C.G. Jung Society, Seattle Presents. . .
Kay Todd – Myth, Death, and Grief: How Myth Brings Meaning to Loss
Good Shepherd Center, Rm 202, 4946 Sunnyside Ave N, Seattle WA USA ( Rm 202 in Seattle WA)
Friday, September 11th – Lecture (7-9 PM)
Workshop – Saturday, Sept 12 (10 AM to 4 PM)
Discover the profound resources myth can offer as we grieve the loss of a loved one and contemplate our own mortality. Death shatters the world we have known, presenting a profound challenge to our normal experiences of meaning. In this lecture we will explore how the wellspring of the unconscious can guide us through the necessary encounter with meaninglessness and suffering. How do the archetypal patterns expressed in myth influence the way we address grief, loss, and trauma? What rituals does our culture accept for expressing our feelings of loss – and what aspects of our experience does our culture repress or ignore?
We will examine Greek myth and explore how changing our myths of grieving can make deep, necessary, personal and social changes. We will explore the thoughts of Jung and Freud on myth and loss. In addition we will discuss the newest thought on an archetype of grief by Michael Conforti, (author of Field, Form and Fate) — covering entering the field of the grief archetype and the mythology surrounding the figure. Is the Archetype the same for everyone? Can we simply walk away from the archetypal field, or is there a need for a healing and transition to take place in order for us to move forward? Does the archetype itself heal us?
Saturday, September 12th Workshop (10 AM-4 PM):
The workshop expounds on the concepts of the lecture and incorporates exercises for personal discovery and growth. We will discuss what is grief, our personal mythology, archetypes, active imagination sessions. How to understand our personal history using Jungian methods and myth and processes we can use to build resilience and create a new story moving forward. The four tasks of mourning—what are they and ideas to help us through the processes of each task.
Presenter Bio: Kay Todd received her PhD in mythological studies with an emphasis in depth psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute. She completed the Grief, Loss and Trauma certificate program, designed by Janet Schreiber and Elizabeth Kubler- Ross, at Southwestern University in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She has taught as an adjunct professor in religion and interpersonal communication at the University of Oklahoma and Tulsa Community College.
