MODULE THREE
SYMBOLISM
Presented by Renee Ramsden and Ursula Ulmer
Description
One way to try to understand the unconscious is through the use of symbols. This symbolic approach opens us to a wealth of interpretations, a kind of language of dreams, often revealing to us something previously unknown. Interpreting a dream literally tends to flatten it and make it sterile. In order to become fluent in symbolic language, we look at fairy tales, dreams and active imagination.
Seminar Dates
- May 5 – Dreams and individuation
- May 12 – Mythology
- May 19 – Active Imagination
- May 26 – Fairy Tales
- June 2 – Discussion session
Seminar Content
May 5 – Dreams and Individuation
Presentation of a dream series which illustrates the tracking of the individuation process, through introducing the dynamic relationship between inner figures towards self-acceptance.
May 12 – Mythology
Presentation of the myth of Artemis as an exploration of the goddess who protects the young and the soul.
May 19 – Active Imagination
The process of active imagination is illustrated through a series of mandala drawings published in a book by David Rosen, Soul Circles. David Rosen is a renowned Jungian analyst and author of many books who, between 1991 and 2017, also edited twenty volumes in the Fay Book Series in Analytical Psychology.
May 26 – Fairy Tales
Presentation of a Fairy Tale and an approach to interpretation considering standpoint, symbolism, archetypal pattern, human dilemma and potential resolution.
June 2 – Discussion Session
The group will be given a dream/fairy tale which they will be asked to discuss in small groups, and to share their interpretation with the bigger group.
Module Reading List
Required Reading:
- Introduction Chapter of Encountering Jung on Active Imagination by Joan Chodorow (1997, Princeton University Press).
- Graves, R. (1955) The Greek Myths I. Penguin Books. Artemis’s Nature and Deeds, Chapter 22, p. 83 – 86
- Huffington, A. and Gilot, F. (1993) The gods of Greece. Atlantic Monthly Press. Chapter 3, Artemis, p. 53 – 59
- Von Franz, M-L. (1996) Interpretation of Fairy Tales. Shambala
Recommended Reading:
- Lüthi, M. (1986) The European Folktale: Form and Nature. Bloomington. Indiana University Press
- Rosen, D. and Jensen, J. (2020) Soul Circles: Mandalas and Meaning. Resource Publications.
- Segal, R. (1998) Jung on Mythology. Princeton University Press. Introduction, p. 3 – 45
- Whitmont, E. and Brinton-Perera, S. (1989) Dreams: A Portal to the Source.Routledge
Module Presenters
Ursula Ulmer is a Jungian analyst in private practice in Zurich, Switzerland. She is a training analyst and supervisor at ISAP (International School of Analytical Psychology) where she teaches on the topics of Fairy Tale Interpretation, Cultural Complexes and Ethics. She lived in Cape Town from 2000 to 2008.
Renee Ramsden is a clinical psychologist and a Jungian analyst working in private practice in Wynberg, Cape Town, for 30 years. She is a founder member of the Southern African Association for Jungian Analysts (SAAJA) and a training analyst. She specializes in dream-analysis and has been studying alchemy and psychology as presented by C.G. Jung for 25 years. She has a longstanding interest in ancient goddess cultures and their relevance for the feminine in our current world.
Image Credit
https://www.alchemywebsite.com/Emblems_manuscripts_Ulrich_Ruosch.html