Topics for the Day:
(with examples and analysis of relevant symbols for each topic)
1 The unconscious as a co-determining factor: Jung believed that the unconscious, the matrix of dreams, has an independent function, which is the spontaneous realization of the whole man. It compensates the one-sidedness of our conscious life by putting it in the context of "the eternal human problem, and not just a disturbance of personal balance’
2 Becoming Conscious of a Symbol - dreams show how the psyche receives and assimilates events and information from the outside world, the unconscious dynamics, their conflicts and transformations
3 Symbols as the Alpha Container - transforming the split-off raw beta elements of projective identification into contents which can be consciously realized, stored in memory and assimilated
4 Dreams enable us to identify the pathologies that function like markers in our developmental stages, showing us points of fixations, compulsions, addictions and regression. Through giving conscious attention, these dreams gradually unfold the positive unconscious counterpoint to the pathological situation
5 Compensatory Dynamics - how dreams compensate the contents of consciousness or the conscious attitude. The autonomy of the unconscious gives new points of view and new ways of resolving an impasse, leading to the ultimate integration of conscious and unconscious
6 Linking object relations and depth psychology to arrive at a more grounded interpretation of dream symbols. For example, the archetype of the Great Mother in her life-giving and death-dealing polarity is reflected in the object-relations theory of the good and bad breast of the paranoid-schizoid position. This adds another dimension to the interpretation of symbols of babies and the child archetype in dreams
7 The Archetypal Image: The archetypal image, by uniting the Phenomenal and the Absolute, the area of immediate experience and the cosmic perspective, becomes the means of translating life events into soul, placing the event where it belongs and to whom it relates. Even the most deep-rooted complexes are offered healing through the archetypal image
8 How symbols and archetypes evolve in a dream series, showing us the turning points in the spiral process of individuation as we draw closer to the archetype of the Self. The symbol is present in the moment but also transcends the subject, serving both a diagnostic and prospective function
9 Growth Direction in Dreams - looking at the lysis of a dream to see in which direction the flow of energy is going and what it’s aiming at. As von Franz writes, 'the flow of events and sequence of images in a dream show us where the life-stream underneath consciousness is flowing and in which direction it is going’
10 How symbols and the archetypes of the collective unconscious evolve to express the zeitgeist of each epoch. Science as the new language of the soul, astounding us with insights into the mysteries and marvels of both macrocosm and microcosm
