October 7:
C. G. Jung’s Vision of the Aquarian Age
New Age/Old Age
New Age ideas–particularly the conviction that self-awareness and God-awareness are indistinguishable, and that God can be found within–are often assumed to be unique to “modern” spiritualities. This assumption is not supported by textual evidence. The equation of “god knowledge” with “self knowledge” is clearly expressed in Hermetic, Neoplatonic, Gnostic and Jewish esoteric literature. Nevertheless, Jung believed that a new epoch reflecting the symbolism of the constellation of Aquarius was about to dawn and that his psychology might make a significant contribution to the conflicts arising from a profound shift in the collective psyche.
October 14:
Transformation of the God-Image or Apocalypse?
Are we at the cusp of an enlightened New Age or at the brink of the apocalypse? Jung suggests that we are about to undergo a transformation of the God-image. What does this mean? Will we be able to withstand the enormous upheaval accompanying this momentous change or will we destroy ourselves and the planet instead? Tonight’s readings will include selections from Edward Edinger’s books on these fascinating topics.
October 21:
Aion: The Psychohistory of the Age of Pisces
In Aion, Jung describes the process of psychological development underlying the history of the past two millennia. This same process occurs at the personal level as individuation: the movement from unconscious unity, to separation, and then to a higher, conscious unity. Jung shows how Gnostic and alchemical symbolism spontaneously compensated for the split in Christianity between the spiritual and chthonic. History turns on the movement from one psychic configuration to the next, leading to the unstable present moment, when integration is a pressing necessity.
October 28:
Cosmological Influences in Shifts of Human Consciousness
In Cosmos and Psyche, distinguished philosopher and cultural historian Richard Tarnas demonstrates the existence of an astonishingly consistent correspondence between planetary alignments and the archetypal patterns of human history and biography. With this book he has succeeded in unveiling what only a few years ago would have seemed impossible: an accessible bridge between the mainstream high culture and an emerging worldview that returns the soul to the cosmos.