Jungianthology Blog

From Shreya Dave, JSP Graduate and Chair of Development | March 13, 2024

May 13, 2024

The first time I walked into the classroom at the C. G. Jung Institute of Chicago, I was struck by the Circle of Friends candle holder. Such a wonderful symbol of people coming together to protect the flame! A group standing up, arms around one another, encircling the flame of individuality, the flame of Individuation. This image has stayed alive for me.

In the times of crisis, protecting this flame feels more important than ever. I recently graduated from the two-year Jungian Studies Program, which was challenging to say the least, but was the most rewarding undertaking. It acted as a catalyst to understand myself better by bringing shunned and ignored aspects to the surface and by holding the pain, helping me to discover my strength.

I invite you to join the Circle of Friends by donating to the Institute this Spring. Through my experience, I assure you that your contribution will really make a difference to individuals and help them move closer to wholeness.

Please give whatever you can!

Shreya Dave
Chair of Development
C. G. Jung Institute of Chicago

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In Memoriam: Shirley M. Fontenot

March 20, 2024

Shirley M. Fontenot was born on May 25, 1935, to Curtis and Marie (Ortego) Fontenot in Villa Platte, Louisiana. She was one of the youngest of six children. She lived in University City, MO, with her long-term partner, Rose.  Shirley was a “small” extraordinary woman. She became a Catholic nun, entering the convent immediately after high school.  She taught first grade for 16 years and often said her finest education came by way of the many children who passed through her classroom. During her time in the convent, she also earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education.  

Shirley left the order after 26 years and moved from Louisiana “Cajun Country” to Chicago to pursue her interest in Jungian Psychology.  During the next 20 years, she completed master’s degrees in both Pastoral Studies and Divinity, as well as a doctorate in ministry, and worked as a psychotherapist. In 1993 she earned a diploma as a Jungian Analyst and enjoyed this profession for nearly 30 years. She was engaged in some form of formal education for one-third of her life. She semi-retired at age 87.

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Call for Proposals | Fall 2024 Online & In-Person Programs

March 14, 2024

The C. G. Jung Institute Chicago welcomes proposals for programs of interest to the general public that explore Jungian thought, including the emotional and psychological issues of contemporary living, from a creative, symbolic, or spiritual perspective. Using the online form you can propose an event, lecture, or workshop to offer in person or virtually. All proposals will be considered for fall 2024. The submission deadline is April 30, 2024.

Update: the form is now closed. Join our mailing list to be informed when we accept proposals again.

Vlado Solc | QAnon: Eclipse of the Soul

February 22, 2024

“In an odd way, the conspiracy theorist’s view is both frightening and reassuring. It is frightening because it magnifies the power of evil, leading in some cases to an outright dualism in which light and darkness struggle for cosmic supremacy. At the same time, however, it is reassuring, for it promises a world that is meaningful rather than arbitrary. Not only are events nonrandom, but the clear identification of evil gives the conspiracist a definable enemy against which to struggle, endowing life with purpose.” (Michael Barkun 2003)

Odysseus’ Shipwreck

In the Homeric Opus, the embattled and traumatized Odysseus is shipwrecked at Ogygia Island: “Then, all at once Zeus thundered and hit the ship with a lightning bolt. Smitten by Zeus’ bolt, the ship spun around and was filled with sulphurous fumes. My shipmates fell out of the ship, and, like seahawks, they were carried by waves past the black ship” (Homer, 1871, p. 12.407–19).

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The C. G. Jung Club of Orange County | Unique Messages from the Self: Hexagrams from the I Ching Appearing in Dreams with Dennis Merritt (Video)

January 31, 2024

Dennis Merritt, Jungian analyst and member of the Chicago Society of Jungian Analysts, presents on hexagrams from the I Ching, a Chinese book of wisdom, that demonstrated synchronicity by the way they appeared in the dreams of a Western man in Jungian analysis. Discussion topics included using the I Ching in psychoanalysis and psychotherapy; a synchronicity experiment with the I Ching; shamanism, Native American spirituality and the origins of the I Ching; the archetype of the Trickster in conjunction with AI and Donald Trump; Pachamama, Earth spirituality and indigenous cultures; and Christianity contrasted with Chinese wisdom, Taoism and the yin/yang symbol.

The 3-hour event was sponsored by the C. G. Jung Club of Orange County [CA] on January 21, 2023.  Please consider joining or donating to this organization that makes the presentations freely available.

Watch on YouTube

Book Release | Monsters in Life and Literature by Peter Demuth

January 8, 2024

Before becoming a Jungian analyst, Dr. Peter Demuth spent decades as a Forensic Psychologist, studying, evaluating, and treating violent criminals.  In this book, he brings his forensic experience and Jungian depth training to the analysis of famous literary monsters.

In Monsters in Life and Literature Dr. Demuth takes the reader on a journey into the world of the forensic psychologist, tasked with understanding the most extreme forms of what is usually referred to as the human capacity for evil. Demuth joins his long experience with the inhabitants of this world with his training as a Jungian psychoanalyst to cast light in the darkness through his theoretical reflections and his detailed examination of monsters found in myth and literature. The book is essential reading for anyone concerned with understanding these regions of darkness in the human condition.

—George Hogenson, Ph.D.
Senior Training Analyst at the C G Jung Institute of Chicago and the author of Jung’s Struggle with Freud—A Metabiological Study (2013)

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Order from Amazon

Thomas Moore | A Therapeutic Way of Life (Video)

December 14, 2023

Thank you to the Jung Association of Western Massachusetts for sharing this video.

From the video description:

Let’s deepen and broaden the idea of “therapy.” Originally the word meant “to nurse, serve or care for.” We are all sometimes called to be a “therapist” for our friends, co-workers and family members. We can all learn from professional psychotherapy lessons in listening, talking and being present to another. Professional therapists might also benefit from a deepening of the concept of therapy. This presentation draws on C. G. Jung’s alchemical descriptions of therapy and transference and on James Hillman’s idea of therapy of the world. It is rooted in Plato’s classic definition of therapy in one of his dialogues. It is for both professional therapists and ordinary people who might want some guidance in speaking “therapeutically” to people they care about.

Links: Thomas Moore on the Jungianthology Podcast & Blog | Thomas Moore in Our Store | Jung Association of Western Mass (westmassjung.org) | JAWM Free Video Archive

In Memoriam: Don Troyer

November 27, 2023

Don L. Troyer, M.D. died on November 11, 2023 at his home in Three Rivers. He was born on January 13, 1949 to Dana O. Troyer, M.D. and Verna (Burkholder) Troyer in Dhamtari, India, where they were serving as medical missionaries. He grew up in Goshen, Indiana where he graduated from Goshen High School and Goshen College with High Honors. During medical school at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland he married Verna Hostetler on August 27, 1972. After completing a residency in Family Medicine at Williamsport, Pennsylvania in 1978, he and Verna moved to Paoli, Indiana to join Comprehensive Health Care, a medical group dedicated to serving one of the most medically underserved counties in southern Indiana.

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Freddie Taborda | The Continuum Between Aluna and its Spirits, Jungian Analysis, and God

November 27, 2023

“God does not call those who are worthy, but those whom He will.” Therese of Lisieux

The interface between indigenous spiritual life and Christian Mysticism may prove to be a fruitful ground towards addressing some worldwide challenges such as psychological alienation and climate change.

For example, Indigenous Sacred Geography -the idea that Nature is sacred and that Geography is the map that describes where the sacred spirits dwell- could help us see the divine aspect of Nature, in order to address the rampant destruction of the Earth. Also, the Jungian view of the Self -the center and totality of the individual- ,understood as the Divine within, could provide an epistemological and an experiential framework in which a fragment of God dwells in the human heart. There is a Divine Without and a Divine Within -two aspects of God located in Nature and, also, located in us. A continuum of Divinity.

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In Memoriam: James Wyly

November 15, 2023

Remembrance by Mary Wyly

Jim on his 84th Birthday

James Wyly was born in Kansas City Missouri. His mother came from an old family in St. Joseph, Missouri. His father from a family of Presbyterians in South Carolina. He was educated in public schools. For college he chose Amherst because it was far away and hard. He majored in English and studied organ at Smith Henry Mishkin. His friends included Tom Eighmy and Kelley Edey. His fraternity was Chi Phi I think. He graduated in 1959.

After Amherst he enrolled in the new DMA program at the University of Missouri at Kansas City earning his degree in 1964. From 1961 through 1963 he was supported by the Fulbright Commission for his research and dissertation on historic pipe organs of Spain, living in Madrid, the city he regarded as his real home town. He was prepared to teach organ, harpsichord, music theory, music history. 

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From the President | November 9, 2023

November 9, 2023

Our times are so full of change and confusion that one can feel like these poor creatures from the Clavis Artis, a mysterious late 17th century alchemical text signed by “Zarathustra.”

In the past few years, more people are finding their ways to Jung’s work and our Institute. Jung taught that by paying attention to dreams and the true imagination, we may discover creative solutions to problems that cannot be solved by will or by science alone. Jung also valued the development of an attitude of tolerance for the unknown and for the Other.

The programs at the Chicago Jung Institute offer opportunities for the personal growth that comes—for example—from the hard work of learning to hold the tension of the opposites and to recognize projections of our own Shadows rather than reacting, blaming, or scapegoating.

Each Fall and Spring we reach out to you to ask you to make a tax-deductible donation to support our programs, which include in-person and online workshops and lectures, podcasts, analytic training, and a two-year in depth study program.

These programs are priceless, yet we depend on your donations to make them possible.

Please give whatever you can!

Dyane Sherwood
President
C. G. Jung Institute of Chicago

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Jungianthology Radio is home to a variety of podcasts that range from archival seminar recordings (Institute Archives), to interviews (Jung in the World) to discussion on film (Healing Cinema), fairy tales (Jungian Ever After), and our programs.

The Jungianthology Blog shares essays, articles, video, audio, and other resources by members of the Chicago Society of Jungian Analysts and other groups that support the education and development of our community.

The views and opinions expressed in the podcasts and blog posts are those of the respected speakers or authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the C. G. Jung Institute of Chicago.

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Certification of the Chicago Society of Jungian Analysts to train analysts is granted by The International Association of Analytical Psychology. The C.G. Jung Institute of Chicago is accredited as a psychoanalytic training institute by The American Board for Accreditation in Psychoanalysis, Inc. The Institute is approved by the Illinois Department of Professional Regulation to sponsor continuing education for Psychologists (License No. 268000106), Social Workers and Clinical Social Workers (License No. 159-000215), Marriage and Family Therapists (License No. 168-000123), Professional Counselors and Clinical Professional Counselors (License No. 197-000022).

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