Over the autumn equinox weekend, September 19–21, the East West Psychology Program at the California Institute of Integral Studies will be co-hosting a hybrid online/in-person conference with the San Francisco Jung Institute entitled, Forever Jung? C.G. Jung’s Continued Relevance During Challenging Times.
The keynote speakers of the event will be John Beebe and Richard Tarnas, and many other CIIS faculty will be offering presentations. My own graduate program at CIIS, the Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness program, is well-represented with Sean Kelly, Matthew Segall, and myself all offering presentations.
The Red Book of C.G. Jung is a personal record of one man’s experiential encounter with the great mystery of the unconscious. And yet, The Red Book also documents powerful visions and fantasies with collective import pertaining, in some ways, to the whole of humanity. This presentation posits the idea that the fantasies Jung encountered through the practice of active imagination can be understood not just as a subjective experience, nor as an objective spiritual disclosure, but as a participatory co-creation between the human faculty of the imagination and the archetypes of the collective unconscious.
Please visit the Conference Website for more information and to register!
I had the honor to join my colleague and fellow Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness faculty member Sean Kelly on the podcast On Birth Conversation. In this episode, we explored the effect birth has on our psychology and on adulthood. We discussed the archetype of birth, the work of C.G. Jung and Stan Grof, and the roots of transpersonal psychology. I also was able to share some of what I learned going through my own experience of birthing my son Aurelio last year.
Since my son was born earlier this year, I have cut significantly back on offering public lectures and events, so this will be my only workshop this year—and I’m eagerly looking forward to facilitating it! The workshop provides an introduction to the basic framework and techniques of archetypal astrology, particularly adapted to suit the needs and perspective of Jungian therapists and scholars, or anyone with an interest in depth psychology. The workshop will be recorded, and I hope to see many of you there!
In recent years, new scholarship has been emerging demonstrating the essential role the discipline of astrology played in the development and practice of C. G. Jung’s analytical psychology. In 1911, Jung wrote a letter to Freud in which he said that his nights were occupied with the study of astrology, to which Freud responded that Jung would be “accused of mysticism.” Jung kept his practice of astrology relatively concealed, but based upon evidence in his own writings, as well as statements he made late in his life, Jung was drawing on astrological wisdom regularly for both personal use and with his patients.
This workshop will demonstrate the role astrology played in Jung’s analytic practice, as well as the significant ways in which he drew on astrological symbolism in the transformative process of creating The Red Book. By understanding how astrology influenced the development of Jungian psychology—and how depth psychology has subsequently shaped modern astrology—we can see how the astrological discipline can complement, enhance, and deepen the psychotherapy practiced today.
Depth psychology and archetypal astrology are complementary disciplines. This workshop offers a basic foundation in astrological techniques which can be applied to psychological practice, whether as a clinician or for personal inquiry. A brief history archetypes, the symbolism of the planets, and planetary aspects will all be taught, along with examples from art, culture, and history. This workshop may be a gateway to astrology for some, while it can also be a deepening of the archetypal perspective for those already with an astrological practice.
The season has already been off to a rich start full of travels, beginning with a research trip to Prague and the Rhine Valley, a constellation of inspiring astrological stars at NORWAC in Seattle, the enchanting Jung by the Sea conference in Cornwall, England, and attendance at the world’s largest psychedelic conference, with a total of 12,000 participants, at Psychedelic Science 2023 in Denver, Colorado.
Polhawn Fort, Cornwall
Recordings of the presentations I gave at NORWAC and Jung by the Sea are available for those who were unable to attend these events in person. At NORWAC, I gave two talks: “Permutations of Venus” and “Psychedelics and Astrology: A Symbiotic Relationship.” The latter talk offers a glimpse into some of the material I’ve been working with during this last year of research, for those who might be curious what I’ve been up to! At Jung by the Sea, I presented once again on “The Synchronicity of the Two Red Books: Jung, Tolkien, and the Imaginal Realm,” although there were some new elements of the talk particularly related to the exquisite setting on the cliffs of the Cornish coast, and I feel this was my best presentation of the work thus far. It was an extraordinary honor to present this material not only to this insightful Jungian audience, but especially to my fellow presenters, several of whom were major inspirations during my research into the two Red Books: Liz Greene, Tom Cheetham, and—the editor of Jung’s Red Book himself—Sonu Shamdasani.
As the summer progresses, I’ll be focusing almost entirely on writing—albeit with the delightful exception of three new talks I’ll be presenting to the astrological community. On Sunday, July 2, I’m returning to Adam Elenbaas’s Nightlight Astrology speaker series to present on “Jupiter-Uranus: The Creative Genius” in anticipation of the Jupiter-Uranus conjunction that is just beginning and will enliven our collective zeitgeist for the next 14 months.
A few weeks later on Saturday, July 22, I’ll be offering a presentation for NCGR San Francisco titled “The Compassionate Astrologer,” exploring practical guidance on how to create an ethical and therapeutic container in which the astrology client is empathically mirrored, while also being empowered to fall in love with their own birth chart. Although this presentation description refers to working with clients, the material is applicable for anyone who practices astrology, whether the seasoned professional or the novice astrology student.
Finally, on Saturday, August 5, I’ll be giving a class at Nadiya Shah’s Synchronicity University on “Creating a Thriving Transit Practice.” In the class, I’ll be giving step-by-step instructions on how to calculate your own transits using just your birth chart and an ephemeris. This is an extremely empowering and liberating skill to have for all astrology enthusiasts and will allow you to deepen your practice and enhance your relationship to the starry sky above you and its archetypal dynamics within you. This is one of the more practical classes I have offered, and I’m excited to enter into the technical details with a new group of astrology students. If you sign up before June 30, you can choose your own tuition rate for the entire summer series that Synchronicity University is offering—a rare opportunity to learn from five different female teachers over the course of a month.
Whether you decide to attend one talk or all of them, or go back to catch the recordings of those already past, I would be so delighted to know this material is reaching those who need to hear it at this time. May your summer months be resplendent with new adventures, wild awakenings, and timely insights!
In this talk I will speak about Jung’s Red Book, and how the active imagination fantasies Jung experienced can be understood as a co-creation of the human faculty of imagination in participatory relationship with the archetypes of the collective unconscious. After the presentation we will have time for questions and dialogue!
In recent years, new scholarship has been emerging demonstrating the essential role the discipline of astrology played in the development and practice of C. G. Jung’s analytical psychology. In 1911, Jung wrote a letter to Freud in which he said that his nights were occupied with the study of astrology, to which Freud responded that Jung would be “accused of mysticism.” Jung kept his practice of astrology relatively concealed, but based upon evidence in his own writings, as well as statements he made late in his life, Jung was drawing on astrological wisdom regularly for both personal use and with his patients.
Drawing on the research of Liz Greene, Keiron Le Grice, and Safron Rossi, this presentation will demonstrate the role astrology played in Jung’s analytic practice, as well as the significant ways in which he drew on astrological symbolism in the transformative process of creating The Red Book. By understanding how astrology influenced the development of Jungian psychology—and how depth psychology has subsequently shaped modern astrology—we can see how the astrological discipline can complement, enhance, and deepen the psychotherapy practiced today.
For those who might be interested in joining a live interview I am doing tomorrow, I will be speaking with Aiden Moore of the Practical Jung series about Jung’s and Tolkien’s Red Books!
The event will take place on Sunday, January 31 at 11:30 am–1:30 pm Pacific time, and will include the interview, a question and answer segment, small group discussions, and a closing dialogue. I would be delighted to see you there!
About the Practical Jung Series “Practical Jung is a regular series spearheaded by Aiden Moore within the 52 Living Ideas community. We meet for two hours every other Sun at 2:30 Eastern time to explore how we can practically apply the wisdom of Carl Jung to our everyday lives. Jung’s ideas are often cloaked in abstract language that is hard to digest. Given that fact, I wanted to create a conversation and community around Jungian psychology that is for the rest of us! A conversation that works to demystifying some of his ideas and make them applicable to our daily living—regardless of our previous experience with Jungian psychology.
Each session will include an interview with an expert in the field of Jungian psychology and the conversation will revolve around a specific topic (like romantic relationships, anxiety, projection, shadow, etc.). These sessions are for people of all levels – newly curious about Jung to established Jungian analysts – so whatever your previous experience in the field you are sure to walk away with something practical to apply to your own life!”
This evening, Friday, October 23 at 7:00–9:00 pm Pacific time, I will be offering a presentation for the Comox Valley C. G. Jung Society on “Jung’s Relationship to Astrology.” The event is online and open to the public. If you are interested in joining, you can register in advance for the event.
In recent years, new scholarship has been emerging demonstrating the essential role the discipline of astrology played in the development and practice of C. G. Jung’s analytical psychology. In 1911, Jung wrote a letter to Freud in which he said that his nights were occupied with the study of astrology, to which Freud responded that Jung would be “accused of mysticism.” Jung kept his practice of astrology relatively concealed, but based upon evidence in his own writings, as well as statements he made late in his life, Jung was drawing on astrological wisdom regularly for both personal use and with his patients.
In this talk I will speak about Jung’s Red Book, and how the active imagination fantasies Jung experienced can be understood as a co-creation of the human faculty of imagination in participatory relationship with the archetypes of the collective unconscious. These are ideas that arose while I was writing my dissertation, and while they have implicitly informed many of my presentations and classes, this is the first time I am giving a lecture entirely devoted to this topic! After the presentation we will have time for questions and dialogue.
For those unable to attend the live event, the recording is now available:
A dream came true for me this week when I had the opportunity to be a guest on Chris Brennan’s The Astrology Podcast. We ranged through a variety of topics, beginning with my background in archetypal astrology and what it is like to be a second generation astrologer, before picking up the topics of the Archai journal, why C.G. Jung’s Red Book is important and relevant to astrologers, and the connection between outer planetary cycles and the unfolding dynamics of world events.
Becca Tarnas 