Jung Society Melbourne Podcast

With reference to Homer, Hesiod and the Orphics, Dr Chris Gribbin provides a rich exploration of two versions of death and the afterlife in Ancient Greece. Myth captures so much of what humanity understood then and understands now, of how we make sense of the world and each other. Chris conveys how the ancient Greeks did not have a codified system of beliefs and that for many, the ritual act of sacrifice to the gods was far more important than individual ideas. Either way, we all end up in the Underworld and it turns out, one version of the Underworld might be a little bit more hopeful than another. We hope you enjoy this wonderful invitation into the afterlife. 

Today we explore the wonderful Adventures of Pinocchio with Jungian oriented psychotherapist Anne Di Lauro. Anne invites us to consider the powerful archetypal energies and images present within the story including the Child and the Puer Aeternus, the Hero’s Journey, the Father, the Anima and the Mother. This talk provides fascinating insights into the developmental experiences of Pinocchio as he moves towards individuation and realness.  

Today we’ll be listening to mindfulness therapist Colin Thompson as he takes us on a journey from the origins of Buddhism to modern practice. Ranging from the understandings of the Buddha to Jon Kabat Zinn, W. H. Auden, Ezra Bayda and Carl Jung, Colin describes how mindfulness develops our attention to the present moment. The intersections between Jungian psychology and mindfulness are explored particularly with reference to the Shadow and the Self archetypes. This episode also includes a short mindfulness exercise.  

In this engaging discussion, David Tacey, Emeritus Professor of Literature and author, delves into the nuanced differences between spiritual emergence and mental illness. He explores the delicate balance between the Ego and a greater spiritual self, revealing how mystical experiences can both heal and harm. Tacey contrasts Freud and Jung's perspectives on the 'oceanic feeling,' emphasizing a balanced approach to spirituality. He warns about the risks of misinterpreting spiritual experiences while advocating for an integrative therapeutic method.

David Tacey, Emeritus Professor of Literature at La Trobe University, explores the spiritual landscape of young adults today. He highlights their shift from structured religion toward intuition and personal healing, often sparked by mental health challenges. Tacey discusses a new course on 'Spirituality and Rites of Passage' which reveals a deep yearning for meaning among secular students. He also delves into the gendered aspects of spirituality, emphasizing female voices in this discourse, and addresses the complexities of spiritual identity in a rapidly changing society.

In today’s talk David invites us to consider the fundamentals of our assumptions about consciousness noting our long Western tradition of locating soul or rationality in the human mind and ignoring larger forces or consciousness present in the Earth. David explores Jung’s  idea that while the human psyche certainly has an impact on the world, the soul of the world, that is, the collective unconscious in humanity as well as the earth, similarly has an impact on individual human experiencing.

In today’s talk David explores the spiritual side of wellbeing. Taking us from the healing arts of Ancient Greece to the present day, he describes what is missing in modern medicine. He suggests that healing must include paying attention to both the Ego and the Self, that is, the spiritual dimension of our being.  

In an exploration of the Greek and Roman goddess of the hearth and flame, Joy Norton describes a wise woman archetype of the Self. She brings our attention to Vesta’s qualities of stillness, focusing and reflection, and how vital it is that we invite Vesta into our busy everyday living. Please see relevant images on our Facebook page.

Today’s talk Individuation as a Homecoming to Self is the first part in a series entitled Jung’s Depth Psychology: Developing a Relationship with Mystery given by David Tacey to the Jung Society of Melbourne. In this talk, David explores key Jungian concepts such as the Ego, Self, archetypes and the unconscious all toward understanding the process of individuation. David eloquently describes our psychological maturation: from an original experience undifferentiated from the unconscious through to a necessary struggle with the world as we develop our Ego, and finally to the task of coming into relationship with the wisdom of human experience across millennia, that is, the world of archetypes and the Unconscious.  

Join us as we listen to Rodney Ravenswood’s wide-ranging talk on the power and reality of archetypal energies in our personal and cultural lives. Taking inspiration from Jung’s famous inscription “Called or not, God is present”, Rodney weaves an intriguing path through many manifestations of the symbolic life from 1960s and 70s musical lyrics to The Da Vinci Code.