Gold from the Dark Woods

Course Description

The sickness of the soul, as Jung said, is our single biggest pathology.

And what is the sickness of the soul? Collectively, it is a progressive disconnect from the primal rhythms of life, from our own instinctual guidance, and from the sense of being participants in a communal experience of some kind. It happens through the progressive erosion of images that link us to depth, purpose, and sustaining energies.

Individually, we all go through periods of spiritual crisis. One’s understanding of self in the world is significantly altered, questioned, challenged and contradicted. One’s sense of identity, one’s beliefs and relationships are all called into question. A sense of estrangement takes over. The roadmap that one has been using up to that point doesn’t conform any longer to the territory one is traversing. Or as Hollis points out elsewhere, these extremely painful moments “represent an inner, compelling summons of the soul to grow and develop a better map.”

In these moments we feel stuck. We feel stuck because the ego wants  control, predictability, stability and pushes us to maintain the same old, same old. But sooner or later, the ego´s program is called into question by the psyche. As Hollis says, “nature has little concern whatsoever for our wellbeing or positive outcomes. In other words, it’s not interested in our ego comfort or predictability in any way whatsoever.”  Though it might be uncomfortable for the ego, psyche, as part of nature, is always moving forward. We are being pulled to evolve. 

In this course, Hollis transmits the courage we need to step into new phases of our lives. He helps us see the glow of gold in the dark. He brings Jung’s ideas to us with clarity and simplicity, revealing how the question of meaning is at the heart of Jungian psychology. 

Hollis offers examples from years of clinical practice and his love for all things literary. He shares moments from his own life as well as some compelling anecdotes from Jung’s. The course ends with Hollis reading Jung’s musings at the end of his life. A truly touching end to a profound course..

This program is being offered by the Jung Center of Houston and the Jung Platform. The original recording of this lecture took place at the Jung Center. The recording has been remastered. The lectures are available now.

This course is ideal if you want to:

• Understand periods of spiritual crisis in your life better.
• Embrace the opportunities for growth presented to us in these dark woods.
• Cultivate a greater sense of purpose and resilience in the face of life's challenges.

Course Overview

Class 1: Spiritual Crises 

Being in the dark woods is a time of spiritual crisis. 

In this class, Hollis helps us define a spiritual crisis. How do we know if we are experiencing one? What are the different forms of spiritual crisis? What can we do in the face of these crises? What opportunity do they bring us? Is there such a thing as meaningful or authentic suffering?

Class 2: Your Story

Often, it is our encounters with crises and suffering that brings the stories in us up to the surface. 

This class encourages us to ask ourselves “What is my story?”. Where are our stories coming from? What do they say about us? What purpose have they served/are they serving? Are we living our own story or somebody else’s? Is our suffering showing us how and what we can change about the stories that have brought us so far?

Class 3: Loving your Fate

The place where you’re wounded is often the place where you are most insightful. 

What happens to our understanding of suffering when we bring fate into the equation? Can we love our fate? Can we live a meaningful life in the face of it? What place does choice have here? Hollis dips into existentialism, essentialism and of course, Jung’s work to open up this most interesting idea of loving one’s fate. 

Class 4: Mortality and Death

One of the things that make our life matter is paradoxically our mortality.

What is the connection between death or the denial of death and suffering? What does it mean when we say “the gift of mortality”? Do we see our choices, values and purpose in a different light when we bring into consideration our mortality? Hollis also breifly looks at sacrifice, suicide, near-death experiences & more.

Class 5: Meaning of Life

Humanity has a soul. And there is a buried treasure in the field.

In this class, Hollis  ties up everything that has been discussed in the previous classes. What emerges from within when old maps can no longer be relied on? What are the risks we run into? What does healing from a period of loss of meaning look like? How do we emerge with gold from the deep, dark woods?

Enjoy a wholesome interaction between Hollis and the audience throughout the five classes.

By the end of this course you will be able to:

• Open your mind up to the inevitability of spiritual crises appearing in your life & how it can be an opportunity for growth.
• Recognize that the way you chose to see fate, mortality, and your personal narratives plays a role in how you navigate life’s dark woods.
• Acknowledge the stories you’re living and the stories you’d like to live.
• Locate the guides that you can rely on to find your way out of the dark woods of life.