Psychology – Becca Tarnas

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.

My own presentation is titled “Jung’s Participatory Imagination.” Here is the description of my talk:

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!

On Saturday, November 9, I will be offering an online workshop entitled “Archetypal Astrology for Jungians” for the C. G. Jung Society of Atlanta!

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!

Register for the Workshop!

Workshop Description

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.