Lisa Marchiano, a certified Jungian analyst and author, explores empowerment, authenticity, and emotion from a Jungian perspective. Topics include individuation as a path to empowerment, balancing responsibility and action, the origins of empowerment, and embracing our shadows for personal growth and empowerment.
Women often take on the role of being the guardians of feeling values in their environment, which raises questions about balancing responsibility and avoiding excessive emotional burden.
Modern women face challenges in the process of individuation and empowerment, including navigating societal shifts, gender roles, and victim consciousness, but exploring personal paths of change and confronting limitations can lead to empowerment.
Deep dives
Women as Guardians of Feeling Values in the Environment
The podcast discusses the concept that women often take on the role of being the guardians of feeling values in their environment. This includes being the ones who track and tend to the feelings of others, especially in intimate relationships. While it's important to avoid being prescriptive or reinforcing stereotypes, many women experience this responsibility of tending to emotional connections. The podcast mentions Carol Gilligan's work on women seeing themselves in an interrelated web of emotions. It highlights that while this role can be beautiful and intuitive, it also raises questions about balancing responsibility and avoiding excessive emotional burden.
Challenges for Modern Women in the Individuation Process
The podcast explores the challenges faced by modern women in the process of individuation, particularly in the context of societal shifts, gender roles, and the influence of technology. It discusses the importance of empowerment for women, stressing the concept of taking responsibility for oneself and the wisdom of knowing what can be changed and what cannot be changed. The podcast raises questions related to the impact of cultural discourse on victim consciousness, and the need to shift the narrative from focusing solely on oppression to proactive empowerment. It encourages women to explore their personal path of individuation, embracing the courage to change and confront societal limitations.
Navigating Empowerment and Taking Action
The podcast delves into the theme of empowerment and highlights the importance of cultivating qualities that are often discouraged in women, such as disagreeableness, desire, sexuality, rage, ruthlessness, and authority. It emphasizes that the focus is not on perpetually embodying these qualities, but on having access to the capacity to utilize them when necessary. The discussion encourages women to develop the ability to stand up for themselves, express their needs, and become worthy opponents in various aspects of life. It also emphasizes the significance of honesty and self-awareness when navigating boundaries, power dynamics, and personal empowerment.
The Transformative Power of Unleashing the Shadow
The podcast delves into the transformative power of acknowledging and integrating the shadow, specifically exploring the theme of rage in women. It distinguishes between personal anger experienced in intimate relationships and transpersonal rage that emerges from the archetypal level. The conversation highlights that while rage can be destructive, it also carries deep wisdom and renewal. The podcast acknowledges the fear and resistance women may have towards expressing anger, but emphasizes the importance of creating space to work with this energy consciously. The discussion suggests that acknowledging and channeling rage can lead to personal growth, empowerment, and a deeper connection with the unconscious.
We welcome award-winning author, podcaster, and certified Jungian analyst, Lisa Marchiano to Soul Sessions this week. Highlighting themes from her new book, The Vital Spark: Reclaim Your Outlaw Energies and Find Your Feminine Fire, we explore empowerment, authenticity, and the nuanced exploration of emotion from a Jungian perspective.
Join us as we engage in a rich dialogue with Lisa about the responsibility modern women face in their individuation journey, the societal shifts in gender roles, and the challenge of being guardians of emotional labor. Throughout the conversation, we'll investigate how embracing our shadows—encompassing qualities from rage to desire—can inspire personal growth and empowerment. In this episode, we discuss:
Individuation as a path to empowerment
How to balance accepting responsibility + taking action