The Fisher King Review

Earth Day: Biodynamics and Farming Soul

noreply@blogger.com (Fisher King) — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 03:01:00 +0000

Fisher King Press is pleased to present:
Farming Soul: A Tale of Initiation
by Patricia Damery

“the psychological problem of today is a spiritual problem, a religious problem . . .”

—C.G. Jung, C.G. Jung Speaking: Interview and Encounters,
“Does the World Stand on the Verge of Spiritual Rebirth?”

A psychological and spiritual reckoning, Farming Soul questions theories and assumptions that date back to the early 1900’s and the days of Freud, assumptions which have too often separated spirituality from psychology. Suffering the trials of her own individuation process, Patricia Damery finds answers through a series of unconventional teachers and through her relationship to the psyche and to the land—answers that are surprisingly deeply intertwined.

One strand of Farming Soul is about redeveloping a relationship to the land—Mother Earth—being rooted in a particular place and being guided by the tenets of Rudolf Steiner’s Biodynamic agriculture. Another strand is about Patricia Damery’s professional path of becoming a Jungian analyst, which includes an exploration of four aspects of the body: the physical, the etheric, the astral, and the mental. We are acquainted with and have similar assumptions about the physical body, but we are mostly unfamiliar with the three supersensible bodies. Jung and two of his closest and well-respected colleagues, Marie Louise von Franz and Barbara Hannah, address the subtle body in their writings, but analytical psychology (and psychology in general) has avoided this aspect of Jung’s work.

Farming Soul is a courageous offering that will help reconnect us to our deeper selves, the often untouched realities of soul, and at the same time ground us in our physical relationship to self and Mother Earth.

Patricia Damery is an analyst member of the C.G. Jung Institute of San Francisco and practices in Napa, CA. She grew up in the rural Midwest and witnessed the demise of the family farm through the aggressive practices of agribusiness. With her husband Donald, she has farmed biodynamically for ten years. Her chapter, "Shamanic States in Our Lives and in Analytic Practice" appeared in The Sacred Heritage: The Influence of Shamanism on Analytical Psychology, edited by Donald Sandner and Steven Wong, and her articles and poetry in the San Francisco Library Journal, Jung Journal: Culture and Psyche, Psychological Perspectives, and Biodynamics: Working for Social Change Through Agriculture.

Place your advance order for Farming Soul: a Tale of Initiation at the Fisher King Press online Bookstore.

Phone orders welcomed, Credit Cards accepted. 1-800-228-9316 toll free in the US and Canada, International +1-831-238-7799. www.fisherkingpress.com

Fisher King Press / PO Box 222321 / Carmel, CA 93230 /
Phone: 831-238-7799 / info@fisherkingpress.com / www.fisherkingpress.com

Earth Day and C.G. Jung

noreply@blogger.com (Fisher King) — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 03:00:00 +0000

FIsher King Press authors Patricia Damery and Naomi Ruth Lowinsky will be presenting at the following conference:

Listening to Earth / Listening to Psyche:
Old and New Pathways to Healing Our Relationship to the Earth

Saturday April 17, 2010 9:30 am - 5 pm
Cost: $125
CE Credit: $15 CE Hours: 6
Approved for MD, PhD, MFT, LCSW, RN
Location: Unitarian Church 1187 Franklin St SF 94109
Reserve for this event with the San Francisco C.G. Jung Institute.

Invoking the Divine in Psyche and Matter:
Analytical Psychology and Biodynamic Agriculture
Presented by: Patricia Damery

"We are not lacking in the dynamic forces needed to create the future," Thomas Berry asserted. "We live immersed in a sea of energy beyond all comprehension. But this energy, in an ultimate sense, is ours not by domination but by invocation."

Carl Jung approached the human psyche through invocation and active imagination, an approach similar to that of Rudolf Steiner's to the earth through Biodynamic agriculture. Both men were deeply influenced by the scientific work and poetry of Wolfgang von Goethe. In this talk some of Goethe's basic principles necessary for the kind of consciousness which apprehends these "dynamic forces needed to create the future," will be presented, a consciousness that is at the heart of participatory science, and an experience of transcendence. Examples from analytical practice and farming will be cited and the biodynamic ritual of "stirring" described, which is at once a "setting of intention" and a prayer. Through this consciousness we are distinct and we are at one with creation, an individuating experience.

Growing up in small Midwestern farming community, presenter Patricia Damery witnessed the demise of the family farm through the aggressive forces of agribusiness, and, like most of her generation, left. Coming full circle, she returned to the land and farming when she married her husband Donald and joined him on his ranch. Her work with the psyche and the earth emphasizes feminine-based practice.

Patricia Damery, MA, is an analyst member of the C.G. Jung Institute of San Francisco and practices in Napa. With her husband Donald, she has also farmed biodynamically for ten years. Her forthcoming book Farming Soul: A Tale of Initiation is to be published by Fisher King Press in the spring 2010. Her articles and poetry have appeared in the San Francisco Library Journal; Jung Journal; Psychological Perspectives, and Biodynamics: Working for Social Change Through Agriculture.

Because the Mountain is My Companion: Poetry of the Natural World
Presented by: Naomi Ruth Lowinsky

Poetry's roots are shamanic. There are poets of the natural world who return us to a realm in which earth, stone, tree are alive, luminous with divinity, a realm in which animals are our companions, our gods, our teachers. So are mountains.

There are poems which can alter our consciousness—opening our senses to the experience of the sacred, and to the wildness within us.

Dr. Lowinsky will read some poems that evoke these deep, essential experiences of the "unus mundus"—feeling part of everything that is—some of her own and some by poets she loves: Wendell Berry, Patiann Rogers and Gary Snyder.

Naomi Ruth Lowinsky, PhD, is an analyst member of the C. G. Jung Institute of San Francisco. She is the recent recipient of the Obama Millennium Poetry Prize, awarded for "Madelyn Dunham, Passing On." Her most recent publication, The Sister From Below: When the Muse Gets Her Way has recently been published by Fisher King Press. She has had poetry published in many literary magazines and anthologies in addition to her two poetry collections, red clay is talking and crimes of the dreamer.

Also presenting at this event will be:

Jerome Bernstein on: Explorations of Borderland Consciousness

Johnson Dennison on: Balancing Navajo (Diné) Ceremonies with Western Medicine: Introducing Nature and the Spirit of the Holy People

Maria Ellen Chiaia on: Gaia Speaks and the Gods Enter

Telling the Difference and the Fisher King

noreply@blogger.com (Fisher King) — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 06:37:00 +0000

Press Release - March 5, 2010

WIth great pleasure Fisher King Press announced today:

il piccolo editions introduces Telling the Difference.

Telling the Difference
A book of Poetry
by Paul Watsky

To quote Norman O. Brown quoting Euripedes, “God made an opening for the unexpected,” and at long last we have what many of us have greatly desired: a collection of poems by Paul Watsky. His is a singular voice in contemporary poetry, with a range that encompasses the wry, the mordant, the laugh-out-loud funny and the deeply moving, often within the same poem. One of Ovid’s earliest critics complained that he did not know when to leave well enough alone. In this he resembles the eponymous hero of Watsky’s “The Magnificent Goldstein,” and, come to think of it, Watsky himself, for which we have cause to rejoice. —Charles Martin

We meet an observant poet telling a story, his story: wryly perceived incidents of family and history—all given with elegance, wit, and intimacy. A concise, carefully crafted, timely view of the world. —Joanne Kyger

About the Author
A native of New York City, Paul Watsky moved to California during the late 1960’s, where, after teaching for five years in the English Department of San Francisco State University, he trained as a clinical psychologist and Jungian analyst. His haiku, longer poems, and translations have appeared widely in periodicals and anthologies, including Modern Haiku, A New Resonance: Emerging Voices in English Language Haiku, Asheville Poetry Review, Cave Wall, The Cream City Review, and The Pinch. He is cotranslator of Santoka (Tokyo, PIE Books, 2006).

Published by il piccolo editions and available from your local bookstore, a host of online booksellers, and directly from Fisher King Press. ISBN: 978-1-926715-00-1, Publication Date: March 21, 2010, Price: $17.95. To order your copy call 1-800-228-9316. International orders call: +1-831-238-7799 or visit the Fisher King Press online bookstore.

Media Contact:
Mel Mathews 831-238-7799
fisherking@fisherkingpress.com

Fisher King Press resurrects another timeless classic: Divine Madness and Romantic Love

noreply@blogger.com (Fisher King) — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 12:40:00 +0000

With Great Please Fisher King Press announces another forthcoming Classic Jungian title:

Available April 2010

Divine Madness: Archetypes of Romantic Love
By John R. Haule
ISBN 978-1-926715-04-9, Index, Biblio, 300pp, 2010

Divine Madness: Archetypes of Romantic Love examines the transforming experience of romantic love in literature, myth, religion, and everyday life. A series of psychological meditations on the nature of romantic love and human relationship, Divine Madness takes the perspective that human love is a species of divine love and that our experience of romantic love both conceals and reveals the ultimate Lover and Beloved. John Haule draws on depth psychology, the mystical traditions of the world, and literature from Virgil to Milan Kundera to lead the reader inside the mind and heart of the lover.

Each chapter explores a characteristic aspect of relationship, such as seduction and love play, the rapture of union, the agony of separation, madness, woundedness, and transcendence. Focusing on the soulful and spiritual meaning of these experiences, Divine Madness sheds light on our elations, obsessions, and broken hearts, but it also reconnects us with the wisdom of time immemorial.

As a practicing Jungian analyst and former professor of religious studies, John Haule masterfully guides his readers through the labyrinth of everyday experience, and the often hidden layers of archetypal realities, sketching a philosophy of romantic love through the stories of the world's literature and mythology.

About the Author

John Ryan Haule holds a doctorate in religious studies from Temple University. He is a Jungian analyst trained in Zurich and is a faculty member of the C.G. Jung Institute-Boston.

Reviews

John R. Haule’s wonderful study of Romantic Love . . . is a first-rate psychological, literary and spiritual study . . . The author’s passion and courage in delving into his own experience . . . makes reading it a powerful experience in its own right. . . . One cannot help seeing oneself reflected in the magic mirror of Haule’s study and deriving light and succor therefrom.
Divine Madness is one of the rarest of books—one that really does speak to the heart as well as to the mind.

—Timothy O’Neill, Gnosis Magazine

The author brings us wonderful stories from all over the world that point to the lover’s task: to see through to the soul of the beloved. Even our tangled relationships hide this task in their sufferings. Even the love of God brings us to this work. A moving and helpful book.

—Ann Belford Ulanov, Christiane Brooks Johnson Professor of Psychiatry and Religion, Union Theological Seminary

Haule has the clear eye of an analyst, the spirit of a theologian, and the heart of a troubadour. His lyrical prose invites the reader into the depths and breadth of romantic love by exploring its rich and varied imagery in literature and music. . . .There are some little surprise jewels tucked in and under the main theme, such as some fresh definitions of classical Jungian concepts.

—Elizabeth S. Strahan, Past President of the C. G. Jung Institute in Los Angeles

Place your advance order for Divine Madness: Archetypes of Romantic Love at the Fisher King Press online Bookstore.

Phone orders welcomed, Credit Cards accepted. 1-800-228-9316 toll free in the US and Canada, International +1-831-238-7799. www.fisherkingpress.com

Fisher King Press / PO Box 222321 / Carmel, CA 93230 /
Phone: 831-238-7799 / info@fisherkingpress.com / www.fisherkingpress.com

Valentines Day and The Art of Love

noreply@blogger.com (Fisher King) — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 11:52:00 +0000

The Art of Love: The Craft of Relationship
by Bud and Massimilla Harris
ISBN 978-1-926715-02-5

Millions of books on relationships have been printed in the last several years. Why do we need another one? We need The Art of Love: The Craft of Relationship for the same reasons that over four and a half million readers wanted Spencer Johnson’s Who Moved My Cheese in a market that already had over 12,000 titles in print on the subject of change. Following Johnson’s methods of teaching to a broad, modern audience, The Art of Love presents the profound principles that form a loving relationship in an easily accessible manner. Using a deceptively simple approach, it will help people shift their attitudes and provide them with the skills to create a loving, long-lasting partnership.

There are so many titles in print on change because it is an ongoing challenge for most of us. So are relationships. With many years of experience working with couples, Bud and Massimilla Harris share vital information, lessons, and insights. Engaging, and easy to read, The Art of Love: The Craft of Relationship is packed with wisdom, skills, and ideas that can open the door to a new era of fulfilling relationships.

This forthcoming Fisher King Press publication brings complex material and common sense into a format that is carefully constructed to achieve results by being communicative and consistent, enjoyable and hopeful. Unlike the textbook appearance of many self-help books that include psychological jargon, case examples and exercises, The Art of Love: The Craft of Relationship uses stories and dialogue to teach profound insights and valuable skills to handle problems in a way that builds love and trust.

Who will read The Art of Love: The Craft of Relationship:

Singles and couples who seek self-improvement, who want to enrich their relationships, and who desire practical advice for helping love and trust grow.
Singles who are frustrated with their current relationships or have difficulty staying in long-term relationships, and who want to find and develop a more supportive and interactive partnership.
Couples who need to learn how to understand each other better in order to have their uniqueness affirmed without threatening their relationship.
Couples who are experiencing relational difficulties and who need to improve their communication with each other and learn how to handle conflicts in a way that brings them closer together.
Divorced individuals who need support in understanding why their marriages failed and who need encouragement in seeking to get their needs met again.
People who are interested in cultivating love and closeness in a way that supports individual growth.
Therapists and counselors who seek an accessible resource for their clients, and for readers who wish to explore the most recent perspectives on relationship dynamics.
Groups of people, whether religious or educational, who are concerned about the state of their relationships. People who are seeking to understand them and discover the promises of love and joy that being in life together can bring.

Place your advance order for The Art of Love: The Craft of Relationship at the Fisher King Press online Bookstore.

Phone orders welcomed, Credit Cards accepted. 1-800-228-9316 toll free in the US and Canada, International +1-831-238-7799. www.fisherkingpress.com

Fisher King Press / PO Box 222321 / Carmel, CA 93230 /
Phone: 831-238-7799 / info@fisherkingpress.com / www.fisherkingpress.com

Press Release: Requiem: New Fisher King Press Publication

noreply@blogger.com (Fisher King) — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 23:54:00 +0000

With Great Pleasure Fisher King Press is pleased to present:
Requiem: A Tale of Exile and Return by Erel Shalit

Dear friends and colleagues,

I am pleased to share with you the announcement of my newly published novella, Requiem: A Tale of Exile and Return, in which I have fictionalized my ruminations on issues of exile and return.

The razor-sharp edge of religious beliefs and national conflict, of shadowy projections and existential anxiety, that characterize Israel and its neighbors, gives rise to a particular blend of archetypal fate and personal destiny, of doubt and conviction, despair and commitment, of collective identity and personal choice. However, I do believe that the essence of my wonderings reach beyond the shores of the eastern Mediterranean or Jewish tradition. I believe the tension between a sense of exile and return, belongingness and estrangement, are universal aspects, certainly in our post-modern world.

While Israeli reality provides the external context, the story serves, as well, as a metaphor for the exile and return of the soul, which necessarily is a journey through shadowy valleys.

I invite anyone in our Jungian community who so wishes to comment or discuss issues concerning Requiem, to be in contact with me, at shalit@orange.net.il

With gratitude,
Erel Shalit

_____________________________________________________

Erel Shalit is a Jungian psychoanalyst in Ra’anana, Israel. He is a training and supervising analyst, and past president of the Israel Society of Analytical Psychology. He is the author of several publications, including Enemy, Cripple, Beggar: Shadows in the Hero’s Path, The Hero and His Shadow: Psychopolitical Aspects of Myth and Reality in Israel, and The Complex: Path of Transformation from Archetype to Ego.

All of Erel Shalit’s titles and many more Jungian psychological publications are available for purchase at the Fisher King Press Online Bookstore or by phoning 1-800-228-9316 in the US and Canada, or 1+831-238-7799 from abroad.

Requiem ISBN 978-1-926715-03-2 can be purchased directly from the Fisher King Press Online Bookstore.

Phone orders welcomed, Credit Cards accepted. 1-800-228-9316 toll free in the US and Canada, International +1-831-238-7799. www.fisherkingpress.com

Fisher King Press / PO Box 222321 / Carmel, CA 93230 /
Phone: 831-238-7799 / info@fisherkingpress.com / www.fisherkingpress.com

Jung's Red Book In Stock, now shipping. . .

noreply@blogger.com (Fisher King) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 06:45:00 +0000

THE RED BOOK
We have a limited supply currently in Stock and available for immediate shipping!

The Red Book
by C.G. Jung / Edited by Sonu Shamdasani
416pp, Hardcover
Click to order directly from Fisher King Press

Visit The Red Book Page at the Fisher King Press online bookstore, or visit our main website at www.fisherkingpress.com

Phone orders welcomed, Credit Cards accepted. 1-800-228-9316 toll free in the US and Canada, International +1-831-238-7799.

Daughters and Well-meaning Mothers

noreply@blogger.com (Fisher King) — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 10:48:00 +0000

This past summer, Daryl Sharp of Inner City Books contacted us, explaining that he had edited a manuscript for Kehinde Ayeni. Daryl suggested that the manuscript was a real winner and encouraged us to consider it for publication. We had a closer look and soon contracted to published this body of work. We are now pleased to announce the publication of Kehinde Adeola Ayeni’s Feasts of Phantoms.

Feasts of Phantoms
a novel by Kehinde Adeola Ayeni
ISBN 978-0-9813939-2-6, 346 pp

How is a well meaning mother to protect her daughter from a culture where the birth of a baby girl is met with despair because the only future open to her is that of sexual assault and teenage pregnancy, which would doom her to a life of illiteracy and poverty as it has doomed her lineage before her? Genital mutilation has many causes but at the root of all of them is fear. A fear that pushes a mother to do the unthinkable to a daughter that she loves? What does a scapegoat do with the fate she has been handed? Accept it and roll with it, or reject it? How is she to reject it when the acceptance of her role is needed for her culture's psychic equilibrium? In the theater of the mind where all springs forth, is there such a thing as an innocent victim, and a victimizer? 'Feasts of Phantoms' is a novel that explores these questions, and more.

about the author Kehinde Adeola Ayeni, MD., a public health physician, psychiatrist and psychoanalyst was born in Nigeria. A mother of two children, she is in private practice in Farmington Hills, Michigan. Her first novel 'Our Mother's Sore Expectations' explored the plight of women under dictatorship government in Nigeria. Dr. Ayeni founded the Foundation for Indigenous Development and Advocacy (Foundida.org), a nonprofit organization whose goal is that every Nigerian child has at minimum an elementary school education, and she works closely with Educare Trust Fund based in Ibadan, Nigeria (Educaretrust1994.org).

Feasts of Phantoms can be purchased directly from the Fisher King Press online bookstore.

Press Release - Requiem: A Tale of Exile and Return

noreply@blogger.com (Fisher King) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 06:08:00 +0000

With Great Pleasure Fisher King Press Announced the Publication of

Requiem: A Tale of Exile and Return

a novella by Erel Shalit

Requiem: A Tale of Exile and Return

a novella by Erel Shalit

Official Publication Date: January 2010
ISBN 978-1-926715-03-2, 106 pp

Requiem returns us to an eternal theme, a dialogue with Soul, and we know quite well what happens when one dialogues with Soul—we change, consciousness is enlarged, the impossible becomes possible and we no longer are compelled to blindly follow in the deathly path of our forefathers.

Requiem is a fictitious account of a scenario played out in the mind of many Israelis, pertaining to existential reflections and apocalyptic fears, but then, as well, the hope and commitment that arise from the abyss of trepidation. While set in Israel sometime in the present, it is a story that reaches into the timelessness of history, weaving discussions with Heine and Kafka into a tale of universal implications.

Erel Shalit is a Jungian psychoanalyst in Ra’anana, Israel. He is a training and supervising analyst, and past president of the Israel Society of Analytical Psychology. He is the author of several publications, including Enemy, Cripple, Beggar: Shadows in the Hero’s Path, The Hero and His Shadow: Psychopolitical Aspects of Myth and Reality in Israel and The Complex: Path of Transformation from Archetype to Ego.

Dr. Shalit lectures at professional institutes, universities, and cultural forums in Israel, Europe, and the United States. One of his popular lectures includes Requiem and is the basis for Requiem: A Tale of Exile and Return.

Lecture in Washington, DC on Creativity & Soul

noreply@blogger.com (Fisher King) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 01:04:00 +0000

The Jung Society of Washington will be hosting a lecture by Lawrence H. Staples

Friday, December 4, 2009

Event Title: THE CREATIVE SOUL: Art and the Quest for Wholeness

Where: Memorial Hall, 5200 Cathedral Ave., NW, Washington, DC

Friday, December 4, 2009

Time: 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM EST

Import this event into your Outlook calendar

What: Lecture
Who: Larry Staples, Ph.D.
When: Friday
Fees: $15:00, members in advance; $20.00, general; $10.00 sen/stu
Register for this event at www.jung.org

This lecture is about art in all its myriad forms-painting writing, sculpting, composing, etc., and how it serves our quest for wholeness and helps restore parts of us that were lost in the process of socialization.

In his book, The Restoration of the Self, Heinz Kohut wrote at length about psychically wounded people and the therapeutic methods he used to help them. He found none more effective, or so essential, as creative work. He found, importantly, that it made no difference whether the creative work was deemed good or artistic by any standards; the simple process of doing creative work helped restore the self. It is as if nature plants within us a built-in remedy for our worst affliction, the affliction of being separated from large parts of ourselves. We experience this separation as a kind of inner civil war that divides us internally. It produces the pain and suffering inherent in any civil war, whether in our internal world or outside. It seems that the human urge to do creative work is a compensa-tory impulse and blessing, which arises from the psychic civil war that wounded us. In my own work as a psychoanalyst, I have witnessed the truth of Kohut's findings. I have watched patients grow in wholeness as they began to work creatively in a variety of media that helped them recover and restore lost aspects of themselves.

The lecture will draw upon paintings by Frida Kahlo to demonstrate the contribution of art to the restoration of self and the attainment of wholeness. This lecture is also for people specifically interested in creative processes---writers, artists, composers, teachers, thinkers. Staples will share his insights based upon years of observing his clients, their art, and the creative processes that produced it. He discusses psychological factors that both block and trigger creative production. He also suggests techniques for unleashing creative work as well as unblocking it.

CEUs will be offered for this program.

Larry Staples, Ph.D., is a Jungian Analyst in private practice in Washington D.C. He is a diplomate of the C. G. Jung Institute in Zurich and holds a Ph.D. in psychology. He is a member of the International Association for Analytical psychology (I.A.A.P.), Association of Graduate Analytical Psychologists (A.G.A.P.), Jungian Analysts of Washington Association (J.A.W.A.) and National Association for the Advancement of Psychoanalysis and the American Boards for Accreditation and Certification (N.A.A.P.). Larry is the author of two books, Guilt with a Twist: The Promethean Way and The Creative Soul: Art and the Quest for Wholeness. A third book about guilt's role in depression, anxiety, and paranoia is due to be published in late fall. He has also written a number of articles about the psychological problems of midlife. Special areas of interest include creativity, guilt, and midlife. He holds AB and MBA degrees from Harvard.

Seduction and the Fisher King

noreply@blogger.com (Fisher King) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:57:00 +0000

A great deal of seduction has been called for to lure me away from the selfish pursuits of fortune, fame, and a vast array of many other vises that I once believed could relieve my existential angst. I must confess that Fisher King Press is the child of one of these many selfish forays.

Several years ago ‘by chance’ I met a Jungian and began analysis. We worked together for about 18 months before I gained the courage to leave a well-paying career and the security of an antiquated identity behind. The analysis continued and within a few weeks of leaving this old life, I brought a dream into our session. My analyst suggested a dialogue with one of the dream characters. Little did I know that this would lead to the expansion of my miniature world, the writing of eight novels, and much more.

The writing, like so many other things before, overtook me. I didn’t care about publishing a book. I only wanted to write, to create, to selfishly express myself (and my ‘self’) and for several years I enjoyed the good fortune of just this, living in Europe, frequenting cafes in Italy, France, Switzerland, Ireland . . . encountering characters and weaving tales.

People would ask what I did for a living and my answer would be “I used to be a John Deere tractor salesman.” “Yes, but what do you do now?” “Oh, I just live, just enjoy life now.” “Yes, but you must do something with your time?” “Well, okay, I write.” “A ha, so you are a writer!” “No, I’m not a writer. I just write.” “What do you write about?” I’d hesitate and occasionally answer, “I write about dreams. Every morning I get up and write about my dreams, and then I write about life, about how dreams . . . well, about how dreams intersect our lives, our waking lives, how they are tied together . . .”

I sincerely meant what I said, about how dreams intersect our lives and so forth. I believed it and at the same time couldn’t completely understand it, as is often still the case. But that was part of the fun, knowing and not-knowing, being in that in-between place, where the mysterious takes holds, where one cannot wrap one’s mind around an idea or concept and instead simply must follow the words and images.

So, I continued to follow the words and images when they came in dreams and when they came in waking life. I also continued to explain to others of how I once was a tractor salesman, and then on into the writing thing. Finally one day I got tired of having to explain about who I once was and how now I wrote, but no, they could not read my writing, and no, I had never published a book . . . So, I sent query letters to a few publishers, expecting to be received with open arms, but quickly learned that I might well spend the rest of my life waiting for someone else to say yes, waiting for someone else to validate me, my existence, who I was becoming, and I said the heck with all that!

Soon after came Fisher King Press and the publication of my first three novels - The Malcolm Clay Trilogy. Then, having successfully published the trilogy, it was time to publish another author, so up went a basic website and not long after came a query from John Atkinson and we contracted to publish Timekeeper, Atkinson’s novel/quasi-memoir, a coming-of-age tale, describing the experiences of a 14-year-old runaway boy’s hardships, victories, and all the inspirational people who guided him on his journey and helped him to triumph over illiteracy. Critics have since praised Timekeeper as a deeply moving book written in the spirit of Sue Monk Kidd's The Secret Life of Bees . . .

But what about Jung, how do Jungian publications fit into the Fisher King scheme of things? Well, over the years, I’ve enjoyed the pleasure of building meaningful and lasting relationships with several Jungian analysts and I also hold a deep respect for the many Inner City Book publications that have brought understanding to the darker periods of my life. So, it was time to obtain a Centerpoint newsletter and send out a query to the listed Jungian societies and organizations.

April Barrett, executive director of the Jung Society of Washington was quick to forward the request to Lawrence Staples and we soon agreed to publish Guilt with a Twist: The Promethean Way. Erel Shalit and Enemy, Cripple, Beggar: Shadows in the Hero’s Path came next. From there, kind of like following words and images, things began to unfold, and what was originally created from an unconscious inflation to serve my own selfish desires, Fisher King Press finally became what it was meant to be – ‘Self’ Serving.

The Malcolm Clay Trilogy is available at the Fisher King Press online bookstore and my other novels will be published as the years unfold, where you’ll learn about what a rotten ol’ buzzard I can be in my endless pursuit to reclaim soul, or should I say, be reclaimed by soul. Sure, there’s some goodness in me too, but . . . well, enough about ‘me’ and ‘I’ and all my selfish exploits, and please don’t hold this against the other Fisher King Press authors whose worthy publications deserve to be widely read.

Over the next few months, we will also be adding a few new fiction titles to our growing list, including Requiem: A Tale of Exile and Return, a novella by Erel Shalit; Main Street Stories, a novel by Jungian analyst Phyllis LaPlante; and Feasts of Phantoms by Kehinde Adeola Ayeni, a novel that addresses the degradation of the feminine in one of its most shadowy extreme forms. A more detailed description of these titles are posted below. Information can also be found at the Fisher King Press Online Bookstore.

As with our previous publications, I hope you enjoy these new offerings.

Best wishes and kind regards to all,

Mel Mathews
Fisher King Press

_________________________________________________

Requiem: A Tale of Exile and Return
a novella by Erel Shalit
ISBN 978-1-926715-03-2, 100 pp
Publication Date: January 2010

Requiem is a fictitious account of a scenario played out in the mind of many Israelis, pertaining to existential reflections and apocalyptic fears, but then, as well, the hope and commitment that arise from the abyss of trepidation. While set in Israel sometime in the present, it is a story that reaches into the timelessness of history, weaving discussions with Heine and Kafka into a tale of universal implications.

Erel Shalit is a Jungian psychoanalyst in Ra'anana, Israel. He is a training and supervising analyst, and past president of the Israel Society of Analytical Psychology. He is the author of several publications, including Enemy, Cripple, Beggar: Shadows in the Hero’s Path, The Hero and His Shadow: Psychopolitical Aspects of Myth and Reality in Israel and The Complex: Path of Transformation from Archetype to Ego.

Dr. Shalit lectures at professional institutes, universities, and cultural forums in Israel, Europe, and the United States. His current lectures series includes Requiem - Notes from Professor Shimeoni’s Lecture and Reflections on Exile and is the basis for his most recent publication: Requiem: A Tale of Exile and Return.

Publication Date: January 2010
Learn more about this forthcoming publication by clicking on the following link to the Fisher King Press online bookstore: Requiem: A Tale of Exile and Return

_________________________________________________

Main Street Stories
a Novel by Phyllis LaPlante
—ISBN 978-0-9813939-1-9, 220 pp.
Publication Date: January 2010

Tales intertwine in the small town of Massey, Texas, whose quiet streets seem to breed infidelity, betrayal, mental illness, and violence, in Phyllis LaPlante’s highly entertaining character driven novel Main Street Stories. The townspeople love gossip even more than high school football. Nadine Coulter, a divorced hairdresser, fulfills her sexual desires with a much younger lover, while fretting about her teen-aged daughter who is quickly earning a bad reputation. Janice Tuttle commits suicide by drowning. Joe Eliot hallucinates enemies and nearly kills his brother-in-law. Did Danny Tomlin actually kill his illegitimate child? Wayne Pickens is whipsawed between the demands of his religion and the urges of his body. Dorothy Harmon agonizes over her lesbian lover's penchant for young girls. Adam Robbins, the preacher's son, is perpetually on the make, living out the shadowy un-lived life of his father . . .

Phyllis LaPlante is a certified Jungian Analyst and Licensed Clinical Social Worker. She received her diploma from the C.G. Jung Institute of New York. She teaches Jungian theory and practice in Washington and Philadelphia and is a member of the Inter-Regional Society of Jungian Analysts and the Philadelphia Association of Jungian Analysts, and the Jungian Analysts of Washington Association.

Publication Date: January 2010
Learn more about this forthcoming publication by clicking on the following link to the Fisher King Press online bookstore: Main Street Stories

_________________________________________________

Feasts of Phantoms
a novel by Kehinde Adeola Ayeni
ISBN 978-0-9813939-2-6, 346 pp
Publication Date: January 2010

In a culture where the birth of a baby girl is met with despair because the only future open to her is that of sexual assault and teenage pregnancy, which would doom her to a life of illiteracy and poverty as it has doomed her lineage before her, how is a well meaning mother to protect her daughter from such a fate?

Genital mutilation has many causes but at the root of all of them is fear. A fear that pushes a mother to do the unthinkable to a daughter that she loves?

What does a scapegoat do with the fate she has been handed? Accept it and roll with it or reject it? How is she to reject it when her acceptance of her role is needed for her culture’s psychic equilibrium?

In the theater of the mind where all springs forth, is there such a thing as an innocent victim, and a victimizer?

Feasts of Phantoms is an exploration of all of these questions.

Kehinde Adeola Ayeni works as the medical director of a Detroit community mental health center, writes books and runs a nonprofit agency to raise money to educate children in her home country of Nigeria. Dr. Ayeni graduated from the College of Medicine University of Ibadan in 1986, and completed part 1 of the fellowship training in Public Health at the College of Medicine University of Ibadan. She graduated from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan where she completed residency training in Psychiatry in 1999. She has a private psychiatry and psychotherapy practice.

Publication Date: January 2010
Learn more about this forthcoming publication by clicking on the following link to the Fisher King Press online bookstore: Feasts of Phantoms

Two Popular Jungian Publications

noreply@blogger.com (Fisher King) — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 08:25:00 +0000

Two popular psychology publications for your consideration:

Living in the Borderland: The Evolution of Consciousness and the Challenge of Healing Trauma

by Jerome S. Bernstein

Living in the Borderland addresses the evolution of Western consciousness and describes the emergence of the 'Borderland,' a spectrum of reality that is beyond the rational yet is palpable to an increasing number of individuals. Building on Jungian theory, Jerome Bernstein argues that a greater openness to transrational reality experienced by Borderland personalities allows new possibilities for understanding and healing confounding clinical and developmental enigmas.

In three sections, this book charts the evolution of Western consciousness, examines the psychological and clinical implications and looks at how the new Borderland consciousness bridges the mind-body divide. It challenges the standard clinical model, which views normality as an absence of pathology and equates normality with the rational, and abnormality with the transrational. Jerome Bernstein describes how psychotherapy itself often contributes to the alienation of many Borderland personalities by misdiagnosing the difference between the pathological and the sacred and uses case studies to illustrate the potential such misdiagnoses have for causing serious psychic and emotional damage to the patient.

This challenge to the orthodoxies and complacencies of Western medicine's concept of pathology will interest Jungian Analysts, Psychoanalysts, Psychotherapists and Psychiatrists.

About the Author
Jerome S. Bernstein is a Jungian analyst in private practice in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He is also the co-editor of Spring Journal's recently published C.G. Jung and the Sioux Traditions.

C.G. Jung and the Sioux Traditions: Dreams, Visions, Nature and the Primitive

by Deloria, Vine / Deloria, Philip J. (EDT) / Bernstein, Jerome S. (EDT)

In the winter of 1924-25 while visiting the U.S., C. G. Jung visited the Taos Pueblo in New Mexico where he spent several hours with Ochwiay Biano, Mountain Lake, an elder at the Pueblo. This was a seminal encounter in Jung's life. It impacted him psychologically, emotionally, and intellectually and had a sustained influence on his theories and understanding of psyche, as witnessed by his reference to Mountain Lake in one of his last letters written shortly before his death.

Dakota Sioux intellectual and political leader, Vine Deloria Jr., began a close study of the writings of C.G. Jung over two decades ago, but had long been struck by certain affinities and disjunctures between Jungian and Sioux Indian thought. He also had noticed that many Jungians had perceived this relation as well and were often drawn to Native American traditions. And, while Deloria never hesitated to critique others’ appropriation of Native culture, he also saw in this phenomenon something deeper and more interesting: the possibility that these philosophical systems might, at a deep level, share crucial affinities.

This book, the result of Deloria’s investigation of these affinities, is written as a measured comparison between the psychology of C. G. Jung and the philosophical and cultural traditions of his own Sioux people. Moving between Jung’s writings and Sioux tradition, Deloria constructs a fascinating dialogue between the two systems that touches on cosmology, the family, relations with animals, visions, voices, and individuation. He does not shy away from addressing the differences between the two and the colonial mindset that characterized Jung’s own cultural legacy. In this sense, Deloria offers a direct “speaking back” from the cultural position that Jung so often characterized as “primitive” in his writings.

Vine Deloria Jr. passed away in 2005 and this, his last book, resounds with the wit, vigor, and range that marked his writing. It makes a signal contribution to Jungian Studies, while simultaneously illuminating the possibilities and pitfalls in efforts to transcend intellectual and philosophical boundaries.

These and many other Jungian Publications are available at the Fisher King Press Online Bookstore.

Be kept up to date on many new publications - register with our secure site at www.fisherkingpress.com

Phone orders welcomed, Credit Cards accepted. 1-800-228-9316 toll free in the US & Canada, International +1-831-238-7799.

Fisher King Press to Donate to NAAP

noreply@blogger.com (Fisher King) — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 06:28:00 +0000

$5 per book donation to the NAAP!

Enemy, Cripple, Beggar: Shadows in the Hero’s Path is 1 of 3 finalists for the Theoretical category of the 2009 NAAP Gradiva® Award.

For every copy of Enemy, Cripple, Beggar purchased from the Fisher King Press online bookstore from Oct. 10th to Oct. 24th, 2009, $5 will be donated to the National Association for the Advancement of Psychoanalysis.

Enemy, Cripple, Beggar: Shadows in the Hero’s Path, finalists for the Theoretical category of the NAAP Gradiva® Award.

In Enemy, Cripple, Beggar: Shadows in the Hero's Path, Erel Shalit provides new thoughts and views on the concepts of Hero and Shadow. From a Jungian perspective, this Fisher King Press publication elaborates on mythological and psychological images. Myths and fairy tales explored include Perseus and Andersen's The Cripple. You'll also enjoy the psychological deciphering of Biblical stories such as Amalek - The Wicked Warrior, Samson - The Impoverished Sun, and Jacob & the Divine Adversary. With the recent discovery of The Gospel of Judas, Dr. Shalit also delves into the symbolic relationship between Jesus and Judas Iscariot to illustrate the hero-function's inevitable need of a shadow.

“Highly recommended for both personal reading lists and community library collections,” says Midwest Book Review:

“It's the most basic component of story telling the Hero and the Villain. Enemy Cripple, Beggar: Shadows in the Hero's Path takes a look at this basic concept and why it is so appealing to readers. Going to the basic psychology of the tale and how ancient stories led the way, and how they evolved through the years with mankind, Enemy, Cripple, Beggar provides an informed and thoughtful perspective concerning literary good and evil alongside society's norms and mores. An original work by Erel Shalit, Enemy Cripple, Beggar is a unique blend as a literary and psychology manual, making it highly recommended for both personal reading lists and community library collections.”

The following is a link the Fisher King Press Bookstore or phone 1-800-228-9316

About the Author
Erel Shalit is a Jungian psychoanalyst in Ra'anana, Israel. He is a training and supervising analyst, and past president of the Israel Society of Analytical Psychology (ISAP). He is the author of several publications, including The Hero and His Shadow: Psychopolitical Aspects of Myth and Reality in Israel and The Complex: Path of Transformation from Archetype to Ego. Articles of his have appeared in Quadrant, The Jung Journal, Spring Journal, Political Psychology, Clinical Supervisor, Round Table Review, Jung Page, Midstream, and he has entries in The Encyclopedia of Psychology and Religion. Dr. Shalit lectures at professional institutes, universities, and cultural forums in Israel, Europe, and the United States.

Click the button below to check out with Amazon:

Order your copy Enemy, Cripple, Beggar from Fisher King Press.
Phone orders welcomed, Credit Cards accepted. 1-800-228-9316 toll free in the US & Canada, International +1-831-238-7799.

Be kept up to date on many new publications - register with our secure site at www.fisherkingpress.com

The Sacred Prostitute & Awakening Woman

noreply@blogger.com (Fisher King) — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 07:13:00 +0000

The Sacred Prostitute: Eternal Aspect of the Feminine
By Nancy Qualls-Corbett
ISBN 9780919123311, 20 illustrations. Index. 176 pp. 1988.

When the Goddess of Love was still honored, the sacred prostitute was virgin in the original sense of the word (one-in-herself), a person of deep integrity whose welcome for the stranger was radiant, self-confident and sensuous. Her purpose was to bring the goddess' love into direct contact with mankind. In antiquity, human sexuality and the religious attitude were inseparable. The Sacred Prostitute: Eternal Aspect Of The Feminine is solidly based on Jungian psychological principles and powerfully illustrates how our vitality and capacity for joy depend on restoring the soul of the sacred prostitute to its rightful place in our conscious understanding. The Sacred Prostitute is engaging reading that provides a great deal of thoughtful observations on the nature of human sexuality and its relationship to the well-balanced personality and the health and stability of human society. -- Midwest Book Review

Nancy Qualls-Corbett, Ph.D. is a diplomate of the C. G. Jung Institute, Zurich and is a practicing analyst in Birmingham, Alabama. She is a senior training analyst affiliated with the Inter-Regional Society of Jungian Analysts.

Click this link to Order The Sacred Prostitute from Fisher King Press.

Also by Nancy Qualls-Corbett

Awakening Woman: Dreams and Individuation
ISBN 9781894574020 By Nancy Qualls-Corbett with Leila McMackin. Index. 160 pp. 2002.

When you face the truth that your familiar psychological territory is no longer your moral, spiritual or emotional home, and the road ahead twists through a dark forest—then you know the experience, both terrifying and exhilarating, of the refugee who slowly becomes the explorer. In this unique collaborative work by an analyst and her analysand, a woman in midlife learns to understand her dreams, visions and emotions, and especially the kinship between sexuality and spirituality, thus acquiring an authentic sense of self.

Click this link to Order Awakening Woman from Fisher King Press.

Remember, now through October 5th, 10% of all retail purchases made from the Fisher King Press online bookstore will be donated to The Philemon Foundation.

Phone orders welcomed, Credit Cards accepted. 1-800-228-9316 toll free in the US & Canada, International +1-831-238-7799. www.fisherkingpress.com

While awaiting Jung's Red Book, why not try something Green?

noreply@blogger.com (Fisher King) — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 08:20:00 +0000

While patiently (and impatiently) awaiting C.G. Jung's Red Book, why not try something Green?

Guilt with a Twist: The Promethean Way
by Lawrence H. Staples

Promethean Guilt* is the guilt we incur for the sins we need to commit if we are to grow and fulfill ourselves. Those sins that benefit us could not be committed without a creative, Promethean spirit that is supported by an obstinate and irreverent insolence toward authority that is informed by a love of freedom.

* Jung talked about Promethean guilt in his Collected Works (CW7, par. 243n). Here Jung was talking about the state of inflation that analysands often reach when they begin to experience an increase in consciousness as a result of insights that come from accessing the collective unconscious. Jung goes on to say in the note that “every step toward greater consciousness is a kind of Promethean guilt: through knowledge, the gods are as it were robbed of their fire, that is, something that was the property of the unconscious powers is torn out of its natural context and subordinated to the whims of the conscious mind. The man who has usurped the new knowledge suffers, however, a transformation or enlargement of consciousness, which no longer resembles that of his fellow men.” This results in a loneliness, the pain of which “is the vengeance of the Gods.”

Lawrence Staples is a diplomate of the C.G. Jung Institute, Zurich, Switzerland, and also holds AB and MBA degrees from Harvard. In addition to Guilt with a Twist: The Promethean Way, Lawrence is author of the popular book The Creative Soul: Art and the Quest for Wholeness.

Here’s a direct link to Guilt with a Twist at the Fisher King Press website.

Remember, now through October 5th, 10% of all retail purchases made from the Fisher King Press online bookstore will be donated to The Philemon Foundation.

Phone orders welcomed, Credit Cards accepted. 1-800-228-9316 toll free in the US & Canada, International +1-831-238-7799. www.fisherkingpress.com

Fisher King Press to donate 10% of sales to the Philemon Foundation

noreply@blogger.com (Fisher King) — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 12:35:00 +0000

In celebration of the The Red Book publication, Fisher King Press will donate 10% of all retail sales made from our online bookstore to the Philemon Foundation. That’s right, 10% of all retail purchases (less taxes and/or shipping) made now through Oct 5th, 2009 (9/19/09 -10/05/09) from the Fisher King Press Online Bookstore will be donated to the Philemon Foundation. This 10% donation will be based on All titles sold from our website, not just on sales of The Red Book, but ALL titles we currently offer, including gift certificates.

The Philemon Foundation is a non-profit foundation dedicated to preparing for publication the Complete Works of CG Jung. To support a most worthy cause and at the same time purchase a few quality books for yourself, family, and friends, visit our online bookstore .

Many thanks for your consideration and support,

Fisher King Press

Phone orders welcomed, Credit Cards accepted. 1-800-228-9316 toll free in the US & Canada, International +1-831-238-7799.

THE RED BOOK
Now Shipping!!!

The Red Book
by C.G. Jung / Edited by Sonu Shamdasani
416pp, Hardcover
List Price $195.00
ON SALE FOR $165.00
Click to order directly from Fisher King Press

Product Description
The most influential unpublished work in the history of psychology. When Carl Jung embarked on an extended self-exploration he called his “confrontation with the unconscious,” the heart of it was The Red Book, a large, illuminated volume he created between 1914 and 1930. Here he developed his principle theories—of the archetypes, the collective unconscious, and the process of individuation—that transformed psychotherapy from a practice concerned with treatment of the sick into a means for higher development of the personality.

While Jung considered The Red Book to be his most important work, only a handful of people have ever seen it. Now, in a complete facsimile and translation, it is available to scholars and the general public. It is an astonishing example of calligraphy and art on a par with The Book of Kells and the illuminated manuscripts of William Blake. This publication of The Red Book is a watershed that will cast new light on the making of modern psychology.
212 color illustrations.

About the Author/Editor
Sonu Shamdasani, a preeminent Jung historian, is Reader in Jung History at Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine at University College London. He lives in London, England.

Visit the Fisher King Press online bookstore.

Phone orders welcomed, Credit Cards accepted. 1-800-228-9316 toll free in the US & Canada, International +1-831-238-7799.

Enemy, Cripple, Beggar: Finalist of NAAP Gradiva® Award

noreply@blogger.com (Fisher King) — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 20:28:00 +0000

Enemy, Cripple, Beggar: Shadows in the Hero’s Path
is 1 of 3 finalists for the Theoretical category of the NAAP Gradiva® Award.

In Enemy, Cripple, Beggar: Shadows in the Hero's Path, Erel Shalit provides new thoughts and views on the concepts of Hero and Shadow. From a Jungian perspective, this Fisher King Press publication elaborates on mythological and psychological images. Myths and fairy tales explored include Perseus and Andersen's The Cripple. You'll also enjoy the psychological deciphering of Biblical stories such as Amalek - The Wicked Warrior, Samson - The Impoverished Sun, and Jacob & the Divine Adversary. With the recent discovery of The Gospel of Judas, Dr. Shalit also delves into the symbolic relationship between Jesus and Judas Iscariot to illustrate the hero-function's inevitable need of a shadow.

About the Author
Erel Shalit is a Jungian psychoanalyst in Ra'anana, Israel. He is a training and supervising analyst, and past president of the Israel Society of Analytical Psychology (ISAP). He is the author of several publications, including The Hero and His Shadow: Psychopolitical Aspects of Myth and Reality in Israel and The Complex: Path of Transformation from Archetype to Ego. Articles of his have appeared in Quadrant, The Jung Journal, Spring Journal, Political Psychology, Clinical Supervisor, Round Table Review, Jung Page, Midstream, and he has entries in The Encyclopedia of Psychology and Religion. Dr. Shalit lectures at professional institutes, universities, and cultural forums in Israel, Europe, and the United States.

Click the button below to check out with Amazon:

Order your copy Enemy, Cripple, Beggar from Fisher King Press.
Phone orders welcomed, Credit Cards accepted. 1-800-228-9316 toll free in the US & Canada, International +1-831-238-7799.

Be kept up to date on many new publications - register with our secure site at http://www.fisherkingpress.com/zencart .

"The Word Made Flesh" - a presentation.

noreply@blogger.com (Fisher King) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 05:43:00 +0000

Oct. 10th, “The Word Made Flesh” a presentation at the San Francisco Jung Institute Conference on The Living Symbol.

CONFERENCE:
The Living Symbol In and Out of the Consulting Room - Maria Chiaia, Naomi Lowinsky, Richard Stein, Bryan Wittine, Suzanne Wagner
Saturday and Sunday, October 10 & 11, 2009
9:30 am – 3:30 pm

Reserve for this event at San Francisco Jun g Institute

"Symbols act as transformers"
- C.G. Jung (CW Vol. 5: 232)
Living symbols are messages from the depths of our being to our conscious "I", messages that reveal mysterious things about ourselves and our lives. Psychotherapists across traditions have found that symbolic images open the way to the creative possibilities of the unconscious. We discover these images through free association, dreams, fantasies, creative productions, and within the relational field between analyst and analysand. They evoke fascination, awe, fear, joy, upset, disorientation, but are inevitably transformative when we approach them with respect and attend to them in a contemplative way.

In this conference five Jungian analysts with different approaches will speak to their experience of living, transforming symbols in their lives and clinical work. What does the living symbol look like in clinical practice and in life? How does the symbol enter our psyche, and what does it do once it becomes known? What are the spiritual implications of symbols? Through lectures that include theory, art, poetry, and clinical material, the speakers will offer their unique perspectives on the ways symbols guide processes of growth in and out of the consulting room.

The Word Made Flesh - Naomi Ruth Lowinsky

It is as if the poet could still sense, beneath the words of contemporary speech and in the images that crowd in upon his imagination, the ghostly presence of bygone spiritual worlds, and possessed the capacity to make them come alive again. As Gerhart Hauptmann says: "Poetry is the art of letting the primordial word resound through the common word." - Jung, (CW 5 p. 303)

Our medium, in analysis, is language: the spoken word. Like poets we seek the "primordial word." We are engaged in the Promethean art of bringing life, fire, libido back to our analysand's word: so the word is made flesh; the symbol comes to life; the God is renewed.

When a person stumbles into analysis, she is typically split off from the surge of her libido, cut off from the meaning of her words, severed from her authenticity and from her Gods. She is incarcerated in taboos and constrictions that block her feeling, steal her breath, smother her fire.

If the analysis goes well she will find her way back, through the circumambulations and meanderings of the analytic conversation, to her own primordial word. She and her analyst will create a private language, a personal Tarot deck of living symbols, born of their shared wanderings in her internal landscape: her Gods and demons, dreams, memories, wounds, and longings. This is the stuff of her soul. Together they come to know what moves her, what excites her, how her words become flesh. Perhaps she will find a creative form in which to manifest the power of her personal symbols.

I propose to tell the story of such an analysis, the one I know best – my own – and to reflect on how language and poetry expresses the living symbol: the word made flesh. A series of poems about my analytic experience will structure the talk.

Naomi Ruth Lowinsky, PhD, is an analyst member of the C. G. Jung Institute of San Francisco and a widely published poet. Her book on creativity, The Sister from Below: When the Muse Gets Her Way, has just been published by Fisher King Pre ss. She has published a collection of poems about the analytic experience, Crimes of the Dreamer. She is the poetry editor of Psychological Perspectives, teaches writing classes in many settings, and is in private practice in Berkeley.

Jung's Red Book, available from Fisher King Press

noreply@blogger.com (Fisher King) — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 22:52:00 +0000

THE RED BOOK
Now Available for immediate shipping!

The Red Book
by C.G. Jung / Edited by Sonu Shamdasani
416pp, Hardcover
List Price $195.00
ON SALE FOR $169.95
Click to order directly from Fisher King Press

Product Description
The most influential unpublished work in the history of psychology. When Carl Jung embarked on an extended self-exploration he called his “confrontation with the unconscious,” the heart of it was The Red Book, a large, illuminated volume he created between 1914 and 1930. Here he developed his principle theories—of the archetypes, the collective unconscious, and the process of individuation—that transformed psychotherapy from a practice concerned with treatment of the sick into a means for higher development of the personality.

While Jung considered The Red Book to be his most important work, only a handful of people have ever seen it. Now, in a complete facsimile and translation, it is available to scholars and the general public. It is an astonishing example of calligraphy and art on a par with The Book of Kells and the illuminated manuscripts of William Blake. This publication of The Red Book is a watershed that will cast new light on the making of modern psychology.
212 color illustrations.

About the Author/Editor
Sonu Shamdasani, a preeminent Jung historian, is Reader in Jung History at Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine at University College London. He lives in London, England.

Visit The Red Book Page at the Fisher King Press online bookstore, or visit our main website at www.fisherkingpress.com

Phone orders welcomed, Credit Cards accepted. 1-800-228-9316 toll free in the US and Canada, International +1-831-238-7799.

Honoring the Assumption of Mary

noreply@blogger.com (Fisher King) — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 09:45:00 +0000

An Introduction to Re-Imagining Mary by Mariann Burke

Re-Imagining Mary is about meeting Mary in image and imagination. It is about the Mary image mirroring both an outer reality and the inner feminine soul. My first meeting with Mary began with an experience of Fra Angelico’s Annunciation (Cortona). I cannot account for my unusual response to the image except to say that, at the time, over twenty years ago, I was studying Jungian psychology in Zürich, Switzerland and was then probably more disposed to respond to the imaginal world. One day as I sat in my basement apartment reflecting on a picture of his Annunciation, energy seemed to surge through me and lift me above myself. Tears brought me to deep center.

Fra Angelico. Annunciation (ca. 1433) Museo Diocesano, Cortona.(1)

It does not matter whether my experience was religious or psychic. The two are very similar since any religious experience always affects our psyche and changes it. It was as if I was restored to my truest self. This was an awakening for me, not an ecstasy. Far from leaving my body-self, I seemed to recover it. At the time I had no desire to study Art History or Iconography. Instead, wishing to stay in the world of the symbolic, I returned to the Biblical inspiration for the image in St. Luke.

This is what St. Luke tells us about Jesus’ conception:

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the House of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. He went in and said to her, “Rejoice, so highly favored! The Lord is with you.” She was deeply disturbed by these words and asked herself what this greeting could mean, but the angel said to her, “Mary, do not be afraid; you have won God’s favor. Listen! You are to conceive and bear a son, and you must name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High.” (Luke:1:26-38)

I had read this passage many times but it was soon to take on richer meaning.

Since we know nothing of Jesus’ conception and birth, legend and myth “fill in.” The word ‘myth’ comes from the ancient Greek word ‘mythos’ meaning ‘word.’ Both ‘logos’ and ‘mythos’ mean ‘word.’ While ‘logos’ refers to rational thinking, ‘mythos’ describes poetic or intuitive thinking. “Biblical accounts of Jesus’ birth and resurrection are ‘mythos.’ Biblical historical facts of his life are ‘logos.’ Both are true.”(2) Myths or mythos express truth closer to life’s meaning than facts. Myths resonate in the soul. For example, stories about the quest for the Grail resonate with all “searchers.” We long to experience the Holy, the numinous. The Annunciation, the birth in the stable, the shepherds’ adoration, and the journey to Egypt, all of these give valuable insights into our personal spiritual journey. And the artists who have painted these scenes have provided us with “windows” into depths unknown perhaps even to them . . .

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Mariann Burke is a Jungian analyst in private practice in Newton, MA. She holds graduate degrees from the University of Pittsburgh, Andover-Newton Theological School, and the C. G. Jung Institute in Zurich, Switzerland. She has done graduate work in Scripture at Union Theological Seminary and La Salle University. Her interests include the body-psyche connection, feminine spirituality, and the psychic roots of Christian symbolism. She is a member of the Religious of the Sacred Heart (RSCJ)

To order a copy of Re-Imagining Mary ISBN 9780981034416 visit www.fisherkingpress.com or www.reimaginingmary.com.

Or Phone Fisher King Press at 1-800-228-9316 Toll Free US & Canada
International +1-831-238-7799

1.The work of art depicted in this image and the reproduction thereof are in the public domain worldwide. The reproduction is part of a collection of reproductions compiled by The Yorck Project. The compilation copyright is held by Zenodot Verlagsgesellschaft mbH and licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fra_Angelico_069.jpg
2. Seminar notes by Dr. Richard Naegle, Guild for Psychological Studies, San Francisco, 1995. In St. John’s Gospel “Logos” refers to the eternal existence of the Word. See also Karen Armstrong, A Short History of Myth, p. 31.

Win a Free Book!

noreply@blogger.com (Fisher King) — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 00:39:00 +0000

FREE $5 Gift Certificate
&
a Chance to Win a Book!

Just for registering with our new Online Bookstore receive a FREE $5 Gift Certificate and the chance to win a Free Book. A Fisher King Press or il piccolo editions publication will be awarded to every 100th person who registers at the new Fisher King Press Online Bookstore.

Help get the word out to other readers about the valuable publications our online bookstore has to offer. Sign up today and tell your family and friends so that they can also receive a FREE $5 Gift Certificate and the chance to win a new Fisher King Press/il piccolo editions publication.

Visit our unline bookstore at www.fisherkingpress.com
Click on the Fisher King Logo to enter the bookstore, then register and subscribe to our Newsletter.
Your $5 Gift Certificate will be delivered to you in a confirmation email.
If you are the 100th online subscriber, you will also win a Fisher King Press/il piccolo editions book of your choosing.

It’s that simple to claim your $5 Fisher King Press Online Bookstore Gift Certificate and register for a chance to win a free book! Your assistance in spreading the word about Fisher King Press authors will be helpful to many who are searching for quality publications and a better life.

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Gift Certificates valid only towards the purchase of any book offered for sale on the Fisher King Press online bookstore, but have no cash value. Free book promotional for every 100th person that registers with our online bookstore ends 10/31/2009.

The Father Spirit: At the Turning Point

noreply@blogger.com (Fisher King) — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 13:01:00 +0000

an article by Bud Harris, Ph.D.

A Guide for Rediscovering and Renewing
the Foundations of Fatherhood

The Father Spirit at the Turning Point

As I was reflecting on Fathers' Day this year and developing the material I'm going to use in a Fall lecture and workshop, "The Father Quest: A Guide for Rediscovering and Renewing the Foundations of Fatherhood," I was moved to write the following article. I titled it "The Father Spirit at the Turning Point." Good friends who publish Western North Carolina Woman magazine included it in their June issue; every year their June issue is "Honoring the Y Chromosome." Because of the enthusiastic response to the article, I've decided to share it with you. I hope that you will find it inspiring and enriching.

A few mornings after Christmas my wife and I were sitting at the breakfast table with my daughter. While I slowly sipped my tea, she was explaining how the slump in the economy had impacted their holidays. As a family of five with three children, finding their income reduced substantially had ushered in a holiday stress that was new to them. When she finished talking she sighed and added, "I've given up any hope that we can leave our children any better off than we were."

I was shocked by the discouragement in her voice. Leaving our children better off than we were when we started adult life has been a major part of the American Dream for as long as I can remember. I don't know how old that part of our dream is but I'm sure my father, who lived through the Great Depression, devoted much of his life to it. For his age-group, being sure your children went to college was considered a guarantee for the chance at a better life. My father's generation came out of the depression, World War II and the atomic age with a colossal yearning to create a healthy, sound world. They wanted their children to have lives that were smooth and prosperous. As we lived into the nineteen fifties our society and our families tried to make problems taboo. We wanted to have certainties. Or, rather, our parents wanted to have them for us even as the world was spiraling into the chaos of the nineteen sixties. I don't blame them for their longings because I know they were born out of the fear and traumas they endured and their desire to create a safer world for themselves and their children. Yet, this longing eventually became the root of their problems as it narrowed their perspective on life and now it has become the root of our problems as we have concretized the symbols of well-being onto financial success and material abundance.

I can easily remember that in the nineteen seventies our societal goal was to have more leisure time for our families and recreation. But, as we moved into the recession and energy shortage of the early nineteen eighties our old economic terrors began to re-emerge and we refocused on becoming workaholics; the trend-setting movie of that decade was Wall Street, famous for the speech in it that "greed is good." Instead of being a warning, this movie forecast the future.

The fear, anxiety and profound challenges that had caused a generation of men to become our "greatest generation" left them so wounded that they were unable to train and mentor their sons to be capable of meeting new challenges. My father and my coaches and teachers were more concerned that we be able to get "good" jobs than they were with teaching courage and the importance of character. They had lost track of the fact that the world is always spinning into a future of new challenges that we can rarely predict. This kind of a world can only be met effectively when we have learned something about the importance of having character, which includes love, openness, courage, integrity, and the respect for creativity. The dream of our Founding Fathers was to create a country where individuals could experience freedom, dignity, respect, equal protection under the law, the right to a representative government, the right to worship according to our own conscience and the pursuit of happiness. While this vision was imperfectly implemented it was the most profound social vision in history.

Let us remember now that the reason we call these men the Founding Fathers is no accident. In archetypal terms it is the positive, inspiring Father Spirit that calls for transformation, a renaissance of the spirit of the times in the culture or in each of us. From the perspective of Jungian psychology it is the positive Father Spirit that has called me to transform myself and grow through and beyond the crises in my life, and it is the positive Father Principle (both coming from the same archetype) that demands I must give a personal response to new life and a protective field for it to grow in. This is an important part of the definition of father love whether it is to mother and child or to the concerns of culture. It is the responsibility of father love to build a place for new life to thrive in.

Let us remember also that every archetypal image has a negative, destructive side as well as a positive, nurturing one. There is a negative destructive Father Spirit that we must watch out for. We have seen this image pictured in stories and movies. Darth Vader may be the one that is best known, or the father whose son committed suicide in Dead Poets' Society. Of course, some of us have experienced personifications of the destructive father spirit personally if our father was abusive or supported the Great Santini approach to sports, confrontation or aggression. The negative father spirit is also one that is fearful, afraid of being overwhelmed by life, and is therefore afraid of change, new life, and creative potentials. When we are possessed by this spirit we live in the illusionary hope that the way we did it in the past will be the best way to do it in the future.

These descriptions of the negative father spirit remind me of the experiences of an old college friend. We went to Georgia Tech and he majored in industrial engineering. His father owned a plant that produced concrete blocks. My friend looked forward to the day he could join his father and uncles in the family business. After his graduation his father said he wanted to teach him the business from the ground up and he started him at a low-paying, nasty, back-breaking job in the plant. In reality, my friend learned to hate the business and the true nature of his father that he discovered in the process. He realized his father had no respect for his intelligence or achievements in a tough university, and little respect for his desire to be close to him. And he was unable to nurture his son's ability to bring a new spirit of creativity into the business. His father's interest in maintaining his power and superiority was more important to him than his love for his son.

When my daughter spoke to me a few days after Christmas, I was too surprised to answer her very well. But after thinking about what she said I realized that we are at a turning point in history. I believe that we can leave our children and our grandchildren better off than when we entered adult life. But I also believe that our quest today is to leave them better off spiritually than we were. We can teach them more about reality than we were taught. We can help them learn while they are still in the safety of our love that life is full of uncertainty and anxiety, faith and nagging doubts, profound emotions, health and sickness, love, despair and grandeur. Our goal should not be to help them search for security but for competence in adult endeavors and for meaning along with the kind of passion that is soul deep rather than settling for the good life based on materialism. We must also teach by example or our efforts will be without substance.

If we are going to leave them better off spiritually than we were, we must be living a life supported by a spiritual purpose that is more profound than appearances, the security of fundamentalism, practices that help us avoid looking into our own souls, or the naïve answers of groups immersed in positive thinking. We should be able to show by how we live that we are aware of our ability to confront our deepest fears and hopes, our joys and sorrows, our wounds of love and how we've failed our own ideals at times. And, as our children mature we must be able to share some of what we've learned from these experiences.

The new president we've elected symbolizes a turning point. So far, he is facing our many problems with foresight and intelligence. I'm impressed that he doesn't see war as the solution to every problem ranging from cancer to terrorism. It is about time we learned, or relearned the lesson from our Founding Fathers, that masculine strength, wisdom and courage, when used in support of life's greatest principles, can overcome the efforts of mighty empires whose major focus is on power and commerce.

Our new president is a symbol of the new potential that has been aroused in our country. But, he is not a savior and he knows it. We must answer our own call to transform our model of living into one that isn't based on the fear of losing our never-ending material growth. The Father Spirit at its best calls us to look for balance and depth, for spiritual growth to balance our material growth and spiritual depth to provide the meaning that can give purpose and support to our lives-because neither the material alone nor the spiritual alone can give us the needed fullness of life.

We are also in a dangerous time. When great new potentials are born, the forces of the old order are threatened and fight back. Just as King Herod slaughtered the innocents, all of the new creative potentials he could get his hands on, the voices of conventional wisdom, of fear and the status quo, will fight viciously to retain their power and control. But, this is an era for men to live with new courage, creativity and love-in the support of life. I am looking forward to seeing my grandsons live into this world, and I want to do everything I can to help prepare them for it and it for them.

The Father Quest:
Rediscovering an Elemental Force
by Bud Harris
ISBN 978-0-9810344-9-2
Available from your local bookstore, a host of online booksellers, and directly from Fisher King Press
Call 1-800-228-9316 to order by phone.

Press Release: Two New Inner City Titles

noreply@blogger.com (Fisher King) — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 05:32:00 +0000

INNER CITY BOOKS is proud to add TWO NEW TITLES to its substantial, acclaimed canon of Studies in Jungian Psychology by Jungian Analysts:

125. AN AMERICAN JUNGIAN: In Honor of Edward F. Edinger
(Ed. George R. Elder and Dianne D. Cordic). Illustrated.
ISBN 978-1-894574-26-6. 288 pages. Sewn. Index. $35/£20

This extraordinary compilation brings together essays and reviews by Dr. Edinger together with appreciations by others of his work and interviews with him. None of it has previously been published in book form.

Edward F. Edinger was such a significant presence in the worldwide Jungian community that this volume can only begin to assess his greatness as an interpreter of Jung’s work and his dedication to the significance of Analytical psychology—but it well illustrates his worth.

Contents include:

Bibliography of Edinger books and electronic media
An American Jungian: Transcript of the acclaimed video,"A Conversation with Edinger," by Lawrence W. Jaffe
A Guide to the Writings of Edward F. Edinger, by Robin Robertson
Edinger Essays and Reviews:
An Outline of Analytical Psychology
Paracelsus and the Age of Aquarius
Ralph Waldo Emerson: Naturalist of the Soul
Individuation: A Myth for Modern Man
The Question of a Jungian Community
Archetypal Patterns in Schizophrenia
Tributes to M. Esther Harding, Eleanor Bertine, Jung and Marie-Louise von Franz
The Psyche and Global Unrest

* * * * *

126. JUNG UNCORKED: Rare Vintages from the Cellar of Analytical Psychology—Book Four
Decanted with Commentaries by Daryl Sharp (Toronto)
ISBN 978-1-894574-27-3. 160 pages. Sewn. Index. $25/£15

This volume concludes the author’s adventurous Uncorked series (see titles 120, 121, 123) explicating various essays in C. G. Jung’s Collected Works. Each chapter presents spirited passages from an essay in one volume of Jung’s CW, with experiential commentaries on their psychological and contemporary relevance.

Contents:

9ii The Shadow
10 The Undiscovered Self
11 Yoga and the West 39
12 Religious Ideas in Alchemy 48
13 The Philosophical Tree 55
14 The Components of the Coniunctio 62
15 In Memory of Sigmund Freud 75
16 Principles of Practical Psychotherapy 87
17 The Development of Personality 108
18 Symbols and the Interpretation of Dreams 115

The entire catalogue of Inner City titles are available for purchase online at www.fisherkingpress.com or call 1-800-228-9316 to order in the US or 1-831-238-7799 from abroad.

Politics of the Soul: Enemy, Cripple, Beggar

noreply@blogger.com (Fisher King) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 20:15:00 +0000

an in-depth review by Joey Madia

Written by Erel Shalit, a noted and extensively published Jungian psychoanalyst practicing in Ra’anana, Israel, Enemy, Cripple & Beggar is a treasure for our times. Vital and applicable to both lay people and experts, the book flows seamlessly and spirally from scholarship, to textual interpretation, to case studies, and the analysis of dreams. Shalit draws on an impressive breadth of scholarship and myths/fairy tales, looking at both history (e.g., the Crusades or Masada) and story.

The book first discusses the key aspects of the Hero, considering Byron, the work of Robert Graves and Robert Bosnak, the Bible, and Joseph Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces, among many other sources.

I take as my starting point the condition of mythlessness in the modern world, as expressed by Jung and reinforced by Campbell and how it is limiting our vision and ability to cure an ailing world rife with war and economic/environmental woes.

If ever we needed to consider the role of the Hero, it is now.

Consider the mistaken mythologizing of the death and wounding, respectively, of Pat Tillman and Jessica Lynch. While both are certainly heroes, the government’s and media’s manipulation of their circumstances (used to try and justify an unjustifiable war) bring to mind David Mamet’s Wag the Dog, the 1997 film adaptation of Larry Beinhart's novel, American Hero.

The people love their heroes and their construction for societal consumption by the government and the media has become no less than a High Art.

Shalit says, on p. 24: “In society, the hero may be the messenger of hope who lights the torch of democracy. Sometimes it is amazing how, at the right moment in history, the heroism of a nation, spurting forth through layers of oppression, creates dramatic changes and overthrows worn-out regimes.”

Might this apply to U.S. president-elect Barak Obama? Many people think so, and many more find themselves hoping so. Then again, there are many who see him as the shadow, using the term antichrist, and finding similarities between he and Nicolae Carpathia in the Left Behind series.

If ever we needed to consider the role of the Hero, it is now.

Consider the current fascination with Superheroes in the age of CGI and comic book cinema. Just last night I watched Christopher Nolan’s record-shattering The Dark Knight, which takes as its thesis the complicated interrelationship of the hero and the shadow. Given the death of Heath Ledger, who played the Joker, the notions of the Hero are expanded to the realm of the Artist and his or her relationship with Pain.

When Shalit writes, on p. 95, “…life thrives in the shadow; in our detested weaknesses, complex inferiorities and repressed instincts there is more life and inspiration than in the well-adjusted compliance of the persona,” I think that his words bring Ledger’s death into sharp relief. As an acting teacher who works almost exclusively with teens, many of which see Ledger’s “dying for his art” as a form of heroism (an interpretation with which I disagree; it discounts the necessity of craft in preventing such tragedies), I think it is more important than ever to examine carefully the Hero’s role and relationship to the shadow.

The shadow is Jung’s term for the unconscious, the “thing a person has no wish to be” (p. ix). His early experience of his own shadow is, to me, some of the most compelling and useful text in his Memories, Dreams, and Reflections.

The hero must go into the shadow (the forest, the depth of the sea, the desert, the cave—Plato’s or the Celtic Bard’s) to retrieve his soul. The shadow is a place of misery, calling to mind Schopenhauer’s ideas about life being mostly pain and sorrow and Campbell’s advice to “follow your bliss” [sat chit ananda].

Much of what Shalit centers on as aspects of the Hero are present in the shaman, who also has “one foot in divinity, one in the world of mortals” (p. 33). The journey into the netherworld (often to retrieve or heal the soul), the returning with precious gifts of knowledge, the responsibility of re-integration into the community (see Mircea Eliade’s comprehensive works on shamanism), all parallel the hero’s journey. The modes of the vision quest and the alchemical transformation are, further, symbolically manifested in the landscape of the fairy tale.

Pursuing this idea, Shalit, in the tradition of Robert Bly’s Iron John or Bruno Bettelheim’s Uses of Enchantment, ably presents and dissects a number of fairy tales, myths, and Biblical stories in the course of the book.

“Nixie of the Millpond” is presented without commentary. The myth of Perseus, however, is told with commentary from a wide variety of sources mixed in. It would be valuable to watch Clash of the Titans (1981) after reading this section, as it brings Shalit’s analysis visually to life. Page 47 lists eight traits of the hero myth to guide the interpretation. I would add a ninth—the use of magical items (such as Athena’s shield, Hermes’ sword, and the three gifts of the Stygian nymphs, all of which are given to Perseus to defeat the Medusa).

I have used these same basic elements of the hero myth for the past decade in my theatre workshops with youth and in my books on using drama in the classroom.

If our youth are to break the limiting conventions of societal and governmental structures that have put the planet and its inhabitants in a place of crisis, they—and those who guide and educate them—must understand the Hero and Shadow both.

On p. 65 Shalit writes, “Collective consciousness constitutes a threat by its demand on compliance with rules, roles and regulations.” The mythological fighting of dragons and monsters by the Hero is most clearly articulated to me by Joseph Campbell, when, in various books and interviews, he talked about Nietzsche describing the cycle of life as beginning as a camel loaded down with the requirements of parents and society. The camel then goes into the desert (one of the hero landscapes I mentioned earlier) to become the lion, who must slay the dragon whose scales all say "Thou Shalt." This dragonslaying, certainly a noble and necessary undertaking, situates the Hero as the classic warrior, akin to Michael the Archangel and St. George, but when the fighting is done, the warrior must put down the sword. Whether we speak of the Vulcans comprising the Bush administration (as author James Mann terms them) or an abused child who grows up to wage ongoing battles even on a landscape of peace in a more stable family situation, this is a notion well worth focusing on. I think of the Roman general Cincinnatus, who moved back and forth between sword and plow and the dwarves of the novels of Dan Parkinson, who switch the hammer from one hand to the other as necessary in times of peace and war.

The hero struggling with the shadow often projects onto a demonized Other because, as Shalit reminds us, “Since shadows easily lend themselves to projection [see pgs. 97–101 for the three types identified by Jung], they are discovered so much more easily in the other than oneself” (p. 84). This is, of course, the source of most of the ugliness in the history of Humankind.

The Biblical explorations/interpretations presented are a high point of the book (see, for example, p. 63 on the Virgin Mary) and begin in earnest with the section on the shadow. The etymology of both biblical and mythological names given throughout add much to the discussion.

Shalit uses Oscar Wilde’s “doppelganger novel,” Picture of Dorian Gray, to explore the notion of shadow in terms of our duality, as Dorian is projecting his shadow onto the canvas. Duality—war/peace, animus/anima, masculine/feminine, dark/light—is prevalent throughout the book.

The second half of the book deals with the Enemy, Cripple, and Beggar of the title. The Enemy (the projection onto the Other that is really the shadow in oneself) is explored through such Biblical figures as Amalek, Samson, Jacob, and the key figures in the trial of Jesus. The section on the Fathers and the Collective Consciousness, dealing with Caiaphas, the Sanhedrin, Barabbas, and Judas, is fascinating reading. The connection of the father and the son resounds on many levels, including the relationship of Jesus/Judas as being nearly inseparable.

The Cripple (one’s weaknesses and inner wounds) is explored through mythological/fictional figures such as Hephaestus, Ptah, Oedipus, Quasimodo, and the child in Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Cripple.” There are case studies here that serve many of the same functions as the analyses of the myths and fairy tales, and will appeal to those interested in the dynamics of Jungian analysis. Certain aspects of the second case study reminded me of Don Juan DeMarco (1995), the film starring Marlon Brando and Johnny Depp, especially considering that love (Eros) is the means to heal the Cripple, as articulated so well in this book.

The final section deals with the Beggar (the “door that leads to the passageway of the Self,” p. 225), which is the Inner Voice or Daemon. Shalit deals here with the notions of alchemy that so fascinated Jung. I was intrigued by the story of King Solomon as the wandering beggar and Shalit’s exploration of the life of the prophet Elijah.

In closing, I want to mention the cover art, a painting titled “Emerging” by Susan Bostrom-Wong, an artist and Jungian analyst. Shalit asks the reader to examine the images embedded in the human figure. It is well worth the time to do so. Like the book itself, the longer you look, the more you will see.

I urge educators, artists, and those in search of new paths toward a life well-lived to buy this book. I know that one of my own heroes, Joseph Campbell, certainly would.

Erel Shalit's Enemy, Cripple, & Beggar: Shadows in the Hero's Path and his previously published book The Complex: Path of Transformation from Archetype to Ego can be purchased at www.fisherkingpress.com or by phoning Fisher King Press directly at 1-831-238-7799. Also available from Amazon.com and from a host of other on-line booksellers.

This review of Erel Shalit’s Enemy, Cripple & Beggar: Shadows in the Hero’s Path was written by Joey Madia of New Mystics. New Mystics is an online Arts community founded in 2002 by Joey Madia, playwright, poet, novelist, actor, director, artist, musician, and teacher who promotes the work of a group of cutting edge writers and artists. To learn more about New Mystics, Joey Madia, and his most recent publication Jester-Knight visit www.newmystics.com.

Give me that old time religion. It’s good enough for me . . . Or is it?

noreply@blogger.com (Fisher King) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 23:07:00 +0000

Perhaps that 'Old Time' religion has failed us, or at least the deeper meaning of symbols and metaphors have been lost to misinterpreted literalism and that 'old king,' religious fundamentalism. Blindly following old time beliefs and attitudes in their many forms and guises is following our forefathers right over the cliff and into a vast sea of disillusionment and meaninglessness. Will we repeat this by following along with a host of fundamentalist ideals, the endless pursuit of materialism at the expense of our ecology, and other forms of meaningless neurotic suffering, or we will be moved to willingly and consciously suffer the unknown, until these old time religious symbols become alive within and take on authentic meaning as opposed to being a useless, lifeless, hand-me-down relic?

Instead of completely running away from, or blindly following, perhaps we could begin to question these old religions and fundamentalisms, begin to confront and dialogue with these calcified God-Images, and find that lost nugget of gold - the transcendent. After all, like a reoccurring nightmare, these haunting literalized religious concepts and other 'old king' values will not go away until their embedded images are exposed and truly given their due.

Edward F. Edinger’s Transformation of the God-Image and Lawrence W. Jaffe’s Celebrating Soul are two fine Inner City Book publications that address such concerns.

Transformation of the God-Image
by Edward F. Edinger
with a foreword by Lawrence W. Jaffe

"Whoever knows God has an effect on him." C.G. Jung, Answer to Job.

From Lawrence W. Jaffe’s Foreword of Transformation of the God-Image:

Despite the Biblical imagery, this book is not concerned with traditional religion. Its subject, rather, is psychology, the scientific study of the soul. References are to Job, God and Christ because our deepest feelings still resonate to that imagery. Put another way, the reason for the Biblical references is because "Jungian psychology has the task of introducing to the world a new world view" (Edinger, Aion). The roots of this new world view lie in the Judeo-Christian myth.

If, as Edinger predicts, Jung's works are one day read as Scripture once was--for sustenance of our souls, for moving words that touch us to the heart, for reassurance, guidance and orientation--Answer to Job will surely occupy a unique place in the Jungian canon. The special status of Answer to Job as the most complete statement of Jung's essential message has long been acknowledged by Jungians, who have discussed it in countless seminars and conferences since its publication in 1952.

What has sparked all this interest is that the central theme of Answer to Job--the transformation of God through human consciousness--is the central theme, too, of Jungian psychology. Not long before his death Jung himself affirmed its importance, remarking that he would like to rewrite all of his books except Answer to Job, which he would leave just as it stands.

Answer to Job contains the kernel, the essence, of the Jungian myth, and Edinger's study of it, at once erudite and down-to-earth, thoughtful and heartfelt, evokes that essence with unequaled clarity and power.

Celebrating Soul by Lawrence W. Jaffe

‘Man has a soul and there is a treasure buried in the field.’ --C.G. Jung.

People are beginning to bump up against the limits of materialism and rationalism, realizing that these fail to offer something essential, a purpose in life. Although a few turn back to institutional religion for orientation, many find that road barred to them by their reason and their skepticism. Whatever form the new religion takes it must leave a large place for reason. The new religion will therefore be the product of a marriage between reason and faith, science and religion.

We cannot do without meaning in our lives. Meaning cannot be established objectively; it arises only through a relationship with the inner, subjective world. But it is precisely that realm that has been discredited in our day by the misapplication of the scientific spirit. In compensation, this book describes and gives examples of the inner life in order to help the reader sense the reality of the soul. It explores the spiritual significance of Jungian psychology--its message of personal and cultural renewal for a civilization that has lost its sense of purpose.

In Celebrating Soul, Lawrence Jaffe helps to expose what has been lost in literal translations and brings us into deeper relationship with the symbolic and metaphoric value of concerns such as:

* The New Religion
* The Jungian Myth
* Jungian Spirituality
* What Is Our Purpose in Life?
* The Hymn of the Pearl
* Breaking the Chain of Suffering
* The Golden Rule and the Iron Rule
* The Wounded Inner Child in the Bible
* The Lesson of Job
* The Meaning of Suffering
* Holding the Opposites As Service to God
* Wrestling with the Angel
* The Redemptive Value of Consciousness
* A New Form of Worship
* The Healing of Childhood Wounds
* Success Versus Consciousness
* Jung on the Life of Christ
* Studying Torah and Studying Jung
* Redemption Through Shadow Work
* A Psychological View of the First Commandment
* Testimony to the Holocaust
* Death and Resurrection
* Being "Born Again"
* Individuation and the Bible
* Jung and the Bible on Love
* New Life in Late Life
* A Psychological Gloss on a Benediction
* The Problem of Prayer
* Christ As a Model for Individuation
* Reason and Statistics
* Self-Knowledge Gives Meaning to Life
* The Answer Lies Within
* Psychotherapy As Sabbath

Along with many other publications
Transformation of the God Image and Celebrating Soul can be ordered by calling
Fisher King Press at 1-800-228-9316 in the US, or +1-831-238-7799 from abroad.
Also available at www.fisherkingpress.com