What if your dreams aren’t random stories your mind creates at night—but a conversation with something deeper?
In this episode of The Alchemical Woman, I’m joined by Jungian analyst and author Lisa Marchiano for a conversation about dreams, fairy tales, the feminine, Eros, initiation, and awe.
Referring to the work of Iain McGilchrist, Lisa explores how our ways of knowing can become overly analytical and information-driven, and what dreams might offer that an algorithm cannot. We talk about how the unconscious speaks through images, metaphor, and deeply personal symbols.
We explore the psychological meaning of the stepmother archetype, what fairy tales can reveal about the parts of ourselves we might otherwise banish, and how we can cultivate a deeper relationship with our inner lives.
Lisa also shares her beautiful understanding of Vasilisa the Beautiful and the little doll who listens first, helps Vasilisa attune to what she feels, and only then offers guidance, a powerful image of intuition, self-soothing, and the wisdom that can emerge when we learn to listen inwardly.
Along the way, we talk about motherhood, therapy, outlaw energies, and creating space for the psyche to speak.