“No one should deny the danger of the descent, but it can be risked. No one need risk it, but it is certain that someone will. And let those who go down the sunset way do so with open eyes, for it is a sacrifice which daunts even the gods. Yet every descent is followed by an ascent; the vanishing shapes are shaped anew, and a truth is valid in the end only if it suffers change and bears new witness in new images, in new tongues, like a new wine that is put into new bottles.”
C.G. Jung, Symbols of Transformation, CW5, para. 553
Exploring stories about the second half of life gives us the opportunity to ask existential questions that are unique to elders. This course will focus on two pre-Hellenic myths that will help us to better navigate an underworld that is not visible in the light of day and also the ascent toward individuation. How do we go back and forth between these two states of being? What are the intermediary skills necessary to make this passage? Although the early Chthonic gods and goddesses of Ancient Greece may appear partially human, they are the embodiment of elemental and non-human forces. Since they bear a resemblance to the superheroes in comics and film, they feel very relatable and modern to us. In this course you are invited to think more deeply about your own descent and ascent.
