It's Here! The Reading List for October 2009

As we Spoto Seminar veterans know, it's not too early to start on the assigned readings. Angelo recently sent us some reading assigments, and others added information about where to find them.

He writes: Well, finally I have some reading for you to move on in route to our Mercy Weakened [was that spelling of "weekend" intentional?- PS]. As one of the long term goals of the group is to feel more and more comfortable and confident reading Jung in the original, I am going to suggest the following:

Ch. 5 of Jung's Psychological Types and as much of Vol 9i of the Collected Works (The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious) as the individual can manage.

Carol shares: "I found Collected Works, Volume 9, Part I : Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious, in a Modern Library collection of Jung's works entitled :The Basic Writings of C.G. Jung, edited by Violet Staub de Laszlo., copyright 1959. This book was in our local public library.

I have a clarification question on the other reading - Chapter 5 of Psychological Types. Is the title of this chapter The Type Problem in Poetry? Note: Angela confirmed with Angelo that this is indeed the title of Chapter 5.

Stuart adds: If I may, IX i is Titled Archetypes of the Collective Unconscious. (IX ii is Aion). The version almost universally referred to, for example in footnotes of other books on Jungian Psychology, is published by Princeton University Press, Copyright 1959, fifth printing 1977. A paperback edition appeard in 1980. Including the Appendix there 712 paragraphs on 384 pages. It is important to be able to refer to paragraphs, in class and on other occassions.

Also if it helps the ISBN is 0-691-09761-5.

I have known people who have bought used copies of the CW off Ebay, other ordered them from Princeton, but any sizeable library should have it.

As you complete the readings, feel free to use this blog to share some intial observations and questions for the group, either by posting a comment (by clicking the link at the end of this post) in response to this post, or being added as an author to create your own post.

Cheers,
Paula

Jehovah Explains to Job

This was shared by Carol Paquette. Carol writes "This passage is an excerpt from a poem entitled, “A Masque of Reason.” I came across this portion in an anthology; I don’t know the source of the title given. The “masque” is an exchange between Job, his wife, and God, with a cameo appearance of the Devil, which takes place many eons after the time of Job’s tribulations. I recommend you read the entire piece. It’s a charming and subtle conversation about morality." Thank you,Carol!

Yes, by and by. But first a larger matter.
I’ve had you on my mind a thousand years
To thank you someday for the way you helped me
Establish once for all the principle
There’s no connection man can reason out
Between his just deserts and what he gets.
Virtue may fail and wickedness succeed.
‘Twas a great demonstration we put on.
I should have spoken sooner had I found
The word I wanted. You would have supposed
One who in the beginning was the Word
Would be in a position to command it.
I have to wait for words like anyone.
Too long I’ve owed you this apology
For the apparently unmeaning sorrow
You were afflicted with in those old days.
But it was of the essence of the trial
You shouldn’t understand it at the time.
It had to seem unmeaning to have meaning.
And it came out all right. I have no doubt
You realize by now the part you played
To stultify the Deuteronomist
And change the tenor of religious thought.
My thanks are to you for releasing me
From moral bondage to the human race.
The only free will there at first was man’s,
Who could do good or evil as he chose.
I had no choice but I must follow him
With forfeits and rewards he understood –
Unless I liked to suffer loss of worship.
I had to prosper good and punish evil.
You changed all that. You set me free to reign.
You are the Emancipator of your God,
And as such I promote you to a saint.

-- Robert Frost, 1945

Man (and Woman) Doth Not Live by Jung Alone

Greetings All,
I’m looking forward to seeing you all next month and delving into this year’s topic. For those of you who are new to the group, I’m the official Spoto Seminar Snack Coordinator (or when I’m in a more inflated mode, VP of Snacking). Here’s how it works:
I take snack requests and then go grocery shopping for the weekend. For snacks, I’m reimbursed by seminar funds.
I also take a poll of who is interested in drinking wine or beer in the evenings and then pick up the libations. Last year the guy at Kappy’s liquors did a Wines Around the World case that turned out to be pretty fun. Since not everyone imbibes, the cost of the wine and beer is split evenly among those of us who drink them.
So please let me know 1) of any snack requests and dietary constraints you have, and 2) whether you preference is red wine, white wine, beer (and any particular style), or neither.

Here is last year’s grocery list to give you an idea:
· Apples – 6 pounds Macoun (had some left over, my personal favorite)
· Grapes – 1 bunch red seedless
· Dried apricots – 1 container
· (Consider veggies and dip)
· Cheese – 3 cheeses, 1 goat cheese
· Caffeine-free diet Coke (Angelo’s request)
· 3 2-liter bottles of seltzer
· Cider
· Cranberry juice
· 1 bag hard pretzels
· 1 package pita bread
· 1 pint hummus tahini
· 2 big bags chips (corn and blue corn)
· 2 pints salsa (only 1 used)
· Crackers for cheese
· 1 big container (qt.-sized) mixed nuts
· Cookies – two tubs of mini cookies
· (Consider yogurts) – if you think you’ll be eating yogurt, let me know your preferred flavors
· (Consider ½ & ½)

Cheers,Paula

P.S. Maybe we’ll have to start and early AM walking club to counteract the snacks.

Feeling Function

I have read Christos essay on the feeling function and can heartily recommend it to you.

next year's reading list

Hello All,

A ritual of mine after doing our Mercy weekend is to get lost in as many used bookstores as I can find. I am open to surprises and especially looking for what may pop out for next year’s topic. What you get for the weekend is a “long (i.e. year long, at least) meditation” on the subject that we have chosen.

In my bookstore haunts, I was overwhelmed with so much good material available. I allowed myself to look outside Jung’s circle. One volume that I found that looks particularly promising is John Wall’s Moral Creativity: Paul Ricoeur and the Poetics of Possibility.

I would encourage everyone to start reading now. The titles listed below are “for sure” items, but indulge yourself a bit over the upcoming year and feel free to explore this very rich area of inquiry, “The Moral Question in the Individuation Process.” The “blog” may be a good place to share with others some of what you find along the way.

These are the readings you can count on...

Hillman, James. “The Feeling Function,” in Jung’s Typology.

Jung, C.G. “A Psychological View of Conscience,” in CW 10.

**Jung’s piece is also in an anthology that may well be worth your while: Conscience, James Hillman, ed. You may be able to find a used copy on abebooks.com.

Neumann, Erich. Depth Psychology and the New Ethic.

Nietzsche, F. Beyond Good and Evil.

Robinson, D. Conscience and Jung’s Moral Vision.

Spoto, A. “The Inferior Function as a Moral Issue,” in Jung’s Typology in Perspective.

Stein, M. Solar Conscience/Lunar Conscience

Von Franz, M-L. “Jung’s Rehabilitation of the Feeling Function in Our Civilization,” (unpublished essay to be privately circulated to the group)

Blessings,

Angelo