Nature and Soul: Musings of a Jungian Psychologist
Life as a Tree
What could it be, life as a tree. Nothing but sky to break free. Into the stars, it could be. More than you know. So let it be. I know, because I was a tree. Long ago, before I could see. What did I see, you ask of me? I saw...
The Enthusiastic Organization of the Self
enthusiasm: a strong excitement or feeling, something inspiring zeal or fevor, borrowed from the Greek word "enthousiasmos" meaning "inspiration or possession by god." (Merriam-Webster) I had a dream in which a colleague was reading a book titled, "The Enthusiastic...
The Unconscious Depths Influencing Your Life
In the spring and early summer on the beaches in Central California, it is not uncommon to find hundreds of small, dark blue creatures washed up on beaches. Commonly called "by-the-wind sailors," these unique animals have a translucent "sail" perpendicular to oval...
Dreams of Being Chased
Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner (Looney Tunes) cartoons were popular cartoons in my childhood. The common theme in all of the episodes was the coyote chasing the road runner and coming up with devious methods in attempts to catch the bird. The road runner always...
Spring: Stepping out of the Winter Shadow
New beginnings, new growth, the days getting longer as we inch closer to Spring. Even in Winter, there are signs of Spring around the corner. In Coastal California, Ceanothus or California lilacs begin to bloom. California poppies bring an orange glow to brown...
Bison bison: A Jungian Psychologist Reflects upon an Enduring American Animal and Symbol
Of all humanity’s clever tools, perhaps the greatest is metaphor. Buffalo can serve as the metaphor for all wildness, and the lesson in their near extinction and return can inform us all about bringing our planet back to balance. —Dan O’Brien, Great Plains Bison In my...
The Bridge
In my last blog post, I wrote about the image of the butterfly. The image of the bridge is another significant and common image that presents in dreams. A butterfly image can be an image of transformation. The bridge can also be an image of potential transformation...
The Butterfly
There is nothing in the caterpillar that tells you it’s going to be a butterfly. Buckminster Fuller Let me tell you about the butterfly. It is an image of transformation. It is not just any image. The journey from egg, to chrysalis, to caterpillar to butterfly,...
The Storm: Mountains Ablaze
Shelter from the storm--Bob Dylan sang about it and the sirens with their beautiful voices lured sailors toward it. When life deals you one heavy blow after another with no end in sight, seeking shelter may seem like the right thing to do. Here in California with the...
Illness and the River of Life
The Mississippi River, one of the great world rivers, starts as a small stream in Northern Minnesota, where it flows from one of the thousands of Minnesota lakes. As the river travels south it gathers speed and size before emptying into the Gulf of Mexico in...
The World Tree and a Christmas Haibun
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Id9mUfnFaA Over the Thanksgiving holiday last month, my family and I were "snowed in" in a mountain cottage west of Denver, Colorado. In the Colorado Rockies, snow can come down hard and deep in almost any month. I was...
C.G. Jung and the Importance of Home
When I was a young man I would spend around two weeks most summers either backpacking with friends somewhere in the Rocky Mountains, or canoeing, in Southern Ontario, Canada. Usually toward late afternoons on these trips, we would begin looking for a new campsite. ...
The Puppet Master and the Free Man
Although it will require some effort, there can be moments in your life when you are truly a free man or a free woman, no matter your circumstances. During those times, when you are a free woman or a free man, you may discover that they are the most insightful and...
Jungian Psychology and Sports 2: The Shot
On August 10, 2011, I published an article on this blog titled, Jungian Psychology and Sports. I am re-visiting this topic now due to a very short, but meaningful dream that I had recently. The dream: I made a really long basketball shot. Shortly after this dream I...
The Role of Evil on the Path of Individuation
Sooner or later, you must enter the dark forest and leave the well-trodden path. Let us re-look at the fairy tale of Little Red Riding Hood. As you recall, Little Red Riding Hood is off to Grandma’s house to deliver some food for her sick grandma. Before leaving, her...
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