I come from nothing.

Recently, I saw a program with Stephen Hawking discussing his theory on Black Holes. Prior to this, I didn’t know very much about Stephen Hawking or his theories, because I assumed I wasn’t going to understand what he was talking about. But then… something really strange happened… it was kinda unbelievable…and it totally tripped me … Continue reading I come from nothing.

 Cinderella and Her Sisters: The Envied and the Envying

Excerp from Cinderella and Her Sisters: The Envied amd the Envying By Ann Ulanov Envy is an emotion we all know about, scholars, psychoanalysts, and theologians included, but we rarely talk about it, and very little is written about it. The reason for this silence is the painful, searing effects of envy. It burns into us … Continue reading  Cinderella and Her Sisters: The Envied and the Envying

The agony of integration and the blessings of finitude – facing ‘extinction points’ and moments of madness

By Ann Ulanov, This paper explores the inevitable pain that integration requires in our individuation process. The unspeakable agony we defended against in order to survive we now experience consciously, including moments of going out of existence at the core of our madness. Clinical examples are given of these ‘extinction points’ and the abject helplessness … Continue reading The agony of integration and the blessings of finitude – facing ‘extinction points’ and moments of madness

The Clown: An Archetypal Self-Journey

Abstract 
The clown is a historical character with transcultural and transpersonal significance. The clown’s costume, make-up, and antics can be viewed as expressions from a deep archetypal space. As an archetype, the Clown, as an expression of the Trickster, carries and expresses bipolar energies of silliness/seriousness, play/work, hidden/known, creating/destroying, and order/disorder. Culturally and personally the clown serves many functions. One of his functions is as a carrier of the transcendent function facilitating an Ego-Self axis.
key words active imagination, archetype, Clown, Ego-Self axis, the Fool, Freud, humor, Jester, C. G. Jung, King Lear, laughter, play, Self, Shakespeare, tarot, transcendent function, Trickster

The Black Madonna — Intro

Happy Sunday Everyone! I’m posting this video clip about the Black Madonna ( whom I affectionately call, Big Mama) because she’s been showing up in people’s dreams, in people’s consciousness, in encounters such as Marion Woodman talks about in this clip, and even in media like the movie/book “The Shack.” “Although she takes many forms, … Continue reading The Black Madonna — Intro

The symbolism of the Thief is not what you might think

I think people fear certain symbols in dreams and in even tarot readings. We apply our western judgements and morals to symbols and we fail to see that the potential that a symbol, such as, thief, devil, or death, for instance, might carry qualities that we need to integrate in our lives in order to … Continue reading The symbolism of the Thief is not what you might think

The Crone

Excerpt from an interview with Marion Woodman - Conscious Femininity The feminine in many guides like the Black Madonna and the Crone is erupting in individuals.... The Crone ...I want to say one other thing about the feminine because the feminine always comes in threes: mythologically there are the three graces, the three Norns, the … Continue reading The Crone

The Boogey Man, Loneliness, and the “It”

Excerpt from Marie Louise Von Franz, the Shadow and Evil in Fairy Tales One may wonder whether it is physical loneliness or spiritual or mental loneliness which seems to invite possession by evil. Personally, I would say both. In the stories I have told it is mainly physical loneliness, being alone out in the woods … Continue reading The Boogey Man, Loneliness, and the “It”