December 6-7, 2024 Jung and Religion
Ken James, St. Louis, MO
Seminar DescriptionThis intensive two-day Seminar, "Jung and Religion," explores Carl Gustav Jung's intricate and multifaceted views on religion and spirituality and their profound impact on the human psyche. In addition to primary literature drawn from Jung’s Collected Works and other writings, the course will consider the work of other Jungians in this field and the work of theologians who have addressed this area of study.
Together, participants and the instructor will explore religion from the perspective of the individuation process. Questions such as “Does religion facilitate or inhibit the analytic process?”, “How can a person be a faithful practitioner of a religion and also view the religion from a symbolic and archetypal perspective?” and “What are the similarities and differences between ‘religion’ and ‘spirituality?’ will serve as prompts for discussions based on the readings and the participant's personal and professional experiences.
Objectives
Participants will be able to:
Required ReadingsDelio, I. (2023). The Not-Yet God: Carl Jung, Teilhard de Chardin, and the Relational Whole. Orbis Books.
Jung, C. G. (1933). Modern man in search of a soul. Harcourt, Brace & World.
Jung, C. G. (1967). The collected works of C.G. Jung: Vol. 11. Psychology and religion: West and East (R.F.C. Hull, Trans.). Princeton University Press.
Jaffe, Aniela (1989) Was C.G. Jung a Mystic? and other essays (Diana Dachler and Fiona Cairns, Trans.)
Stein, M. (2015). Jung’s treatment of Christianity: The psychotherapeutic and theological concepts of C.G. Jung. Chiron Publications.
Supplemental ReadingsAny scholarly translation of the Bible (the “Old” and “New” Testaments or the combination of the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures).
The Study Quran
The Tibetan Book of the Dead, or the Bardo Thödol
A copy of the Wisdom Heart Sutra (the instructor will provide a copy)
Assignment
Participants are asked to write a short (around 250 words maximum) reflection on how they understand the phenomena of religion and spirituality in all its forms (worship, theological reflection, individual practice, personal experience, and communal expression) from the perspective of Jungian psychology.
BiographyKenneth James, Ph.D., is a Jungian analyst in private practice in Chicago, Illinois. He is a member of the Chicago Society of Jungian Analysts and the International Association for Analytical Psychology.
Along the way, he studied vocal music at the American Conservatory of Music. He also learned a modality of music therapy known as The Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music at the Institute for Consciousness and Music in Baltimore, Maryland. He completed four years of post-doctoral study in theology and scripture at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago.
Dr. James holds the rank of professor emeritus after a 33-year career as a university professor. He has served on the faculty at Roosevelt University, Northeastern Illinois University, and Northwestern University.
He worked for many years as the Director of Student Services at the University of Chicago’s Laboratory School, where he coordinated services for students with learning, emotional, and behavioral needs. He now devotes time to his private practice at The Soulwork Center in downtown Chicago.
Ken has led workshops around the world on the relationship between divination and synchronicity, and on using the Tarot to explore the unconscious. The relationship between Jungian thought, clinical practice, and esoterica has been a strong motif of his work throughout his career.
Ken James, St. Louis, MO
Seminar DescriptionThis intensive two-day Seminar, "Jung and Religion," explores Carl Gustav Jung's intricate and multifaceted views on religion and spirituality and their profound impact on the human psyche. In addition to primary literature drawn from Jung’s Collected Works and other writings, the course will consider the work of other Jungians in this field and the work of theologians who have addressed this area of study.
Together, participants and the instructor will explore religion from the perspective of the individuation process. Questions such as “Does religion facilitate or inhibit the analytic process?”, “How can a person be a faithful practitioner of a religion and also view the religion from a symbolic and archetypal perspective?” and “What are the similarities and differences between ‘religion’ and ‘spirituality?’ will serve as prompts for discussions based on the readings and the participant's personal and professional experiences.
Objectives
Participants will be able to:
- Articulate Jung’s theoretical perspectives on religion and spirituality.
- Recognize and interpret religious symbols and motifs in clinical practice.
- Integrate Jungian concepts of religion into their therapeutic approach.
- Address ethical and practical challenges when dealing with religious issues in analysis.
- Apply a culturally sensitive approach to understanding clients' religious experiences.
Required ReadingsDelio, I. (2023). The Not-Yet God: Carl Jung, Teilhard de Chardin, and the Relational Whole. Orbis Books.
Jung, C. G. (1933). Modern man in search of a soul. Harcourt, Brace & World.
Jung, C. G. (1967). The collected works of C.G. Jung: Vol. 11. Psychology and religion: West and East (R.F.C. Hull, Trans.). Princeton University Press.
Jaffe, Aniela (1989) Was C.G. Jung a Mystic? and other essays (Diana Dachler and Fiona Cairns, Trans.)
Stein, M. (2015). Jung’s treatment of Christianity: The psychotherapeutic and theological concepts of C.G. Jung. Chiron Publications.
Supplemental ReadingsAny scholarly translation of the Bible (the “Old” and “New” Testaments or the combination of the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures).
The Study Quran
The Tibetan Book of the Dead, or the Bardo Thödol
A copy of the Wisdom Heart Sutra (the instructor will provide a copy)
Assignment
Participants are asked to write a short (around 250 words maximum) reflection on how they understand the phenomena of religion and spirituality in all its forms (worship, theological reflection, individual practice, personal experience, and communal expression) from the perspective of Jungian psychology.
BiographyKenneth James, Ph.D., is a Jungian analyst in private practice in Chicago, Illinois. He is a member of the Chicago Society of Jungian Analysts and the International Association for Analytical Psychology.
Along the way, he studied vocal music at the American Conservatory of Music. He also learned a modality of music therapy known as The Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music at the Institute for Consciousness and Music in Baltimore, Maryland. He completed four years of post-doctoral study in theology and scripture at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago.
Dr. James holds the rank of professor emeritus after a 33-year career as a university professor. He has served on the faculty at Roosevelt University, Northeastern Illinois University, and Northwestern University.
He worked for many years as the Director of Student Services at the University of Chicago’s Laboratory School, where he coordinated services for students with learning, emotional, and behavioral needs. He now devotes time to his private practice at The Soulwork Center in downtown Chicago.
Ken has led workshops around the world on the relationship between divination and synchronicity, and on using the Tarot to explore the unconscious. The relationship between Jungian thought, clinical practice, and esoterica has been a strong motif of his work throughout his career.