“Memories, Dreams, Reflections” by C.G. Jung
A Study Group with Satya Doyle Byock
Six Sessions
Saturdays, March 16 - April 20, 2024
9:30-11:30am PDT | 12:30-2:30pm EDT | 5:30-7:30pm UK*
All seminars are hosted online. Recordings are provided to all registrants. | Certificate for 12 Continued Education Credits available, issued by The Salome Institute | *Daylight savings time is on March 10th in the US and will temporarily disrupt time for those in the UK and elsewhere.
Illustration of Carl Jung by Nina Bunjevac
“As far as we can discern, the sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light in the darkness of mere being. It may even be assumed that just as the unconscious affects us, so the increase in our consciousness affects the unconscious.”
For so many people, Carl Jung’s memoir, Memories, Dreams, Reflections, provides an entryway into his psychology. Within its pages, we find explorations of all the major ideas in Jung’s psychology with so much relevance to our daily lives: archetypes, the collective unconscious, dreams, divination, psychic experiences, mental health and illness, the familial unconscious, the feminine and the masculine, The Red Book, near-death experiences, Christianity, yoga, Kabbalah, God, physics… it’s all here.
And while this is Jung’s memoir, it is also only kind of a memoir. Jung hesitated for years to write anything autobiographical to this extent and only agreed to collaborate on a book of this kind if its focus wouldn’t be on the accolades he received or the important people he met. For Jung, those were the least interesting aspects of his life. And so, an agreement was made and a collaboration was born. Jung’s longtime colleague and secretary, Aniela Jaffe, spent countless hours interviewing Jung and poring over his writings both published and unpublished. In the end, while MDR is known as Jung’s memoir, it is most certainly also a work of Jaffe’s.
“My whole being was seeking for something still unknown which might confer meaning upon the banality of life.”
“Just as all energy proceeds from opposition, so the psyche too possesses its inner polarity, this being the indispensable prerequisite for its aliveness.”
In this six-part seminar, we will have an opportunity to explore this work together, diving into the classic stories that make up Jung’s history and the complex ideas that always beckon for greater understanding. We’ll also weave in small pieces from the recently published Reflections, Aniela Jaffe’s previously unpublished thoughts on the process of creating MDR.
“A man who has not passed through the inferno of his own passions has never overcome them. They then dwell in the house next door, and at any moment a flame may dart out and set fire to his own house.”
Whether you’ve read this classic work several times or have yet to crack its covers, our session gatherings and lectures will broaden your understanding of the text and bring to life so many timeless ideas.
Participants will be assigned approximately 60 pages per week for preparation, though reading and live engagement are never required.
Register:
Cost: $225
Self & Society Paid Subscribers: New and existing paid subscribers of Self & Society have access to a code for 15% off this class. Please look for this in your emails or send an email to inquire.
Scholarships & Discounts: It is important to us that this material be accessible. If finances would prevent you from participating, please send an email with a short note. We would love for you to be able to join us.
Readings: You’ll want access to Memories, Dreams, Reflections by C.G. Jung for this seminar, available on Kindle and in paperback. Each gathering will cover approx. 60 pages of reading.
Recordings: All sessions will be recorded and provided to registrants within 24 hours of the live gathering. It is not necessary to attend live.
CEU: Participants can earn 12 CEs (Continued Education Credit hours) for this seminar. Please review this page on Continued Education Credits.
About Satya Doyle Byock, MA, LPC
Satya Doyle Byock is the director of The Salome Institute, a psychotherapist in private practice, and the author of Quarterlife: The Search for Self in Early Adulthood (Random House + Penguin Press). Her work has been featured in The New York Times, The Guardian, Oprah Daily, Literary Hub, Psychological Perspectives, goop, and on NPR, the BBC, and many podcasts. She has lectured on various topics at C.G. Jung societies in the US and the UK and is the co-host of Carl Jung’s Red Book Podcast (now completed). She writes regularly for her Substack newsletter, Self & Society.