The Jung Podcast

JUNG PODCAST #21-ACTIVE IMAGINATIONMany subscribers have asked me to deal with the topic of active imagination. In this episode I introduce both active imagination and the transcendent function, as both concepts are linked. Active imagination, or "dreaming with your eyes open? and the transcendent function (the bridging function that mediates the opposites) are central ideas within Analytical Psychology. Why then did Jung refuse to publish the only clear essay on the two areas he wrote in 1916 until 1956? What is it about the transcendent function that is so mysterious. This, and the next few episodes attempts to deal with that very question.

JUNG PODCAST #20 - INTERPRETATION OF FAIRY TALES PART 7A final interpretation of Grimm's "Nixie of the Mill-Pond". This completes the material on the introduction to a Jungian interpretation of Fairy Tales.

JUNG PODCAST #19 – THE INTERPRETATION OF FAIRY TALES PART 6We continue our amplifications of the symbols of the fairy tale we are interpreting, The Nixie of the Mill-Pond. Central symbols such as the golden comb, golden spinning-wheel, and golden flute are dealt with. The amplifications of these symbols are rather extensive in an attempt to demonstrate just what we are able to do with symbols, especially those found in fairy tales or dreams. Bear in mind as you listen to this episode that all the characters of the tale are structures of the psyche viz. The miller is the ego, the wife is the anima etc. The central symbol dictionaries used are Cooper, Cirlot, Biedermann and Herder, as well as von Frantz's texts of the interpretation of fairy tales and the feminine in fairy tales.

JUNG PODCAST #18 - THE INTERPRETATION OF FAIRY TALES PART 5In this episode we continue with the interpretation of "The Nixie of the Mill-Pond" with a focus on which symbols to amplify and how.

JUNG PODCAST #16 - FAIRY TALES 3In this episode we continue with a Jungian approach to fairy tale interpretation. I introduce the "Moreau Guidelines", a concise overview of how one may interpret a fairy tale. The Moreau Guidelines are covered in detail. The first step of an interpretation, using these guidelines is explained, with examples from Grimm's (Rapunzel, The Devil's Sooty Brother, The Raven). Four core ideas are presented : all elements of the fairy tale are elements of a single psyche; all the characters in the fairy tale represent structures of the same psyche; we have to take an interpretive stance for the fairy tale based on whether we feel the tale represents a masculine or a feminine psyche; all the elements of the tale are symbolic.

Jung Podcast #2 - Jung's Model of the PsycheIn this episode I cover the fundamental aspects of the psyche and review the core structures associated with each such aspect. To assist in our model development, I have used Jung's topographical model of the psyche. We begin with seeing the psyche as comprising four aspects – consciousness, the personal unconscious, the collective unconscious and the body. The structures within the first three aspects are the ego, complexes and archetypes respectively. The five functions of the ego are reviewed. The contents of the personal unconscious, in the form of complexes, are dealt with in depth to assist in gaining an understanding of how, when our complexes are constellated, they imp[act certain of the ego's functions. Archetypes are simply defined as symbol-producing structures of the collective unconscious. A link between the three strata of the psyche (conscious, personal unconscious, collective unconscious) is made with the body. THIS IS A RE-RECORDING OF THE SAME EPISODE IN AN ATTEMPT TO IMPROVE THE AUDIO QUALITY

JUNG PODCAST #15 – FAIRY TALES 2In this episode we continue with Luthi's analysis of the European Folk Tale. In the previous episode we dealt with the one-dimensionality and the abstract nature of the fairy tale. In this episode, Luthi's ideas about the depthlessness of the fairy tale is reviewed. These three issues of fairy tales – one-dimensionality, abstractness and depthlessness are all critical aspects in dealing with a Jungian interpretation of the fairy tale. We also deal with why the fairy tale is so important to interpret from a Jungian perspective, primarily because it offers the purest example of the collective unconscious and also gives us a detailed sense of the process of individuation of the human psyche. Finally, this episode has a reading of the text of the classic Grimm's tale of "The Nixie of the Mill-Pond?, the tale we'll use as a basis for our first interpretation.

JUNG PODCAST #14 - FAIRY TALES 1This episode deals with a new and critical issue in our study of Analytical Psychology, that of the interpretation of Fairy Tales. You may ask why we should address this issue? Well, in interpreting the Fairy Tale, we get to examine an example of what von Frantz says is 'the purest and simplest expression of collective unconscious psychic processes.' As a dream is a pure example of symbolic material, but more often about the contents of the personal unconscious, the Fairy Tale represents the contents of the collective unconscious, the archetypes. The other critical issue in the interpretation of Fairy Tales is that we see in the tale an example of an individuation process. Working with Fairy Tales takes our knowledge of the psychodynamics and structures of the psyche to a deeper level and, together with the interpretation of dreams and art, enables us to interpret a wide variety of symbolic material such as movies, literature and expressive art.

In this episode, the third and final part on Jung's typology, I cover the tricky issue of determining one's superior function. Also, we understand why Jung argued that the process of differentiation was vital to our individuation as it permits the development of a broader use of all of our typology, by making the four functions more conscious. The episode also deals with the role of the inferior function in our psyche, as a "portal" between the unconscious and consciousness through which we experience the Shadow, the Anima and the Animus (amongst others).