The C.G. Jung Society of Colorado Lecture Archive
Spring 2003
March 7, 2003WHEN MARY MET THE GARDENER: A PSYCHO-SYMBOLIC INTERPRETATION OF JOHN 20 – by Bob Neuwoehner
Dr. Neuwoehner will focus on the story of Mary Magdalene’s encounter outside the tomb on Easter morning; her meeting with the “gardener” who is the risen Jesus. This psycho-symbolic reading of the text will demonstrate the presence of feminine symbolism associated both with Christ and with early Christianity. This reading, in fact, will promote the view that John’s text presents a mythic model of feminine individuation. Dr. Neuwoehner’s work with this material has appeared in the journal Psychological Perspectives.
Bob Neuwoehner, Ph.D. has been an active member of the C. G. Jung Society of Colorado since 1991, and is an independent scholar and “Jungian religiologist” whose expertise includes analytical psychology, biblical studies, and the history of religion. He graduated in 2000 from the University of Denver and Iliff School of Theology Joint Ph.D. Program in Religious and Theological Studies, where his dissertation was nominated for DU’s distinguished dissertation award in 2001. He has presented his work on various biblical texts and myth on film at meetings of the American Academy of Religion and the Society of Biblical Literature.
April 4, 2003
FILMS AND THE LANGUAGE OF THE UNCONSCIOUS – by Linda Leonard
Like dreams, myths and fairytales, films are an expressive medium that reveal the deep archetypal patterns of the unconscious. When we go to the movies, we sit together in the dark and engage with the emotions and psyches of the imaginary characters before us. We laugh together, cry together, and come to discover a lot about ourselves.
In this lecture, Dr. Leonard will use film clips to take us on a journey in which she will show us how to feel the moods, explore the images, and listen to the language of the unconscious.
Linda Leonard, Ph.D., a Jungian analyst trained in Zurich, has been in practice for thirty years. She is the author of the best-selling books: The Wounded Woman, On the Way to the Wedding, Witness to the Fire, Meeting the Madwoman, Creation’s Heartbeat, and The Call to Create. Her books have been published in twelve languages. Dr. Leonard is a founding member and training analyst of the Inter-Regional Society of Jungian Analysts, a member of the San Francisco Jung Institute, and a founder of the Jung Society of Colorado. She currently lives and practices in Aspen, Colorado, and is working on a new book on archetypal psychology and film. She has a home in Colorado and in addition to presenting lectures and workshops internationally, she consults by telephone and in person on issues related to her books and to creativity.
May 2, 2003
CURIOUSITY: A FUNCTION OF CARE – by Galin McGowan
Why do some people seem to be more curious about the world than do others? How does curiosity develop in each individual? How do fear and trauma impact curiosity? Can our own curiosity be dangerous? How does our “original state of curiosity” serve the psyche in times of illness? What is the role of curiosity in relationship to living a symbolic life? What is the role of curiosity in the analytic process?
Ms. McGowan, a diplomate Jungian Analyst recently returned to Denver from Zurich, will take an in depth look at the essential role of curiosity in analytic treatment and its fundamental importance to the development of a symbolic life. Curiosity takes its name from the Latin root Curio -meaning, “To Care” and Curatus – meaning “One charged with a care for the soul.” Developing a conscious relationship to curiosity within one’s own inner and outer world is to have care for one’s deeper Self.
This lecture will explore the role of curiosity in the psyche and in the analytic transferential relationship. Curiosity is often alive and active in the analytic atmosphere both consciously and unconsciously; other times it is distant and drained of energy. Ms. McGowan will draw on her research of various psychological theories that attempt to explain curiosity and compare them with the Jungian perspective. She will also discuss through the use of case material the importance of understanding the dynamic and contagious energy of curiosity, including its difficult shadow qualities. She will examine curiosity in times of depression, bipolarity, and other psychic disorders, and its relationship to mythology and the evolution of consciousness. Further, she will discuss the importance of curiosity to imagination, fantasy, states of wonder, and the symbolic life.
Galin McGowan, M.S., M.A. is a diplomate Jungian Analyst, graduate of the C. G. Jung Institut, Zurich. She holds a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology and Marriage and Family Therapy, a Master’s degree in Environmental Science and Engineering, and a Bachelor’s degree in Geology.
June 6, 2003
TRANSFORMATIONS IN THE WILDERNESS: THE MEANING OF MENOPAUSE IN WOMEN’S LIVES – by Christine Chao
This question comes from a Negro spiritual, created by enslaved Africans in North America.
Tell me how did you feel when you
came out de’ wilderness?
How did you feel when you came out
de’ wilderness?
How did you feel when you came out
de’ wilderness,
A leanin’ on de’ Lawd?
Apropos to many struggles and journeys of the soul, this song also speaks to women entering their peri-menopausal, menopausal and post-menopausal years.
Women often feel they are lost in a wilderness and truly bewildered about how to handle this time and what it means. Do we take or not take estrogen, imbibe herbs, slather on creams? Do we change careers? Do we head for the gym and/or the plastic surgeon’s office? Is this a time to take anti-depressants or a time to raise hell? Are we experiencing “power surges” or are our hot flashes just power drainages leaving us miserable and exhausted?
Dr. Chao’s talk will explore these issues, interweaving the insights of various writers on the topic of menopause, including the singers of the above song, with the results of interviews with a cross-section of women about their own experiences, insights and dreams regarding menopause.
Christine M. Chao, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist in private practice in Denver. A former clinical director of the Asian Pacific Center for Human Development, she has published extensively on Asian mental health. She has been a trustee of the C.G. Jung Society of Colorado since 1991, making her the “senior member” of the current board! Dr. Chao’s dedicated work for organizations like ours has promoted a variety of speakers and events in Denver, and brought new perspectives to our community. Dr. Chao is also an accomplished researcher and public speaker in her own right, and her most recent talk for the Jung Society was the well-received “On Ancestors and Ancestor Altars.”
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