Consciousness (14)
“If we open our eyes, if we open our minds, if we open our hearts, will find that this world is a magical place. It is magical not because it tricks us or changes unexpectedly into something else, but because it can be so vividly and brilliantly.”--Chogyam Trungpa
When I was a child, I longed for magic: actively, forcefully, wistfully. I spent thousands of hours reading books about witches and wizards and fairies and everyday objects endowed with supernatural powers, I read about kids who time-tr
According to historian and philosopher Mircea Eliade, shamanism has been around for millennia, practically as long as humans have existed. In recent decades, the archetype of shamanism has experienced a rebirth. With growing consciousness, more and more individuals are recognizing spontaneously and consistently what our indigenous ancestors knew: that there is a divine intelligence at work in the universe, a life force of love and light, of which, by nature and birthright, we are an integral par
Listen to a new audio interview or read a detailed summary article of “Dreams, Calling, Suffering, and Individuation: Finding Light in the Darkness” with Jungian Analyst and New Pacifica Core Faculty Member, Fanny Brewster: http://www.pacificapost.com/counseling-and-community-mental-health-a-soul-based-calling (Link to listen at the bottom of the Pacifica Post page)
INTRODUCTION
It may be all too easy to get stuck when we perceive the patterns of ecological destruction and political conflict we ar
The thing about living is light. It surrounds us, breathes through us – not in us but through us. The force of it is subtle as the New Mexico breeze I hardly notice under the hot summer desert sun then suddenly become acutely grateful for when under the shade of a hundred-year-old cottonwood tree.
Light informs my psychotherapeutic work with patients who’ve suffered from complex childhood trauma, a terrible pain stemming from years of chronic abuse. There are horrid memories deposited in mind an
"This book may well be the most important book you ever read! As a transformative, soul-centered coach, I will recommend it to everyone I know—peers and clients a
In this interview, scholar and professor, Les Lancaster, discusses the origins and aims of Transpersonal Psychology and compares and contrasts it to Depth Psychology, both of which have been highly influenced by the work of Swiss psychiatrist C. G. Jung.
He also delves into the connection between science and the transpersonal, suggesting we simply must recognize that there is something more to our world than the purely physical if we are to engage in the work of spirit and soul, and to reap its m
We stand on the brink of an epochal shift in consciousness. Just as our forefathers stood on the steps of Independence Hall and proclaimed their independence from their Father, the King of England, we are on the cusp of a historically significant moment. Our forefathers sought freedom by the sword. Our freedom will not come by way of the warrior and fear, but by the cup of truth and love.
When the immigrants streamed by boat toward Ellis Island, they were gr
Seasons of Our Lives:
Archetypal pattern analysts, depth psychologists, Jungians, Freudians, students of human development and consciousness have a lens through which they try to make sense of the world and our place in it. Humanists, behaviorists, reductionists, all sorts of “ists” postulate, theorize and ponder the human condition as well. The fact is, regardless of the theoretical stance, we are all in the same soup. Our task is to find the meaning of our lives, to answer the d
A recent seminar on Jung and Steiner and their contributions to an evolution of consciousness, held at the C. G. Jung Institute in San Francisco, was well attended by individuals schooled in both camps. This seems to be happening more and more: finding the common ground of these two men's great works.
Although contemporaries, Carl Jung and Rudolf Steiner never met. And although they did not have much good to say about the other, they shared a common philosophical ancestor, Wolfgang von Goethe. (R
Wendell Berry: "To Know the Dark"
To go in the dark with a light is to know the light.
To know the dark, go dark. Go without sight,
and find that the dark, too, blooms and sings,
and is traveled by dark feet and dark wings.
I have spoken these lines, penned by poet, philosopher, farmer and social activist, Wendell Berry, in Solstice celebrations at the church where I ministered for thirteen years. Every year, the doors would open into the candle lit sanctuary.
Waves of Awareness
II recently had the good fortune of standing at the shore of the Pacific Ocean. The water was crystal clear, I could see through the waves, the light illuminated the water and I was entranced. Partly, of course, that euphoric feeling is due to the ionization of the air as the water and the air particles combine. But that is too scientific, too analytical perhaps for the feelings of peace and tranquility that permeated the miles of almost empty sand, sea and sky.
Not only did
Recently we are experiencing an intensive amount of solar activity on the Sun which is affecting both the Earth and Humans.
Exactly what is a solar flare and how does it affect us?
A solar flare is a magnetic storm on the Sun which appears to be a very bright spot and a gaseous surface eruption such as in the above photograph. Solar flares release huge amounts of high-energy particles and gases that are tremendously hot. They are ejected thousands of miles from the surface of the Sun.
According t
article by Lawrence H. Staples
Suffering: The Price Guilt Exacts
Guilt can cause prolonged suffering. We suffer regardless of whether the guilt serves essential human needs or not, whether it has outlived its usefulness or not, whether it is deserved or not, whether it is meaningful or not, and whether it was incurred intentionally or not. Nor does it matter whether we have a religious background or not, and if we have a religious background, it does not matter which religion. Even if our parents