Dreams, Rituals, and the Dark Night of the Species Soul

The future is a blank canvas for our imagination. Who knows what is going to happen? But extrapolations from the trends of the present suggest that humanity is undergoing a profound transformation of consciousness akin to a ‘dark night of the soul.’ In the midst of titanic archetypal waves of violence, ignorance, fear and racism stirred up by what C. G. Jung called ‘the changing of the gods’, what does Depth Psychology have to offer in the way of guidance and comfort? After a discussion of the concept of ‘The Dark Night of the Species Soul’, this talk will demonstrate how dreams are a critical source of guidance for individuals and communities trying to navigate these rough waters. We will then turn to the role that rituals can serve as anchors to bind a community together and provide comfort and solidarity in the midst of turmoil. With ‘dreams as compass’ and ‘ritual as anchor,’ perhaps we can more gracefully navigate what the Gaian Teacher Joanna Macy calls the pivotal psychological reality of our time, namely, the loss of a sense of a viable future.