Food, Body & Nature

Course Description

In this short course, Jungian Analyst Dariane Pictet reviews how the Homeric myth of Demeter can help us make sense of the current attitudes to food, our body and to Nature. 

Nowadays, most of us have a unique relationship to what we do and do not eat. Food has become increasingly an area of concern, not only with allergies, but also with food disorders. What does our relationship to food reveal about our connection to the world around us, to nature and to the sacred?  

To find answers, we can learn from myths. Myths describe how we can relate to the inner and the outer worlds. They are pointing to one single reality: What is inside is also in the world, how we relate to one is disclosed in the other. 

In these two lectures Dariane Pictet reviews the myth of Persephone and Demeter, and the separation between them. We can see a comparable split in our lives today between nature and ourselves. It raises the question how we can individuate given this separation.

The Demeter myth contains clues on how we could resolve this separation. We need to descend into the underworld, into the world of Soul. This means that we go into the unknown and leave the things we know behind. We are currently at a threshold, through which we can pass with changed values and perspectives. We need to regain access to the natural mind that acts through relatedness.

In this compact course, Dariane encourages us to reflect on the systems that are harmful to nature. Will we continue our self-destructive ways, or can we become more conscious? This is an important question of our  time. 

This course is ideal if

• Learn how a myth can help us in finding our own path in life.
• Gain understanding of how the myth of Demeter can help us individuate in times when we are separated from nature.
• Learn how a myth can be reviewed from a Jungian perspective to provide insight in our own individuation journeys.

Course Overview

Class 1. Myth of Demeter and our relationship to food, body and nature

In this first class Dariane Pictet discussed the myth of Demeter from a Jungian perspective. What can we learn from Demeter if we want to restore our relationship to nature, our nature and our body?

Class 2. Q&A

The second class offered opportunities for sharing of experiences and reflection. It also offered the opportunity for asking questions.  

By the end of this course you will

• Identify the aspects in your relationship to food, body and nature that mirror the myth of Demeter
• Read Demeter’s myth and see it from a Jungian perspective in the sense that you can draw out potential psychological lessons from it, and relate it to your own personal development journey.