Lecture Archive: Fall 2004

Fall 2004

HONORING JOSEPH CAMPBELL – by Nancy Ortenberg & Lara Newton

On this centennial year of Joseph Campbell’s birth, the Jung Society is pleased to present an evening honoring his life and brilliant contribution to the understanding of mythic metaphors and the creation of meaning in life. Through film, anecdotal stories, and discussion, Lara and Nancy will explore several major themes in his work. Nancy feels fortunate to have studied with Joseph Campbell at seminars in California in the later part of his life, and Lara was deeply impacted by his Hero With a Thousand Faces in her early academic career in literature. Come join us and bring your own stories about the influence Joseph Campbell has had on you.

Nancy Ortenberg, M.A., LMFT is a Jungian oriented psychotherapist in private practice in Boulder, Colorado. †She has over twenty-five years of experience, and has studied at both the Los Angeles and Zurich Jung Institutes. She is affiliate faculty for Regis and Naropa Universities, and is on the board of directors for the Jung Society of Colorado.

Lara Newton, M.A. is the president of the Jung Society of Colorado. She is a diplomate Jungian analyst in private practice in Denver, and a member of the C.G. Jung Center of Denver. She is active in the training of analyst candidates for the Inter-regional Society of Jungian Analysts.

Fall 2004

THE DEMONIZATION OF PAN – by Sharon L. Coggan

This lecture will involve one of the most controversial areas within Jungian thought: Jung’s conviction that a holistic model of God must necessarily include the shadow or “dark” side, for which he argues in one of his most celebrated works, the Answer to Job. In Jung’s theory, the healthy, native shadow often assumes a bestial image, such as in the case of Pan, the Goat God of ancient Greece, and related horned gods of the pre-Christian European traditions. These animalistic gods are not evil, but primal representations of the sacred.

Pan’s transformation into the Devil in Western history will be charted through the alchemical stages of unio mystica: when the god was holistic, incorporating both positive and negative characteristics; coincidentia oppositorum: when the categories of “good and evil,” “flesh and spirit” were first split off in Greek philosophy and Persian dualism; complexio oppositorum: as the categories formed themselves into rigid, polar opposition in the traditional belief in God and the goatish Devil. Finally, hope for the challenge of the final stage of coniunctio oppositorum will be addressed, when God can come to embrace his shadow side, believers can allow him to do so, and the impact this healing would have on our society.

Sharon L. Coggan, Ph.D. earned a B.A. from the University of Denver, a M.T.S. (Master of Theological Studies) from Harvard Divinity School, a M.A. from Stanford University and her Ph.D. from Syracuse University. She has taught for many years at the Univerity of Colorado at Denver, where she created and became the Director of a new Religious Studies program in 2000. Dr. Coggan has worked in Jungian thought for many years, and much of her recent research is directed in that area. She is currently completing a book on ancient Greek religion and early Christianity which will involve Jungian themes.
Fall 2004

CREATIVITY, IMAGERY, AND INDIVIDUATION – by Beaty Popescu

Creativity, which dwells in all of us, connects us to and indeed is a part of the great cosmic mystery. In following this creative flow which moves through the psyche, and in paying attention to and giving form to those images and symbols which arise, we find ourselves moving along the path of individuation.

n this lecture Jungian analyst and artist Beaty Popescu will explore the phenomenon of creativity as a primal drive that lends form to existence. She will discuss how the creative dynamic moves within the psyche and what its potential can be for growth and transformation. Through the use of slides she will illustrate how the creation of imagery gives concrete form to an otherwise ephemeral and at times fleeting, inner process of sensations, feelings and experiences. Lending creative form to such psychic processes demands a great deal of mindfulness, concentration and awareness which in and of itself can lead to greater insight. In this way the creative process becomes one of meditation, contemplation and analysis.

This lecture will further explore how creativity, form-giving and the creation of images supports and helps transform the individual as she or he journeys along their path of individuation – toward a greater whole and a stronger relatedness to the larger Self.

Beaty Popescu has received degrees from York University, the University of Toronto, and the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, in Canada. From 1990 to 2000 Ms. Popescu taught drawing, sculpture and art theory at Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada. Since 1980, she has pursued a serious studio practice and has exhibited her artwork extensively in Canada, as well as in the United States and Europe. She completed her training as an analyst at the Jung Institute in Zurich and now is in practice as a Jungian depth psychologist in Ottawa.
Fall 2004

PSYCHOLOGICAL PROJECTION AND HOLOGRAPHY – Joe Burke

There are unique similarities between psychological projection or transference and the new technology of holography. Holography is the process of recording and reconstructing a complete image of a three-dimensional object, now seen on everything from credit cards to modern art. Jung defines psychological projection as “the expulsion of a subjective content into an object… a process… by which a subjective content becomes alienated from the subject and is, so to speak, embodied in the object” (CW, Vol. 6, para. 783). Transference, additionally, is projection when it occurs in a therapeutic setting.

Though these phenomena may seem dissimilar, they reveal interesting parallels and connections. This presentation will explain what a hologram is, and how a hologram works, and how holography parallels projection. It will suggest the existence of an archetype underlying projection, holography, and other phenomena, an archetype of the whole that is present in each part. Two high-quality holograms and a religious group projection will be used to support this theme.

Joe Burke, Ph.D. is a volunteer psychotherapist in Colorado Springs with TESSA, a local service agency focused on building a community without domestic violence or sexual assaults. He was an officer in the US Air Force for over 20 years, working in the fields of intelligence and computer technology. Dr. Burke holds a B.S. in International Affairs form the Us Air Force Academy, a M.S. in Information and Computer Science from Georgia Tech, and a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute. He is also a member of the board of the Jung Society of Colorado Springs.