February 12, 2020: Get Jung!
Hello GNUUCers & Friends,
I hope you enjoyed learning a bit about Jung and a few of the principles he discovered. His writings are somewhat dense and dry, but much has been written and spoken about him that is helpful if you want to take a deeper dive. I will list a few podcasts that you may enjoy and suggest some books.
One of the juiciest things about ministry is that when I embark upon a topic, I spend time either reacquainting myself or familiarizing myself before I engage with the sermon. It’s been several years since I read about and studied Jung, and my grasp of the concepts had grown stale.
But whenever I share a topic with you during the service, I always find that I need to hear the words I’ve spoken as much as or more than you may. It’s much like any kind of teaching: in order to be helpful to others, you will be learning and growing, too.
After speaking with you on Sunday, I had surgery on my 65th birthday. It was a bit more extensive than I had planned, and I spent one night in the hospital. What I noticed about myself was that I engaged so much more personally with all the nursing and care staff. I remembered and called them by their names. I made sure to tell them how much I appreciated them, asked them how they managed 12-hour shifts and commented upon something I liked about them. I focused upon them as individuals rather than an extension or projection of my discomfort or worry. I looked around me before the operation began and noticed more details about the room and the people than I ever have done before surgery.
I wasn’t consciously doing this because I’d been studying Jung, but so much of his message deals with how we can have more joyful and meaningful lives through our own decisions and interactions. We all have burdens, griefs, and unfilled dreams. We cannot control so much of life and its vicissitudes. But we can control how we engage life. This makes us more resilient and more individuated. Much like the lessons taught by mindfulness, recovery programs, and Jungian Dream work, we really can center ourselves in this day which, no matter what the news tells us, is all we really have. It will make us more aware of those around us, more loving and forgiving, and ultimately happier and more resilient.
I wish you a happy moment or two or a dozen this day.
Yours with love,
Cynthia
PODCASTS
https://speakingofjung.com/podcast
BOOKS
These are for relationships and very good:
Dream and Dreamwork:
http://www.jeremytaylor.com/books_and_dvds/index.html#
Jeremy Taylor was a UU minister and one of the most accessible and renowned dream experts.I recommend Where People Fly and Water Runs Uphill to start with.
A word of caution: do not use dream “dictionaries”. Do not engage in dream analysis without some training. Do not employ Jungian theory or practice upon yourself. Don’t use the materials to diagnose yourself and especially not to diagnose/judge others. It’s always a temptation but I caution against it! Find a Jungian analyst, spiritual director, or Imago therapist to visit. That said, using the concepts to understand yourself and others can always lead to forgiveness, understanding and resilience. More on dreamwork coming in March!
Thank you so much for the cake and for your generosity of love and spirit!