Michael Lerner, PhD

Archetypal Psychology: The Role of Soul in Daily Life

Join Michael Lerner in this discussion about his studies and journey with archetypal psychology.

James Hillman, a Jungian analyst, founded archetypal psychology to explore the power of archetypes and the place of soul in our psyches and daily lives. Thomas Moore popularized Hillman’s sometimes obscure writings. We’ll trace the lineage of archetypal psychology from the pre-Socratics through medieval and contemporary sources as a great tradition of Western psychology that complements Buddhist and other Eastern psychological traditions.

Useful homework for listening to the podcast:

1. Read the Wikipedia entries on both Hillman and Moore, and background entries on Carl Jung and the Sufi scholar Henry Corbin. Note especially Corbin’s seminal book about the Sufi mysticism of Ibn Arabi, Alone with the Alone.

2. If possible, read any of Hillman and Moore’s books. Suggested: James Hillman, The Soul’s Code, The Force of Character and the Lasting Life, or A Blue Fire; Thomas Moore, Care of the Soul, Dark Nights of the Soul, or Soul Mates

3. Don’t do any of the above but come with an open and inquiring mind.

Michael Lerner, PhD

Michael is the president and co-founder of Commonweal and of Smith Farm Center for Healing and the Arts in Washington, D.C. His principle work at Commonweal is with the Cancer Help Program, the Collaborative on Health and the Environment, and The New School at Commonweal. He is author of Choices in Healing: Integrating the Best of Conventional and Complementary Therapies (MIT Press). He has spent the past months reading intensively in archetypal psychology and wants to share the exploration with New School friends.

Find out more about The New School at tns.commonweal.org.