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The Earth Community at a Threshold of Transformation
& The Gods at Play
with RICHARD TARNAS

Lecture: The Earth Community at a Threshold of Transformation

Our civilization, and indeed the Earth community itself, seems to be facing a threshold of fundamental transformation that bears a striking resemblance to what takes place on the individual level in initiatory rites of passage, near-death experiences, and spiritual crises. And in such an era of transition, what is the role of “heroic” communities, which carry principles and perspectives that may run counter to much of the mainstream world view? Dr. Tarnas’ lecture will draw on depth psychology and archetypal astrology, philosophy, religion, and cultural history to glimpse a larger context or both understanding the action.

Workshop: The Gods at Play: Archetypal Powers and Patterns in the Arts

As ancient poets and modern depth psychologists have long recognized, the arts represent an especially vivid expression of the archetypal principles that inform and inspire the human psyche. The combined lenses of depth psychology and archetypal astrology will provide participants with a precise focus on the specific archetypal complexes most prominently at work in a given individual, work of art, or cultural era. Video and audio clips of brilliant performances will be a basis for analyses throughout the workshop.

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Richard Tarnas is a professor of psychology and cultural history at the California Institute of Integral Studies, where he founded the graduate program in Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness. He frequently lectures on archetypal studies and depth psychology at Pacifica Graduate Institute, and was formerly the director of programs and education at Esalen Institute. He is the author of The Passion of the Western Mind, a history of the Western world view from the ancient Greek to the postmodern widely used in universities. His second book, Cosmos and Psyche: Intimations of a New World View, received the Book of the Year Prize from the Scientific and Medical Network, and is the basis for the upcoming documentary film Changing of the Gods. He is a past president of the International Transpersonal Association and served for many years on the Board of Governors for the C. G. Jung Institute of San Francisco.