The Wisdom of von Franz: And the Sages and Dreamers Who Came Before

“This knowledge is invaluable for a “therapist.” That’s why Jung said that studying fairy tales is
a good way to study the comparative anatomy of the collective unconscious, the deeper layers of
the human psyche.”
Marie-Louise von Franz, Archetypal Patterns in Fairy Tales (p. 21)

A meaningful life is one lived in relationship to the Self and to the archetypal rhythms of nature. While we each need to navigate our own very personal way through life, we need to learn of these natural rhythms and the life offered by the Self when reading fairy tales, legends, and the mythological journeys of heroes and heroines. It is through these texts that we hear a voice extending beyond our personal understanding of life, a voice that both beckons us on to riches, while also warning us of great tragedy.

Dr Rosaly Roffman reminds us that “mythology is the story of humanity’s relationships to the divine”, while Marie-Louise von Franz provides a profound understanding of fairy tales and their articulation of archetypal dynamics –which she referred to as “nature’s constants”, allows us to understand the wisdom of the Self. This is the world of Psyche revealed to us through fairy tales.

Through fairy tales, we are brought into the world which Jung referred to as “The Spirit of the Depths” where each adventure speaks to our hunger for soul, and each story illuminates that invisible path which leads to and at times, unfortunately even away from The Self. Here is a telling of time eternal, and the voice of the “antique soul” teaching us about life as it has been recounted by generations eternal.

In this course, students will learn the art, love, and the discipline of seeing the depths of meaning contained within fairy tales and strengthen and perhaps re-awaken a passion for these seminal stories which remind us that “once upon a time in a land far, far away” is present here and now in our own psyches.

All classes take place on alternate Tuesdays from 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm US Eastern Time

Who Should Apply

9 CE hours are available for program participants.

Learning Outcomes

Through an in-depth study of the work of Marie Louise von Franz, we will deepen our understanding of the archetypal significance of fairy tales and how they reveal the nature and dynamics of the Psyche.
Draw on an archetypal, symbolic, and objective approach to fairy tale images and themes, as a way to discover the Wisdom of the Psyche.
Become familiar with the development and structure of fairy tales from their archetypal underpinnings, motifs, cultural influences.
To examine patterns in fairy tales such as the archetypal elements of the story, recurring motifs and numbers. We will look at the components of the tale; title, exposition, characters, conflict, plot progression and lysis.
We will examine how the actual beginning of the fairy tale, the initial condition, provides unique insights into the unfolding of the story. These early conditions reveal the central archetypal pattern expressed in the fairy tale, and as von Franz taught us, with this understanding, we can often “predict” how the story may progress through the conditions and themes unique to the archetype expressed in the story.
Since many of the original features of fairy tales have been contorted to fit our collective preference for “living happily ever after”, we will reintroduce the original presence and purpose of the Shadow archetype in fairy tales.
Deepen our awareness of how fairy tales are a vital portal for the presentation of archetypal material and how these themes are often found in film, literature, current events, and our own life experiences.

The Wisdom of von Franz: And the Sages and Dreamers Who Came Before

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