From the Wounds of War to the Wonder of Words in Homer’s Odyssey
“Tell me Muse, about the man of many turns, who many/Ways wandered when he had Sacked Troy’s holy citadel. He saw the cities of many men and he knew their…
When Echo Met Narcissus or How Not to Drown
You’ve probably heard about Narcissus, the immature and self-absorbed lad who fell in love with himself and either drowned or withered away staring at his reflection in a pool. You…
The Deep Heart: It’s not the Pump
When I write about the human heart I’m not referring to the physical pump on the left side of the chest, despite its interesting electromagnetic qualities. Rather, I mean the…
Overture: Night
This article is excerpted from Stephen Jenkison’s book Die Wise: A Manifesto for Sanity and Soul. We wanted to share this with you as it is a theme of great…
The Deep Ground: Towards an Embodied Spirituality
When I write about the ground I am referring to the felt-sense of support and stability that lies beneath the body. Our deepest ground is underground. There are different levels to this sense of being grounded. On one level – the most obvious one – we feel rooted in and connected to the earth. Another level, less frequented, is archetypal. Here we may be pulled down into an underground realm on a mythic journey.
Leaping With the Fool Archetype
One of the most important tasks of the Fool is to learn to leap. When we look at a tarot deck, we see the Fool standing on the edge of a cliff, ready to leap. Leaping is no small feat. But without learning to leap we become fearful. We stay stuck in situations that we outgrow, stay with people that limit us, and environments that no longer inspire us. Leaping means we stay alive and awake in the journey of becoming.’
Dante’s Divine Comedy
Imagine the poem as a vessel containing the prima materia of soul life. Dante’s poem is an opportunity to allow a deepening into our own story, our own narrative, by the imaginal power of analogy. One writer I read years ago spoke of poetry allowing us to enter our own “spiritual unconscious,” with whatever poem we are reading as our guide.
Sufism and the Way of Blame
The Sufis would actively create circumstances in which they were blamed for not acting piously or ethically. The object was to shatter the false image that they or the society had created for them. In this way a master would show disciples that they had been more devoted to an idol or image they had created in their minds, than to the actual spiritual guide.
Living in Balance with Nature
Humans hold within their hands the ability to insure a flourishing future for all life on Earth. Essential to accomplishing this task is the need to create and implement new technologies and economic systems both locally and globally. However, to achieve this task with minimal shadow effects, we need a transformation of consciousness that enables us to live in true balance with the natural world.
Psychotherapy: Learn What to Expect
When things feel so dark, it’s hard to see our way out from under it all. It’s one thing to know the dangers of getting stuck in that sort of thinking, but it’s quite another to move through it into a transformed state of consciousness, where meaning can be found. Such a journey is a tall order and one that we may not be able to take on our own.
Self Recognition
Our body’s deep sensitivity is calling us home. Yet home is not somewhere, some when, or something other than what is already wholly present now. Our true nature is not some inner state that will be found in the future. It is always here and now, unbounded by space or time. It can never be objectified.
The Essence of Your Inner Critic
The Critic evaluates your inner and outer landscapes. It propels you to take action with respect to your body and overall health, money, career, or relationships. Your Critic is very vocal in enforcing the rules of your early institutions, including family, church, and school. It is committed to your success by ensuring that you fit in.
