"Jung for All Seasons:
Life Transitions and Change”

Allen D. Koehn, DMin, MFT

The Search for Spirit in Jungian Psychology

In this presentation, Allen Koehn will focus on what it means to live an authentic life of the spirit in everyday circumstances. Often, we try to “grasp” our experiences of the numinous only to find that they really do stand outside the ego’s wishes. The archetype of the Trickster will be considered as a necessary aid as we seek to avoid such traps. Trickster lives on the threshold of all experience and both calls us to connect and to let go. During the course of the day, we will open ourselves to finding renewed spirituality as we “chop wood and carry water.”

Jan Bauer, M.A.

The Myth of ‘Innocence’: A Never-Ending Story of Light & Shadow

The quest for the pure, the unblemished, the ideal, leads us to aspire, and dream and create. It also leads us to deny and betray. More than two thousand years ago, the Greeks expressed their own version of this dilemma in the great myth of Demeter and Persephone. As in the myth, our lives are an individuation process that can be blocked in innocence, caught in the darkness, or lived fully in a cycle of light and shadow. Through presentation and discussion, Jan Bauer will help us understand the story of a kidnapped daughter, a furious mother, and a seductive lover…and show us how emotions such as anger, loss, love and hope exist in all of us as well.

Sylvia Brinton Perera, M.A.,
and Aryeh Maidenbaum, Ph.D.

Dreams That Transform

Twenty five hundred years ago the Talmud, in describing the importance of understanding one’s dreams, stated that “an uninterpreted dream is like an unopened letter.” Six hundred years later, 2nd century Greek philosopher and author Artemidorous wrote of dreams which are “infused into men for their advantage and instruction.” In a similar vein, Jung believed that dreams help us understand not only our past and present problems, but connect us to a deeper, archetypal level within ourselves. Additionally, during times of transition and turmoil, dreams carry images and motifs that are not only meaningful but demand our attention.

In presentations and experiential workshops, Sylvia Brinton Perera and Aryeh Maidenbaum will illustrate the importance of our dreams (psychologically and physiologically) and how our dreams lead us to greater consciousness and help us realize our potential for growth.

Jeanne Bresciani, Ph.D., Allen Koehn, DMin, MFT, and Diana Rubin, L.C.S.W.

Shadow & Light: Partners in Creativity

From an archetypal point of view, the encounter with the shadow is a transformative moment — a time full of dark thoughts, doubts, anxieties, and insecurity. Yet, the shadow is also intrinsically connected with light — the light of consciousness, the light of hope. For hidden in the shadow is undeveloped potential — the source for our own personal growth and development. Our day will begin with Allen Koehn examining and explaining Jung’s concepts of “Shadow” and “Archetype.” Following this presentation, participants will have the choice of an experiential workshop led by Diana Rubin, (whose special area of interest is in working with creative and performing artists) or a workshop in movement, led by Jeanne Bresciani, who will help us embody the myths and metaphors surrounding these archetypes.