Mondays 9:30 – 11:30 AM
January 10 through February 28, 2005
D.O.C. House
Emma Jung, the wife of Swiss psychologist, Carl Gustav Jung, and an analyst herself, worked on this book The Grail Legend for thirty years. Unfinished at the time of her death, it was completed by eminent psychologist Marie Louise von Franz.
These two women analysts have examined the stories of the Knight Perceval's quest for the Grail , as told in the medieval poems by Wolfram von Aschenbach and Chretien de Troyes , in the light of analytical psychology.
This is a rich book full of deep insights into human nature, symbolism and the dynamics of archetypal. Through The Grail Legend we will encounter "The Grail Castle," "The Red Knight," "The Sword and the Lance," "The Suffering Grail King," the Grail itself, the Arthurian knight "Gauvain" and Merlin as well as the major themes of analytical psychology such as the shadow, collective unconscious, anima and animus, persona, and the importance of dreams and active imagination.
The Legend of the Grail has held a fascination for centuries, not least in our own time in the book The Da Vinci Code. Through our reading and discussion we will have a chance to delve into this ancient story and come to understand some of its fascination and wisdom for the psyche.
It is not necessary to have read the Parcival tales, as these will be outlined in our reading.
The reading for this course will be quite extensive and to participate in the discussion it will be important to have read the week's chapters.
Class is limited to 16 participants.
ANNE SHIVAS is a Scot, a poet and a Vermont resident. She grew up in and received her B.Ed(Hons) in Edinburgh and her MA in philosophy of education in London. She lived in Jerusalem, Israel for ten years before coming to the Upper Valley. She has been interested in C.G. Jung and Analytical Psychology for many years and has studied at the C.G. Jung Institutes in Zurich and New York.
