Our age is shaped by a swirl of powerful archetypal energies, but perhaps none more intensely and pervasively than that of the Pluto-Dionysus archetype in its many-sided primal expressions, both destructive and regenerative, erotic and aggressive, feminine and masculine, death and rebirth. During my visit last year, we covered many of the basic meanings and expressions of this profound archetypal principle in myth, philosophy, and psychology. This year, we will focus on its varied expression in the arts—music, film, literature, sculpture, painting, comedy—through which we will have the opportunity to more directly experience the archetype beyond just verbal exposition. As ancient poets and modern depth psychologists have long recognized, the arts represent an especially vivid revelation of the archetypal principles that inform and inspire the human psyche.
Our approach will be facilitated by the combined lenses of depth psychology and archetypal astrology that Jung found so helpful in his own thinking. This frame of reference permits an extraordinarily precise focus on the specific archetypal complexes most prominently at work in a given individual, work of art, or cultural era. Video and audio clips of brilliant performances will be played as a basis for our analyses. The aim of this workshop will be to provide a stimulating interplay of instruction and entertainment, each enhancing and illuminating the other.
NOTE: Attendance at last year’s program on the Dionysus-Pluto archetype is not a prerequisite for attending and enjoying this year’s workshop. If you would like to see the program, either as a refresher or a first-time viewing, it is available on the Teachable app on our website. Here’s the link: https://www.jung.org/online-courses
