All Programs

The Fall (2006) | Directed by Tarsem Singh

FREE; Donations Accepted!

Viewing facilitated by Cybele Brandow

In a hospital on the outskirts of 1920s Los Angeles, an injured stuntman begins to tell a fellow patient, a little girl with a broken arm, a fantastic story of five mythical heroes. Thanks to his fractured state of mind and her vivid imagination, the line between fiction and reality blurs as the tale advances. Filmed over the course of four years and shot in over twenty countries, Tarsem Singh financed this film almost entirely by himself and broke Hollywood norm by paying all actors equally. He also allowed for the lines and reactions of Catinca Untaru (the young girl with a broken arm) to be largely unscripted, and to guide the development of the movie’s plot in twists and turns. What resulted was a film of simple, nested metaphors about storytelling, filtered through the eyes and spontaneity of a young girl. Part Lawrence of Arabia, part Big Fish, this art house film of epic scale and production hides countless treasures in every re-watching.

Members $20, Non-Members $30

This program will introduce the concepts, philosophy and practice of the ancient Chinese healing art form, Wisdom Healing Qigong. The Wisdom Healing Qigong practice guides us in accessing “Qi” or “life energy” through gentle movement, visualization, sound, meditation and conscious intention.

The program will be in 3 parts:
1. A brief overview (20 minutes) and short discussion of the tenants of Wisdom Healing Qigong as the practice relates to individual and group healing, conscious living, increased self awareness and connection of body and psyche (soul, mind, spirit).

2. A guided practice (1 hour 20 minutes) that will provide a sampling of Wisdom Healing Qigong techniques of movement, sound, visualization, meditation and conscious intention.

3. A brief conclusion (20 minutes) for sharing of experience and some time for questions and answers.

Bio: Tricia Santi, M.S., M.A., LMFT is a licensed marriage and family therapist, an educator, a certified Yoga teacher and a Wisdom Healing Qigong Teacher. The merging of psychology and the healing hearts to support more consciousness for health and well-being in body and psyche has become Tricia’s passion. Tricia has served for the last year on the Program Committee and has been an active member of the Jung Center in Brunswick for the last six years. She resides in Phippsburg Maine with her husband and has two grown children, a daughter and a son.

Aram Aslanian, Ph.D., LPC, is a licensed professional counselor and has taught for many years in Higher Education and earlier in his career as a school psychologist. Aram is also a Wisdom Healing Qigong Teacher, practicing for the last 3 years. Aram has served on the Program Committee for the last year and has been an active member of the Jung Center in Brunswick for 6 years. He resides in Phippsburg Maine with his wife and has two grown children, a daughter and son.

Tricia and Aram are a married couple who have worked as co-therapists in clinical practice and designed and co-taught many college courses together.

Members $15, Non-Members $20

The moment when “I am moved” happens is astonishing both to dancers and to people who have no intention of becoming dancers. It is a moment when the ego gives up control, stops choosing, stops exerting demands […]. It is a moment of unpremeditated surrender that cannot be explained, repeated exactly, sought for, or tried out. 
– Mary Whitehouse, C.G. Jung and Dance therapy, 1979

Contemplative Dance (also called Authentic Movement) is a meditative, improvisational  movement practice in which we explore the  body’s impulse to be moved by the spirit, without direction by the mind. We start from stillness and let our bodies surprise us. Movement sessions are followed by a period of silent writing or drawing and group reflection.

Bio: Kay Mann has been dancing since the age of four. She has been leading Authentic Movement sessions since 1996, including biweekly sessions in Bath since 1998.

FREE for Members and Non-Members

By aligning psycho-spiritual maturation with the natural process, our program envisages individuation as a path that embraces the inextricable relationship between life and death principles, and assents to Creation as mystery. We will confront dominant cultural constructs that alienate us from the body and obstruct psyche’s connection with the non-human world. In hopes of redress, we will construct an alternative model of consciousness, envisaging a nature-based symbolic attitude that reconnects us with our roots in nature—conjoining mind, soul, and cosmos.

In Friday’s lecture, Dr. Costello will demonstrate how our environmental crisis and our collective fear of death stem from the same ideological root. She will discuss our fear of change and our fear of loss—anxieties that stymie the spirit and inhibit growth. She will explore how changes in our bodies and in our life circumstances may be harnessed as a motive force for reconnecting us to our roots in nature, opening us to mystery, and honing our intentions in regard to self, others, and our work in the world.

[SEE SATURDAY WORKSHOP DETAILS HERE]

Bio: Melanie Starr Costello, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist, historian, and senior Jungian analyst in private practice in Washington, D.C. She is a graduate of the C.G. Jung Institute-Zurich and earned her doctorate in the History and Literature of Religions from Northwestern University. She formerly served as Assistant Professor of History at St. Mary’s College of Maryland, was a Trustee for the Consortium for Psychoanalytic Research in Washington, D.C. and is currently Director of Education for the Jungian Analysts of Washington, a member of the Board of the C.G. Jung Foundation of New York and a training analyst for the C. G. Jung Institute-Zurich. Dr. Costello has taught and published on the topics of psychology and religion, medieval spirituality, aging and clinical practice. Her study of the link between illness and insight, entitled Imagination, Illness and Injury: Jungian Psychology and the Somatic Dimensions of Perception, is published by Routledge Press.

Members $40, Non-Members $50

By aligning psycho-spiritual maturation with the natural process, our program envisages individuation as a path that embraces the inextricable relationship between life and death principles, and assents to Creation as mystery. We will confront dominant cultural constructs that alienate us from the body and obstruct psyche’s connection with the non-human world. In hopes of redress, we will construct an alternative model of consciousness, envisaging a nature-based symbolic attitude that reconnects us with our roots in nature—conjoining mind, soul, and cosmos.

During Saturday’s workshop, Dr. Costello will lead a life-review meditation to promote awareness of the link between maturation of consciousness and our acceptance of natural cycles. We will then discuss the varied archetypal energies that have informed our identities and our chosen place in the world.

We consider questions such as: What is the purpose of longevity? What is wisdom? We will conclude by reconstructing our portrait of the individuated person, elucidating the nature-based dimensions of social, family and spiritual life.

Throughout the weekend, we will use images, stories, and dream analysis to throw light on the archetypal forces—both fierce and generative—that promote psycho-spiritual maturation. Special attention will be given to the recurrence of cosmological and elemental themes in dreams of individuals undergoing life transition.

Bio: Melanie Starr Costello, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist, historian, and senior Jungian analyst in private practice in Washington, D.C. She is a graduate of the C. G. Jung Institute-Zurich and earned her doctorate in the History and Literature of Religions from Northwestern University. She formerly served as Assistant Professor of History at St. Mary’s College of Maryland, was a Trustee for the Consortium for Psychoanalytic Research in Washington, D.C. and is currently Director of Education for the Jungian Analysts of Washington, a member of the Board of the C. G. Jung Foundation of New York and a training analyst for the C. G. Jung Institute-Zurich. Dr. Costello has taught and published on the topics of psychology and religion, medieval spirituality, aging and clinical practice. Her study of the link between illness and insight, entitled Imagination, Illness and Injury: Jungian Psychology and the Somatic Dimensions of Perception, is published by Routledge Press.

FREE; Donations Accepted!

Viewing facilitated by Peggy Schick & Jeff Pinnette

Created by Canadian filmmaker, musician and meditation teacher Daniel Schmidt, this documentary film won a number of awards at international film festivals. A visual feast for the eyes, the film is presented in four parts. Part one, entitled “Akasha,” contends that within the emptiness or nothingness of our being is an unfathomable energy which connects all things. Part two, “The Spiral,” explores how the image of the spiral functions as the golden key unifying the mysteries of the universe. In part three, “The Serpent and the Lotus,” we see how the snake represents the downward spiral, and the lotus flower represents the upward current or transcendence. Based in the idea that a human being can become a bridge extending from the outer to the inner, part four, “Beyond Thinking,” demonstrates how in Western culture we live our lives pursuing happiness “out there,” as if it were a commodity.

Members $35, Non-Members $45

Come paint your dreams!

Using the medium of tempera paint and paper, participants will explore their individual dream stories, images, symbols, or recurring patterns uncovered in  the dream state. Bring a dream message that is unclear or wants to be explored more completely. Through this painting process, you will more easily tap into an innate knowing. A creation unique to you will emerge in a more vivid and clear way and a deeper personal understanding may emerge.

In this hands-on workshop, we will begin with an overview of the role of intuition in our lives and the development of trusting this gift. A brief  discussion of the intuitive painting process, its connection to dream work, the expression of psyche and the personal individuation process will be shared. Each participant will then be supported through the actual painting process.

The workshop will conclude with a group process in which participants may share their personal experience and paintings. Paintings will go home with the participants.

Painting materials will be supplied.

Bio: Tricia Santi, M.S., M.A., LMFT is a licensed marriage and family therapist and educator who has evolved as a practitioner who actively supports the process of individuation with sensitivity to culture and gender in our personal lives as well as the collective. She has found intuitive painting to be a natural portal to accessing our unconscious and bringing awareness and clarity into an individual’s life. The “Intuitive painting process” is a vehicle for bringing to life on paper images from dreams, memories, and innate knowing. Tricia has enjoyed participating as a member of the Jung Center in Brunswick for the last six years and has been serving on the Program Committee at the Center since May 2017. She resides in Phippsburg, ME with her husband and has two grown children, a daughter and a son.

Members $20, Non-Members $30
Maximum participants: 15

Astrology, like the collective unconscious with which psychology is concerned, consists of symbolic configurations: The “planets” are the gods, symbols of the powers of the unconscious. – C. G. Jung, Letters Vol. III

Join this small group introduction to astrological charts and their application in the individuation process. We are all complex beings and our natal charts confirm this! Our charts provide great insight that can help define the different and often conflicting aspects of our personalities. While there are many dimensions to the natal chart, this introduction will focus on the Sun, Moon and Rising signs individually, their dynamic together, and their archetypes as depicted through the elements (fire, earth, air, water) of the signs of the zodiac. In advance of class, registrants need to provide their place of birth, date of birth, and—if known—the exact time of birth as listed on their birth record, and they will receive a copy of their natal chart in class.

Bio: Peggy Schick is a professional astrologer in Topsham. She finds natal charts to be a fascinating and highly useful tool for understanding psychological behavior and enjoys sharing this insight with others who are on a quest for deeper self-knowledge, self-love, and connection with higher consciousness. She is Co-Chair of the Board of the Maine Jung Center.

Members/Guests of Members $30
The Maine Jung Center presents: A Tribute to Esther Harding, in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of her 80th birthday party.

“One thing only can stand against the power of the unconscious and this, paradoxical as it may sound, is the power of individuality.” 
– M. Esther Harding

In 1936, Esther Harding, a Jungian analyst, was one of three women (along with Kristine Mann and Eleanor Bertine) responsible for bringing Carl Jung to our very own Bailey Island to offer a six-day conference on “Dream Symbols of the Individuation Process.”

On the occasion of her 80th birthday in 1968, over 200 participants from around the world gathered in her honor for what was often referred to as “The Second Bailey Island Conference” at Bowdoin College.

This year marks not only the 50th anniversary of Esther Harding’s 80th birthday, but also the 30th anniversary of the Maine Jung Center. To honor that auspicious occasion, we welcome members and their guests for a Sunday afternoon of memories, camaraderie, refreshments, and birthday cake!

Members will receive an invitation to this event. If you’re not already a member and want to attend, please join today!

Members $25, Non-Members $35

Welcome Eros, god of relationship and life-spirit, into your home as an invisible yet inspiring guest! During this evening together, we will explore the “erotic” archetype as embodied in the divine Eros, when all the senses are fully integrated and awakened in service to the intentional cultivation of hospitality, relationship, and a celebration of beauty.

The myth of Philemon and Baucis will serve as a grounding thread for the evening, as we discuss the alchemy that exists in preparing and sharing a meal with friends, family or even strangers. We will explore how imagination, generosity, and ambience combine to transform ordinary moments into rich, sensuous opportunities to feast with the gods, when inspired by the presence of Eros and Psyche.

Bio: Julie Sgarzi, Ph.D. holds a doctorate in depth psychology, and lectures and writes on contemporary issues from a Jungian and depth-psychological perspective. She is a resident of both South Bristol, Maine and Los Angeles and a member of the Maine Jung Center and the Los Angeles Analytical Psychology Club. Julie is a past Board member of the Philemon Foundation and Opus Archives at Pacifica Graduate Institute. She is also a Board member of Look What SHE Did! – a video archive of women telling the stories of amazing women who inspire them – where Julie spoke about Los Angeles Analyst Gilda Frantz (www.lookwhatshedid.com).