LECTURE: Once upon a time, or so begins many a story, we looked to the heavens and to the angels for inspiration. And we prayed. The Gods of antiquity have now been replaced with clever conversation, and now we stand in saluted attention to the personal. So with the illusion that the Gods are no longer worthy of our attention, we seek inspiration from the commonplace and look for divinity in what we can easily see in the light. Throughout our history as a species, there has been deep regard for the dream as a source of knowledge far greater than that of the conscious mind. In dreams we are presented with an understanding about the nature of our life and destiny, which far too often is veiled from our eyes because of the many "concerns" of daily life. And then, too, if we listen closely to the whispers of this voice, we can hear a murmur of a destiny waiting to be embraced.

 

In this lecture, Dr Conforti will present the work of the early masters in Jungian psychology and discuss the presence of the objective psyche in dreams. Jungian psychology was the first to examine dreams, the personal and collective unconscious and our rich unconscious life using story, myth and active imagination to illuminate the workings of the unconscious elements of our psyche. The writings of C.G. Jung, Marie-Louise von Franz, and the other early Jungians were truly inspired. They brought us into a world where spirit, Self and soul were captured on every page, where the pages were the canvas for these artists seeking to capture in words and images what they experienced within the inner world.

WORKSHOP: Jung understood that the dream represents humanities relationship to genuine spirituality and to the eternal wisdom tradition. To understand the language of this "antique soul" Jung, von Franz and the early Jungians taught us to look to the language of the eternal, found in myths, fairy tales, legends, Biblical and Hasidic tales. Here we find a way to understand not only the universal motifs which have guided humanity on this journey of life since the beginning of time, but also connects us to the transcendent.

 

In this workshop participants will learn how to discern the presence of archetypal patterns in dreams and the relationship and difference between subjective and objective meaning of these eternal images. Participants will come to understand the importance of the opening and threshold of the dream as the telling of the archetypal issue which is constellated in the dreamers life. A central theme in this workshop will be helping participants to see the importance of translating and not interpreting the dream, and in finding ways to bring the Self's message into the dreamers life.

 

As dreams are sacred utterances of the Self, bringing a unique and profoundly moving message to the individual, I prefer to approach the dream within a temenous and not to be presented in a public setting.

Bio 

Michael Conforti. Ph.D.

Michael Conforti, Ph.D., is a Jungian Psychoanalyst and founder and director of the Assisi Institute in Italy and Vermont. His work has resulted not only in a training institute based on his discoveries, but also the development of a new discipline, Archetypal Pattern Analysis. He has been a faculty member at the C.G. Jung Institute-Boston, the C.G. Jung Foundation-New York, and Antioch New England Graduate School. He lectures internationally and applies his insights as a sought-after consultant to businesses, government institutions, and the film industry. He maintains a private practice in Vermont. Dr. Conforti is the author of Threshold Experiences: The Archetype of Beginnings and Field, Form and Fate: Patterns in Mind, Nature and Psyche.

TRINITY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH: Coming from the north or south on I-75, use Exit 254, Moores Mill Road. Turn left at the top of the ramp (this is true coming from either direction, north or south). Continue on Moores Mill approximately one-half mile to the four-way stop at the corner of Moores Mill and Howell Mill Rd. Continue through intersection and turn right into the back church parking lot.

Church's web page: http://www.trinityatlanta.org
3003 Howell Mill Rd, NW, Atlanta, GA 30327