pm
Hillbrook Anglican
School, 45 Hurdcotte St., Enoggera
Cost (including paper, ring binder
and the official set of journal dividers):
Members and concession $130, Non-members $150 Discover the
wisdom deep within you and the beauty of your life in the company of others. The workshop introduces the Ira Progoff method
of journal writing, which opens up new insights and enables you to live more deeply connected to your centre. The Intensive
Journal offers a means of making our inner life real and actualised in our outer life. We do this by exploring our life in
its many aspects, our life history, our relationships, our work, the groups and organisations and hobbies that we give our
energy to or have given energy to in the past. It is by exploring these in an 'atmosphere of depth' where each person does
their own writing and includes in that time 'twilight imagery' and meditations which access the depth. Ira Progoff
wrote the first doctoral dissertation in the USA on Carl Jung at the New School for Social Research in the 1950's and then
received a fellowship to study in Zurich with Jung. Jung was most impressed with his work and encouraged him in the development
of the Intensive Journal. Kate Scholl is the executive director of the Eremos Institute
and the only active accredited Intensive Journal Consultant living in Australia. She invites people interested in knowing
more about the Intensive Journal to visit the website of Dialogue House in New York for more information on Progoff's work
(www.intensivejournal.org), or visit the Eremos Institute website (www.eremos.org.au) for the workshops on offer in 2003.
Morning and afternoon tea will be provided. Please
bring lunch to share.
For more information please phone Brigitta on 3878
3287 or Marie on 3371 1285
To reserve your place, please use the booking form
below.
Kate Scholl
Intensive Journal workshop Saturday and Sunday May 17 and 18
I wish to
reserve a place at the Kate Scholl workshop.
I enclose
a cheque payable to the C.G. Jung Society of Queensland for $ ___________
(Members of the C.G. Jung Society
of Queensland: $130, Non-members: $150; Concession: $130)
I would like
a receipt (Yes / No)
Name: ____________________________________________________________________________
Address:
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________ Postal code: ______________
Telephone: Work:_____________________________ Home: ___________________________________
E-mail: __________________________________________________________________________
Please return this form and your
cheque to: The C.G. Jung Society of Queensland, 74 Camp St., Toowong Q 4066.
If you missed our February and March presentations .
Jung and Astrology Leoni Hodgson
I have to confess that my previous
experience of astrology was limited to reading my weekly horoscope (esp. the Weekend Australian). However, after Leonis captivating presentation on esoteric astrology, I feel I have gained a much better
understanding of how astrology relates to personality types and can be used in therapy.
Exoteric astrology pertains to outer
material life and characteristics of personality. On the other hand esoteric
astrology is concerned with the inner world, the soul. The goal of esoteric astrology
is to attain self-realisation and enlightenment by reframing the view of life through the eyes of the soul.
Jung saw astrology as the summation of psychological knowledge from ancient times. He also said, We are born at a given moment, in a given place, and like vintage years of wine, we have
the qualities of the year and of the season in which we are born.
The sun sign represents the conscious
self or ego. The moon sign represents the unconscious, which may be manifested
in the repetition of childhood patterns. The rising sign represents future potential,
super-consciousness and the souls purpose.
Not surprisingly, an examination
of Jungs chart revealed the most elevated planet was Jupiter ruling spirituality, philosophy and the collective unconscious.
Leoni concluded by examining George
W Bushs chart. It showed a distinct split with the sun sign in Cancer, the rising
sign in Leo and the moon sign in Libra. This indicates insecurity, continual
anxiety, fantasy issues, denial and a tendency to be unrealistic.
Leonis talk has certainly aroused
my curiosity and I intend to explore the subject more deeply starting with my own chart!
Meeting Moira, Goddess of Fate Sarah Steele
Sarah explored the question of fate
versus free will through history, myth, legend, dreams and astrology. To use her words, fate is a very slippery term. The ancient concept of fate viewed the cosmos as orderly and interconnected. There was a sense of order or necessity in the chaos.
The modern definition of fate seems to have changed to It is written. Sarahs image of Moira held me in fascination
and awe. Moira is there to bring you down a peg if you become too cocky. Her hair is a tangle of snakes and she is screaming. (Well, weve all had bad hair
days, but not quite that bad). But Im sure most of us have felt Moiras
influence from time to time. Interestingly, when fate is negative, it is often assigned a feminine quality (Moira) and when
it is positive, it is usually described in masculine terms as Providence.
Fate is seen as part of natural law
and is comprised of Moira, karma, providence, complexes, archetypes, conditioning and heredity. Jung said Fate is the ability to do gladly that which one must and saw the search for true personality
as a vocation. Of course, there is no clear-cut answer to the question of Are we fated or are we free? However, by the end of Sarahs presentation most of the audience seemed to agree that while we may begin
life with a destiny (perhaps as described in our astrological natal chart) it is nevertheless possible to overcome this fate
through free will.
Margaret Pope
From the Librarian
Marie Sinclair: mbsinclair@optusnet.com.au |
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This is the first opportunity I have taken as Librarian to pass on - via the Newsletter
- a few snippets from various sources in our library.
For varying lengths of time we have been receiving newsletters / programs from some of
the interstate Jung Societies and, in different ways, they all provide something of interest.
These newsletters, along with the books, are available to members who wish to borrow them.
From Canberra we have only three newsletters however, each one has a great article ranging
in size from 6 to 14 pages. Hestia/Vesta and the Archetype of Being Present
by Craig Delaney; Singing the Minotaur a play by member Rae Chittock and
performed by members of the Canberra Jung Society July 2002 and a review and interpretation of the 1997 film Titanic
by Ross White.
Melbournes Programme includes a list of approx 30 past Lectures available in Printed Form
e.g. The Male Psyche and Society Dr David Tacey, The Demon Lover Annette Lowe and The Way of the Ego
Rodney Ravenswood. These sell for $6 each plus $2.50 for postage and handling.
Sydneys Newsletter/Programme has a segment called Weaving Voices: Members Contributions
of the CG Jung Society of Sydney which covers items from book reviews to original articles.
Frank Coughlans Letter on astrology and our February guest speaker prompted me to dive
into the web for all things astrological. The amount of information provided
by some sites never ceases to amaze me. Three such sites are: www.astro.com - for several different types of free charts, readings, latitudes/longitudes,
articles, linksthe list goes on and on. www.mountainastrologer.com - I enquired about subscribing to their magazine - $AUS111 for 6 copies pa. www.cura.free.fr/cura-en.html - the University Centre for Astrological Research. These sites have much more
than I could possibly list and, if youre interested in exploring even further, theyre a great spring-board.
Finally, for those interested in pursuing a Jungian Degree, the following may be of interest.
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Master of Analytical Psychology previously known as MA Cultural Psychology (Jungian Studies)
University of Western Sydney, Hawkesbury Campus.
The course offers a flexible learning program (designed for all levels of interest) in
the application of the works of C.G. Jung and post-Jungian scholars to individual, societal and cultural issues. Of the eight subjects required to complete the degree, five will be presented by practising Jungian analysts
with a range of other subjects offered by academic staff from the School of Psychology.
Assessment for each subject will be by essay and short tutorial assignments. If you do not have a first degree (or equivalent) ask about our Graduate Certificate program. Courses begin in February 2003 and are offered on a part-time basis.
For further information please contact Robin Voigt on (02)4570-1726 or by email: r.voigt@uws.edu.au. To talk to the Course Co-ordinator please contact Dr Brendon Stewart on (02)4570-1298
or by email: br.stewart@uws.edu.au. |
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Would you
prefer to receive your copy of the Newsletter
in .pdf
format via e-mail?
If so,
please send an e-mail to the newsletter editor: dilauro@ozemail.com.au
Bulletin Board
Exploring Dreams through Embodied Dream Imagery
A Workshop with Anne Di Lauro
Saturday 5 April 2003 from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm
The Quaker Meeting House, 10 Hampson Street, Kelvin Grove
Cost: $60
Embodied Dream Imagery is a respectful and effective method of working on dreams,
developed by Robert Bosnak, a Dutch-born Jungian analyst practising in Cambridge, Mass. (USA). When used in dream groups,
the dreamer is helped to re-enter the dream by gentle questioning from the other members of the group who guide the dreamer
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