February 9 ~ NARCISSISM AND INDIVIDUATION

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Jan 112013
 

Feb 2013 flyerPresenter: Sharon Martin, Ph.D.

Narcissism and Individuation: Exploring the Mystery of Identity

Sharon MartinOvid’s  version of the Narcissus  and Echo myth has been  a rich source for exploration of the human soul for over 2,000 years.  Its meaning has never been fully explained or understood because its mystery is central to the most basic question: our identiy.

Historically, Narcissus has been viewed  through a largely negative lens.  He has been described as pathologically self absorbed, vain and morally deficient.  Narcissism was also associated with poor insight and impenetrable defenses.  To be  narcissistic was to be bad, with little hope of change.  This attitude persists today in popular and psychotherapeutic thought. While partly true, this only scratches the surface of a profound and complicated phenomenon.

In recent times however this has begun to change, perhaps reflecting a shift in collective consciousness.  Carl Jung’s concept of the Self archetype brings a unique perspective to the narcissistic character.  He believed that the foundation and fabric of our identity is the Self, the numinous archetype of wholeness.  He said that the Self, the ordering principle of the psyche, wants to live its experiment in life.  When this experiment is blocked, or when the relationship between the ego and the Self is disturbed, narcissism can be the result.

Drawing on the work of Schwartz-Salant, Jacoby, Kalsched, West, Dougherty and others, we will explore this relationship and its meaning for individuation. As with any symptom or disorder, the narcissistic structure is found in all personalities, making the story of Narcissus profoundly valuable for each of us, not only for those with the disorder.

This structure is found in any person (or collective culture) in whom a new relationship with the Self is forming.  The hope that lies at the center of this phenomenon is profound—it is the hope for a deeper understanding of our individual and collective identity, that we may live into the great experiment of the Self.

 

 

March 9 ~ A JUNGIAN PSYCHOLOGY OF RELIGION

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Jan 112013
 

Dr. Alvaro GiraldoA Jungian Psychology of Religion

Presenter: Alvaro Giraldo, MA, MD

C.G. Jung described the presence of a “religious function of the psyche” which he describes as founded in the Self and with a deep content of Spirituality. Jung viewed this function frequently manifested in the collective but also as a function aimed to help the individual to see direct connections between their own personal experiences and the archetypal symbols contained in religious tradition. This religious function is essential for the well-functioning of the psyche and crucial for psychic hygiene. Neurosis, Jung wrote, “Often results from our direct refusal or inability to find the right direction for our religious instincts”. We cannot get well unless we get in touch with this deep energy that is always touching us. In this presentation we will look into the way that our religious instincts are manifested but often missed or misunderstood within ourselves. We will explore the ways that can help us get in touch with our religious function and discuss some practices such as praying. We will illustrate, with some clinical vignettes, the relationship between religion and psychological issues.

 

April 13 ~ GNOSIS AND THE PSYCHOLOGY OF REBIRTH

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Jan 112013
 

Gnosis and the Psychology of Rebirth

Presenter Lee Irwin, Ph.D.

This presentation will explore the origins of Gnosticism, the core teachings of the movement, and the impact of those teachings on Jung and his psychological model of human transformation. I will also discuss the post-1950 development of “gnosticism” as a topic of scholarly research and the accessibility of core texts that represent the tremendous variability within those texts. I will then offer some thoughts about the impact of this research on the “psychology of rebirth” and its impact on contemporary religious movements. The lecture will be primarily historical with some emphasis on transpersonal models of human development.

Dr. Lee Irwin is a tenured professor in the Religious Studies Department at the College of Charleston. He is a scholar of world religions with an emphasis on Native American traditions, Western Esotericism, contemporary spirituality, and transpersonal religious experience — particularly as connected to dreams and visions. He is a Guiding Voice for The Seven Pillars House of Wisdom (Sufi International Order) and the Vice President of the Association for the Study of Esotericism. His books include: The Dream Seekers; Visionary Worlds; Awakening to Spirit; The Alchemy of Soul; and Coming Down From Above: Prophecy, Resistance, and Renewal in Native American Religions.

Irwin Flyer April 2013

YOGA, TANTRA AND JUNG: SOME EXPLORATION OF SPIRITUAL DEPTHS

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Sep 192012
 

November 10, 2012

Presenter: Dr. June McDaniel, PhD

This lecture will explore Jungian interpretations of yoga psychology, and several meditation systems which use tantric symbolism.  We shall compare Jung’s ideas of archetypes, the collective unconscious and individuation with ideas from the Upanishads, yoga texts, Gaudiya Vaishnava writings, and Bengali and Kashmiri tantras.  Jung’s ideas are a good way to link Eastern and Western ideas of the spirit and its development.   June McDaniel specializes in the study of religious experience, especially in the Hindu tradition.

In her own words
I work in the field of the History of Religions, in which we study the history and development of religious ideas, and how religious experiences are understood and interpreted in different cultures. In teaching, I believe that it is important for students to learn both the range of religions–which means gaining wide knowledge of many religious traditions, both present and past–and also to develop depth within a specific tradition, to gain expertise and insight into its religious perspectives.

While such skills as critical thinking and analytic ability are important, I also emphasize developing empathy towards other cultures, and the ability to look at events through other religious perspectives. A good researcher can be both insider and outsider in the religion of his or her expertise, and be capable of comparing religious themes and ideas across both classical and folk traditions.  The courses I teach include World Religions, Women and Religion, Mysticism and Religious Experience, Religions of India, Sacred Texts of the East, Phenomenology of Religion, and Myth, Ritual and Symbol.

To read more about June’s work, Click here. 

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