Christmas in Africa, “Ubuntu” the true symbolism and meaning of the season
The Undiscovered Self – book review
This book review is by Lynelle Pieterse, who manages the Jungian Book club and is on The Undiscovered Self, by Carl Jung. This is the next book that will be explored in the Jungian Book Club. Follow this link to join the Jungian Book club. The book consists of a series of 7 essays. In 1957 Jung was deeply concerned about the Cold War and Communism. However, the content is also relevant for us in 2016.
The Plight of the...
Book Review: Ego and Archetype by Edward F. Edinger
Individuation and the Religious Function of the Psyche.
This book review is by Lynelle Pieterse. The Jungian Book Club will be exploring this book during this month. In the introduction we are reminded that Jung “achieved a magnificent synthesis of human knowledge.” Through his work we have come to know the reality of the psyche and the phenomenology of how it manifests in us and in the world. We can therefore recognise the same phenomenology expressed in the culture-products: myth, religion, philosophy, art and literature. The...
Spirit or soul? A New Age movement critique.
I recently signed up with my Alma Mater to do a module called Contemporary Spirituality. The main concept that emerged for me is that the New Age movement is capturing the market of modern individuals attempting to connect with the transcendent. This essay is a critical look at the New Age Movement and its influence and effect on Modern Spirituality. I also explore the difference between soul and spirit and the modern attitude towards both. The attitude towards spirituality and soul in western...
Forgiving another, what it really means.
I have just returned from another fantastic international study trip with Dr. Leslee Brown, exploring Existential Analysis in Vienna. Leslee sources experts in various psychodynamic disciplines and puts together amazing learning opportunities for both professionals (these courses are accredited) and anyone who is interested in these topics. Her next tour is in July 2016, this time in Argentina, and explores Lacan and Tango therapy. Follow this link for more information on this fantastic opportunity. The Existential Summit I attended was in Vienna and...
The Eden Project – In search of the Magical Other: James Hollis
A Jungian Perspective on Relationship “The Eden Project is a timely and thought-provoking corrective to the generalized fantasies about relationships that permeate our culture. This is not a practical guide on how to fix a relationship, but rather a challenge to greater personal responsibility in relationships, a call for individual growth as opposed to seeking rescue through others.” James Hollis, Ph.D. has a Diploma in Analytical Psychology from the C.G. Jung Institute in Zurich. He is the acclaimed author of four...
An Alchemists’ Lair
Arriving at Bollingen Tower. I am not an intrepid traveler. I am rather attached to my comforts and routines and usually overwhelmed by the airports and stations and luggage and people and shops. So it was with great trepidation that I set off to Zurich to attend the C.G. Jung Institute Winter Intensive, 2016. I traveled with a group organised by Dr. Leslee Brown that included accommodation and outings. This really worked for me, since I usually hide...
The Unbearable Rightness of Being
The recent murders in France by Islamic fundamentalists were shocking and scary. Terrorism –an apt name for the terror that it brings into the world. I heard a snippet of an interview with one of the band members that were playing in the club where 89 people were murdered. The trauma and devastation in his voice brought me to tears. Naturally we are inclined to wonder why human beings would do this to each other. Why the anger, frustration, hatred and...
When there is no judgement, what is alive in you?
The multi-award winning documentary, Ensoulment, created and directed by Loris Simón Salum, explores the feminine principle in present day Western society. It is a journey in search of meaning, belonging and the path back to the authentic self. Watching the documentary, I was content, dare I even say happy with my life and completely unprepared for a question so powerful, that it hit me between my solar plexus and left me breathless. A question that filled me with excitement...
Creating a Life: Finding your Individual Path by James Hollis
James Hollis has the extraordinary ability to make the work of Carl Jung meaningfully applicable to our everyday lives and this genius is apparent in Creating a Life: Finding your Individual Path. The book takes you on a journey into living an examined life, a journey towards consciousness. But Hollis warns this journey will not solve all your problems or heal your pain, it will simply make your life more interesting to you. And who doesn’t want to feel...
