Registration is now closed.
This program will not be recorded.
Course (please note the skipped Wednesday Sept 15th)
I did not know that I was living a myth, and even if I had known it, I would not have known what sort of myth was ordering my life without my knowledge. So, in the most natural way, I took it upon myself to get to know ‘my’ myth, and I regarded this as the task of tasks,. . .. C.G. Jung, Foreword to the Fourth Swiss Edition of Symbols of Transformation, xxv.
A myth is a foundational set of beliefs that helps an individual in his/her life, or an entire nation found what moral order, what set of values they choose to adhere to, to defend. Joseph Campbell, Myths to Live By.
The stories we tell ourselves and others as well as those that are told to us can become reference points for our personal myth in narrative form. In recent years the battle over beliefs seems to have passed a boiling point: news shows, opinion pieces and other public and private forms of communication seem intent on showing us one position or another so we might be persuaded to believe it. How we choose or are persuaded to interpret an event, a set of facts, an opinion or belief will become our reality that we may then cling to for support and solid ground under us. Gripped with enough sustained force, what we believe can transform into a world view, and further calcify into an ideology, not to be questioned.
In this series of talks and discussion, as well as a short writing meditation in each class of 15 minutes, we will explore and uncover some of those qualities and characteristics that comprise our own myth. The myth rests largely on a series of beliefs to shape some level of coherence in our lives, both personal and collective.
Class I: A Presentation of Qualities and Characteristics of a Personal Myth, followed by a presentation, “Believing is Seeing.”
Class II: Conclusion of “Believing is Seeing.” followed by a presentation of “Beliefs as Frames.”
Class III: “Prejudices and Assumptions” and the Facts that Shape Them.
Class IV: Belief and Faith: Their Confluences and Divergences as They Shape a Coherent Life.
Time will be given for discussion. Please note, discussion may continue after 9:00, until about 9:30.
Participant sharing of their own interpretations and life experiences are generously welcomed. A writing meditation in each class will allow all participants time to integrate ideas into their own biographies.
Dennis Patrick Slattery, PhD., has been teaching for 53 years in grades ranging from elementary through high school, undergraduates and graduate students. He is currently Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the Mythological Studies Program at Pacifica Graduate Institute, where he has taught for the past 27 years. He is the author, co-author, editor or co-editor of 30 volumes including 7 volumes of poetry and one novel co-authored with Jungian analyst, Charles Asher. The Way of Myth is his 30th book (see attached) and will be on sale in two weeks. He also paints in acrylics and water colors and has painted many of Jung's paintings from The Red Book. He enjoys riding his Harley-Davidson motorcycle with his two sons in the Hill Country of Texas.
Website: www.dennispatrickslattery.com
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