Education Institution

Join group leader and Alliance board member Gary S. Bobroff, M.A. for a weekly online book circle & discussion group. In this 5-week series, Gary leads the group in a structured inquiry into Marion Woodman's classic and powerful book, Addiction to Perfection.

This weekly discussion group will meet on Mondays at 7pm U.S. PT for 2 hours. In each session we will look 1-2 chapters and discuss the material that spoke to each of us. You'll benefit from:

  • Structured inquiry around one of depth psychology’s most powerful and classic books from Jungian Marion Woodman
  • Access to lively or soulful group discussion in live events and in a dedicated online written forum
  • Opportunity to explore topics around compulsion and spiritual fulfillment for personal and cultural transformation

DATES
Feb 22
Feb 29
Mar 7
Mar 14
Mar 21

Each session will be recorded and available for viewing shortly afterwards. There will also be an online forum for discussion on the Alliance site.

About the book: Addiction to Perfection by Marion Woodman 

Through case studies, dreams, and myths, a Jungian analyst explores the hidden causes of compulsion in the lives of men and women. At the root of eating disorders, substance abuse, and other addictive and compulsive behaviors, Woodman sees a hunger for spiritual fulfillment. The need to experience a sacred connection to an energy greater than their own drives people to search for an illusory ideal of perfection. Through discussions of parenthood, creativity, and body image, this presentation shows that freedom from addiction can be found by discovering the wisdom and power of the feminine principle. 

Marion Woodman is a graduate of the C. G. Jung Institute of Zurich and is a writer, international teacher and workshop leader, and Jungian analyst. With over half a million books in print, she is one of the most widely read authors on analytical and feminine psychology of our time (Marion will not be participating in this event).

 

About the Host

Gary S. Bobroff is an author, workshop leader and a Jungian and Archetypal coach. He delivers the depth of Jungian approaches in a visual, accessible and engaging form. He is the developer and facilitator of Archetypal Nature and the founder of JungianOnline.com. He has a Bachelor's degree in Philosophy from the University of British Columbia, Canada and Master's degree in Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute. Andrew Harvey called his book, Crop Circles, Jung & the Reemergence of the Archetypal Feminine “an original masterpiece." He has previously hosted group readings of Marion Woodman's The Pregnant Virgin.

Cost for Alliance members    $45
Costs for non-members        $50

A discount on e-book purchases has been made by special arrangement with Inner City Books and specials on purchases of hard copies may also be available. More information on this will be available upon registration.

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Comments

  • Hello.  Where do we find the recordings of the classes we were unable to attend live?  

  • Hi Gary + All - that is unfortunate the recording is not available.

  • Hello Everyone: Unfortunately for an unknown technical reason there is no video of session 3.

  • Pg. 75 ... the shock to the body resolves the enigma of the mind...are suddenly crystal clear and this statement transports me backwards/forwards...timeless zone...and in these moments I am holding my birthing experience...with the facts gleamed on my 50th birthday and there is a healing...and more of Marion’s words...“fact finding day, details about my birthing...and know deeply what Marion is saying and then...
    ...At this point I became totally conscious...aware I was muted...pressed *6 to unmute and when Gary asked me to find the passage regarding still point...I could both read and speak Marion’s magnificent words:
    ...The ego that is grounded in reality can say, “Yes, those are a part of me; I am part body and I am part mind, but I am neither body nor mind; I am body and mind. I may be tossed about like a sailboat in a cyclone, but through thick and thin I am able to hold my
    standpoint here at the center; and here, because I now have eyes to see and ears to hear, I can surrender. Life can happen; life can pour through me.
    Whereas I was dead, I am alive again, was lost and am found.

    ...And I do not know what timeframe I am in at this moment...and that is OK for OMG my soul has always know center and I will forever grateful to Gary, Marion’s words...the group members voices and the space holding...and in this moment also aware that if I had been able to find words to express myself and my NDE’s...the word “mind” does not apply...and spirit does...

    Next Monday...I will make sure my day off is exactly that...a relaxing enjoyable day... and not stressed and depleted before group! Thanks for being out there/in here with me for the holding of this space just allowed me to experience an awesome piece of core healing...I will forever be grateful to Gary hosting us on Leap Day in our 2016 Leap Year Group experience where the image of the healing lightening bolt in the black hole... transpired...and I can share from that space...Peace + Love Linda

    March 2, 2016 – I was able to listen to the recording this evening [same time a day later] and very consciously aware just how altered I was during yesterdays whole group session. Marion’s words are deep healing words...music for my soul for her work/words are divine instruments...Today I know I have always been home...my spirit leading the way for my body...grounded in my reality of my light [5] and dark [2] NDE’s ...and where was my mind...in love with God.

    March 3, 2016 – the messages continue to flow...DPA is quite the grand virtual sharing place/space...and today I do believe the blue text is representative of my subconscious “altered” states which probably are my “default mode networking” as mentioned in the article Bonnie posted about our affinity to being near the ocean...water/land...wave forms/thought forms = Ebb Tide = life:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiQqnzHtjP4 Peace + Love Linda 

  • Pg. 50 ... saw Marion’s words what will hold her on earth...[today it is obvious to me I was zoned out here and into sub-conscious terrain]?
    Pg. 51 ... I am unable to relate with... needing an analyst to provide the nourishing food...I have always known “spiritual food” plus fortunate I was privy to receive, live with secure attachment bonds with both mother + father, sister + brother [rare yes, however...I do believe this is my primary gift arising out of my footling breech delivery...Mom + Me in NDE [haemorrhaging to death, no doctor...packed in ice] while my Dad took my beloved sister [age 6 – this is another long story] for emergency care....

    There remains much mystery there/still here...my birthing details unknown to me until my Mom [age 75] visited on my 50th Birthday...for when she awoke...greeted me with this statement, “Good morning, ShoSho. You’ll never guess what I dreamed about last night?” I asked, “What.” Mom had never shared a dream with me before...and as she proceeded to tell me the details about the day I was born...[for her this was a revivication]...there remains no words for me to describe what the rest of this day was like for all of us...except, what I can share is that the depth of connection...the love...the knowing...the mystery...so real/surreal together at the same time...crystal clarity...a coming home...I will never forget that day!

    Pg. 74 ... the fire of the masculine principle, a fixed and rigid standpoint that destroys, rather than releases, the feminine process...the words stand...point...still-point...I now know are trigger words heard just

    before I enter into my “void” experiences...subconscious terrain and can hear myself speaking, sharing with the group that “backwards is not always a negative mother regression...more silence again wondering why there was so much silence asking myself...are you muted...hit *6 to unmute myself...being engaged in a conversation about the profundity of Marion’s words...So there is a dark side to the wisdom of the unknowable God. It is utter chaos, the void. The dark side of Sophia is the original void before it was penetrated by Light, that is, the matrix in which the Light is first made manifest...and now I know I am definitely zoned out in subconscious terrain, however, I am able to speak out loud... definitely not muted... connect very deeply with Marion’s words...

  • Hi Everyone - here goes:

    MAR 1, 2016 – Post-Reading Circle Sharing:

    I am resisting re-listening to the tapes in the now for I am focusing on being in the here and now…contemplative.  I will listen when the timing is right…but not right now…to much going on…that I need to stay in touch with…dare share in group…

    Pre-Reading Circle, I was in the city all day, rushed home to connect to discover I did not have the call-in phone number on-hand.  Fortunately, DPA membership has live chat available and both Craig and Bonnie sent me the information.  Craig has asked us to share our personal experience with the chapter information and I for one, have asked for small group setting to dive deeper, therefore I am ready, willing and able do share my personal reactions, responses and/or insights gleamed out of this…in my opinion, opening and wonderful opportunity…at this stage of my life…and as I am neither Jungian, Woodman, Archetype nor mythological educated, trained or inclined…I will share from the depth perspective I come from.... experiential levels of conversation…thematic and content analysis…so here goes:

    What is important for me to acknowledge today is that I zoned out TWICE during group…into subconscious terrain …and am consciously aware today I did so…this is important for me to realize…know…more integration on the horizon!

    Chapter 3 Quotes:

    Pg 47 … a stillness around her, a kind of silent strength

    Pg 48 … chronic despair in my body

    Pg 49 …once you go into light, you can’t go into darkness again [this has not been my experiential knowing], however can relate to Marion’s words…sucked into the vortex…conscious attitude…the ego strong…take responsibility for the woman as a human being, living in her body on earth with human limitations…find its natural “set point”…the dialogue …is still going on…that interchange …acting on new insight…spiritual food…open [no aesthetic distance for me]…continue to experience mostly coma sleep…more common for me to experience daytime altered states…sacrifice of the old will lead to the birth of the new…[not sure about the word “sacrifice” – seems irrelevant for me as my first NDE preceded my birth].  I zoned out again…

    Then in the distance I heard Avril speak about the “whirlpool” going to the same place…spiral up consciousness, then, I heard Gary speak of the “should” and being lost in the void space…then, strongly connected with  [was this Gary too?] the comment “stuck like a grove in a record – lift the needle”…and I responded…speaking out loud sharing that I liked these threads we are making…and then …there was silence and I heard Gary’s voice coming to the foreground…moving us to a different place in the text…just wondering why all were so quiet…for so long a span

  • Hi Gary - getting the messages now, thanks. 

  • Hi Linda: Yes we have you registered - have you not been receiving the emails?

  • Hi Gary - did you receive my donation...it is not showing up on PayPal and when I tried to register to ensure I paid...it said I was already registered??? Interesting I continue to experience all kinds of "techno" issues.  Thanks for checking this out for me.  Peace + Love Linda

  • "Addicts are so busy trying to find something on the surface that they never take the time to drop into process where the real healing happens. They never stop long enough to allow presence, to be in the present. They live either in a fantasized paradise that is past or in a fantasized glorious future. They lock themselves into one rigid way of behaving in an attempt to get control of their lives, all the time terrified that they'll lose control, and denying the fact that they already have. 'If only I could lose weight, if only he loved me, if only I could stop drinking, if only' is the cry that silently breaks their heart. Real imagination is at work when one day the addict can say, 'I am. I am loved. I can receive love. I do love myself. I do love.'" – Marion Woodman

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