These essays represent some of my experiences and thoughts concerning Integral Psychology. Not only are they connected to my personal life but also to my professional life as a psychologist. My basic orientation is directly influenced by the teachings of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother to whom I always turn for inspiration. C.G. Jung has also been a major source of inspiration for me and, from my experience, with teachings that are not only compatible with those of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother but with an angle that is particularly relevant to Westerners. The essays essentially reflect my own efforts to assimilate each of their teachings in both my personal and professional life, at my level of understanding and experience. Read More
Comparative Studies
| In this essay, I examine the case for essential intelligence behind life in the world at both a macrocosmic and microcosmic level. I begin with a personal touch, by examining Jung’s... (Download Document) |
| Here is a nine part series on Jung’s Psychology of the Living God and Transformation of Individual and Community that begins with a preface. I open with a discussion of the fact... 10 |
| This essay is about Jung’s Gnostic creation myth, which he wrote in 1916 as an important part of his encounter with the unconscious. He called it the Seven Sermons to the Dead, and attributed... (Download Document) |
| I begin by indicating how, over the years, my interest in the nature of the individuation process developed. I then give a brief overview of the principle ideas, along with and the people identified... (Download Document) |
| In this paper, I favourably compare the psychology of C. G. Jung and the yoga of Sri Aurobindo. In particular, I show where each of the two approaches to yoga/psychology fully accepts both the... (Download Document) |
| In this essay I argue that psychology must follow the lead of the new physics and new biology in adapting a quantum and relativity-based conceptual approach in order to sustain its relevance for the... (Download Document) |
| The task I set before myself in this essay is to differentiate the archetypal psychology of James Hillman from the Integral psychology of C. G. Jung. A key difference lies in the phenomenon... (Download Document) |
| In this paper I discuss the nature of Erich Fromm’s humanistically based social psychology, consider its clinical applications, and make a Jungian critique. Fromm is primarily concerned with... (Download Document) |
| In this paper I discuss Erich Fromm’s social psychology and his dream theory, with a critical perspective informed by C. G. Jung. Inasmuch as social psychology assumes that consciousness is... (Download Document) |
| This essay is about the similarities and differences between the philosophies of the two principle fathers of Western philosophy, Plato [Socrates], Aristotle and contemporary psychology. It is very... (Download Document) |
| In this paper I critically examine the thought of Charles Poncé and Robert Romanyshyn. The common thread tying their thinking together is concern over the imprisoning nature of the current... (Download Document) |
| During 1985 and 1986, Patrizia Norelli-Bachelet wrote a series of insightful essays that have now been collected together in a modestly sized book entitled Time and Imperishability: Essays on the... (Download Document) |
| In this brief note, which is far from exhaustive and systematic, I examine contemporary Western psychology [and psychiatry]. Psychology grew out of the need to come to terms with the... (Download Document) |
| As the title indicates, Becoming One: The Psychology of Integral Yoga is about psychology as practical yoga, more specifically, integral psychology as practical integral yoga. The book begins with a... (Download Document) |
| I was stimulated to write this essay because of the heated discussion unleashed by Peter Heehs’ book, The Lives of Sri Aurobindo recently published in the United States. I argue that a complete... (Download Document) |
| This preface is an introduction to what turned out to be a nine part series on Jung’s Psychology of the Living God and Transformation of Individual and Community although it also stands on its... (Download Document) |
| Here is a nine part series on Jung’s Psychology of the Living God and Transformation of Individual and Community that begins with a preface. I open with a discussion of the fact... (Download Document) |
| In this essay I discuss the significance of the number four [4] in both the Mother’s story of creation and Sri Aurobindo’s account of a Vedic creation myth. I relate this to the fact that... (Download Document) |
| In this essay I interpret Jung’s later visions and dreams and his most complete description of the Self in light of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother’s teachings on Integral Yoga, with special... (Download Document) |
| In this essay I continue the discussion that I began in Jung’s Later Visions, Individualized Global Consciousness and Completed Individuation in Light of the Yoga of Sri Aurobindo and the... (Download Document) |
| In this essay I concentrate on important foundational aspects of Jung’s psychology of individuation. I begin with an Aurobindian perspective based on the understanding of a Sri Aurobindo ashram... (Download Document) |
Individuation and Community
| This is a synopsis! 10 |
| In this paper, I briefly examine the meaning of the individuation process as presented by Jung, seeing it as a necessary creative response to the difficult to understand senseless acts... (Download Document) |
| In this paper I compare and contrast Jung’s view of the individuation process with regard to the individual’s role in the community and other Jungian influenced writers. I argue that Jung... (Download Document) |
| I discuss here the question of individuation and the transformation of both the individual and society. I begin with a discussion of Jung’s view on individuation and the relationship of... (Download Document) |
| In this paper I discuss barriers to change in society. I suggest that the lack of religious and spiritual values and Eros [relatedness] glue are significant barriers to change in our present... (Download Document) |
| This brief concept paper concerns general education at a College level. I differentiate between training and education where training involves teaching technique and a professional persona, and... (Download Document) |
| In this essay and my essay entitled Evil Persona, Shadow and the Transformation of Community, I engage in the realm of praxis, which is so essential to understanding Jung’s contribution to... (Download Document) |
| In this essay I examine what Sri Aurobindo referred to as the humankind’s double nature consisting of its animal nature of instincts impulses desires and automatisms and its higher, self-... (Download Document) |
| This is a brief essay about the persona and the shadow, two complementary aspects of human nature. Coming to terms with how they interrelate and express themselves in life is important for the... (Download Document) |
| In this paper, I reflect on the fundamental nature of a comprehensive psychotherapy for Auroville. I begin with the Mother’s observations on what it means to be an Aurovillian. I then discuss... (Download Document) |
| In this paper I discuss different perspectives on what constitutes ethical behaviour, recognizing the legal requirement of the BC College of Psychologists to enforce its code of conduct, but not... (Download Document) |
| This is a short essay on Jung’s view on the nature of the Shadow and the need for a conscious relationship to it. There is, he insists, a need to light up the darkness in the psyche... (Download Document) |
The Way of Art and the Creative Life
| This paper, which includes color pictures of some thirty-one [31] of my paintings, grew out of an exhibition of some of my art, held in Victoria BC in July and August, 2009. Following Jung,... (Download Document) |
| In this paper, I study a poem, Christopher, by Douglas Beardsley from a Jungian perspective. Following Jung, my basic assumption is that images are life. By treating the series of... (Download Document) |
| This talk is about individuation and life as a creative process. I discuss the nature of the archetype and the archetypal image, and then amplify a series of my paintings in order to... (Download Document) |
| This paper is essentially a response to the two keynote speakers at last year’s British Columbia Psychological Association’s annual conference. The challenge of biologist Bruce... (Download Document) |
| This essay is about ecology of the Self. First, I show how the interrelationship between the individual and the community is essentially ecological. By way of illustration, I amplify a series of four... (Download Document) |
| In this paper I amplify and reflect on an archetypal dream that symbolizes a marriage of Eros and Logos. The dream indicates the need to meaningfully assimilate aspects of the elemental anima into... (Download Document) |
| In this paper, I discuss the meaning of J. R.R. Tolkien’s mythology, especially as portrayed in The Lord of the Rings. I also make comparative references to the work of C. G. Jung, with... (Download Document) |
| Sri Aurobindo was a master yogi and visionary and wrote brilliantly in various areas of culture. He considered himself to be primarily a poet by vocation. His poetry found its apotheosis in the epic... (Download Document) |
| In this paper I discuss the value of art, specifically painting as a form of Active Imagination, drawing on my own personal experience. I discuss the nature of the symbol and the archetypal image and... (Download Document) |
| In this paper I discuss the nature of art or the aesthetic view of life, by examining the thoughts on this subject of several respected authorities in different branches of the humanities. First, I... (Download Document) |
| In this paper I examine the nature of the aesthetic attitude which is based on a supra-rational instinct that ultimately aims at the beautiful. I observe that it not only operates by way of the... (Download Document) |
| I first discuss the nature of the aesthetic perspective and its relationship to beauty. Following that, I interweave a description of my art, my therapy room and my way of doing therapy from the... (Download Document) |
| Miniature art is the art of the small. It reminds us that small things count, the subtle gesture, the fleeting feeling, the tiny object. Miniature art is precious like a jewel or small treasure box... (Download Document) |
Individuation and the Individuation Process
| In this brief annotated bibliography I comment on a limited bibliography of books related to individuation while introducing the meaning of the individuation process. I include books that lie... (Download Document) |
| In this paper I discuss the way of the heart, indicating that it involves coming to terms with shadow values. I begin with observations on talks given by Marion Woodman and Robert... (Download Document) |
| This paper is about care of the Self. I observe that there is an evolution of consciousness and that, today, we are being asked to make a quantum leap in consciousness. I also make some... (Download Document) |
| In this essay I discuss the significance of both individuation and what Jung refers to as the individuation process. Individuation is the natural fulfillment of life which, in some cases, can... (Download Document) |
| In this paper I discuss the nature of meaning and a meaningful life from the point of view of Jungian depth psychology. First, I discuss the need for a connection to the Self, which is... (Download Document) |
| Jung once wrote, “everywhere one hears the cry for a Weltanshauung everyone asks the meaning of life and the world.” His answer to the quest for the meaning is the need for greater consciousness and... (Download Document) |
| In this paper I summarise then reflect on a book by Stephan Hoeller entitled The Gnostic Jung and the Seven Sermons to the Dead. Hoeller's book is a Gnostic interpretation of Jung's sermon-... (Download Document) |
| In this paper I present some of Jung’s principle ideas in a relatively unorthodox way, reconstructing Jung. My purpose is to emphasize the Self rather than the ego, particularly the... (Download Document) |
| In this paper I summarize and then reflect upon a video interview with Edward Edinger on a Jungian perspective on the science of the soul. Edinger not only makes a lucid presentation on seminal... (Download Document) |
| In this brief philosophic inquiry I begin with defining philosophy as the love of wisdom. I argue that the purpose of philosophic enquiry is to study archetypal ideas which define life and culture... (Download Document) |
| According to the wisdom of Marie Louise von Franz (1973), a Jungian depth-psychological study of fairy tales begins with the initial exposition of all the characters. One examines the quality, number... (Download Document) |
Consciousness-Force and Therapy
| In this essay I discuss the nature of consciousness and its relationship to force and socially constructed reality, along with the relevance for therapy. I argue that both consciousness and force... (Download Document) |
| I explore the nature of both transference and counter-transference from a Jungian depth-psychological perspective. There are basically two types of transferences, one neurotic requiring a casual-... (Download Document) |
| In this paper I tentatively examine an ongoing analysis where the therapeutic process is coming closer to home and becoming more emotionally real to both the analysand and the therapist. The... (Download Document) |
| In this essay I discuss the nature of Shamanism and its relevance for depth-therapy. Contemporary therapists can learn much from the shamanic model. Indeed, there are many parallels between... (Download Document) |
| In this paper I demonstrate how the archetype of Dionysus is constellated in the dreams of a male therapist and his female analysand. Amplifications on the nature of this archetype, by drawing on... (Download Document) |
| In this paper I examine two causal explanations for depression, the psychological and the biochemical. I argue for a holistic Jungian depth perspective that may, at times, allow for the wise use of... (Download Document) |
| Before I get into my talk I feel the need to state that I am not here to sell my services or try and convince you to send clients my way. As you know psychiatrists have one corner of the therapy... (Download Document) |
| This essay involves a discussion and a Jungian depth psychological perspective on a relationship with W B, a man that suffered from Delusions of Grandeur and Persecutory Delusions, as well as severe... (Download Document) |
| This essay is a reflection on my experience with the group therapy process with emphasis on one particular session. Although group therapy may have some value in educating the social attitude, I... (Download Document) |
| In this paper I describe four different aspects of the group experience from an imaginal perspective. They include the inter-subjective imaginal group field, a dream and an extra-ordinary group... (Download Document) |
| Subtext is a book full of practical advice on how to successfully make one’s way in the contemporary workplace. It is about how people communicate to each other by way of covert signals in... (Download Document) |
| Whereas Subtext and Gestures are essentially about the same subject, body language, the treatment in each case is quite different. Julius Fast, author of Subtext, emphasizes hidden meaning.... (Download Document) |
| In a recent P. B. S. program on Bill Moyer’s Mind and Healing there were two examples of how alternative approaches to medicine are beginning to gain credibility, even in mainline institutions... (Download Document) |
| An important principle of Jungian psychology involves synchronicity or meaningful coincidences of inner and outer events. The idea of synchronicity is not new, but was well known in earlier times,... (Download Document) |
The Evolution of Consciousness
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| In this essay I trace the evolution of the consciousness from the time of origins and the archaic structure of consciousness, through the magic structure, the mythical structure and the mental... (Download Document) |
| In this essay I briefly discuss different perspectives on the nature of the evolutionary leap in consciousness taking place today. There is a need for Western humankind’s participation both by... (Download Document) |
| In this essay I describe an actual experience I had in South India with a pujari in the Palani Hills near Kodai Kanal, Tamil Nadu in South India. I begin by describing the nature of ancestor... (Download Document) |
| In this paper I discuss the symbolic significance of a contemporary play entitled Perseus the Deliverer by Sri Aurobindo, especially the relationship between Perseus and Andromeda. I argue that... (Download Document) |
| During a recent lecture in Victoria by Sam Keen who, along with Robert Blye, is a leading figure in the men’s movement that is sweeping North America, it became readily apparent to me that we... (Download Document) |
| In this paper I briefly survey the importance that Jung placed on the religious instinct, his life long engagement with Christianity, as well as his interest in Gnosticism, his encounter with the... (Download Document) |
| Paul Vincent has written a book that takes the reader to distant lands and ways of life that are normally thought of as, at best, representing legendary or mythological truths. Yet, the author... (Download Document) |
[Alcohol] Addiction
| Alcoholism is a major disease in North America, affecting both alcoholics and their families. The aetiology of alcoholism includes hereditary, cultural, environmental, and psychological factors... (Download Document) |
| In this paper I discuss the nature of alcoholism taking both an imaginal and realistic perspective. I argue that the therapist needs to be alert to the possibility that the client’s... (Download Document) |
Research Methodology
| In this paper I discuss methodology to research individual involvement in the individuation process. First, I delineate my basic assumptions as a “bracketing of being.” Next I... (Download Document) |
Commentaries on Major Events
| In this essay I discuss the death of Princess Diana and the emotional reaction to her death. A number of remarkable synchronicities surrounded her demise that makes it seem like a collective... (Download Document) |
| Six months after the tragedy of September 11, and in order to commemorate the lives that were lost, beginning March 11 and lasting until April 11, 2002, two searchlights are sending powerful beams... (Download Document) |
Movie Reviews
| The Movie, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, starring Russell Crowe and Paul Bettany is a cinematic adaptation of two books, the first and the tenth, of a saga of twenty volumes by... (Download Document) |
| What follows is an imaginative interpretation of the movie, Matrix Reloaded. I doubt whether the authors of the movie are fully conscious of the meaning of their creation, at least according... (Download Document) |
Reflections on Canada
| At the beginning of this essay, I observe that there are two ways to become conscious of the soul of Canada; the first through deepening self-introspection by individual Canadians, the second is to... (Download Document) |
| In 1965, the interim report of the Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism proclaimed that without knowing it, “Canada is passing through the greatest crisis in its history.... (Download Document) |
| There is a pervading sense of unease, a feeling that things aren’t the way they should be -that politicians don’t tell the truth, that they lie or at best don’t uphold their... (Download Document) |
| Peter Russell traces Canada’s constitutional history from Confederation to the recent Canada Round and the Charlottetown Accord. He begins by discussing the process of Confederation... (Download Document) |
| We are just beginning to feel the reality of living in a new economic order, a global borderless “one-world,” where there is a radical shift of power from the nation state to economic... (Download Document) |