 The C. G. Jung Center
December 2010 Newsletter
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From the Executive Director
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The Center had its annual Holiday Party this past Saturday, and it was a wonderful occasion to see so many members of our community. For those of you we missed seeing, here are the remarks I gave that night:
"Gratitude is the heart's memory." That's a French proverb I came across the other day, and it sums up the essence of what I want to express this evening: you have all filled our hearts with gratitude as we recall all the ways you have sustained and grown this community.
And a community is what we have here: a group of people who share an interest in Carl Jung, but truly it is much more. This is a place where people have come when they are lost or stuck or despairing. Here they are witnessed, seen and heard, and they find their way onto a path of making a life for themselves that is meaningful and hopeful. This is a place where people can have their curiosity about themselves and the world around them engaged and enlivened through a multitude of classes, workshops and groups, and in a multitude of ways, from writing poetry, making art, watching a movie, to hearing a lecture. This is a community where people come to feel enriched, helped, and to connect.
This community is still here because we have become meaningful to others through our programs and offerings, and it is you-our volunteers and donors-who make all this possible. You make it possible for us to help so many people find a way out of being lost, you make it possible for us to expand and enrich so many through classes and workshops. You make it possible for our community members to try to follow this oft-quoted dictum of Jung's: "One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious."
While my thanks go to all of you here, I want to highlight some of the folks who serve this community in particularly important ways: my Board members: Tom Gorey, who is the Chair, Carl Plochman, Jackie Mattfeld, Steve Goranson, Laura McGrew, Elizabeth Londo, Alan Irgang and Dan Ross. You all are such steadfast partners in the task of keeping the Center vital and growing, thank you. And then there is my staff, Megan Belniak and Nell Roberts, who play a crucial part in managing every aspect of the Center, and who make coming to work a delight, thank you as well.
But the biggest expression of gratitude goes to all of you, our volunteers, our donors, our community, for your wonderful dedication and faith in what we do.
Pat Cochran, Psy.D. Executive Director
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As mentioned in our November newsletter, earlier this fall the Center was chosen to be the recipient of a collection from the congregants at Evanston's Unitarian Church, for which we're truly grateful! That brought to mind that there are many groups and organizations, ranging from yoga studios to religious communities, that make donations to non-profits in their communities. Are you a member of such a group that might donate to an organization like ours? If so, please give Pat Cochran a call (847-475-4848 x243) to explore this further. Thank you!
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 Tending the Soul: A Winter Retreat for Women
Friday January 14, 9:30-2:30 pm & Saturday January 15, 10 10:00-4:00 pm
Held at The Lakeview Center, Gilson Park, Wilmette, Illinois
Facilitators: Keren Vishny, MD, MA & Mary Hamilton, MEd.
$170.00 before 12/15 and $200.00 after, CEUs: 10
Enrollment limited to 18 women
Away from the busyness of outer life, come join with us to nourish our bodies and souls. Drawing on the BodySoul approach developed by Marion Woodman, Mary Hamilton and Ann Skinner, we will use the age-old story of Cinderella as a container to deepen our understanding of the present-day challenges to women. To open to our personal experience of the story, we will utilize dream gathering, discussion, inquiry, relaxation, and the expressive arts. The creative component will include playful movement, sounding and drawing. We welcome women of all ages and backgrounds to participate with us. Please wear layered clothing and bring a journal, a pillow and a mat or blanket.
Exploration Into Fairytales II
Laura McGrew, MA, LCPC
Saturday January 22, 1-4 pm
$40 by 1/15, $50 after, CEUs:3
Fairy tales expose the archetypal realm, insisting that we allow our individual stories to become universal. In this workshop we will continue to work with fairy tales as if they are the 'collective dreams' Jung defined them to be. In their 'once upon a time' reality, we will see how the personal and the impersonal worlds weave in and out of each other uniting the past and present. Marie Louis Von Franz said that fairy tales are 'true and untrue'- 'neither and both' and 'must never be resolved intellectually.' As we work through several tales, we shall learn if these ideals hold relevancy for us today. This workshop will be seminar-style where we will all actively participate, hopefully have fun, and gain some insight along the way. Copies of the tales to be used will be available at the Center at no cost. Participation in Fairytales I not necessary to attend.
 Soultending: An exploratory series for women
Biweekly: 8 Wednesday: January 26, February 9 and 23, March 9 and 23, April 6 and 20, May 4, 9:30-12:30 pm
Keren Vishny, MD, MA
Held at the Winnetka Community House,
620 Lincoln Ave, Winnetka
$250, CEUs: 24
This series is meant for women wishing to take time out to nurture body and soul. Based in the BodySoul approach developed by Marion Woodman, Mary Hamilton and Ann Skinner, the roots of this work grow out of a deep respect for dreams, embodied wisdom, and C. G. Jung's understanding of the psyche. In an atmosphere of curiosity and respect, participants will utilize body-based meditation, imagery, journaling and simple art forms as vehicles to connect to inner experience and to each other. Participants will also consider ways of bringing this 'inner work' into meaningful relationship with the outer world, clarifying values and finding expression for embodied wisdom. Myth, fairytale and poetry will serve as a backdrop for these explorations. We understand that it may not be possible for participants to attend every session. However, we ask that each woman make a good faith commitment to attending most sessions. New participants may not join after the second session. Women of all ages and backgrounds are welcome.
To register please call 847-475-4848 x221 or click hereThere is a $15 processing fee for CEUs
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 We're fairly new to social media, but you may not be! If you've had a great experience here, please let others know. You can post a review on yelp.com or friend us on Facebook.
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 Is Man God? The Advaitic View
Weekly Drop-In Study Group
Mondays 7-8:30 pm,
Weyler Greene, PhD & Diane Miller, MA, LPC
$10/week
In this group, we study Eastern esoteric non-dual wisdom through the words of Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, an Advaitic sage and 20th century proponent of this philosophy. The group supports one another in applying this non-dualistic thought to our Western lifestyle through reading, discussion, and weekly self-awareness/meditation exercises designed to help us transcend our thoughts, fears, and desires and understand our true nature and ultimately realize Who we really are. Required text: I Am That, talks with Sri Nisargatta Maharaj (The Acorn Press, 2005).
 Peer Consultation Group
Deb McGowan, LCPC
12/17
$30 (includes 1.5 CEUs)
For clinicians, this monthly peer consultation group at the Center is facilitated by Deb McGowen, LCPC who has many years of experience practicing Jungian oriented psychotherapy. This group is an opportunity to develop a stronger connection to colleagues as well as engage in professional growth. It usually meets the third Friday of the month. This group is free to June Singer Clinic volunteer therapists.
To register please call 847-475-4848 x221 or click hereThere is a $15 processing fee for CEUs
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This is our space for reflections on quotes from Jung. We invite you to share a favorite quote along with your thoughts by e-mailing us at jung@cgjungcenter.org
"And so the last thing I would say to each of you, my friends, is: Carry through your life as well as you can, even if it is based on error, because life has to be undone, and one often gets to the truth through error. . . . So, be human, seek understanding, seek insight, and make your hypothesis, your philosophy of life. Then we may recognize the Spirit alive in the unconscious of every individual."
(CG Jung Speaking, pg. 98)
These are Jung's concluding remarks that he made at a gala supper party to mark the end of his visit to the U.S. in 1937. He had spoken at Yale, and then traveled to New York where he had given a public address to a large audience at the Plaza Hotel; the dinner party followed that lecture. In light of our own community gathering this past weekend (much less auspicious, but very warm nonetheless!) I thought it fitting to use this quote. What I love about it is that in these off-the-cuff comments he sums up what made me so enamored of his ideas when I discovered Jung: that "one often gets to the truth through error." For someone who grew up thinking (and feeling) that error of any kind was the greatest moral failing, these words are a balm for that wound of feeling ashamed to be a failure. And I think these are wonderful words to redress the imbalance of our culture, in which error is not seen as a way into truth. I wish for all of you this holiday season opportunities to "be human, seek understanding, [and] seek insight" and in so doing that you may see your Spirit and the Spirit of others all around you.
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Missed a month? Past newsletters can be viewed at our web site:
http://www.cgjungcenter.org/newsletter-archive.html
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