Podcasts about jungian

Welcome back to Behind Greatness. Today we have a Jungian chat with Susan Plunket. She has her own practise in the city that never sleeps --- fitting for a psychologist who works on dream interpretation . We talk about her dad's profound life changing experience in the Pacific during WWII and his fortifying parenting style, flying with her sister and basketball courts in space. We dive into the discussion of being crushed into 3D reality, death dreams of AIDS patients in NYC in the 80s and 90s, the ego-self and the greater-self, seeing beyond the illusion of separation and the lessons of her discarnate teacher. The psyche prepares you for death via dreaming. Let's go!! Episodes to check out: Dr. Jill Bolte-Taylor (ep 101), Dr. Thomas Verny (ep 121), Dr. Tony Cicora (ep 55) Susan, Website: https://www.susanplunket.com/

In this episode of The Dream Journal, host Katherine Bell talks with psychiatrist Greg Mahr and visionary artist/psychologist Heather Taylor-Zimmerman about how dreams—especially nightmares—can support healing, personal growth, and creativity. They introduce the Dream Wisdom Oracle Deck, explore “befriending” difficult dream imagery, and share practical ways to re-enter and work with dreams through reflection, art, and intuitive tools. Chapters: 00:00:23 — Welcome + what the show explores 00:01:26 — Catherine's falling-elevator dream as an opening metaphor 00:03:12 — Greg on nightmares, trauma, and why meaning matters 00:07:11 — Heather on dream rescripting + “active agency” in dreams and recovery 00:10:04 — Using an oracle deck to clarify a dream (simple draw + follow-up draw) 00:11:33 — What “visionary art” means + Jung's influence and active imagination 00:21:20 — Creative flow: reverie, atmosphere, and leaning into discomfort 00:23:38 — Dreams + psychedelics: overlapping brain states and how dreams are a “mini trip every night” 00:32:49 — Caller dream: foundation stone “portal,” money envelope, and houses as psyche 00:42:13 — Caller question: recurring “raw chicken” symbol + how to work it with cards BIOS: Greg Mahr, M.D., is a psychiatrist actively involved in teaching and research on acute trauma and nightmares. He is on the faculty of the medical schools at both Michigan State University and Wayne State University and has published more than 30 academic research articles. The author of The Wisdom of Dreams: Science, Synchronicity and the Language of the Soul. SoulofCreativity.com Heather Taylor-Zimmerman, Ph.D., is a psychologist trained at Pacifica, a Jungian program in California. She is the director of an experiential teaching program in personal transformation through visionary art, and her healing artwork has appeared in clinics and hospitals as well as in public and private collections. GregMahr.com This show, episode number 354, was recorded during a live broadcast on March 14, 2026 at KSQD.org, community radio of Santa Cruz. Videos available on YouTube at youtube.com/@experientialdreamwork. Popular playlists: “Dream Journal shorts” and “FULL LENGTH VIDEOS”. Here are links to some other Dream Journal episodes you might be interested in: Rewilding the Dream with Laura Smith-Riva Dreaming the Future with Paul Kalas, PhD Intro and outro music by Mood Science. Ambient music new every week by Rick Kleffel. Archived music can be found at Pandemiad.com. Many thanks to Rick for also engineering the show and to Erik Nelson for answering the phones. SHARE A DREAM FOR THE SHOW or a question or enquire about being a guest on the podcast by emailing Katherine Bell at katherine@ksqd.org. Follow on LI, IG, YT, FB, & LT @ExperientialDreamwork #thedreamjournal. To learn more or to inquire about exploring your own dreams go to ExperientialDreamwork.com. The Dream Journal aims to: Increase awareness of and appreciation for nightly dreams. Inspire dream sharing and other kinds of dream exploration as a way of adding depth and meaningfulness to lives and relationships. Improve society by the increased empathy, emotional balance, and sense of wonder which dream exploration invites. A dream can be meaningful even if you don’t know what it means. The Dream Journal is produced at and airs on KSQD Santa Cruz, 90.7 FM. Catch it streaming LIVE at KSQD.org 10-11am Pacific Time on Saturdays. Call or text with your dreams or questions at 831-900-5773 or email at onair@ksqd.org. Podcasts are available on all major podcast platforms the Monday following the live show. The complete KSQD Dream Journal podcast page can be found at ksqd.org/the-dream-journal/. Thanks for being a Dream Journal listener! Available on all major podcast platforms. Rate it, review it, subscribe, and tell your friends.

This week's returning podcast guest is my friend Aepril Schaile, who is an astrologer, performance artist, dancer, poet and mythologist. Aepril Schaile is a neurodivergent poet, dancer, performance artist, astrologer and mythologist living in Co. Sligo, Ireland. She works with Persephone and the Eleusinian Mysteries as devotional practice, artistic research, and living mythology. A pilgrim to Eleusis, she guides meditative and oracular creative journeys rooted in Jungian and archetypal psychology. Recently, she has performed at the Cairde Festival's Wandering Voices in Sligo, A Tide of Ghosts at the University of Copenhagen. Her poems are forthcoming or have appeared in Oscail and Coven Poetry Journal. Aepril holds an MFA in Interdisciplinary Art.In this episode we speak about the Persephone: Entering Living Mystery (Spring authentic voice initiation). Around the Spring Equinox, the ancient Mysteries honored Persephone's return from the depths of the earth. Her movement between worlds revealed a profound truth: life continually renews itself through cycles of descent, listening, and emergence.Within each of us there is a similar mystery: a place where creativity, instinct, intuition, and soul voice gather beneath the surface. Through meditation, divination, and intuitive writing practices, we will explore the regenerative current that moves through both psyche and body: the place where vulnerability becomes creative power and authentic voice is felt and heard.Read more and join here: https://www.aeprilsastrology.com/store/p68/Persephonelivingmystery.html Check out Aepril and her work in the links below.Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aeprilsastrology YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/AeprilsastrologyWebsite: http://www.aeprilschaile.com/Astrology Website: https://www.aeprilsastrology.com/#/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aeprilraven/Visit Law of Positivism:https://www.instagram.com/lawofpositivism/Website: https://www.lawofpositivism.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lawofpositivism/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/lawofpositivismTikTok: www.tiktok.com/@lawofpositivism 

I'm joined once again by Carl Greer, whose remarkable life has spanned engineering, finance, academia, clinical psychology, Jungian analysis, and shamanic practice. Now in his mid-eighties, Carl reflects on how these experiences reshaped his understanding of reality, purpose, and the stories that guide our lives. We explore archetypes, dreamwork, the personal and collective unconscious, and the power of small experiments to help us shift old patterns. His newest workbook is Go Within To Change Your Life.In this conversation we discuss dreamwork, shamanic journeying, dialoguing with inner figures, and noticing before interpreting. Carl outlines personal vs collective unconscious, resilience in life's “suddenlys,” risks of escapism, and habit change through small, playful experiments.Topics covered in this episode include:Carl's Life Story and CareerShamanism and ServiceWorkbook OverviewArchetypes ExplainedFinding Your ArchetypesDreams and JourneyingDialoguing with ShadowsInterpreting Inner MessagesPersonal and Collective UnconsciousResilience in Sudden ChangeBuilding New HabitsInner Wisdom and HealthVIsit Carl's website________BECOME YOUR OWN SHAMAN Introductory Online Course For more information about Wendy's new visionary fiction book, Raven's Daughter, or to purchase a copy, visit Three Worlds PressVisit Wendy's website to learn more about the the Harmonic Egg®  Lucid Cafe episodes by topic  Listen to Lucid Cafe on YouTube  ★ Support this podcast ★

Jungian psychoanalyst and great-granddaughter of L. Frank Baum, author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, joined us from Los Angeles to discuss her book, The Wisdom of Oz: Reflections of a Jungian Sandplay Therapist, and her part in the new documentary film, 'It's Dorothy!'

Send a textIn this episode of The Daughtered Podcast, I sit down with Dr. Susan Schwartz, a Jungian analyst, clinical psychologist, and author of The Absent Father Effect on Daughters. With decades of experience working with women across all stages of life, Dr. Schwartz has seen firsthand how a father's emotional presence — or absence — can shape a daughter's identity, confidence, and relationships for years to come.In this conversation we explore:• Why daughters feel emotional absence so deeply• The difference between being home and being truly present• How fathers influence their daughters' self-worth and development• Why many fathers were never taught emotional connection themselves• The powerful role awareness plays in breaking generational patternsOne of the most powerful ideas discussed is that fathers influence their daughters far more than they realize — even through subtle emotional signals and unspoken expectations.This conversation isn't about guilt... It's about awareness.Because when fathers become more intentional with their presence, they have the power to change not only their daughters' lives — but the generations that follow.Dr. Schwartz's WorkSusan's Instagram 00:00 Father Absence Crisis01:26 Podcast Welcome02:23 Why Fathers Matter03:29 Guest Background05:47 Daughter Impact09:13 Nature Versus Nurture11:02 Pregnancy Influence14:00 Single Mother Context15:50 Filling The Void18:36 Emotional Absence19:18 Host Personal Reflection20:46 Emotional Honesty as Dads21:32 Fear of Messing Up23:31 Raising Girls vs Boys25:21 Beyond Parenting Recipes26:49 Fathers Thoughts Shape Daughters29:01 Know Your Daughter Deeply31:25 Dialogue Builds Connection34:04 How to Be Present36:47 Books Resources and FarewellGuest Disclaimer:The views and opinions expressed on this podcast are solely those of the guests. They do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the host, any organizations, companies, or institutions mentioned, or corporate entities represented by the host.Our aim is to provide a platform for diverse perspectives and open dialogue. While we strive for accuracy and balance, it's important to recognize that opinions may vary. We encourage critical thinking and further exploration of the topics discussed.Proudly Sponsored by Few Will HuntRestoring the dignity of hard work. 100%American-made. Everyone wants to eat. But only few will hunt Support the showCatch up w/ The Daughtered Podcast Oscar on Instagram Few Will Hunt. 10% OFF use GIRLDAD Want to be a guest on The DAUGHTERED Podcast? Want to collaborate? Send Oscar Pena a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/daughteredpodcast

Barbara, Anya's grandmother, has lived a full life of 91 years and going strong. She's lived all over the world, raised two sons, studied Jungian psychology, loved and lost and loved some more. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

In the sixth episode of Was it just a dream?, we find ourselves in a church, looking the other way. Share your own commentary and read the full dream on our Substack page.Music: It was just a dream by Rafael Krux. Courtesy of the Krux Music Publishing Limited Company. 

Compulsive traits are often judged as rigid or unhealthy, but they originate in qualities that once helped humans survive. This essay reframes compulsiveness as an adaptive style—rooted in conscientiousness, focus, and persistence—and explores how these traits can become strengths when consciously directed. Through research, evolutionary psychology, and a clinical vignette, it shows how finding the right “calling” transforms compulsion from a burden into a gift.

Stephen Aizenstat, Ph.D., is a depth psychologist and founder of Pacifica Graduate Institute, best known for developing the practice of Dream Tending. This approach treats dreams not merely as symbols to decode, but as living images to be engaged with respectfully and imaginatively. Aizenstat's method encourages dialogue with dream figures and landscapes, fostering emotional insight, creativity, and psychological integration. Rooted in Jungian psychology and mythic imagination, Dream Tending emphasizes relationship, curiosity, and embodied awareness as pathways to personal transformation.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-x-zone-radio-tv-show--1078348/support.Please note that all XZBN radio and/or television shows are Copyright © REL-MAR McConnell Meda Company, Niagara, Ontario, Canada – www.rel-mar.com. For more Episodes of this show and all shows produced, broadcasted and syndicated from REL-MAR McConell Media Company and The 'X' Zone Broadcast Network and the 'X' Zone TV Channell, visit www.xzbn.net. For programming, distribution, and syndication inquiries, email programming@xzbn.net.We are proud to announce the we have launched TWATNews.com, launched in August 2025.TWATNews.com is an independent online news platform dedicated to uncovering the truth about Donald Trump and his ongoing influence in politics, business, and society. Unlike mainstream outlets that often sanitize, soften, or ignore stories that challenge Trump and his allies, TWATNews digs deeper to deliver hard-hitting articles, investigative features, and sharp commentary that mainstream media won't touch.These are stories and articles that you will not read anywhere else.Our mission is simple: to expose corruption, lies, and authoritarian tendencies while giving voice to the perspectives and evidence that are often marginalized or buried by corporate-controlled media

What if your frustration, your child's struggle, or your career tension isn't something to fix — but something your soul is trying to tell you? In this deeply thought-provoking conversation, Dr. Eleanor Haspel-Portner — developmental psychologist, Jungian scholar, astrologer, and creator of Noble Energy Maps® — shares how subconscious energy patterns shape our lives, relationships, and parenting.With over 50 years of clinical experience, Dr. Eleanor explains:What it truly means to “live from soul”How emotional reactivity can transform into compassionWhy most personality tests and inventories are incompleteThe four worlds of consciousness and how they influence developmentHow to support children without overriding their intuitionWhy alignment matters more than achievementWe explore tantrums, intuition, clean questions, family energy, manifestation, faith, and what it looks like to honor your child's soul without losing your own.If you've ever wondered how to manifest your highest potential while staying grounded in family life — this episode bridges psychology and spirituality in a way that's both expansive and practical.Learn more About Dr. Eleanor and take the free four-world assessment at nobleenergywellness.com.Support The Mission:

The book shares evidence that the Anunnaki's influence extends beyond the realms of mythology and religion, shaping the very foundations of our understanding of reality, consciousness, and the nature of the self. By exploring the connections between the Anunnaki, shamanic practices, psychedelic experiences, and modern pursuits such as artificial intelligence and transhumanism, Anunnaki Revelation aims to trace the origins and trajectory of the transformative impact these gods had on the human experience.Who were the Anunnaki? Were they benevolent guides or malevolent manipulators, and what will the answer mean for our understanding of the nature of reality?Was the Anunnaki's wisdom transmitted to early civilizations, then preserved and passed down through secret societies and occult practices?Were psychedelics, shamanic practices, and altered states of consciousness used to communicate with the Anunnaki and other entities? Are they still?Anunnaki Revelation examines the Anunnaki in a new light, as discarnate entities who played a crucial role in the development of human consciousness and civilization by communicating advanced knowledge to the leaders of a lost civilization.Heather Lynn, PhD, is a historian of the human mind and author of The Anunnaki Connection, Evil Archaeology, and Baphomet Revealed. Heather holds degrees in archaeology, information technology, and history, as well as a doctorate in education from the University of New England. Her academic work concentrates on cognitive archaeology, consciousness, artificial intelligence, symbolism, iconography, and the exploration of myth and art through a Jungian conceptual framework. Visit her at drheatherlynn.com.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/earth-ancients--2790919/support.

Have you ever felt totally torn between two seemingly incompatible desires? Like part of you wants the freedom of non-monogamy while another part longs for that "one and only" Disney story? You're not alone, and this inner conflict isn't something to rush past—it might actually be your greatest opportunity for growth.In this episode, we're exploring the Jungian concept of "the tension of opposites" and how it applies to non-monogamy. Rather than seeing these inner conflicts as problems to solve, we explore how bearing this tension can lead to unexpected breakthroughs and deeper self-understanding. This isn't just theoretical—we share practical, creative ways to work with these tensions that go beyond simply "sitting with" uncomfortable feelings.We're breaking down:— What the "tension of opposites" means and why it's particularly relevant during the paradigm shift to non-monogamy— Why rushing to resolve inner conflicts can actually prevent deeper transformation from occurring— The physical sensations that often accompany inner conflict— How bearing the tension of opposites creates space for the "transcendent function"—a third option we couldn't previously imagine— Why paradigm shifts take years and require us to be comfortable in the "gooey" transformational phase— Creative practices for working with opposing forces— How to ask partners and friends to witness your process without trying to "fix" your conflicts— The value of paying attention to dreams and symbols that emerge during periods of inner tension— Finding balance between bearing tension and making necessary decisions when the time comesResources mentioned in this episode:— Jung's Collected Works, Volume 13— Marie-Louise von Franz's Archetypal Dimensions of the PsycheJOIN The Year Of Opening® community for a full year of learning & support. Registration is open now at ⁠⁠www.TheYearOfOpening.com⁠⁠Learn the 5 secrets to open your relationship the smart wayAre you ready to open your relationship happily? Find out at www.JoliQuiz.comGet the answers you want to create the open relationship of your dreams! Sign up for an Ask Me Anything hereMusic: Dance of Felt by ⁠Blue Dot Sessions

While our last episode discussed Orpheus through the lens of archetypal creativity, this episode focuses on the grief elements of the story as depicted in Ovid’s version of the story. We share our own grief stories and explore the hazards experienced when people do not allow themselves to grieve. This episode we will be reading from: Metamorphoses – by Ovid⁠⁠⁠ Parables and Portraits – by Stephen Mitchell Orpheus. Euridice. Hermes. – by Rainer Maria Rilke You can listen to El Maleh Rachamim prayer on My Jewish Learning here. This prayer asks God to grant rest to departed souls and is often recited at funerals. Our intro/outro music a sample of Seikilos Epitaph with the Lyre of Apollo, by Lina Palera, under an Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 International License. You can find the full version at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠FreeMusicArchive.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Banner Image: Kratzenstein orpheus.jpg – Wikipedia Email: jungianeverafter@gmail.com Twitter: @JEA_Podcast Discord: https://discord.gg/GEdn4TPgHR Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/jungianeverafter

For Pop Apocalypse Episode 20, Host Matthew Dillon welcomes actress, writer, producer, and activist Amy Brenneman. After earning her BA in the Comparative Study of Religion at Harvard, Amy went on to a successful acting career, with star turns in the film Heat and in television shows including The Leftovers, The Old Man, and Judging Amy (which she also wrote and produced). In this wide-ranging conversation, Amy and Matthew explore how the craft of acting, the study of religion, the practice of Jungian dreamwork, and decades of practicing active imagination have enriched one another throughout her career. They discuss the similarities between ritual and acting and how a background in comparative religion helped Amy write, build, and inhabit characters. Amy also shares what helped bring a mythic and numinous dimension to roles like Laurie Garvey in The Leftovers. They conclude by discussing Amy's current experience as a master's student at Harvard Divinity School and her research into the politics and possibilities of the Trickster. BIO: Amy Brenneman is an American actress, producer, writer, and political activist. She is known for multiple award-winning television roles, including Judging Amy (which she wrote and produced), NYPD Blue, Frasier, Heartbeat (executive producer), VEEP, and The Leftovers, as well as movie roles in Heat, Casper, Friends and Neighbors, and The Jane Austen Book Club. She was a founding member of the social justice-focused Cornerstone Theater Company and has performed in many notable theaters around the country. She starred in the world premieres of the Pulitzer Prize-nominated Rapture Blister Burn and Fake It Until You Make It, and starred in The Sound Inside, which the Los Angeles Times named one of the year's best performances. Amy has been honored by multiple activist organizations and currently serves on the Creative Council for the Center for Reproductive Rights. Amy earned a BA in the Comparative Study of Religion at Harvard University and is currently pursuing an MDiv at Harvard, researching the role of the Trickster archetype in ritual and activism.

Today we listen to the tale of Erysichthon of Thessaly, a mad king under a curse. His hubris and savagery so angered the mother goddess Ceres, that the icy Goddess Famine cursed him with an insatiable appetite. Trying to fill the voracious void, the king lays waste to the entire kingdom and ultimately devours even himself. In the tradition of myth, it is a living tale, and this one, an eerie mirror of the present. When our search for meaning, becomes a search for soul, we inevitably find ourselves “entangled in myth,” said James Hillman, Jungian analyst and founder of archetypal psychology. Join us as we free ourselves from our mythic entanglement with mad kings and monsters.      Thanks to @iamlucasbakker - Blue Medicine Journal's editor, producer, musician and composer!  

A deep dive into David Hawkins' Map of Consciousness, Jungian shadow work, the Luciferic deception, and what authentic psychospiritual transformation really demands in these times.

Just as there are darkened seasons in human history—times when the structures sustaining civilization collapse in on themselves and humanity finds itself stiff-fisted, grasping at brittle branches, slipping between worlds—so too is every individual subject to phases of undoing in the metamorphosis of a lifetime.Entering the chrysalis is rarely a matter of choice. We would resist if we could. One morning, we awaken with a pit in the stomach, a visceral unease that signals change even before we can name its source. Quite all of a sudden, we find we have entered a dream with no solid ground and no turning back. Loss feels imminent, along with the uncertainty of what comes next or how we will get there. We try to keep moving, mistaking busyness for control of circumstance. We hoist the blueprints of our former lives above our heads to keep them dry, trying to shore up what is already dissolving.We try very hard, as all creatures do, not to die. Yet for the caterpillar, entering the chrysalis is a form of programmed death—a gruesome act of self-digestion. What can the larva comprehend of its own metamorphosis as it surrenders to darkness and enzymatic dissolution? Before it can be reconstituted, the caterpillar's whole body must pupate—which is to say liquify. Epithelial cells breaking down, muscles and mandibles lysed by their own enzymes, the entire body reduced to a nutrient slurry.Every winter, nature takes this serious turn. Fallen leaves coil in on themselves, roots retreat, seeds release, and stillness wraps the living world. Here's orientation from a recent column in our cherished local magazine, the Santa Fe New Mexican —“In winter, our arid steppe climate shows us the value of leaving things alone. Grasses left standing become shelter. Seed heads become sustenance. Evergreen shrubs offer cover from wind and predators when the world feels most exposed. What looks untidy to us is, in fact, a carefully balanced system of protection and patience. The garden does not ask us to fix it in January—only to witness it.”The winter gardener knows not to try to fix such depression, but instead to witness and accompany the world beyond control. For the winter gardener recognizes the fallows as sanctuary, the outer casings of seed heads and pale grasses as fortresses of transformation, and death as a passage between birthing seasons. This is the winter gardener's regenerative faith.Similarly, with respect to human development, Jungian analyst and author Marion Woodman called the chrysalis “a twilight between past, present, and future,” a place where the psyche must “tolerate annihilation—just long enough for the new form to begin assembling itself.” She described the sojourn of life as a series of “border crossings between what we were and what we cannot yet imagine.”For the caterpillar, the dream of the butterfly is carried by imaginal cells—tiny, sac-like clusters that, through the primordial twilight of metamorphosis, give rise at last to compound eyes, scaled wings—a new and elegant anatomy. This is how a creature built for crawling holds within its body the imagination of flight.In his 1910 Oxford lecture, The Birth of Humility, anthropologist Robert Ranulph Marett described metamorphic thresholds as “psycho-physical,” when body and mind falter so that “latent energies [may] gather strength for activity on a fresh plane.”The most courageous way we can enter the chrysalis is with attunement. “Pause,” Marett wrote, “is the necessary condition of the development of all those higher purposes which make up the rational being.” James Baldwin attested that the darkest hour can “force a reconciliation between oneself and all one's pain and error.” We cannot will ourselves to grow, for transformation is an act of presence, not power. But within the privacy of our consciousness, with patience and attention, we can rediscover the forces shaping our evolution and develop faith in what is becoming.In Jungian terms, the collective mirrors the individual psyche: what deconstructs in the outer world—painfully, though necessarily—reflects what must be reimagined from within. Today, democratic principles and ecological balance are slipping from their axes. But, as Marett observed, “Not until the days of this period of chrysalis life have been painfully accomplished can [a person] emerge a new and glorified creature.”Some silent, imaginal knowledge within us already knows the way. Here in the high desert, the earliest bloomers will soon appear: proof that the intelligence of life has been preparing the ground, all along, for the resurrection of some new and common beauty.Together, we're making sense of what it means to be human in an era of radical change. Your presence here matters. Thank you for reading, sharing, ‘heart'ing, commenting, and subscribing to The Guest House.+ Join next month's yoga & meditation class on Thursday, Mar 12, at 9 am MT / 11 am ET. A replay will be shared via email shortly thereafter.+ Find me at YogaSource in Santa Fe every Wednesday morning, 9-10:15 am MT / 11 am-12:15 pm ET for Dynamic Practice. This class is fully analog—live and in person. Register through the studio here.+ I'll be returning to two beloved places to offer retreats with friends in the coming year: Beyul Retreat, in the pristine wilderness surrounding Aspen, Colorado, May 21-25, 2026, with Wendelin Scott; AND world-class Ballymaloe House in County Cork, Ireland, Sept 20-26, 2026, with Erin Doerwald. Each retreat will feature yoga, meditation, farm-to-table meals, and curated outings—plus rest, nurturance, and imagination. Just a few spots left. Check out all the details here. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit shawnparell.substack.com/subscribe

If you've ever been turned on by feelings of jealousy, you are so not alone. Dr. Marie Thouin wrote the book on compersion, so she's the perfect person to join us to get real about erotic jealousy, humiliation, being “the unchosen one,” and why some of us get hot exactly where we've been hurt. In this reverse interview, Joli shares candid stories from early non-monogamy and triad life, using masturbation and fantasy to work with jealousy, and how disposability, comparison, and attachment wounds all show up in her erotic life.They also dig into the ethics and weirdness of fantasizing about real people (including metamours), the idea of “participatory jealousy,” and what it really takes to play with this energy without burning everything down. You'll hear about kink as a tool for transformation, what happens in the “underworld” of big feelings, and how new erotic experiences can actually rewire old wounds—and make more room for compersion, nuance, and genuine choice in how you relate to jealousy.In this episode, we talk about:— Jealousy as a source of turn-on rather than a problem to fix— The relationship between jealousy, shame, and the struggle for Compersion— Joli's personal journey with jealousy in early non-monogamy and triad living— Using masturbation and fantasy to work with jealous feelings— The erotic charge of disposability, being “unchosen,” and humiliation— How attachment wounds and humiliation kink intersect with jealousy— Ethical questions about fantasizing about real people (including metamours)— Using placeholders/roles vs. specific individuals in erotic imagination— The idea of “participatory jealousy” and reclaiming agency— Alchemizing jealousy into something transformative (using a Jungian/alchemical lens)— The role of safety, trust, and betrayal in whether jealousy play can be healing— Kink as a tool for psychological transformation, not just sensation— Memory reconsolidation and how new erotic experiences can rewrite old wounds— Keeping metamours present in the imagination to support compersionResources mentioned in this episode:— Dr. Marie Thouin's website— Justin Lehmiller's research on sexual fantasies— Joli's guest episode on Girl Boner Radio with August McLaughlin— Episode 215 Nurturing Established Relationship EnergyJOIN The Year Of Opening® community for a full year of learning & support. Registration is open now at ⁠⁠www.TheYearOfOpening.com⁠⁠Learn the 5 secrets to open your relationship the smart wayAre you ready to open your relationship happily? Find out at www.JoliQuiz.comGet the answers you want to create the open relationship of your dreams! Sign up for an Ask Me Anything hereMusic: Dance of Felt by ⁠Blue Dot Sessions

Coral Osborne is a Certified Sexologist, Sex and Intimacy Coach who specializes in helping men overcome intimacy struggles, reconnect with their desires, and build more fulfilling relationships. Before becoming a Sexologist, Coral spent years as a high-end provider, where she witnessed men in their most unguarded moments—revealing fears around performance, shame about desire, and confusion about intimacy. Those experiences laid the foundation for her current work: helping men heal sexual shame, build confidence, and create embodied, emotionally connected relationships. She has trained with the Sexual Health Alliance, Somatica Institute, and Dr. Saida Desilets' Embodied Psychosexual Method (EPSM), with additional study in tantra, kink/bdsm, somatic experiencing, Jungian psychology, and men's work. Her multi-disciplinary approach integrates evolutionary psychology, attachment theory, cultural constructivism, depth psychology, and polyvagal theory. Coral believes our relationship to sex mirrors how we engage with life—and that healing the Madonna–Whore split is essential to reclaiming wholeness and vitality. She writes a regular Substack column dissecting erotic experience through a sexological lens and is at work on her first book, The Whore's Gospel: Case Studies in Sex, Power & Truth. She also hosts The Next Man Up podcast, exploring the paradoxes and misconceptions of modern masculinity.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jungian psychoanalyst and developmental psychologist Angeliki Yiassemides, Ph.D. joins us from Nicosia, Cyprus to discuss her decades-long research on the psychology of time, C.G. Jung, and his concept of synchronicity. She is the author of Time and Timelessness: Temporality in the Theory of Carl Jung, and the editor of Time and the Psyche: Jungian Perspectives.

Body as Shadow: Jung's Method of Embodied Healing is Jungian analyst Erica Lorentz's passionate, clinically grounded argument that Jung's psychology was never meant to be “head-only.” It was always an embodied practice, one that asks us to meet psyche where it actually lives: in sensation, emotion, energy, imagination, and what Jung called the somatic unconscious or subtle body. At the heart of the book is Lorentz's central method: embodied active imagination, a way of working in which inward attention to a symptom, sensation, or emotion becomes a portal into imaginal material and archetypal depths, without forcing interpretation or prematurely translating experience into words. This approach is shaped by her long apprenticeship in Authentic Movement (also known as Movement as Active Imagination), where the psyche is allowed to emerge through the body in a protected relational container and a non-directive witnessing stance. Lorentz argues that many modern approaches to trauma and psychotherapy remain constrained by a left-brain bias: we attempt to heal through insight, narrative, and cognitive explanation, while the original wound and the original healing energy often sits below language. Drawing on Jung's own words from the Zarathustra Seminar, she emphasizes the mysterious interlocking place where body and psyche become indistinguishable: where we cannot know if we are in matter or in psyche, because we are in both. Throughout the book, Lorentz bridges what is too often split in Jungian circles: developmental work and archetypal work. She insists that when we work with complexes, we must come to terms not only with childhood roots, but with the archetypal core “on its own ground”, because the archetype is not a metaphor; it is a force, and one we encounter in a bodily way. Erica Lorentz, M.Ed., L.P.C., is a Jungian analyst (IAAP) and training analyst at the C. G. Jung Institute of New England. With early roots in dance and decades of experience in Authentic Movement (Movement as Active Imagination), she integrates depth psychology with embodied and imaginal approaches to healing. Trained in object relations and shaped by clinical work with autistic and psychotic youth, she has taught and lectured widely on Jung, the body, and embodied active imagination across the US, Canada, the UK, and internationally, including teaching in India in 2024. Helena Vissing, PsyD, SEP, PMH-C is a Licensed Psychologist practicing in California and Associate Professor at California Institute of Integral Studies. She can be reached at contact@helenavissing.com. She is the author of Somatic Maternal Healing: Psychodynamic and Somatic Treatment of Trauma in the Perinatal Period (Routledge, 2023). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/psychoanalysis

A Husky narrates a compassionate, humorous, and perceptive account of living with a human who has obsessive‑compulsive personality disorder traits. Through keen canine observation, the Husky contrasts natural dog instincts—flexibility, presence, connection—with the rigid routines, perfectionism, rationalization, and emotional struggles of the human world. The story explores themes of routine, control, relationships, emotional expression, and the possibility of change. Ultimately, the dog encourages humans to keep perspective, let go more easily, and remember what truly matters: connection, simplicity, and a few good belly scratches.

Last November Nick and John introduced Dimitra Fimi, the magnificent maven of Tolkien Studies and Professor of Fantasy and Children's Literature at the University of Glasgow, to students of J. K. Rowling's work. In that discussion, ‘Reading Rowling as Myth Maker and Myth Re-Writer: A Conversation with Dr Dimitra Fimi,' she shared her thoughts about Rowling's creative use of mythology in Harry Potter but especially in the Cormoran Strike series.The Hogwarts Professor team asked her to join us again because of Rowling's yuletide charm bracelet gift to Strike fandom and the recent announcement of the Strike 9 title, Sleep Tight, Evangeline. Her insights about the Longfellow poem as a possible even likely source of the next book's epigraphs are engaging, but it is her expertise in the arcane area of miniature books as well as mythology and the light each shines on the two items attached to the last link of the charm bracelet that open up exciting possibilities.Her idea is that the Psalter on the ninth link of the charm bracelet may actually be, unlike the other tokens on the bracelet's nine links, an object that will play a part in the story, a miniature book. It turns out that one inch high books were something of an industry as curios in the 19th and early 20th century, a means of demonstrating technological mastery.Dr Fimi discussed several projects she has been a part of in conjunctions with nano-technologists and the librarians at the University of Glasgow's special collections division. The one that has the most obvious link to English literature is the ‘Tiny Alice project,' a contemporary effort to minituarize Lewis Carroll's Alice stories to unfathomable minuteness:The Tiny Alice Project has produced one of the world's smallest books: a tiny reproduction of Lewis Carroll's children's classic Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865). All 78 pages and 26,764 words of the story have been transposed on to a tiny silicon chip, with each page just the width of a human hair (60 microns). Each individual letter is just two microns high, and made from pure gold!Click on the icons below to find out more about the project, the technology behind it, and Lewis Carroll and his interest in the minuscule. Via the tabs above you can also discover the long tradition of miniature books, and teaching resources.Clip: Twixter link to tweet aboveYou can read Dr Fimi's write-up of ‘Tiny Alice' and the Miniature Book exhibition she curated at the University of Glasgow to highlight their special collection of these treasures at her 2019 blog post about them. Pictures that include annotated miniature books — copies in which their owners made notes in the miniscule margins of the printed pages — can be seen here.Later this week, Nick will be sharing his thoughts on Robert Browning's The Ring and the Book as the Ironbridge Murder story's template within Hallmarked Man, John, Nick, Sandy Hope, and Ed Shardlow will be parsing the ring within Strike8's Part Seven, and more about Longfellow's Evangeline — stay tuned!The Ten Questions Guiding Today's Conversation with Dr Fimi with the Necessary Links for Fun Follow-Up:(Intro) So everything Serious Strikers are thinking and talking about this month made me think of you, Dimitra, and to write you hat-in-hand with an invitation for your return to HogwartsProfessor to share your perspective, knowledge, and first impressions. Thank you for making time to join us!1. (John) Jumping right in, then, two of the charms on the Strike9 or ‘Evangeline' bracelet are Fimi areas of unique expertise: the Psalter and the Head of Persephone. I had urged readers to read your Miniature Books in Children's Fantasy at A Kind of Elvish Craft: The Dimitra Fimi Substack Site in the links after our conversation here last November but I confess to being surprised still when you asked for the dimensions of the Psalter charm after Nick and I posted our thoughts on the subject. For those who haven't read your ‘Miniature Books' post, please share how one of the world authorities on the writing of J. R. R. Tolkien became interested in the smallest of texts, the ‘Little Books' of 19th century printing.2. (Nick) So you asked for the dimensions of the Psalter, you weren't thinking as we were that the Psalter charms would be a box holding a folded up paper with a psalm, maybe two, inside it. You're thinking it might actually be a complete Coverdale Psalter? Is that possible?3. (John) What Nick and I hope to contribute to the nascent field of Rowling Studies, as you know, is a refocusing of the scholarship and the serious reader attention about her work on to her Lake Springs -- the biographical part of story inspiration -- her Shed Tools or intentional artistry, and the Golden Threads, the plot points and themes that run throughout her work, i.e., to bring Rowling Studies more in line with all literary scholarship about notable authors, living and dead.One of the Golden Threads we talked about in our Kanreki series last summer was the ‘Embedded Text,' the books inside a book topos that is in almost every book Rowling writes (Kanreki Golden Thread posts one and two). Detective fiction is always about an embedded text, the narrative ‘written' by the criminal to prevent the detective from reading the real story of what happened and Rowling-Galbraith often makes this narrative an actual book (Dumbledore Chocolate Frog Card, Tales of Beedle the Bard, Bombyx Mori, Talbot's ‘True Book,' The Predictions of Tycho Dodonus, etc.). How do you think a Psalter miniaturized book would appear in a Strike novel?4. (Nick) Has an author used a miniaturized book before in this way? Were there 19th Century Psalters that people wore as talismans or carried as the original Pocket Books?5. (John) And what about the Head of Persephone charm on that bracelet? It's on the ninth and last link, paired with that Psalter. You shared your first thought about the Persephone charm, a hopeful note, on the comment thread here. As our go-to authority on Greek mythology, I'm dying to know more of your thinking about (a) the specific charm and its relation to the Cupid and Psyche myth-template to the Strike series, (b) its pairing with the Psalter, and (c) its position as the last charm on the bracelet. Do you still think it's a sign that Robin will survive Sleep Tight, Evangeline?6. (Nick) As someone immersed in mythological studies and more than familiar with Rowling's use of myth, do you think the Jungian interpretation of that myth as the ‘actualization of feminine identity' is a better lens through which to read that embedded text or is the Spenserian lens of Eros/Anteros, False Cupid and Cupid more helpful? Or is this not a case of Either/Or but Both/And? Valentines Day Special7. (John) Rowling is a close reader and admirer of J. R. R. Tolkien, though that is more evident in the clear pointers to his work in her own work than from her interviews. How does her use of myth contrast with that of Tolkien and Lewis? (See John's 2008 post about Rowling's debts to Tolkien and the two part podcast with Tolkien scholars and Rowling Readers Dr Amy H Sturgis and Dr Sara Brown here and here for more on that influence.)8. (Nick) In an in-person meeting with UK Serious Strikers last week, Rowling shared with them and later via X with everyone the title of the ninth Strike novel, Sleep Tight, Evangeline. We're pretty sure that title refers to a song by an American Blues group called ‘The Whiskey Shambles' (story of the hunt, why Whiskey Shambles is a good bet). There is a famous poem, though, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow called ‘Evangeline,' one perhaps not as famous as ‘Aurora Leigh' or ‘The Ring and the Book,' other texts Rowling may have used as back-drops to her novels, but still another poem very famous in its own time akin to those epics. Is its subject matter as good a match-up with the possible direction of Sleep Tight as the Victorian poetry back-drop is with other Rowling models?9. (John) You're a native Greek speaker; what does ‘Evangeline' mean in Greek? Is it a common name in Greece or is it a ‘Virtue Name' in the Puritan tradition of grace-filled names (cf., Credence Barebone is probably a reference to an Englishman named “Praise-God Barebone, whose son Nicholas may have been given the name If-Jesus-Christ-had-not-died-for-thee-thou-hadst-been-damned[3]“).10. (Nick) Don't leave before trying to tie together the pieces of this conversation! Is there a thread joining the Psalter, the Head of Persephone, miniaturized books, and the title Sleep Tight, Evangeline?Dimitra Fimi is Professor of Fantasy and Children's Literature at the University of Glasgow and Co-Director of the Centre for Fantasy and the Fantastic. Her Tolkien, Race and Cultural History won the Mythopoeic Scholarship Award for Inklings Studies and she co-edited the critical edition of A Secret Vice: Tolkien on Invented Languages which won the Tolkien Society Award for Best Book. Her Celtic Myth in Contemporary Children's Fantasy won the Mythopoeic Scholarship Award in Myth and Fantasy Studies. Other work includes co-editing Sub-creating Arda: World-building in J.R.R. Tolkien's Work, its Precursors and its Legacies and Imagining the Celtic Past in Modern Fantasy. She has contributed articles for the TLS and The Conversation, and has appeared on numerous radio and TV programs.When the rightly famous and beloved ‘The Great Courses' series decided to offer a Lord of the Rings entry for their catalog of the very best in scholarship for adult-learners, they asked Dimitra Fimi to create ‘The World of J. R. R. Tolkien,' one of their most popular courses and one you can enjoy in an Audible edition.Links Promised in Conversation:A Kind of Elvish Craft: The Dimitra Fimi Substack Site* Miniature Books in Children's Fantasy* Parabasis: A Tribute to Dionysis Stavvopoulos* On Tolkien's Letter 131 (4): “Romance” vs. ScienceDimitra Fimi articles at ‘The Conversation'* After 150 years, we still haven't solved the puzzle of Alice in Wonderland (2015) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hogwartsprofessor.substack.com/subscribe

Leigh Ann welcomes back Nadia Rae Brackett on the topic of the complexities of shadow work, both exploring its misconceptions in pop culture and its deep roots in Jungian psychology. They discuss the importance of understanding the shadow as the disowned parts of the self, the role of the ego in this process, and the significance of integrating both light and dark aspects of our psyche. The conversation emphasizes the lifelong journey of shadow work, the value of external feedback, and practical approaches to engaging with our shadows for personal growth.Product Discount Codes + LinksRe-Align Your Life WorkshopJuna: Website (Discount Code: LEIGHANN)Broc Shot: Website (Discount Code: LEIGHANNLINDSEY)Hoolest: Website (Discount Code: THEACCRESCENT10)Guest InfoNadia Rae Brackett - WebsiteNadia Rae Brackett - InstagramRelated EpisodesPodcast Ep. 214: Dr. Nima Rahmany - The Fawn Response: Understanding and Overcoming Self-AbandonmentPodcast Ep. 138: Leigh Ann Lindsey - 2 Signs You Should Be Doing Subconscious Work, Soothing vs. SolvingWork w/Leigh AnnLearn: What is EVOX Therapy?Book: Schedule a Session or FREE Discovery CallMembership: What is The Healing Alchemy MembershipConnect w/Me & Learn MoreWebsiteInstagramTiktokYoutube

As more light gets shed on the contents of Jeffrey Epstein's long sought after documents during this month's Capricorn New Moon lunar cycle which began on January 18 & hit its apex at the Leo Full Moon February 1, we see a collective aha! moment awakening process dawning.But, not everyone wants to awaken from their ideological notion that a “perfect world” means one where rich elites rule through xenophobia, racism, misogyny, gender-discrimination, etc., in order to creat an "us versus them" dynamic to stay in power.This is exemplified by Saturn's move into Mars-ruled Aries today, February 13, which combines a planet that is change resistant with a sign that is action oriented. When these two meet, there are positive strides to be made if one can commit to working hard toward the achievement of a planned goal. Slow & steady wins the race, in other words, when these two combine.Pitfalls abound, however, in that Saturn's shadow side is its rigidity & tendency to linger in the past, while Mars-ruled Aries is its impulsive & impetuous nature that may result in hasty decisions that can hurt not only oneself but others.As we approach Saturn's re-entrance into Aries from now until April 13, 2028, we might ponder how this will play both throughout the collective & in our personal lives. Right now, the example in front of us, in the U.S., at least, is in the fact that rigidity on two sides of the political spectrum will cause a partial government shutdown at midnight tonight.As both Democratic & Republican senators are deeply entrenched in their respective political positions—the former on achieving future progress, the latter on staying intractably stuck in past decisions—the result is frustration.That this frustration will hit those most impacted by a lack of funding for the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees not only the Immigration & Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) & the Customs & Border Patrol (CBP) agency, but also the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Transportation Security Agency (TSA), & the U.S. Coast Guard.Together, this will impact 260,000 federal employees, although not those in ICE or CBP, since they've been fully funded since Trump signed into law his big ugly bill last July which gave billions to the DHS for these agencies for years to come.The others, however, may see staff shortages and/or government employees working without pay until this stalemate is resolved. And that stalemate revolves around NOT sanctioning even MORE money for ICE & imposing a list of restrictions on how they are operating currently.AQUARIUS NEW MOON SOLAR ECLIPSE THEMES INCLUDE COMMUNICATION, PAPERWORK, & YOUNG PEOPLE...What's clear as this Capricorn New Moon lunar cycle comes to an end & the Aquarius New Moon solar eclipse heralds in a new one is that the times, they are a'changin'…This podcast takes a deep dive into the themes of not only this current set of upcoming eclipses—meaning both the Aquarius New Moon solar eclipse at 29'48” Aquarius on February 17 & the 12'40” Virgo Full Moon lunar eclipse March 3--but how these echo those from last September's set of eclipses.So, as resistance grow by those in power to investigating & acknowledging that the violation of societally agreed upon morals, ethics, & justice deserves to be revealed if not punished—you know, stuff like pedophilia, denying people due process, punishing immigrants' children with detention, etc.—so does the collectives' awareness that something is wrong.This solar eclipse's squares by the Aquarius Moon & Sun to Uranus in Taurus—as both Mercury & Venus in Aquarius's squares to Uranus have already foreshadowed—reveal that not everyone is in agreement that those in power deserve to remain protected by being allowed to remain hidden in the shadows.In addition, collective empathy for those who've been wronged has begun to grow since Mercury & Venus entered Pisces on February 6 & 9, respectively. And that includes empathy for the sexually abused young girls & women, to the innocent immigrants & U.S. citizens vilified (most often without proof), to the innocent children detained & incarcerated with a parent or who've been separated from parents & other loved ones.Such empathy will likely grow, especially since the Sun will enter Pisces February 18, following the February 17 solar eclipse. So too will the calls for change increase as the Aquarius Sun perfects its square to Uranus in Taurus between now & February 15/16, depending on your time zone.AMERICA'S (READ: THE PEOPLES') ATTORNEY GENERAL OR TRUMP'S PERSONAL ATTORNEY?This podcast explores also some revelations that come clear through an analyzation of U.S. Attorney General Pan Bondi's natal chart, even though we have no definite time of birth. This is especially relevant given her astoundingly combative & aggravatingly frustrating performance in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee February 11 as we approached Saturn's move into Aries on February 13.Born November 17, 1965, in Tampa, Florida, aspects within Bondi's chart reveal the origin of her discompassionate emotional relationship with women—as so clearly evidenced during her refusal to even acknowledge the existence, and the pain, of several Epstein sexual abuse victims during her recent Senate Judiciary hearing.A close look reveals how her lack of healthy nurturing also seems to block her ability to empathize with with women in general & sexual abuse victims specifically. That she also lacks air—with only Jupiter in Aquarius—shows her lack of objectivity on one hand but also her niche brilliance likely responsible for how far she's gotten in the legal hierarchy thus far.However, she also lacks fire, as Mercury in Sagittarius is her only planet in that element, & this can lead—as per Jungian psychological astrologer Richard Ideman—to a great deal of rage. These elemental lacks tend to appear during times of stress or crisis. After witnessing her arrogant & angry performance the other day: Ya think???Tune in to hear more about how Bondi's observable behavior—including her rage—is written in the aspects in her chart. And how, even though we don't know her Ascendant or house placements, we can still glean an awful lot about how & why she acts the way she does.Given that an attorney general works to apply the law equally to ALL Americans, her tendency toward obsessiveness (Mecury square Pluto) & evasive secretiveness (Sun/Neptune conjunction in Pluto-ruled Scorpio) tell us how she's often fallen short of that goal.There's more so be sure to give Karmic Evolution's Astrologically Speaking podcast a listen, starting today, February 13, @https://www.karmicevolution.com/astrologically-speakingLooking forward to seeing you later! Namaste…

In the fifth episode of Was it just a dream?, we find ourselves at sea in the Middle Ages. A raven lands on deck and transforms. What is it asking of us?Share your own commentary and read the full dream on our Substack page.Reference to Albrecht Dürer's medieval engraving Knight, Death and the Devil.Music: It was just a dream by Rafael Krux. Courtesy of the Krux Music Publishing Limited Company. 

Happy Valentine's Day!Mrs Murray met the UK StrikeFans.com contingent and Badly WiredLamp (“and friends”) on Thursday to talk about the Cormoran Strike novels. Yesterday, Friday the 13th, Rowling tweeted about the secret she had told them — the title of Strike9:Nick Jeffery found the most likely source of the title Sleep Tight, Evangeline, assuming it is not an anagram, in six minutes:BadlyWiredLamp who was at the Rowling meeting congratulated Nick on twixter seven minutes later: “Well done for finding it Nick!” with a hand salute emoji. Which semi-confirmation from a witness suggests he is spot on.Even more impressive, Nick wrote up a flash post about The Whiskey Shambles and other ‘Evangeline' possibilities at the HogwartsProfessor weblog, ‘Sleep Tight, Evangeline – Title Release for Strike 9.' Nick and John will be discussing this news as well as the Psalter and Head of Persephone charms with miniature book, Tolkien, and mythology expert Dimitra Fimi this weekend for a post here next week. See her ‘Miniature Books in Children's Fantasy' to prepare for that conversation. Stay tuned!But it's Valentine's Day! John and Nick celebrate this Hallmark Holiday with a journey through the Cormoran Strike novels' V-Day celebrations and a discussion of the various Valentines and Cupid's in the story, with special emphasis on the Cupid and Psyche myth that Rowling has suggested is the series story template.That suggestion came the week after Hallmarked Man's publication in the first of her Public Service Announcements to “Robin and Strike fans:”This image came as a surprise even to Hogwarts Professor subscribers because, though we have been writing and talking about the Cupid and Psyche myth as one of the mythological templates behind the Strike series since early 2021, it was the first time Rowling had acknowledged this publicly. Since the September revelation of this connection by the author and the appearance of the head of Persephone at the end of her Strike9 clues Christmas Charm bracelet, Strike fandom is now on board with the idea. Which on-boarding Nick and John celebrate with this Hearts and Flowers conversation, in which:* Nick reviews the Valentines Day events in the Strike series, the importance of which makes 14 February to Serious Strikers what Halloween is to Harry Potter fans;* John discusses the post American Bar office scene in Troubled Blood that let the cat out of the bag about the Cupid and Psyche myth just beneath the Strellacott romance;* Nick updates that with Rowling's PSAs and charm pointers to the Trials of Psyche in Robin's story;* John lays out how and where Hallmarked Man features Valentine Longcaster, the character with the Cupid name, and a Valentine's Day conflict with dogs to Guard the Gates of Hell (from charting Parts Five and Six);* Nick journeys back to Cuckoo's Calling and explains how Lula Landry's death and Robin's first meeting with Strike are twist on Cupid and Psyche with Venus, Psyche, and Cupid, Hephaestus, and Ares all with their equivalents in Charlotte, Robin, and Cormoran;* John ups the ante of the conversation by bringing in Edmund Spenser and C. S. Lewis, two writers Rowling loves, both of whom wrote stories that turn on Cupid and Psyche, and suggesting that Galbraith, in using the Eros-Anteros distinction of those writers in the Strike series is answering allegorically the core question of human life: whether to focus the soul on the ephemeral body and its desires or on the noetic faculty of soul, the Heart, logos within us;* Nick and John then discuss Robin and Strike's individual relationships Cuckoo to Hallmarked in light of Cupid-False Cupid and taking turns going through the Strike novels with a look at the principal murder victim and murderer and their respective relationships;* John shares the Jungian interpretation of Cupid and Psyche as the mythic representation of feminine actualization, the chrysalis of female identity;* And more!Below are the links to posts on this subject mentioned in their back and forth and to a translation of the original myth. Happy Valentines Day — and stand by for more discussion of Sleep Tight, Evangeline, the Psalter and Persephone Charms, and all things Strike and Mythology with Dimitra Fimi.Links Mentioned in the Valentines Day Celebration Conversation:Rowling Points to Myth of Cupid and Psyche in order to Console Strike Fans Disappointed with Hallmarked Man (8 September 2025, Nick Jeffery)Nick shares the context of Rowling's tweet (fan disappointment!) and the background information about the illustration she chose for it.The Most Pleasant and Delectable Tale of the Marriage of Cupid and Psyche (Apuleius)A translation of the Silver Age Latin tale from Apuleius' Golden Ass.A Mythological Key to Cormoran Strike? The Myth of Eros, Psyche, and Venus (22 April 2021, John Granger)The first post to discuss Rowling's use of this specific myth within Cormoran Strike, it is essential reading and comes in four parts:* a discussion of Rowling's stated beliefs about the soul and how it is the focus of her story-telling,* a review of her psychological artistry in Potter and the post Potter novels and screenplays,* a synopsis of the Eros and Psyche myth, and* a point to point look at the parallels in the story thus far with speculation about novels to come.Robin's Two Perfumes: The Meaning of Philosychos and Narciso (9 June 2021, John Granger)The names of Robin's baseline perfume, Philosychos, and the one she and Strike choose at story's end, Narciso, both point less to the bedroom than to Robin's allegorical, psychological, and mythological role as Psyche in the series.Erich Neumann in his Amor and Psyche: The Psychic Development of the Feminine describes this discipline as a “prohibition against pity” which “signifies Psyche's struggle against the feminine nature.” …Psyche's last trial involves her having to confront death, a “marriage” to which she was condemned as a sacrifice at the story's start, a meeting she can only survive by transcending her feminine qualities of nurturing and pity. She must become, if only temporarily, a narcissist to pass through Hades and return to the world of the Sun and to Cupid. The myth, in Jungian lights, is about her transcending the accidental self, here her feminine and sexual relation to Eros or Cupid, for “ego-stability” leading to “individuation,” ascent to the greater, immortal Self.Robin as resident psychologist and loving soul is the Psyche-cipher of the Strike mysteries. She differs from the relatively passive Human Beauty of the myth in her active and determined “struggle against the feminine nature,” her “What. I. Do!” She not only wrestles with her desires for domesticity and maternity in her thinking but stands up to Strike-Cupid in their Valentine's Day Street Fight and demands his respect or at least more considerate behavior. But she is still struggling with her difficulty to be the narcissist rather than the Great Mother when circumstances and her heroine's journey of psychological individuation demand that.Reading Rowling as Myth Maker and Myth Re-Writer: A Conversation with Dr Dimitra FimiNick Jeffery and John Granger converse with Dr Dimitra Fimi about Harry Potter, Cormoran Strike, Tolkien, Jane Eyre, and the Mythological Artistry of J. K. Rowling, Hogwarts Saga to Hallmarked ManThe Hallmarked Man's Mythological Template‘Cupid and Psyche's importance for grasping the depths of Strike 8, from the “necessity” of the Silver Vault and the three men in Robin's life, to spaghetti carbonara and ‘Maid of the Silver Sea'Ink Black Heart: The Mythic Backdrop (10 September 2022, John Granger)What Rowling is depicting in Robin's journey through the events and mystery of Ink Black Heart include a trap set by Venus, one that takes Robin to a personal and professional underworld or hell, her survival and endurance of every temptation by her determination to be steely rather than empathetic, especially with respect to a certain “lame fellow” (!), and her re-surfacing from hell a changed person, one worthy of begrudging Venereal approval (or Zeus' intervention — Rokeby!).Ink Black Heart: Strike as Zeus to Robin's Leda and Cupid to Mads' Psyche (10 November 2022, John Granger)These traditional portrayals of the every person's human and divine aspects, soul and spirit as man and woman in dynamic, cathartic relationship — think Romeo and Juliet, Redcrosse Knight and Una, Cupid and Psyche — are perhaps, with her alchemical symbolism, sequencing, and coloring, Rowling's greatest literary ‘reach' and achievement in the Strike series, albeit one largely lost on her her vast reading audience. The deliberate conjunction-melange of archetypal psychology, mythology, and spiritual allegory in these novels is, especially in combination with her hermetic artistry, intertextual playfulness (Aurora Leigh!), and chiastic structures, testimony to the author being one of the most accomplished and challenging writers of the age in addition to the most popular (and least well understood, even by her fans).Hallmarked Man: Freemasonry and J. K. Rowling (7 February 2024, Nick Jeffery)The Royal Arch degree is unique in England for including the ceremony of “Passing the Veils” symbolising the path to enlightenment that a mason undergoes as he progresses in the craft. Given Peter Rowling's upward social mobility from working class apprentice to engineer and moving from the Bristol suburbs to middle class Tutshill, it isn't beyond reason to wonder if Peter might have been tempted by the social and career advantages that freemasonry might have offered him and exposed a young Joanne to some of the symbolism.Edinburgh, as well as being the home of the Grand Lodge of Scotland, is also home to if not the oldest lodge in the world, then at least the one with the oldest records. Lodge of Edinburgh (Mary's Chapel) No. 1 has minutes of meetings from 31st July 1599. There have long been arguments between this Lodge and the one in Kilwinning on the other coast of Scotland as to which is the oldest. (see IVº of the Rite of Baldwyn above)J. K. Rowling's ‘G-Spot' and ‘Triple Play:' The Lake & Shed Secret of Her Success (21 September 2024, John Granger)I want to try tonight to explain as succinctly — and as provocatively — as possible why I think Rowling's ‘Lake and Shed' metaphorical explanation of how she writes offers a compelling reason for both why she writes and why readers around the world love her novels the way they do. I call this her ‘G-Spot' and ‘Triple Play' because it is her point of singular genius, the defining quality that separates her from contemporary story-tellers, which involves ‘Shed' artistry of three particular literary tools, all subliminal, which work together to achieve her aims.The Hallmarked Man's Flood of Names, Characters, and Plots (22 September 2025, John Granger)Rowling's seven Shed tools — psychomachia, literary alchemy, ring composition, misdirection towards defamiliarization, Christian symbolism, mythology, and inter-intratextuality (writing about reading and writing) — are all about the transformation of the human soul by cathartic experience in the imaginative heart, i.e., our spiritual reorientation. These traditional tools alone don't do it, of course; her capacity for creating archetypal characters that we care about in profound fashion is what gives the tools their grip on the heart.But, if a writer uses these tools in his or her Shed, the game being played and its stakes are not in question. Everything Rowling has written to date, with greater or lesser success (largely dependent on her control of the final product, cough*Warner Brothers*cough), shares this aim. Her global popularity testifies that much more often than not she hits her target to the delight of her readers.I assume this was her aim in Hallmarked Man. It's early days on the full exegesis of Strike8 in light of Rowling's Shed tools, Lake springs, and Golden Threads, but there are encouraging signs. My third reading of the book included my first ‘Aha!' moments with respect to the mythological template of the series, the Shed tool Rowling was openly urging her readers to think about in her recent Cupid and Psyche tweet.Jungian Interpretations of ‘Cupid and Psyche:'* Erich Neumann: Amor and Psyche: The Psychic Development of the Feminine (A Commentary on the Tale by Apuleius)* Paul Diel: Symbolism in Greek Mythology: Human Desire and Its Transformations (A “psychological study of the symbols condensed in the fate of the mythological hero”)* Robert A. Johnson: SHE: Understanding Feminine Psychology (An interpretation based on the myth of Amor and Psyche and based on Jungian mythological principles)* Marie-Louise von Franz: Golden Ass of Apuleius: The Liberation of the Feminine in Man (originally A Psychological Interpretation of The Golden Ass of Apuleius)‘Tamspells' Point to Point Correspondence List of Events in the Strike-Ellacott Novels and the Myth of Cupid and PsycheThe list ‘Tamspells' made will be Nick and John's starting point in their upcoming conversation with her about how to see the myth beneath the surface of the storyCupid and Psyche Myth Highlights to Look for in Your Review at Home of the Strike Series:* Jealousy of Venus* Psyche's Wedding/Funeral March to Mountain Crag* Psyche Rescued by Cupid, stuck with his own arrow* Retreat to Hidden Castle, Love in Darkness* The Two Sisters* The Confrontation with Lamp and Knife* Psyche's Return Home; Death of Sisters (Pan cameo)* Psyche's Search for Cupid/Venus: Ceres Interview* Brought to Venus (Worry and Sadness)* First Trial: Seeds and Grains (Ant)* Second Trial: Wool from Golden Sheep (Reed)* Third Trial: Crystal glass for Black Stygian water (Zeus, Eagle)* Persephone Odyssey: Box for Beauty (Tower instructions)* Barley Cakes for Cerberus and Two Coins for Charon* Must ignore: “a lame man driving a mule loaded with sticks, a dead man swimming in the river that separates the world of the living from the world of the dead, and old women weaving.”* Meal in Underworld with Persephone* Return Trip, Falling to Temptation* Cupid intervention; intersession and deal with Zeus* Olympian Court Date* Marriage of Cupid and Psyche post Ambrosia, birth of PleasureStrike Novel Victim Eros Anteros Murderer Eros Anteros Cuckoo's Calling Lula Landry Evan Duffield Marlene Higson,Yvette Bristow, Guy Some, Jonah Agyuman John Bristow Alison Creswell Yvette Bristow The Silkworm Owen Quine Kathryn Kent Leonora/Orlando Elizabeth Tassel Michael Fancourt Owen Quine? Career of Evil Kelsey Platt Rock Band Leader Ray Williams, (Hazel Furley) Donny Laing Rhona Bunyan, hostage women Agnes Waite Lethal White Jasper Chiswell Ornella Seraphin, Kinvara Patricia Fleetwood Raphael Chiswell Kinvara Hanratty Ornella Seraphin Troubled Blood Margot Bamborough Paul Satchwell Roy/Anna Phipps Una Janice Beattie Steven Douthwaite/Diamond Dead Mother Dennis Creed Louise Tucker Agnes Waite Ink Black Heart Edie Ledwell Philip Ormond? Joshua Blay, Grant Heather Ledwell Gus Upcott Anomie/Paperwhite, Vikas BhardwajMorehouse Katya Upcott The Running Grave Daiyu Wace, Kevin Pirbright (Jacob) Louise Pirbright Abigail Glover Patrick, Baz Jennifer Wace The Hallmarked Man Tyler Powell Anne-Marie Morgan Chloe Griffiths/Jolanda Lindvall Ian Griffith Jolanda/Sapphire Rita Lindvall? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hogwartsprofessor.substack.com/subscribe

How can ancient spiritual practices be reanimated for modern life? In this compelling episode, John sits down again with therapist Seth Allison to delve deep into the themes of suffering, trust, and growth within the frame of internal family systems therapy and Jungian analysis. Seth discusses his transformative experiences over the past few years, including the impact of previous conversations with John and his own journey through a profound period of liminality. They touch upon voluntary necessity, the role of suffering in cultivating faith, and the transformative power of relationships and community in overcoming personal crises. Seth also highlights the significance of humility in effective leadership and his aspirations for fostering supportive, growth-oriented environments in both personal and professional settings. Seth Allison is a psychotherapist and depth-oriented thinker whose work integrates attachment theory, Internal Family Systems, and Jungian psychology with spiritual and existential inquiry. Drawing from both clinical training and lived experience, he specializes in helping individuals navigate midlife transitions, relational struggles, addiction dynamics, and identity shifts. Seth's approach emphasizes authenticity, relational depth, and the courageous engagement of suffering as a doorway to growth and deeper participation in life. Seth Allison: LinkedIn The Cost of Discipleship   Murray Stein The Serenity Prayer    00:00 — Welcome to the Lectern 05:00 — Voluntary necessity and spiritual depth 08:00 — Bonhoeffer's profound insights 11:00 — Personal reflections and resonance realization 25:30 — Exploring liminality and midlife transitions 29:54 —  You can't serve money and God, and money doesn't just mean money, it means ego, success and accomplishment.  52:00 — Hermes and the concept of love addiction 52:30 — The arena of partnership and self-discovery 54:00 — Addiction and attachment strategies 56:30 — Faith and recovery: a new perspective 58:30 — The role of symbols and sensory experience 59:30 — Transcendence and metanoia 01:07:30 — The importance of community in recovery 01:18:30 — Navigating betrayal and suffering 01:35:00 — Leadership and humility 01:44:00 — The subversive power of trust ---  Want to go deeper? Join the Lectern platform on Teachable for full-length courses, guided series, and structured pathways into the ideas explored here.   John Vervaeke:  Website: https://johnvervaeke.com/ Twitter: https://x.com/DrJohnVervaeke YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@johnvervaeke/videos Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/johnvervaeke   Thank you for Listening!

What if the machine controlling your life isn't out there—but inside you? Using The Matrix as a lens, this post exposes how maladaptive obsessive‑compulsive personality patterns act like internal programs that hijack authenticity, drain energy, and keep us locked in a dream of perfection, urgency, and control. Drawing from psychological research and Jungian theory, it reveals how these inner mechanisms develop, how they deceive us, and—most importantly—how we can take the red pill, wake up, and choose a more conscious, compassionate way of living.

When Your Identity Shatters: A Therapist’s Journey Through Suffering What if the moment your entire identity falls apart isn’t a breakdown but a sacred initiation? What if the culture that taught you to pathologise your pain has stolen your capacity to transform through it? For over 28,000 hours, Dr. John W. Price has sat knee to knee with people in their most debilitating shatterings. As a Jungian psychotherapist with a doctorate in depth psychology, he doesn’t just understand suffering intellectually. He has walked through the fire himself, and it’s that lived experience that makes him one of the most compelling guides for anyone navigating identity crisis, spiritual awakening, or the terrifying process of becoming who you actually are. In this profound conversation, Dr Price reveals why tying your self-worth to your net worth creates a dangerous trap, how “sacred refusal” becomes an act of devotion, and why the moments when everything crumbles are actually the gateways to transformation our modern world has forgotten how to honour. The Man Who Lost Everything to Find His Calling Dr. Price’s path to the therapist’s chair began on stage. From age six, music was his calling. He was self-motivated, wild, rebellious, smoking in the boys’ room while dreaming of guitars and record deals. By his mid-twenties, he had signed that deal and was touring nationally, living the dream he had fantasised about since childhood. Then everything came crashing down. The birth of his son, the collapse of an unhealthy relationship, and the sudden weight of single fatherhood shattered every identity he had built. He weighed 35 pounds less from stress, found himself in court battles, and sat in a therapist’s office feeling completely lost. “I had a shattering of an identity,” he recalls. “My whole life dream was disrupted.” But in that therapist’s chair, working with a brilliant woman named Charlene who introduced him to Buddhist meditation, something shifted. Dr. Price realised he didn’t just want healing. He wanted to offer it. That moment of recognition sent him back to school, this time as a ravenous student pursuing a master’s in clinical psychology and eventually a doctorate in Jungian depth psychology. Why We Pathologise Our Own Initiations One of Dr. Price’s most powerful insights centres on how our culture has lost the capacity to recognise transformation for what it is. “Because our culture doesn’t really have an orientation to initiate us into this kind of process, we pathologise it, and we think that something is wrong,” he explains. When your identity crumbles, when the life that looked good on paper suddenly feels unbearable, when you can no longer perform the role everyone expects of you, our society tells you something is broken. But Dr. Price sees these moments differently. They are sacred shatterings, initiations that ancient cultures would have honoured with ritual and community support. The problem for so many high achievers is that they have tied their sense of self-worth entirely to their net worth, their title, their role. When that foundation shifts, they don’t just lose a job or a relationship. They lose themselves. “How do you actually trust the fall rather than resist it?” becomes the central question. Sacred Refusal and Living Mythically Drawing on wisdom from his mentor Richard Rohr and Jungian analyst James Hollis, Dr. Price introduces the concept of “sacred refusal.” This is the practice of stopping performance, of refusing to comply with systems that don’t serve your soul. “Any win for the self, or the soul, is experienced as a death by the socialised ego,” he teaches, quoting Hollis. This is why leaving family systems feels so terrifying. Why creating your own journey requires walking into the wilderness of the unknown. Why individuation always costs something. But the alternative is living according to control-based systems, whether religious, political, economic, or corporate, that keep you performing and compliant rather than transforming and free. Dr. Price’s vision is one of resurrection. Not just personal healing, but remembering that life is a sacred text, not a self-improvement plan. We are stories within a story, and transformation isn’t about getting better. It’s about experiencing life more completely and fully. Three Golden Nuggets Every Emotion Is a Teacher – Stay with what hurts long enough to hear its wisdom. Refusal Is Devotion – What you stop performing becomes sacred space. Live Mythically – See life as a sacred text, not a self-improvement plan. About Dr. John W. Price Dr. John W. Price is a licensed psychotherapist, Jungian scholar, and host of The Sacred Speaks podcast. He holds a Master’s in Clinical Psychology and a Doctorate in Jungian Psychology, and serves as President of the Board at the Jung Center of Houston. With over 28,000 clinical hours and 800,000 podcast downloads, he guides people through grief, identity collapse, and spiritual awakening. You can watch the video of the conversation on YouTube Find Out More About Dr. John W. Price Website: www.drjohnwprice.com Instagram: @thesacredspeaks YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheSacredSpeaks

Can we do more than talk in talk therapy? Our guest Dr. Michael Mollura speaks about some of his creative approaches to psychotherapy including music therapy, dreamwork, Jungian perspectives, and more! 03:03 — Dr. Michael Mollura's Background: Music, Psychology, and Creativity 05:31 — Why Suppressed Creativity Can Cause Emotional Symptoms 07:54 — Setting Dreams to Music: The Acoustics of the Unconscious 08:31 — Jungian Dream Work and Depth Psychology Explained 10:52 — Why Symptoms Are Symbols in Dream and Depth Therapy 14:23 — How to Begin Interpreting Dreams: Start with Mood, Not Meaning 17:12 — Common Mistakes People Make When Analyzing Dreams 23:00 — The Power of Dream Details and Imagery in Therapy 29:16 — Phenomenology in Dream Work: Experiencing Dreams Through the Senses 35:49 — A Listener Dream about Judy Garland: an Example of Symbolic Meaning in Dream Analysis. 43:34 — Dream Music Demonstration: Improvising Soundtracks to Dreams 46:49 — Therapy as Improvisation: Music, Energy, and Human Connection 50:39 — Final Thoughts: Dreams as Stepping Stones Out of Chaos Here is a clip of Dr Mollura’s dream soundtracks which we played on the show called “Dream Music Live: Little Boy.” https://ksqd.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Dream-Music-Live-Little-Boy.mp3 And another one called “Whirling through the Infinite Void.” https://ksqd.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/MOLLURA-Twirling-Through-the-Infinite-w-vox.mp3 Find a short video clip of the conversation @experientialdreamwork on YouTube on the “Dream Journal shorts” playlist, or click here to access the latest playlist. Find the full video record of the conversation @ExperientialDreamwork on YouTube on the “Dream Journal podcast FULL LENGTH VIDEOS” playlist, or click here to access the latest shows: BIO: Dr. Michael Mollura is a licensed clinical psychologist with a Ph.D from Pacifica Graduate Institute and a Master’s Degree in Performance Studies from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. Find our guest at DrMichaelMollura.com. This show, episode number 349, was recorded during a live broadcast on February  7, 2026 at KSQD.org, community radio of Santa Cruz. Here are links to some other Dream Journal episodes you might be interested in: Using Dreams in Therapy and also Dream Telepathy with Suzanne Maniss, PhD Creating Soundtracks for Dreams: The Healing Power of Music with Dr Michael Mollura Intro and outro music by Mood Science. Ambient music new every week by Rick Kleffel. Archived music can be found at Pandemiad.com. Many thanks to Rick for also engineering the show and to Erik Nelson for answering the phones. SHARE A DREAM FOR THE SHOW or a question or enquire about being a guest on the podcast by emailing Katherine Bell at katherine@ksqd.org. Follow on LI, IG, YT, FB, & LT @ExperientialDreamwork #thedreamjournal. To learn more or to inquire about exploring your own dreams go to ExperientialDreamwork.com. The Dream Journal aims to: Increase awareness of and appreciation for nightly dreams. Inspire dream sharing and other kinds of dream exploration as a way of adding depth and meaningfulness to lives and relationships. Improve society by the increased empathy, emotional balance, and sense of wonder which dream exploration invites. A dream can be meaningful even if you don’t know what it means. The Dream Journal is produced at and airs on KSQD Santa Cruz, 90.7 FM. Catch it streaming LIVE at KSQD.org 10-11am Pacific Time on Saturdays. Call or text with your dreams or questions at 831-900-5773 or email at onair@ksqd.org. Podcasts are available on all major podcast platforms the Monday following the live show. The complete KSQD Dream Journal podcast page can be found at ksqd.org/the-dream-journal/. Closed captioning is available on the YouTube version of this podcast and an automatically generated transcript is available at Apple Podcasts within 24 hours of posting. Thanks for being a Dream Journal listener! Available on all major podcast platforms. Rate it, review it, subscribe, and tell your friends.

In this deep and revealing conversation, Jungian psychoanalyst Susan Schwartz explores the hidden psychology of narcissism, love, trauma bonds, and why relationships with narcissists feel so addictive yet devastating. Drawing on Jungian theory, mythology, and decades of clinical work, she explains why narcissism forms, why empaths are drawn in, why healing a narcissist rarely works, and how real recovery comes from self-knowledge, boundaries, and inner work. Book - An Analytical Exploration of Love and Narcissism: https://amzn.to/452lvro

Get ready to jump into the escape pod for a stellar celebration! In this high-energy episode of the Star Wars Escape Pod, hosts Josh, Blake, and Bryce ring in Star Wars Podcast Day 2026. Joining the crew is the brilliant Dr. Steve Ellerhoff, author of Jung and Star Wars: A Contemporary Mythology, who brings a wonderful perspective as we look at the mythology from a Jung lens. From the nostalgic "artifact" of old Star Wars Insider advertisements and the rising cost of lightsaber collectibles to a mind-bending analysis of Darth Vader as a "shadow figure" and his "golden" connection to C-3PO, this episode blends fan-fueled fun with profound insights. Whether you're here for the "another happy landing" vibes or a Master's class in Jungian archetypes, this is an episode you won't want to abandon ship on! Stick around until the very end for a hilarious, non-scripted surprise that captures the true spirit of the Star Wars Escape Pod crew! Don't forget to check out those links at the bottom here! https://www.sgellerhoff.com/ SIGN UP FOR JUNG ARCHADEMY! Use Promo Code: JEDI2026 https://www.jungarchademy.com/star-wars-2026 Purchase Your Copy of Jung and Star Wars...! https://www.routledge.com/Jung-and-Star-Wars-A-Contemporary-Mythology/Ellerhoff/p/book/9781041033523 Star Wars Podcast Day https://x.com/StarWarsPodDay ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Check out the Star Wars Archives link in our description for a database of all 400+ episodes! Orbitkey Disney Collection Add a sprinkle of Disney magic to your everyday carry. The Disney x Orbitkey Collection features fun, functional accessories inspired by Disney characters, designed to make staying organised feel like magic. https://www.orbitkey.com/pages/disney?srsltid=AfmBOorl0UJrj6Skr7fWecL5ZzpxJ6tt757WShCMY3XcCGsLaXPwzBUw Kirk is on YouTube: @kirkmihelakos https://www.youtube.com/designedbykirk Darian is on YouTube: @TheManDarian https://www.youtube.com/@TheManDarian ———————————————————————— Star Wars Escape Pod

In this conversation, Ellen Emmet reflects on her path into Jungian analysis and how the teachings of Carl Jung continue to shape her inner life, clinical work, and spiritual inquiry. Together, we explore what it means to hold depth psychology and nondual realization in the same field—without collapsing one into the other. The dialogue moves through questions of decolonizing therapy, the subtle dynamics of spiritual bypass, and the kind of deep listening required when working with the unconscious—both personal and collective. Ellen speaks to the body as a threshold into the psyche's wilderness, and to the necessity of staying in relationship with what is unresolved, uncomfortable, and unfinished. Threaded throughout is a concern for the wider world: how collective trauma, ancestral memory, and the current socio-political moment ask to be included in spiritual and therapeutic work—not bypassed. This is a conversation about remembrance, embodiment, and the slow work of integration in times of upheaval. Ellen offers meetings and retreats through The Awakening Body, an experiential exploration rooted in nondual inquiry, Authentic Movement, and direct listening to lived experience. She also maintains a private psychotherapy practice and facilitates Authentic Movement groups. EllenEmmet.com Topics 00:00 Introduction and Guest Overview 01:05 Reflecting on Past Conversations 01:41 Journey into Jungian Analysis 02:50 Exploring Carl Jung's Theories 05:31 The Process of Individuation 13:17 Decolonizing Therapy 16:40 Spiritual Bypassing and Social Issues 20:48 Facing the Darkness: Confronting Fear and Avoidance 22:17 The Deadly Silence: Censorship in Spiritual Spaces 23:19 Heartbreak as a Spiritual Connection 26:09 The Power of Collective Healing 28:03 Listening with Reverence and Reverie 36:09 The Wildness of the Body: Embracing Natural Movement 39:39 Concluding Thoughts and Future Connections Support the mission of SAND and the production of this podcast by becoming a SAND Member

In Hollywood Haunts the World: An Investigation into the Cinema of Occulted Taboos (Headpress, 2026), Robert Guffey deconstructs the most powerful taboos of the twentieth century (and the initial decades of the twenty-first century) by analyzing how disturbing and transgressive ideas involving Theosophy, Gnosticism, Freemasonry, Darwinian Evolution, Surrealism, Freudian and Jungian psychology, race relations, paranoia, UFOs, xenophobia, political conspiracies, the JFK assassination, virtual reality, and alternate dimensions have been reflected in films — both American and foreign — throughout the past one hundred years. Popular films and TV shows that fall under cutting-edge scrutiny include Guillermo del Toro's Nightmare Alley, Larry Wade Carell's Girl Next, Matt Shakman's WandaVision, Anthony and Joe Russo's Avengers: Infinity War, Scott Derrickson's Dr. Strange, Steven Spielberg's Ready Player One, Jennifer Kent's The Babadook, Christopher Nolan's Inception, Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut, Vince Gilligan's Breaking Bad, Oliver Stone's JFK, Mark Frost and David Lynch's Twin Peaks, John Carpenter's They Live, Alan Pakula's The Parallax View, John Frankenheimer's The Manchurian Candidate, Jack Arnold's It Came from Outer Space, Edgar G. Ulmer's The Man from Planet X, Robert Florey's Murders in the Rue Morgue, Buster Keaton's Sherlock Jr., and Victor Sjöström's The Phantom Carriage. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

In Hollywood Haunts the World: An Investigation into the Cinema of Occulted Taboos (Headpress, 2026), Robert Guffey deconstructs the most powerful taboos of the twentieth century (and the initial decades of the twenty-first century) by analyzing how disturbing and transgressive ideas involving Theosophy, Gnosticism, Freemasonry, Darwinian Evolution, Surrealism, Freudian and Jungian psychology, race relations, paranoia, UFOs, xenophobia, political conspiracies, the JFK assassination, virtual reality, and alternate dimensions have been reflected in films — both American and foreign — throughout the past one hundred years. Popular films and TV shows that fall under cutting-edge scrutiny include Guillermo del Toro's Nightmare Alley, Larry Wade Carell's Girl Next, Matt Shakman's WandaVision, Anthony and Joe Russo's Avengers: Infinity War, Scott Derrickson's Dr. Strange, Steven Spielberg's Ready Player One, Jennifer Kent's The Babadook, Christopher Nolan's Inception, Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut, Vince Gilligan's Breaking Bad, Oliver Stone's JFK, Mark Frost and David Lynch's Twin Peaks, John Carpenter's They Live, Alan Pakula's The Parallax View, John Frankenheimer's The Manchurian Candidate, Jack Arnold's It Came from Outer Space, Edgar G. Ulmer's The Man from Planet X, Robert Florey's Murders in the Rue Morgue, Buster Keaton's Sherlock Jr., and Victor Sjöström's The Phantom Carriage. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/film

Artist and former scientist Enrique Martínez Celaya and Jungian psychoanalyst James Hollis join me to discuss their new book, Tending the Fire: Creativity, Purpose, and the Unfolding Self, published by Chiron Publications on Feb. 1, 2026.

In this episode, Jeremiah and E discuss the Jungian concept of the Shadow Self.  The Shadow Self tends to stay hidden, sometimes intentionally, and sometimes as parts of ourselves that are so quiet we lose track of the them.  "Working on ourselves" has its limits.  Shadow Work attempts to shed a light on what has been forgotten, helping us see ourselves in wholeness.As always, thank you for listening along with us.  If you'd like to know more about the podcast or if you'd like to connect with us, please visit our website at https://goodtotalk.co. Also, for more rich media content, check out our sister project Good To Self at https://goodtoself.co.

John is a Depth Psychotherapist, Jungian scholar, musician, podcast host (The Sacred Speaks) and the co-founder of The Center for the Healing Arts and Sciences. John sees the sacred in most things. We talk death, aging, decay … "human-ing", questioning our myths, nourishing the mundane, music, the multiplicity of the masculine, blood rites of passage, disrupting our filters and navigating the mush. A fun episode all the way through. "Give me the weird". Smoking in the Boys Room, https://youtu.be/PMXg_KAe5yc?si=xgGd2u62aWh1zX7r John, Website: https://www.drjohnwprice.com/ The Sacred Speaks Podcast YT Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/thesacredspeaks IG: @thesacredspeaks Centre for the Healing Arts and Science: https://www.thecenterforhas.com/ Album, Questionably Red: https://open.spotify.com/album/0bDYLBuKJ3PFBCh5rlUhdT?si=U3NoHo1iSg6wQo9_7HXOrw To give to the Behind Greatness podcast, please visit here: https://behindgreatness.org. As a charity, tax receipts are issued to donors

When setting off on any journey, it's best to know your intended destination in advance. On the 12th Step journey, to use the Big Book's original wording, that means following the 12 Steps to arrive at a transformational spiritual experience - one powerful enough to overcome addiction. Of course, the wording of the 12th Step was soon changed to “a spiritual awakening” not wanting to scare newcomers away. But when Bill Wilson tried changing it back to the original, AA wouldn't let him.This single episode describes the “psychic change” the Steps are intended to bring about using three quotes to describe the experience. First, a definition that originated with William James in his Varieties of Religious Experience; second, the description contained in the Big Book; and finally, a helpful quote from Jungian author Robert A. Johnson's book Transformation.  These quotes are contained in a handout found in the show notes.Show notes: What Is a Psychic Change or Spiritual ExperienceQuantum Change by Professor William MillerTransformation by Robert A. JohnsonJung's Answer to Job https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Answer_to_Job

On episode 251, we welcome Patricia Martin to discuss identity formation in the modern world, our preoccupation with external validation and why it's unsustainable in the internet age, Carl Jung's understanding of the persona and our tendency to perform, the persona and chronic self-doubt, socially prescribed perfectionism and the fog of self, physical practices to re-center oneself, and the importance of cultivating meaning for identity integration. Patricia Martin is the author of four books, a researcher, and speaker. Her work has been featured in Harvard Business Review, Huffington Post, The New York Times, and Psyche Magazine. For over twenty-five years, influential brands and non-profits sought her insight as a consultant, including American Express, Oracle, and The New York Philharmonic, among others. She holds an MFA in nonfiction from Bennington College, with post-graduate work in medical narrative at Duke University, and Jungian theory at the C. G. Jung Institute of Chicago, where she gives workshops and hosts the popular podcast, Jung in the World. Her new book, available March 5, 2026, is called Will the Future Like You?: Reflections on the Age of Hyper-Reinvention.   | Patricia Martin | ► Website | https://patricia-martin.com ► Twitter | https://x.com/PatriciaMartin ► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/patriciamartin33 ► Substack | https://culturescout.substack.com ► Podcast | https://www.youtube.com/@JungInstituteChicago/videos ► Will the Future Like You? Book | https://amzn.to/3ZgU2in Where you can find us: | Seize The Moment Podcast | ► Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/SeizeTheMoment ► Twitter | https://twitter.com/seize_podcast ► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/seizethemoment ► TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@seizethemomentpodcast  

In this fourth episode of Was it just a dream?, we're discussing a dream we received as a response to previous dreams. It again involves cutting. Share your own commentary and read the full dream on our Substack page.Music: It was just a dream by Rafael Krux. Courtesy of the Krux Music Publishing Limited Company. 

Rhythm, ritual and reverie are interconnected. They are interwoven in a way that has invoked an experience of the sacred as long as humans have been around. Rhythm gives birth to cycles of becoming and ending. We can align ourselves to existence by paying attention to life's rhythms, which bring us to feel our connection and place in the weave of everything. In ordinary life, rhythm shows up in our routines. These can become portals, sacred doorways which help us to ground and self-regulate. Having a conscious relationship to fluid and creative routines is different than having a collection of mechanical habits that buffer us from reality. Awareness of our state is healing in itself. Ancient people answered big questions of life through communal ritual. The winter solstice is a threshold moment in the rhythm of the year. In times of craziness that come from woundedness, routine and ritual can make a difference. Little practical things can be anchored and ritualized. Rituals are a way we can invoke divine help. When we ask for help, it's the beginning of laying our burdens down. What burdens do we carry that are not ours to carry? What burdens are we meant to carry? Sometimes we must turn our burdens over to a power that is greater than us. There are three levels of symbols: practical, metaphorical and universal. Sometimes we carry each other when a burden is very great. Through presence we can experience wonder and awe, and court the possibility of reverie. In reverie, we lay our burdens down, open a doorway to revelation, and attune to our deepest Self without effort. Mary Angelon Young is a workshop leader with a background in Jungian psychology, an editor, and author of As It Is, Under the Punnai Tree, The Baul Tradition, Caught in the Beloved's Petticoats, Enlightened Duality (with Lee Lozowick), The Art of Contemplation, and other books. If you are interested in more on this topic by Mary, visit hohmsahajmandir.org and click on the Sahaja blog.

Paranormal experiences happen at the intersection of our human psyches and the unseen world. Andy Mercer, a Jungian psychotherapist shows us how to navigate that intersection when dealing with our Shadow.

In this captivating episode, we welcome back Melissa Kim Corter, a depth psychologist and international bestselling author, to explore the intricate world of depth psychology. Melissa shares her profound insights into the shadow aspects of the human psyche, drawing from her extensive background in Jungian archetypical studies. We delve into the transformative power of fairy tales and shadow work, uncovering hidden strengths and achieving greater self-awareness. Melissa's unique approach intertwines psychology with symbolic elements from film, fairy tales, and forensics, offering listeners a rich tapestry of understanding about our unconscious selves. Discover how depth psychology differs from traditional psychotherapy and learn about the concept of wholeness in Jungian theory. Whether you're new to this space or a seasoned explorer of the psyche, this episode promises to enlighten and inspire.Guest: Melissa Kim Corter, depth psychologist and authorMelissa's website: melissacorter.comMelissa's Substack blog: Hauntingly Beautiful ThingsCall to Action: If you find value in this episode, please like, subscribe, and share it with your friends. You can also support the podcast by donating on our website. Truthandshadow.org

Thank you for joining us live for this month's Silk Road Seminar, featuring Kevin Lu and Anderson Todd. Kevin Lu is a Jungian psychoanalyst, lecturer, and scholar whose work bridges analytical psychology, philosophy, and religious studies. As a senior lecturer at the University of Essex, his research explores symbolic thought, depth psychology, myth, and individuation, with a focus on reintegrating Jungian wisdom into contemporary conversations around meaning and transformation. Anderson Todd is an award-winning lecturer at the University of Toronto, teaching in Cognitive Science and Buddhism as well as Psychology and Mental Health. With a background spanning philosophy, complexity science, and transformative practice, Anderson brings clarity and rigor to questions of wisdom cultivation, existential resilience, and mental health. Together, Kevin and Anderson bring a rare synergy of psychological depth and cognitive precision to the Silk Road Seminar, offering insight into meaning-making and transformation in the modern world. Silk Road Seminars are live, hour-long conversations hosted by John Vervaeke, weaving together ideas from cognitive science, philosophy, psychology, and wisdom traditions. Each seminar is streamed live on YouTube and followed by an exclusive Q&A where participants can engage directly with John and the guests.   To be entered onto the guest list for the live Q&A, sign up at the Gamma Tier (or above) on The Lectern: https://lectern.teachable.com/p/lectern-lounge University students (undergraduate through doctoral level) receive free access to the Q&A. Email proof of student status to: ethan@vervaekefoundation.org Students added to the guest list also receive access to previous Silk Road Seminars.     If you'd like to support John's work through a goodwill donation, consider joining the Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/johnvervaeke John Vervaeke online: https://johnvervaeke.com/ https://twitter.com/drjohnvervaeke https://www.youtube.com/@johnvervaeke https://www.patreon.com/johnvervaeke

This week is Collette Corcoran who is the visionary founder of The Sacred Rose Temple Mystery School, a global initiatory path devoted to the embodiment of the Feminine Mysteries. An international teacher, Druid Priestess, and Faculty member at The Shift Network, Collette guides women into deep remembrance—where ancient wisdom, somatic embodiment, and modern psychospiritual healing converge.With over 25 years immersed in sacred yogic and mystical traditions, her life's work is devoted to the transmission of Womb Wisdom, Sacred Sexuality, Chakra and Energy Alchemy, Jungian-informed psychospirituality, psychological astrology, Herbalism, Shamanism, Druidism, and Ancestral Medicine. Her teachings are rooted in lived experience and are transmitted through ceremony, body-based practice, and profound psycho-spiritual inquiry.A certified yoga elder and yoga teacher trainer, Collette has curated and led transformational programs that integrate spiritual embodiment with somatic intelligence. Her own path of individuation is deeply informed by Jungian Psychology and the four stages of the Magnum Opus, supported by her Foundation Certification in Jungian Concepts and her work as a Jungian coach.As a practicing Druid Priestess and certified Celebrant, Collette stewards Le Temple de la Rose, her sacred grove in the forests of France, where she facilitates ceremony, pilgrimage, and initiatory work. She is devoted to empowering women and men to reclaim spiritual sovereignty and to reweave their lives in harmony with nature, soul, and the Divine.Through her Mystery School teachings, Collette offers a feminine temple path of study, devotion, and embodied leadership. Her work honors the cyclical intelligence of womanhood, blending ancient rites with contemporary psychospiritual teachings. Her offerings include an extensive library of online courses, a three-year Womb High Priestess Certification, a 13-month Temple Template for year-round devotional practice, Druidess training global retreats, Land training pathways for Women's Circle Leaders, Druidesses, and Sacred Body Prayer Teachers.In this episode we spoke about:Jungian psychology and archetypesDruid wisdom Ancestral work Christian mysticism The archetype of the SnakeThe archetype of the HorseThe fire element Preventing burnout Visit Colette: https://www.templedelarose.com/The program: https://www.templedelarose.com/year-of-the-horse-circle-2026https://www.instagram.com/templedelarose/https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbk_RAfWrDb41w8UCTZmDSgVisit Law of Positivism:https://www.instagram.com/lawofpositivism/Website: https://www.lawofpositivism.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lawofpositivism/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/lawofpositivismTikTok: www.tiktok.com/@lawofpositivism 

Dr. Shahrzad Jalali is a licensed clinical psychologist, executive coach, and trauma specialist whose work bridges neuroscience, somatic psychology, and mindfulness. She is the author of The Fire That Makes Us (Greenleaf Book Group, Sept 2025), which reframes emotional pain as fuel for transformation, and the creator of Regulate to Rise™, an eight-module program for emotional regulation and resilience. As founder of Align Remedy and Dr. Jalali & Associates, she and her team help clients move beyond coping toward meaningful change using EMDR, somatic experiencing, brainspotting, and Jungian dream work. With a multicultural lens and a rare gift for making mental health deeply human, Dr. Jalali guides high-achievers, women in transition, and trauma survivors from survival to expansion.In This EpisodeShahrzad's websiteShahrzad's book: The Fire That Makes Us LinkedinInstagramTikTokBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-trauma-therapist--5739761/support.You can learn more about what I do here:The Trauma Therapist Newsletter: celebrates the people and voices in the mental health profession. And it's free! Check it out here: https://bit.ly/4jGBeSa———If you'd like to support The Trauma Therapist Podcast and the work I do you can do that here with a monthly donation of $5, $7, or $10: Donate to The Trauma Therapist Podcast.Click here to join my email list and receive podcast updates and other news.Thank you to our Sponsors:Jane App - use code GUY1MO at https://jane.appArizona Trauma Institute at https://aztrauma.org/

Zürich-trained Jungian psychoanalyst Fiann Paul returns to Speaking of Jung to discuss the founding of the International Jungian Psychedelic Association. We explore the relationship between depth psychology and psychedelic experiences, as well as the challenges and opportunities emerging in the rapidly developing field of psychedelic-assisted therapies.