This Jungian Life Podcast

The fool in various guises has appeared since ancient times. The court jester seduces through comedy, song, and story. The dummling son of fairy tales wins the treasure with well-meaning ineptitude. Shakespeare featured fools in many of his plays, the Tarot deck begins (or ends) with the fool, and comedians have built careers on playing the fool. The fool punctures the posturings of others’ personas and egos, bests his “betters,” and transgresses social boundaries and conventional morality. The fool flaunts and taunts us with shadow, making truths about cultural norms and human complexity both pointed and palatable. We might well claim that dreams come from the inner fool, and they can shock an ego made lowly by bawdy images of shadow in bathroom dreams and sexual acts. The fool is the unconscious itself, and we recognize if dimly, his close and paradoxical relationship with the Self, light, and dark.Here's the dream we analyze: “I'm not even sure what I was studying. I was wandering around a large parking structure looking for my car and I couldn't find it. I kept using my key to lock it and then listened for the chirp, but it seemed very distant. Then I went into an elevator that seemed to move sideways before it finally started going up. I got out of the elevator and wandered into an empty classroom and sat at a table and wrote in a notebook, but it was just odd musings, like random lines of poetry. A young woman sat next to me. She put her hand on my hand and asked me what I was studying. I told her I did not know. I told her I did not know where my car was or what dorm I lived in. She said she would help me and we started to wander through the structure together. It was like an Escher painting. The woman was flirtatious and I told her she was barking up the wrong tree (I am gay) but she did not seem deterred. We went to the lobby of the building, where there were tables with computers on them and packages in a corner. There were several packages for me, wrapped Christmas gifts from my family from earlier years that I had never picked up. No one seemed to know where my room was, but I went alone back into the structure and continued to wander. Finally, I met two young men who led me to my room. Then I gradually realized I was dreaming and woke up.”LOOK & GROW⁠⁠⁠⁠Join THIS JUNGIAN LIFE DREAM SCHOOL⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Do you have a topic you want us to cover?⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠WE NEED YOUR HELP! Become a patron to keep TJL running.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lisa’s leading a retreat in ITALY!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠We've got totally NEW MERCH!⁠If you’ve been struggling in the dark trying to find the keys to unlock your dreams, help has arrived. Order your copy of ⁠⁠⁠⁠Dream Wise: Unlocking the Meaning of Your Dreams⁠⁠⁠⁠ from the hosts of This Jungian Life podcast and open the secret door.

Swiss Jungian scholar Jager Schmallzenburger has recently released news of the discovery of Jung’s erotic stamp collection. Found tucked into the wall behind a bookcase, the box of stamps features uniquely rendered images of milkmaids from countries around the world. The milkmaid, symbolic of the archetypal feminine in the flower of fulsome youth, has long been prominent in the mythopoetic imagination of man. No one had previously realized that Jung, in addition to his many other interests, was also a passionate philatelist, and his dedication to the image of the milkmaid puts a decidedly Jungian stamp on this universal and compelling image. Although Schmallzenburger is currently engrossed in researching the images comprising The Milkmaid Collection, various Jungian journals are vying for publication rights. Interest is high and Schmallzenburger’s findings and photographs are expected by the end of the year.Here's the dream we analyze: “I am running down a back ally and see a slightly opened door. I’m running for my life and jump inside bolting the door behind me. Inside it’s the back room of a smokey bar. I try to walk confidently through the room to find the front door. A short, bearded man in a three-piece suit looks intensely at me while he slowly pulls a huge blunt out of his pocket. It’s at least 8 inches long and really thick. He nods and asks if I’d like a hit. I’m tempted but I need to get out the door. He places the blunt on a small low table and takes out a cigar knife, just like my grandfather's, and chops off the tip of the blunt. For some reason, I feel faint. As he clamps the blunt in his teeth, I run out the door. I’m home in the kitchen with my fiancé but now she looks different having gained a huge amount of weight. I sit at the dining table while she slowly peels a banana - strip by strip. It takes forever but I keep staring at it. All pealed now she smiles. I know she’ll make me a banana split. She walks to the counter, winks, and throws it in the blender. I scream and try to turn off the blender but it’s too late. I’m upset and try to leave but long black ropes wrap around my leg and pull me across the kitchen floor. There’s a huge hole in the floor. The strands pull me in. I’ll know I’ll drown so I fight real hard. I wake covered in sweat.”LOOK & GROW⁠⁠⁠⁠Join THIS JUNGIAN LIFE DREAM SCHOOL⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Do you have a topic you want us to cover?⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠WE NEED YOUR HELP! Become a patron to keep TJL running.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lisa’s leading a retreat in ITALY!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠We've got totally NEW MERCH!⁠If you’ve been struggling in the dark trying to find the keys to unlock your dreams, help has arrived. Order your copy of ⁠⁠⁠⁠Dream Wise: Unlocking the Meaning of Your Dreams⁠⁠⁠⁠ from the hosts of This Jungian Life podcast and open the secret door.

Explore the profound effects of exile and alienation on identity, highlighting the historical context and modern implications of these experiences. Delve into a heartfelt story of reconnection through music, illustrating themes of longing and emotional reunion. Discover the power of lamentation in Verdi’s Nabucco and its resonance with human emotions. The journey of self-discovery, punctuated by pain and transformation, reveals resilience and hope amid the complexities of disconnection. Unpack the symbolism in dreams, reflecting on the tension between creativity and inner fears.

Elliott Morgan, comedian and PhD candidate in depth psychology at Pacifica Graduate Institute, joins us to explore humor and psyche. Elliott grew up a fundamentalist Christian in central Florida, and has gone from practicing holy laughter to creating HOLY SH*T, his comedy special on Amazon (also featuring Jung’s debut on the comedic stage).Elliott’s college major, zoology, prepared him to play Goofy at Disney World and Big Bird on Hollywood Blvd. A recovering Nice Person, Elliott draws on life experiences, relentlessly engages shadow, and uses laughter to turn suffering into soul making. Hitting rock bottom led to the choice not to fall back into old patterns but to fall forward; Elliott’s new life features avocado toast and other radical practices. Jung, quoting Schopenhauer, said, “A sense of humor is the only divine quality of man,” and Elliott’s storytelling and self-disclosure define the alchemy of fellowship, insight, and human spirit.Elliott’s podcasts, The Valleycast and The Fundamentalists, are additional paths to laughter and transcendence (see  YouTube.com/ElliottMorgan). Elliott will perform live in Washington State at the Spokane Comedy Club on June 23 and at the Tacoma Comedy Club on June 24.   Dream:"I am taking a ballet class in a room in a famous building in NYC. The room is shaped like my old apartment in Brooklyn. The building is by the water and there are windows but no good views. It’s dark, rainy and storming outside. The class becomes full and crowded, too crowded to really dance. I feel content, I feel like I’m home. The room is dark. I can’t make out anyone’s faces, including my ballet teacher’s face. Soon the rain starts to seep into the room. The floors are getting wet. It seems like the room is caving in and I am scared that the old building is falling over from the rain. I worry that the floors are getting ruined with the rain but my ballet teacher doesn’t seem worried. We all leave the room. I am worried we are running out of time and the building will collapse. No one else seems scared. There are two exits: the elevator or the stairs. The elevator looks dangerous because the rain is seeping in and the elevator runs on electricity. The stairwell shows that we are on the 43 or 44th floor of the building. The stairs are flooded and look slippery. But I think the stairs are safer than taking the elevator." References:Lionel Corbett. The Soul in Anguish: https://www.amazon.com/Soul-Anguish-Psychotherapeutic-Approaches-Suffering/dp/1630512354/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=Lionel+Corbett&qid=1615307691&s=books&sr=1-4Marie Louise von Franz. The Way of the Dream: https://www.amazon.com/Way-Dream-Conversations-Interpretation-Marie-Louise/dp/1570620369/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3F5CZQDKTYDOQ&dchild=1&keywords=the+way+of+the+dream+von+franz&qid=1615308096&sprefix=The+Way+of+the+Dream%2Caps%2C168&sr=8-1Edward Edinger. Anatomy of the Psyche. https://www.amazon.com/Anatomy-Psyche-Alchemical-Symbolism-Psychotherapy/dp/B07NYBGGNT/ref=sr_1_6?dchild=1&keywords=Edward+Edinger&qid=1615307612&sr=8-6Peter Berger. A Rumor of AngelsPeter Rollins. Divine Magician, InsurrectionLOOK & GROW⁠⁠⁠⁠Join THIS JUNGIAN LIFE DREAM SCHOOL⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Do you have a topic you want us to cover?⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠WE NEED YOUR HELP! Become a patron to keep TJL running.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lisa’s leading a retreat in ITALY!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠We've got totally NEW MERCH!⁠If you’ve been struggling in the dark trying to find the keys to unlock your dreams, help has arrived. Order your copy of ⁠⁠⁠⁠Dream Wise: Unlocking the Meaning of Your Dreams⁠⁠⁠⁠ from the hosts of This Jungian Life podcast and open the secret door.

The quest for belonging is examined through the lenses of familial ties, cultural bonds, and modern alienation. Listeners explore the tension between fitting in and embracing individuality in today's society. The podcast also delves into the impact of childhood secrets and the need for supportive communities. Through dream analysis, the hosts showcase how our subconscious reflects our struggles with belonging and identity, emphasizing that true connection can be transformative, whether in recovery groups or shared interests.

Like fire in a wood-burning stove, resentment burns long and hot: bitterness, frustration, and hostility. The fires of resentment are lit when we feel needy and vulnerable and feel wronged and rejected. This old human story is told in the biblical tale of brothers Cain and Abel.When Cain’s offering is judged inferior, Cain takes it out on Abel. He acts--and acts out—defensively to insulate himself from shame and culpability by killing Abel. Cain’s subsequent mark symbolizes the psychic price of resentment. Creating a new human story means facing, feeling and healing from the fruitless quest for reparation. We must instead accept even awful disappointment and seek new possibility. The story of Cain and Abel is a tale of the archetypal masculine. Healing is likely to lie in discovering one’s tender, embracing feminine soul.   Here's the dream we analyze:"I'm at an apartment's open house. I know that the place was previously owned by someone considered to be very social and popular. The apartment is right downtown, prime location for shopping and partying. It is also attached to a well-known café/bar. As I'm looking around, I find that the ceilings are very low and I'm hunched over as I move through the rooms and open closets ('cause closet space matters!). I start to have my doubts even though there's a part of me that really wants to live here to be popular too. I sit down with the real estate agent and the café owner. They are playing really loud rock music, the kind of music that just sounds like awful noise to my ears. I mentally retreat from the scene by delving into a book. The café owner looks at me and says that I'm not really a fit for the vibe of the place, which he wants to be the same as before. I agree, although reluctantly." References:Ronald Fairbairn: https://www.amazon.com/Psychoanalytic-Studies-Personality-W-Fairbairn/dp/0415107377/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Ronald+Fairbairn&qid=1614015944&s=books&sr=1-1Melanie Klein: https://www.amazon.com/Selected-Melanie-Klein-Juliet-Mitchell/dp/0029214815/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=Melanie+Klein&qid=1614016134&s=books&sr=1-5John Bowlby: https://www.amazon.com/Secure-Base-Parent-Child-Attachment-Development/dp/0465075975/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=john+bowlby&qid=1614016385&s=books&sr=1-2LOOK & GROW⁠⁠⁠⁠Join THIS JUNGIAN LIFE DREAM SCHOOL⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Do you have a topic you want us to cover?⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠WE NEED YOUR HELP! Become a patron to keep TJL running.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lisa’s leading a retreat in ITALY!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠We've got totally NEW MERCH!⁠If you’ve been struggling in the dark trying to find the keys to unlock your dreams, help has arrived. Order your copy of ⁠⁠⁠⁠Dream Wise: Unlocking the Meaning of Your Dreams⁠⁠⁠⁠ from the hosts of This Jungian Life podcast and open the secret door.

The twenties are a period of emerging adulthood, a time to engage in the maturational tasks of finding one’s place in the wider world and forming intimate relationships. This stage of life calls for the ego strength necessary to make initial choices about work, intimacy, money, lifestyle and values. The protections and constraints of family, education, and culture are no longer unquestioned.It is time to engage life on one’s own authority: take appropriate risks, tolerate anxiety, weather disappointments—and reap the rewards of growing self-confidence and life competencies, lest isolation and stasis ensue. Embark bravely and with an open heart; learn to balance aspiration and reality, passion and practicalities. Jung says, “If one lives life then surely something should come from it. You see, life wants to be real; if you love life you want to live really, not as a mere promise hovering above things.” Here's the dream we analyze:"I walk into my older brother's bedroom in my childhood home. The room is full of sunlight. I head towards a mirror that is leaning against the window. I pull down my pants to check on a tattoo I recently got on my right thigh (I really did get a tattoo there recently). As I'm pulling my pants down I see another tattoo on my left thigh. It's massive. The tattoo is of a statue of the Virgin Mary. Except where her face should be there is a black square covering her face. I panic and will myself to remove the tattoo with my own mental fortitude. The tattoo began to disappear. Then came back then finally disappeared." References:Erik Erikson. https://www.amazon.com/Stages-Psychosocial-DevelopmentAccording-Erik-Erikson/dp/3656837708/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1UWL0KQ10W1W7&dchild=1&keywords=erik+erikson+stages+of+psychosocial+development&qid=1613407553&sprefix=Erik+Erik%2Caps%2C176&sr=8-2Poem: Desiderata. https://www.fastquicksearch.com/web?q=Desiderata+the+Poem&qo=relatedSearchNarrow&o=1218739&l=dirLOOK & GROW⁠⁠⁠⁠Join THIS JUNGIAN LIFE DREAM SCHOOL⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Do you have a topic you want us to cover?⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠WE NEED YOUR HELP! Become a patron to keep TJL running.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lisa’s leading a retreat in ITALY!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠We've got totally NEW MERCH!⁠If you’ve been struggling in the dark trying to find the keys to unlock your dreams, help has arrived. Order your copy of ⁠⁠⁠⁠Dream Wise: Unlocking the Meaning of Your Dreams⁠⁠⁠⁠ from the hosts of This Jungian Life podcast and open the secret door.

Explore the intriguing concept of truth, where subjective and objective realities collide. Delve into how psychological complexes can lead to self-deception and the physical effects of dishonesty. Discover the healing power of truth-telling, particularly within families, and how repressed emotions affect health. The podcast also examines the dance between personal identity and the multifaceted nature of truth, highlighting the impact of archetypes. Finally, a compelling dream analysis sheds light on familial dynamics and emotional growth.

The discussion centers on confronting negative emotions like sadness and shame, arguing against the societal push for constant happiness. Listeners learn that avoiding feelings can lead to deeper issues, including physical ailments. The dialogue also emphasizes emotional literacy, encouraging self-reflection and acceptance through methods like journaling. A fascinating dream about arranged marriage serves as a jumping-off point for exploring personal growth and the integration of opposing elements within the psyche.

Dive into the complexities of self-loathing as the hosts explore how an inner critic manifests through perfectionism and societal pressures. They discuss the psychological impact of parental expectations, tracing roots of inadequacy back to childhood trauma. The dialogue touches on cultural influences on self-perception, particularly for women, and the power of naming these complexes. A humorous exercise encourages listeners to embrace their 'inner idiot,' while dream analysis reveals pathways to personal growth. Finally, nurturing dreams is likened to koi fish thriving in spacious environments, emphasizing the importance of self-acceptance.