Living meaningfully

The Middle Passage, from Misery to Meaning in Midlife by James Hollis

This book review is by Lynelle Pieterse and will be explored in the bookclub. Follow this link to join the Jungian Bookclub. James Hollis received his Diploma in Analytical Psychology from the C.G. Jung Institute in Zurich, and is the Director of the C.G. Jung Educational Center in Houston, Texas. He is a frequent guest speaker who spends winters in analytic practice and writes during the summers. In his books, he elaborates on the theories of C. G. Jung. Contemplated...

Memories, Dreams, (and) Reflections of Stephen Anthony Farah

With apologies to C. G. Jung Some general context What follows is an attempt to synthesise and make meaning from my very own Jungian journey of the last fifteen years. Besides borrowing the title from Jung’s biography Memories, Dreams, Reflections, I follow in the footsteps of two of my students, Tasha Tollman and Linda Hawkins, who have previously written pieces along these lines for publication on this site. I am not into the white washing or spin doctor style of...

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...

Twelve Essential Life Lessons

Jung, like the ancient Greek mathematicians believed that number was sacred. Specifically that number was the first and most fundamental archetype. It is in that spirit that I list the 12 most important things I have learnt about life. Things which have made my life richer, more meaningful and have helped me in the quest to understand the meaning of life. Socrates said that we cannot teach anyone anything; all we can do is help them remember. Do you remember...

Towards a Science of Meaning

Let's try and get some perspective on the question of meaning, specifically the meaning of life. What are the questions we need to answer and what are our challenges we need to address in asking the question: what is the meaning of my life (personal, subjective) or what is the meaning of life (collective, objective)? 1. Does the question (what is the meaning of life) itself make sense? A lot of people react to the question as a naivet'. What do...

Lifes 10 Greatest Pleasures

A question a friend of mine asked me today, about whether I enjoyed 'gourmet food ' and my answer that I really enjoyed good food , whether it was gourmet or not, got me thinking. It got me thinking about what the greatest pleasures in life are. I know it's a tenuous link to the question about gourmet food, but hey there you have it . So always on the lookout for good blog material, this post...