Howl in the Wilderness

On this episode I speak with Susan Rowland about her work in Jungian Arts Based Research as well as her career as a writer of what she calls “cosy mystery novels about undervalued women.”

Before taking up detective fiction, Susan wrote books about Carl Jung, gender and the arts. Jung: A Feminist Revision is her most Googled work, suggesting unfinished business with both his post-Romantic psychology and the man himself. Jung, Susan concludes, was dedicated to restoring the lost feminine of modernity, while deploring the necessity for equality between men and women.

Susan Rowland (PhD) teaches at Pacifica Graduate Institute and is the author of ten books on Jung, the feminine, literature and the arts. Her last (with soul mate Joel Weishaus) is Jungian Arts-Based Research and the Nuclear Enchantment of New Mexico (2021). For a decade Susan has been working on a project to examine feminine heroism as a way to cultural renewal. Her first novel, The Sacred Well Murders, was published by Chiron in 2022. The book explores marginalized women becoming involved in epoch-defining events that entail literal and symbolic violence. The Alchemy Fire Murder: A Mary Wandwalker Mystery, is the second in the series. You can find the link to her website in the episode notes.

I really enjoyed our conversation and hope you find it as interesting and inspiring as I did.

https://www.susanrowland-books.com

On this episode I speak with Dr. James Maffie, about his book Aztec Philosophy: Understanding a World in Motion. James Maffie is senior lecturer in the Department of Philosophy and affiliate of the Latin American Studies Program at the University of Maryland.

Go deeper:
Aztec Philosophy book: https://www.ubcpress.ca/aztec-philosophy
Lecture by Andres Segura Granados: https://youtu.be/GwXMc2VP9y8?si=Y--88jhWOatyPrcX

Topics: Nahua, Toltec, Aztec, Mexica, philosophy, metaphysics, Taoism

Like a Donkey Between Two Bales of Hay: Puer and Senex in Midlife

Puer aeternus is Latin for eternal boy, used in mythology to designate a child-god who is forever young; psychologically, it is an older man whose emotional life has remained at an adolescent level. The puer typically leads a provisional life, due to the fear of being caught in a situation from which it might not be possible to escape. He covets independence and freedom, chafes at boundaries and limits, and tends to find any restriction intolerable. Senex (“old man”): associated with attitudes that come with advancing age. Negatively, cynicism, rigidity, conservativism; positively, responsibility, order, self-discipline. The elder pole of the spirit archetype. A healthy personality balances senex with puer. In this lecture, Dr. Lavin discusses the experience of Puer and Senex in midlife.

Thomas Patrick Lavin, PhD is a Zürich-trained Jungian analyst who holds a PhD in clinical psychology and a PhD in theology. He was formerly chief clinical psychologist for the U.S. Army in Europe and is a founding member of the CG Jung Institute of Chicago. He is in private practice in Wilmette, Illinois, and consults internationally on typology, spirituality and addictions.

© 1991 Thomas Patrick Lavin

In this challenging and entertaining audio program, internationally recognized Jungian teacher and theorist James Hillman, Ph.D., presents the themes he writes about in his well-know book, The Soul’s Code. The fantasy of the family remains the dominating theme of psychotherapy and psychotheory. In this recording, Dr. Hillman brings his critical eye, his wide eye – and often his absurd humor – to bear upon the myths that operate in our thoughts about family.

In this challenging and entertaining audio program, internationally recognized Jungian teacher and theorist James Hillman, Ph.D., presents the themes he writes about in his well-know book, The Soul’s Code. The fantasy of the family remains the dominating theme of psychotherapy and psychotheory. In this recording, Dr. Hillman brings his critical eye, his wide eye – and often his absurd humor – to bear upon the myths that operate in our thoughts about family.

This is a great talk by June Singer on Gnosticism and it's relationship to orthodox Christianism and Jung's concept of individuation. Recorded in 1985.

June Singer, PhD was a major figure in the development of the Jungian movement in the United States.  She earned a Ph.D. in Psychology from Northwestern University and completed training as a Jungian analyst in Zurich, Switzerland.  During the 1960′s, Dr. Singer founded the Analytical Psychology Club of Chicago, which eventually became the C.G. Jung Institute of Chicago, in order to provide interested individuals an opportunity to study the works of Carl Jung. June Singer was a gifted analyst and a distinguished author and lecturer.  Her text, Boundaries of the Soul, is considered to be one of the best introductions to Jungian thought. She also wrote two books about sexuality, and a Jungian study of the poet William Blake.

© 1985 June Singer.

On this episode I speak with Tim Rutili. Tim is an American musician, filmmaker, and visual artist. He is best known as the founder of the alternative rock bands Red Red Meat and Califone, as well as a diverse range of musical collaborations as a multi instrumentalist and composer of scores for film and television.

I’ve been an admirer of Tim’s work since Califone’s 2006 release Roots & Crowns but had lost track of them in recent years. So I was pleasantly surprised when the algorithmic gods alerted me to a new release from them last year. I consider that album, Villagers, one of the musical highlights of last year and a return to form for Califone, who continue to explore the intersections of American roots music, experimental electronics and improvisation.

The features that have been central to Califone’s music since the beginning has always been Tim’s surreal and imagistic lyrics and masterful ability to create a captivating mood through an inventive and unconventional use of sound and texture.

In our conversation we have an open and honest discussion about the challenges of sustaining a creative life without sacrificing your artistic integrity, the slippery nature of memory and dreams, and the importance of meditative and somatic practice to exorcise the demons and maintain a connection to the creative life force.

This episode features selections from Califone's 2023 release Villagers. The outro song is "Wingbone" from Heron King Blues (2004). http://califonemusic.com

Cover image: Tim Rutili (http://www.rootcrownarts.com)

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If you’d like to get access to early release of full episodes and gain exclusive access the first 100 episode archive, you can support the podcast directly by becoming part of the pack over at Patreon.com/howlinthewilderness. 

If you don’t mind being interrupted by the occasional ad, you can also support the podcast for free by subscribing and watching on the Howl in the Wilderness YouTube channel http://youtube.com/@howlinthewilderness

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Episode Description:

On this episode I welcome Brian Falk on the podcast to speak about the way his practice of Chinese Medicine has been informed by his study of depth psychology, particularly the archetypal and imaginal approach of James Hillman.

In the second half of the episode we talk about his recent book entitled Circling the Drain, which explores how the late comedian George Carlin and renegade psychologist James Hillman critiqued modern culture through a creative use of language and incisive humour.

Brian Falk holds a Master's Degree in Chinese Medicine from Five Branches University in Santa Cruz. Brian also earned a PhD in Depth Psychology with an emphasis in Somatic Studies from Pacifica Graduate Institute.

Brian lectures and teaches on topics such as vision improvement, food as medicine, and using acupuncture and massage for chronic pain. Brian maintains a clinical practice in Ventura, California.

Brian's website: https://www.unifiedmedicine.com

Circling the Drain book: https://www.springpublications.com/falk.html

Topics: chinese medicine, taoism, depth psychology, james hillman, george carlin

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the second half of the episode we talk about his recent book entitled Circling the Drain, which explores how the late comedian George Carlin and renegade psychologist James Hillman critiqued modern culture through a creative use of language and incisive humour.

Brian Falk holds a Master's Degree in Chinese Medicine from Five Branches University in Santa Cruz. Brian also earned a PhD in Depth Psychology with an emphasis in Somatic Studies from Pacifica Graduate Institute.

Brian lectures and teaches on topics such as vision improvement, food as medicine, and using acupuncture and massage for chronic pain. Brian maintains a clinical practice in Ventura, California.

Brian's website: https://www.unifiedmedicine.com
Circling the Drain book: https://www.springpublications.com/falk.html

Topics: chinese medicine, taoism, depth psychology, james hillman, george carlin

This is a preview of a longer episode. To listen to the full conversation and gain exclusive access the first 100 episode archive, join the pack over at patreon.com/howlinthewilderness 

Send a one time contribution to http://paypal.me/brianjamessoul

Show Links:

http://brianjames.ca

http://instagram.com/brianjames.soulwork

Watch and subscribe on YouTube: http://youtube.com/@howlinthewilderness

Description:

On this episode I welcome author and psychologist Ian Edwards to the podcast to speak about his new book A Druid in Psychologist’s Clothing: E. Graham Howe’s Secret Druidic Doctrine, published in 2023 by Anathema.

E. Graham Howe is the epitome of the kind of renegade spirit that we celebrate on this podcast. He was born in 1896 and was one of the founding members of the famous Tavistock Clinic in London. Although Howe’s work was initially well received by the burgeoning English psychoanalytic community, he soon began to ruffle some feathers with his eclectic and non-conforming ideas that incorporated concepts derived from Eastern spiritual practice. 

Howe published 12 books on a number of topics, and his writing stands out in the field for his straightforward and clear style, and conscious avoidance of psychological jargon.

Through his books and lectures E. Graham Howe influenced well-known intellectuals and fellow renegades such as R.D. Laing, Alan Watts and Henry Miller. While Howe travelled to India and studied Eastern spirituality and practice, he found a home for his ideas in the images and concepts of the ancient Druids, who he referred to as “masters of the art of living.” He outlined this druidic approach to a spiritual psychology in the posthumously published book The Mind of the Druid.

In our conversation, Ian and I speak in depth about E. Graham Howe’s life and work, his place within the psychological milieu of the early 20th century among contemporaries such as CG Jung, and how revisiting his once-radical ideas could serve to revive secular psychology that has run out of ideas by finally incorporating spirituality and metaphysics into it’s theory and practice.

If you’d like to get access to early release of full episodes and listen and watch free of advertising and interruptions, please consider supporting the podcast directly by becoming part of the pack over at Patreon.com/howlinthewilderness. Your financial contribution, support and encouragement is what sustains me in this work. 

Author page at Anathema: https://anathemapublishing.com/ian-c-edwards

Topics: psychology, spirituality, zen, druidry, carl jung

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.