In this four-part lecture series we will revisit and reconsider the work of four seminal figures in the history of Jungian scholarship and research: Erich Neumann, Marie-Louise von Franz, Michael Fordham, and James Hillman. Four visionary scholars and clinicians who “dreamed the dream on” and who each made an invaluable contribution to depth psychology and our understanding of the psyche. Each module includes three lectures, reading material, and a live student seminar.
Fees: Each course is US150, or buy all 4 Masters Series at US 450 (save US150)
April 2023: Erich Neumann
July 2023: Marie-Louise von Franz
August 2023: Michael Fordham
October 2023: James Hillman
Programme Details:
Introducing The Collected Works of Marie-Louise von Franz: Archetypal Symbols in Fairytales
by Steven Buser, MD
The Collected Works of Marie-Louise von Franz is a 28 volume Magnum Opus from one of the leading minds in Jungian Psychology. The first volume, Archetypal Symbols in Fairytales: The Profane and Magical Worlds, released on her 106th birthday, January 4th, 2021 and is to be followed by 28 more volumes over the next 10 years. Volume 2 looks at the hero’s journey, while Volume 3 explores the maiden’s quest. Steven Buser is one of two General Editor’s in The Collected Works of Marie-Louise von Franz. Dr. Buser will take us through a history of the project, an overview of von Franz’s life and work, as well as a deep dive into the first 2 volumes of this foundational material.
Von Franz, one of the most renowned authorities on fairytales, presents a systematic and wide-ranging approach. She amplifies a variety of fairytale motifs to show that the magical realm is alien to the profane realm of ordinary daily life. She was one of analytical psychology’s most original thinkers and here she presents a lucid, concise exploration of the archetypal symbols found in fairytales. Fairytales, like myths, provide a cultural and societal backdrop that helps the human imagination narrate the meaning of life’s events. The remarkable similarities in fairytale motifs across different lands and cultures inspired many scholars to search for the original homeland of fairytales. While peregrinations of fairytale motifs occur, the common root of fairytales is more archetypal than geographic. A striking feature of fairytales is that a sense of space, time, and causality is absent. This situates them in a magical realm, a land of the soul, where profound transformations occur.
Marie-Louise von Franz: Dedication to the Religious Dimension of the Psyche
by Robert Mercurio
Even though her rapport with religious sentiment was completely non-confessional, Marie-Louise von Franz was totally dedicated to following the lead of the unconscious with a serious and ethical commitment that was of a rare and deeply authentic nature. She sought and found contact with the divine through dreams, active imagination and contact with nature. Her reflections on death led her to develop a firm conviction regarding life after death and the reciprocal process of the humanization of divinity and the divinization of humanity.
Symbolic Alchemy in The Book of Pictures by Zosimos of Panopolis: An Introduction to the Psychological Meaning of the Pictures
by Holly J. Fincher, Ph.d
In 1988 an Arabic copy of an ancient Greek alchemical text by the first alchemist, Zosimos of Panopolis (3rd/4th century, CE), entitled, Mushaf as-suwar, The Book of Pictures, was discovered languishing in an Istanbul library. The subsequent translation of this important document into English language has resulted in the discovery of a kind of bridge between the ancient roots of alchemy and the later and more abstract texts of Latin alchemy. From this, a more resolute understanding of the psychological meaning behind symbolic alchemy can be ascertained. Marie-Louise von Franz is said to have commented that The Book of Pictures is an essential document for western civilization for the way it illustrates how to deal with the objective psyche, that is, the collective unconscious. This lecture will introduce the material and explore the psychological insights hidden within a selection of pictures.
Student Seminar
Saturday, 5 August 2023 5pm UTC+2
hosted by Steven Buser, MD
Please note this session will be recorded for anyone unable to attend live and for later viewing.