From Jung’s childhood dream of the phallus in the underground temple, through his own encounter with the unconscious as recorded in the Black Books and the Liber Novus, we find the motif of descent and the encounter with the dead to be fundamental to the approach to the psyche that would become Analytical Psychology.  In these seminars we will look at Odysseus’s descent to Hades and relate this to Jung’s encounters with the dead.  This will allow us to suggest an expanded view of Complex Theory which can inform client work and an openness to a more expansive analytic field.  

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Stephen Bushell: Religion and spirituality have held a life-long fascination for Stephen. As a teenager he found the religion section of the public library and has not looked back. He read religious studies at Kings College London where he discovered the Christian mystical tradition, Hinduism and Buddhism. In his 20s he trained extensively in Tai Chi and vipassana meditation. Feeling called to remain rooted in the Western tradition, Stephen became a priest in the Anglican church and spent 15 years working as an Anglican chaplain to psychiatric services in the UK. This deep and sustained encounter with the psyche led him to train as an analyst with GAP (London) and later to work in private practice.  He is currently setting up a retreat centre in Northern Spain as a place for depth exploration (lesgavatxes.es).

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Homer, The Odyssey, Book 11 – Odysseus descent to Hades

Jung C.G., The Scrutinies, Red Book readers edition or Calligraphic volume

 Hillman J, & Shamdasani S, The Lament of the Dead, WW Norton & Co (2013)

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