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 The C. G. Jung Center
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 From the Executive Director
When I was walking through the (rather dirty) alley next to the Center on my way to my car one day I spied a piece of paper on the ground. On it was this quote from Helen Keller: "Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much." One never knows where philosophical perspectives will appear! I so liked the quote that I taped it to my desk, as it really speaks to the essence of what the community of the Jung Center is all about: the generosity of volunteers. When I was sharing this thought with a friend, she told me a fable. One day, a young man asks a wise old woman, "What is the difference between heaven and hell?" She says "Come with me." He follows her to a room where there is a great bowl of hearty soup sitting in the middle of a table, and gathered around it are many people, all trying to eat this delicious soup. But the spoons they must use are quite long, longer than their arms, and so the people cannot seem to get the end of the spoon into their mouths, and all are quite frustrated and hungry. As the young man looks at this scene, the wise old woman tells him, "This is hell." She then leads him to another room, and again there is a great big steaming bowl of soup for all to partake, and the curious, long spoons as well. In this room, though, instead of trying to feed themselves, the gathered people are feeding each other with the long spoons, and all are nourished. The wise old woman notes, "This is heaven." I really enjoyed this story as it so beautifully illustrates the dynamic that allows the Center to grow and thrive: we feed each other. And we do so in such a variety of ways-through programs that are presented, psychotherapy that is offered, the donation of money, time, and expertise; the list goes on. As we "feed" each other, a wonderful thing occurs: we feel restored, renewed and replenished. I would love to list all those who have volunteered and donated to the Center in the past year, but the list would take pages! I do want to tell you, though, that our volunteers number over 85, and donors exceed 150. Together we have already done so much, allowing us to understand what we have yet to do.
 Pat Cochran, Psy.D.
Executive Director
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May Programs
 Movie Viewing and Discussion: Happy-Go-Lucky
Friday May1, 7-10 pm
Facilitated by Biljana Cvejin
$15 pre or drop in
How hard is it to be happy? This award winning film by the talented director Mike Leigh, explores that very question, and many others that follow, through the character of Poppy, a 30 year-old school teacher in London. The story follows this effervescent, determinedly optimistic character as she engages with a not-always-so-delightful world, including: a cynical, uptight driving instructor (once her bicycle is stolen), a bitter, pregnant sister, a bully in her classroom, and a troubled homeless man. As noted in the New York Times, "But happiness is a complicated, difficult matter, and in "Happy-Go-Lucky" it's also a question of faith." Join us to discuss Poppy's worldview and how it resonate--or doesn't!--with your own, from a psychological slant.
 May Book Club: The Way of Woman by Helen M. Luke
Tuesday May 5, 7-9 pm
Facilitated by Linda Goranson, PhD, LCPC & Gary Wilson, MA
$15 pre or drop-in
In The Way of Woman Helen Luke presents her reflections (born from many years as a Jungian therapist) on why so many modern women feel conflicted about their roles, cutoff from sources of spiritual nourishment, and what can they do about it. Luke uses mythology, folklore, modern poetry, and other stories to speak to readers, both male and female, about the feminine principle, and the importance of re-valuing its symbols, images, and values. The discussion is appropriate for both men and women.The C. G. Jung Center book club is for readers who have an interest in discussing books through a Jungian or psychological lens. Participants are welcome to come once or every time and are encouraged to read the book being discussed beforehand.
 Jung's Inclusive Intimacy Map For Relationship
Friday May 8, 7-9 pm (lecture) CEUs: 2
Saturday May 9, 10-4 pm (workshop) CEUs: 5
Tom Lavin, PhD & Mary Ellen O'Hare-Lavin, PhD
Lecture $25 on or before 5/1, $30 after
Workshop $75 on or before 5/1, $95 after
C. G. Jung's masterpiece, Mysterium Coniunctionis (Collective Works, Vol. 14), points us to a way of living and loving which is both inclusive and dynamic. Just as the soul is the bridge between matter and spirit, our ability to love, the Coniunctionis, is a bridge between the human and the divine. This program will provide a space for an experiential understanding of intimacy, inclusivity, and spirituality. Tom and Mary Ellen Lavin will examine these realities as they apply in everyday living. The Lavin's will explore the Rosarium (a series of alchemical drawings that Jung used as a basis for his book "The Psychology of Transference") and make historical connections never before addressed in Jungian literature, and they will discuss the powerful meaning these images had for Jung and can have for us. On Saturday, the Lavin's will guide the group in an experiential understanding of intimacy, imaging, and inclusiveness, teasing out ways of accessing meaning and relatedness in daily living.
 Is Man God?: The Advaitic View
Mondays 7:00-8:30 pm beg. May 18th
Facilitated by Seymour Ginsburg
$10/week
In his commentary: Psychology and Religion: West and East, C. G. Jung writes: "With us man is incommensurably small and the grace of God is everything, but in the East, man is God and he redeems himself." But how to realize that "man is God?" This is the question, the difficulty and the thrust of the ancient Advaitic philosophy of India. In this drop-in group, we study Advaitism through the wisdom of Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj (1897-1981), the most well known recent exponent of the Advaitic philosophy. Jung has shown us the Eastern philosophy telling us WHO we are. In a question and answer format, Nisargadatta tells us WHAT we must do to realize who we are and HOW to do this by giving psychological self-awareness exercises to all those who came to see him. The teachings of G.I. Gurdjieff and other mystics of esoteric Christianity are a Western presentation of this ancient Eastern teaching. The facilitator, Sy Ginsburg, met with Nisargadatta in 1979 and 1981, and studied for nineteen years under the Advaitic Master, Sri Madhava Ashish (1920-1997). Required text: Sri Nisargadattta Maharaj, I Am That which will be available at the C. G. Jung Center.
To register click here or call 847-475-4848 x 221 |
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Jung Corner
This is our space for reflections on quotes from Jung. We invite you to share a favorite quote along with your thoughts by clicking here"I took great care to try to understand every single image . . . and above all to realize them in actual life. This is what we usually neglect to do. . . . We do not take the trouble to understand them, let alone draw ethical conclusions from them. This stopping-short conjures up the negative effects of the unconscious. . . . Failure to understand them, or a shirking of ethical responsibility, deprives [a person] of his wholeness and imposes a painful fragmentariness on his life." (MDR, pp. 192-193)This quote comes from the chapter "Confrontation with the Unconscious" in Jung's memoir Memories, Dreams, Reflections, in which he describes a time of utter disorientation that followed his break with Freud. During this period of his life Jung had visions and images arise from his unconscious, including the personifications of Salome and Philemon. As he writes above, he worked hard to understand what these images meant, being careful to not stop short, or resist, the path where this unconscious material might lead. These years of his life were decisive in his being able to fashion a theory of the psyche that included an unconscious that was compensatory and essential for wholeness (a break from Freud's view of the unconscious), and a Self which "is the principle and archetype of orientation and meaning." Jung's science arose out of his psychological chaos, the unconscious images and dreams that came to him, and the way in which he honored and respected what these had to show him. I have had the privilege in my analytic work to witness my clients' courage to cease the "stopping-short" to which they had become accustomed, leave the painful fragmentation of their lives, and go into the darkness of the unknown. There, as they wrestled with their own images and painful memories, they have felt the grace and mystery of transformation.
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