One cannot live from anything except what one is.
Carl G. Jung

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Event Times, Locations, and Fees

Friday Lectures
Time: 7:30 p.m. (lasting about 2.5 hours)
Fee: Member—$10; Non-member—$15
Location: St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, 2310 N. 56th Street, Phoenix, AZ

Saturday Workshops
Time: 10:00 a.m. (lasting 4–6 hours).
Fee: Member—$50; Non-member—$60
$5 discount for early workshop registration (before 9:00 p.m. the previous evening).
Location: St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, 2310 N. 56th Street, Phoenix, AZ

SPRING 2010

Friday, February 19, 2010, 7:30-9:30 p.m.

Lecture: THE HERO, THE HIEROPHANT, AND THE HEALER
STEPHEN GERRINGER

From the publication of The Hero with a Thousand Faces in 1949, to the posthumous airing of The Power of Myth interviews with Bill Moyers over PBS in 1988, Joseph Campbell's lifework deserves credit for expanding the public's awareness of the relevance of mythology to contemporary life. In this, his work echoes themes first raised by Carl Jung. The two clearly swim in the same waters, yet Campbell himself observes that "I am not a Jungian." What, then, is the relationship between these two imaginative thinkers? Is there a personal connection? What about professional collaborations? Do we know what they thought of each other? Where do Carl Jung's and Joseph Campbell's perspectives on mythology and the human imagination overlap, and where might they diverge?

To explore these and related questions, we'll start where their lives intersect -- in the person of Heinrich Zimmer. A noted Indologist and storyteller-extraordinaire, Zimmer was a close friend to Jung and to Campbell. Both men acknowledged his inspiration and influence in their own work (indeed, without Heinrich Zimmer there might be no Joseph Campbell, as we know him today), and both edited portions of Zimmer's posthumata after his untimely passing. Shared anecdotes, in tandem with some of Zimmer's favorite tales, will shed light on the nature of these relationships, as well as on the evolution of earlier perceptions of myths beyond that of closeted curios.

Saturday, February 20, 2010, 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.

Workshop: PUBLIC DREAMS AND PRIVATE MYTHS
STEPHEN GERRINGER

A common thread weaving throughout the work of Joseph Campbell, Heinrich Zimmer, and Carl Jung is that of the power of symbol -- and, by extension, the mythic image -- to shape human lives. And yet, pinning down a symbol is as simple as stapling your shadow to the wall. In this workshop, we follow clues these myth-workers provide as to how we might best engage the archetypal energies met in myth, in dream, and in life. Workshop participants will encounter the Shadow in a pair of errant slippers, soar with a Wild Gander as we explore the mythology of Breath, and draw on an eclectic array of tools, from solo exercises to small group activities, enabling each to embody an understanding that the power of symbols, as Campbell notes, "nevertheless lies not in what meets the eye, but in what dilates the heart." Our focus will be to not just interpret mythic symbols, but to draw on the wisdom contained therein to mythologize one's own life. Participants will carry away the transformative realization that, in a very real sense, we are the figures of myth.

STEPHEN GERRINGER is a member of the leadership team that steers the Joseph Campbell Foundation (JCF). A longtime political activist and eventual candidate for legislative office, his career trajectory was interrupted when a major health crisis and subsequent brush with death prompted a deep inward turn. Stephen "dropped out" and, in the best tradition of Walt Whitman and Jack Kerouac, spent most of the next decade "on the road," thumbing his way across the country on his own Hero's Journey, in quest of self-knowledge and insight. Stephen did eventually "drop back in," accepting a position teaching English and Literature in junior high school. Over time, though, inspired by Campbell's advice to "follow your bliss, and doors will open where you would not have thought there'd be doors," he resigned to pursue writing full time. As the primary author of JCF's "Practical Campbell" series of essays, which explore the relevance of mythological themes to everyday life, he has written articles on subjects ranging from dreams, virgin births, tricksters, and ritual regicide, to shamanism, oracles, sacred plants in vision quests, and the relationship between nature and mythology. Currently, Stephen is editing a book for JCF drawn from obscure and difficult-to-find interviews given by Joseph Campbell the last thirty years of his life.

Friday, March 19, 2010, 7:30-10:00 p.m.

Lecture: THIRD STAR TO THE LEFT, THEN ON TILL MORNING
JONATHAN YOUNG, Ph.D.

The stories of childhood stay with us in mysterious ways. The adventure of Wendy and the boys with Peter Pan is forever part of our inner world. It is a marvelous example of what Joseph Campbell taught us about finding mythic wisdom in familiar texts. We'll consider the archetypal secrets of J. M. Barrie's masterpiece and reflect on its creation as depicted in the film Finding Neverland.

Saturday, March 20, 2010, 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.

Workshop: REVISITING NARNIA
JONATHAN YOUNG, Ph.D.

From the realms of myth and magic, dream and fantasy, come enchanting tales. These stories connect us with unusual dimensions and offer archetypal perspectives to enlarge our sense of purpose. This seminar will use Joseph Campbell's ideas to explore The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. In a spirit of play, we will follow each stage of the adventure to learn about the riches of the inner journey.

JONATHAN YOUNG, Ph.D. -- psychologist and storyteller -- assisted Joseph Campbell at seminars and was the founding curator of the Joseph Campbell Archives. His books focus on personal mythology. As a professor, Dr. Young created and chaired the Mythological Studies Department at the Pacifica Graduate Institute. He lives in Santa Barbara, California, and has a website at www.folkstory.com for his current work with the Center for Story and Symbol