“This sort of thing has been consistent with me, and at any time in my later life when I came up against a blank wall, I painted a picture or hewed. Each such experience proved to be a rite d’ entrée for the ideas and works that followed hard upon it. Everything that I have written this year and last year. ‘The undiscovered self’ ’Flying sources a modern myth’ ‘A psychological view of Conscience’, has grown out of the stone sculptures I did after my wife’s death. The close of her life, the end, what it made me realize, wrenched me violently out of myself. It cost me a great deal to regain my footing, and contact with stone helped me.”
Creative expression was very important to Jung, it helped him through crisis, and assisted him to learn and understand himself.
The role that art can have in our spiritual and communal life, in therapy and ‘soul making’ will be explored in this lecture, using examples of art in the communal life of a Buddhist community and showing how drama is a fabulous group method that can help members of the group explore, heal and grow, particularly through psychodrama.
Jean Gebser’s theory of the structures and evolution of consciousness helps us to understand how this works, particularly through the mythic structure that thinks in images. At the centre of all creative expression is image and story.
Creative arts practice is about finding meaning, self-expression, connecting with others and self-transformation. Ultimately, it’s about ‘Soul Making’.
Dr Shani Quiddington: Shani’s Ph.D. focused on the work of Dr Jean Houston, who embraced the arts in her books and workshops.
Shani’s own creative journey started with writing and performing poetry. She moved onto storytelling, joining the storyteller’s guild. She then attended classes in improvisation acting, psychodrama and playback theatre. For over 20 years she danced with the ‘5 Rhythms’ community which approaches dance as a spiritual practice.
She created installations for the 5 rhythms classes, at the Augustine and made shrines for the Buddhist Centre and retreats. She also expresses herself in mixed media paintings and clay.
Shani leads groups and workshops in improv, psychodrama, playback and art as a way of knowing. For the Jung Society of Melbourne last year, she facilitated a Book Discussion and Practice group on Dreams and Active Imagination. This year, the group will focus on writing as spiritual practice and lastly, she will co-facilitate a winter workshop series on Jungian Psychodrama.
Admission:
Members: Free
Non Members: $20
Concession: $15