This Jungian Life

⁠⁠⁠⁠DREAM WITH US, and we’ll teach you how to interpret them!Primeval, silent, relentless—the shark announces itself as its fin slices the water. In that instant, ego’s barriers shudder and give way: you’re not anxious; you’re utterly alert, stripped of distraction by a force both familiar and uncanny.When you stop battling that raw terror and honor it—offer a silent libation of attention—the predator becomes a protector. Here, in the shark’s unblinking gaze, you meet the stranger in your depths, the animality you once fled, now guiding you to face what you’ve long denied.Read along with our dream analysis ⁠⁠HERE⁠⁠.LOOK & GROW⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join THIS JUNGIAN LIFE DREAM SCHOOL⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Do you have a topic you want us to cover?⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠WE NEED YOUR HELP! Become a patron to keep TJL running.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠We've got totally NEW MERCH!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠We’d like to take a crack interpreting your dream.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠If you’ve been struggling in the dark,

⁠⁠⁠DREAM WITH US, and we’ll teach you how to interpret them!Motivation rises from conscious and unconscious dynamics. We can reason with ourselves to take logical action while our libido flows with its own intelligence. When these two aspects align, we find ourselves acting decisively and effectively with remarkable freedom. When we’re at odds with the secret intelligence of the unconscious, we can find ourselves uncomfortably suspended. As we honor the autonomy of Psyche and cultivate a curious friendship with it, we can discover a creative collaboration that sets us in a fresh direction aligned with the Self.Read along with our dream analysis ⁠HERE⁠.LOOK & GROW⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join THIS JUNGIAN LIFE DREAM SCHOOL⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Do you have a topic you want us to cover?⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠WE NEED YOUR HELP! Become a patron to keep TJL running.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠We've got totally NEW MERCH!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠We’d like to take a crack interpreting your dream.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠If you’ve b

⁠⁠DREAM WITH US, and we’ll teach you how to interpret them!Sibling rivalry can bruise and build in equal measure. On the hard side, the older child feels toppled from the throne, the younger scrambles for a foothold, and both learn how quickly envy, resentment, and score-keeping ignite—whether over a parent’s extra hour of attention or the larger slice of birthday cake. Those early contests can calcify into adult grudges that surface in estate negotiations, workplace jockeying, or mismatched relationships.Yet the same daily friction teaches useful skills: we sharpen empathy by reading a sibling’s next move, develop a theory of mind through constant negotiation, and discover that competition does not rule out loyalty—especially when a crisis calls every rival home. Listen and discover how sibling rivalry is both the first training ground for conflict and the first workshop for cooperation, shaping how we handle fairness, attachment, and resilience for the rest of our lives.Read along with our dream analysis HE

⁠DREAM WITH US, and we’ll teach you how to interpret them!Mandalas are Psyche’s way of drawing a compass for you when life feels off-kilter. Jung noticed that these circular patterns—whether they appear in Navajo sand paintings, Tibetan yantras, or last night’s dream—pull everything back toward a stable center he called the Self.The rim defines where your ego ends; the cross-lines and repeating fours help you locate sensation, feeling, thinking, and intuition in relation to your core. By “walking” the circle, even in imagination, the ego learns to orbit rather than hijack the organizing center, and the usual tug-of-war between instinct and spirit eases.Jung’s own Liverpool dream, with its sunlit circular island in a dark industrial square, showed him how a mandala can emerge autonomously whenever Psyche needs to order chaos and point the way back to wholeness. Curious why a circle keeps popping up in dreams and sacred art?—listen in and find out how it can quietly realign your life.*Featuring our new Q&A

DREAM WITH US, and we’ll teach you how to interpret them!When a house turns up in a dream, it isn’t a staging background—it’s an architectural X-ray of your inner life, drafted by the dream maker overnight and delivered to your doorstep at dawn. Floors chart levels of awareness, locked doors expose repressed material, intruders crash in as disowned traits, and every leaking pipe or crooked stair announces a personal attitude in need of repair.In this episode, we’ll teach you how to read the blueprint with the same clarity you’d bring to structural engineering, and your dream will hand you a working map for shadow work, boundary-setting, and genuine psychic renovation.Read along with our dream interpretations HERE.LOOK & GROW⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join THIS JUNGIAN LIFE DREAM SCHOOL⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Do you have a topic you want us to cover?⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠WE NEED YOUR HELP! Become a patron to keep TJL running.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠We've got totally NEW MERCH!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠We’d like to take a crack interpretin

NEW: Come along to our free Shadow and Dreams Seminar on May 17Ever wonder why “Snow White” still hooks us after all the Disney glitter flakes off? This episode strips the tale down to its psychological wiring: murderous envy of the mother shadow, malignant innocence, the unforgiving “mirror” inside that only answers the questions we’re brave enough to ask, and the dangerous alchemy that transforms three lethal mistakes into mature authority.You’ll hear why the dwarflike bits of half-formed masculinity in all of us mine gold from the unconscious, how raw instinct often finishes the work refined methods can’t, and how real agency activates only when infantile fantasies are forged into a powerful animus. It’s a crash course in holding onto wonder while crafting ruthless boundaries—if that mix intrigues you, dive into the full conversation.*Featuring our new Q&A section where we answer questions from our Patrons!LOOK & GROW⁠⁠⁠Attend Our Free Shadow and Dreams Seminar⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join THIS JUNGIAN LIFE DREA

DREAM WITH US, and we’ll teach you how to interpret them!The religious function is part of who we are — as natural as needing food or love. It’s the inner drive that pushes us to find meaning, to touch something larger than ourselves. Jung saw that if we don’t tend it, it doesn’t go away; it twists itself into addictions, compulsions, or a kind of soul-sickness. Religion, in the deepest sense, isn’t about belief systems.It’s about real encounters with the Self — the larger reality inside us that humbles, heals, and reshapes us. Dreams, symbols, and moments of awe are how Psyche keeps that connection alive. Without them, the energies meant for growth get stuck or spill out in destructive ways. In this episode, you’ll learn how to stay open and reimagine ways the sacred can speak to you.Read along with our dream interpretation HERE.LOOK & GROW⁠⁠Attend Our Free Shadow and Dreams Seminar⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join THIS JUNGIAN LIFE DREAM SCHOOL⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Do you have a topic you want us to cover?⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠WE NE

DREAM WITH US, and we’ll teach you how to interpret them!Viviane Silvera animated 30,000 of her hand-painted images to explore how traumatic memories are formed, stored, and ultimately transformed. Her animated documentary, SEE MEMORY, traces the intimate story of a young woman caught between past and present; her film captures the fragmented texture of trauma and the healing that becomes possible when painful memories are witnessed. In our conversation with Viviane, we explore her process of recovering lost memories and how opposing perspectives can constellate new attitudes toward trauma. We discuss cutting-edge findings on the way the brain stores and changes memory and reveal the intersection of art, science, and psyche. Watch SEE MEMORY on PBS (now live!): Streaming LinkHere's a list of all the broadcast DATES About Viviane:Viviane Silvera is an award-winning artist and filmmaker whose work blends painting, animation, and neuroscience to illuminate memory, trauma, and the unconscious. She holds a dua

DREAM WITH US, and we’ll teach you how to interpret them!⁠⁠⁠Today you'll learn about inner guidance--the quiet, built-in compass that surfaces when we pause the outer noise long enough to feel what rings true inside. It is less a mystical oracle than a subtle convergence of bodily signals, emotional undertones, and intuitive "hunches" distilled from our lived experience.When we meet a decision with open attention—neither forcing a rational verdict nor surrendering to raw impulse—this inner faculty sorts, weighs, and hints at the direction that aligns with our deepest values. Acting on it demands two skills: discerning authentic signals from fear or wishful thinking and then trusting ourselves enough to follow through. Practiced regularly, inner guidance becomes a dialogue between conscious intention and the wiser, often quieter currents of the Self.Read along with our dream interpretation HERE.LOOK & GROWAttend Our Free Shadow and Dreams Seminar⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join THIS JUNGIAN LIFE DREAM SCHOOL⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

In this free edition of Jung Love, our subscriber-supported bonus content, a Patron asks:"What do you do with shadow material? Is it enough to just become aware of your shadows? Or does it require a fixing of oneself? What is the process of processing it?I'm still trying to wrap my head around the shadow. What if I'm aware, but still don't like the shadow? Robert Johnson talked about rituals for the shadow. Can you speak about that in more depth and perhaps provide some examples?"Support This Jungian Life on Patreon and ask Lisa, Deb, and Joseph your questions for a chance to have them answered on Jung Love:https://tinyurl.com/TJLPatreonLOOK & GROW⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join THIS JUNGIAN LIFE DREAM SCHOOL⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Do you have a topic you want us to cover?⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠WE NEED YOUR HELP! Become a patron to keep TJL running.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠We've got totally NEW MERCH!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠We’d like to take a crack interpreting your dream.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠If you’ve been struggling in the dark, trying to find the keys to unlo

DREAM WITH US, and we’ll teach you how to interpret them!⁠⁠⁠Think of adolescence as life’s built‑in boot camp: your body hits the gas, your mind scrambles to keep up, and suddenly you’re wrestling with raw impulses, big feelings, and the question “Who am I, really?” That surge of anger toward parents often hides an intense love that feels too risky to show, so teens push back while secretly measuring whether adults—and the wider world—can handle their storm.Without clear rites of passage, they test limits through friends, online thrills, and daring choices, all in service of hammering out a story that’s theirs, not just a hand‑me‑down from family. If they can ride those waves—owning both the wild Shadow and the hopeful Self—they step into adulthood with a genuine sense of direction; if they dodge the work, the unfinished business shows up later as anxiety, depression, or a nagging sense of being stuck.LOOK & GROW⁠⁠⁠⁠Join THIS JUNGIAN LIFE DREAM SCHOOL⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Do you have a topic you want us to cover?⁠⁠⁠

⁠DREAM WITH US, and we’ll teach you how to interpret them!⁠⁠⁠Worry arises because we can imagine countless possibilities, yet it often traps us in unproductive loops. Recognizing when worry prompts useful action—and when it spirals into paralysis—can be transformative. By holding uncertainty with patience, rather than trying to eliminate it, we engage a deeper capacity to reflect, adapt, and discover hidden strength.Read along with our dream interpretation HERE.LOOK & GROW⁠⁠⁠Join THIS JUNGIAN LIFE DREAM SCHOOL⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Do you have a topic you want us to cover?⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠WE NEED YOUR HELP! Become a patron to keep TJL running.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠We've got totally NEW MERCH!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠We’d like to take a crack interpreting your dream.⁠⁠⁠If you’ve been struggling in the dark, trying to find the keys to unlock your dreams, help has arrived. Order your copy of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Dream Wise: Unlocking the Meaning of Your Dreams⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ from the hosts of This Jungian Life podcast and open the secret door.⁠⁠⁠Lisa’s leading a retreat in ITALY!⁠

⁠DREAM WITH US, and we’ll teach you how to interpret them!⁠⁠⁠Ever felt that irresistible urge to poke around for answers? That’s the detective archetype calling. It taps into our natural drive to uncover hidden truths and bridges the gap between what’s out in the open and what’s hidden in shadow. Whether we’re looking at Sherlock Holmes’s logical wizardry or Miss Marple’s understated brilliance, detective stories grab our attention by setting things right when wrongdoing has thrown everyday life off-balance. But these tales aren’t just about catching a culprit; they mirror an inner process. It’s the part of us that wants to piece together clues about ourselves and our world. Sometimes, we can get lost in suspicion, seeing danger where there might be none—but courage and clear-eyed discernment help us face the darkness without being consumed by it. From ancient myths like Oedipus to modern shamanic traditions, cultures everywhere highlight this inquisitive spirit.And it’s not confined to police dramas, either.

⁠DREAM WITH US, and we’ll teach you how to interpret them!⁠⁠⁠In 1906, during Carl Jung’s formative visit to Vienna to confer with Sigmund Freud, a seemingly incidental stop at the renowned Café Sacher catalyzed his enduring fascination with pastry-making. At the time, Freud was actively refining his drive-based theories—including the pleasure principle—and while Jung had not yet formulated his later concepts, his curiosity was piqued by the Sachertorte’s complex interplay of technique and sensory allure. Authentically prepared Sachertorte requires an aerated chocolate batter produced via partial egg-white separation and a precise bain-marie melting of couverture; it must then be baked at a consistent, moderate temperature to maintain its signature crumb structure. Once cooled, a meticulously reduced apricot preserves layer is applied, sealing the surface to ensure proper adhesion of the tempered chocolate glaze—a step that, if rushed, can lead to bloom or unsightly streaking.Witnessing the pastry’s transforma

DREAM WITH US, and we’ll teach you how to interpret them!⁠⁠⁠Connie Zweig, author and Jungian therapist, joins us to explore the next level of shadow-work. This transformative practice identifies and integrates the repressed or disowned parts of ourselves, fostering deeper self-awareness, authenticity, and personal growth. These hidden dimensions often emerge in our relationships, politics, and cultural conflicts as unconscious projections and behaviors.By examining them—through dialogue, myth, and active imagination—we can move beyond shame, denial, and blame, transforming painful patterns into sources of emotional richness and empathy. Accepting and learning from our shadow is not only a path to healing but a moral responsibility, ultimately paving the way for more authentic relationships, social engagement, and spiritual practice.Learn more about Connie HERE.LOOK & GROWJoin THIS JUNGIAN LIFE DREAM SCHOOL⁠⁠⁠Do you have a topic you want us to cover?⁠⁠⁠WE NEED YOUR HELP! Become a patron to keep TJL running

DREAM WITH US, and we’ll teach you how to interpret them!⁠⁠⁠Boundaries define limits in relationships, work, and the psyche, balancing autonomy and connection. In relationships, they prevent enmeshment and detachment, fostering respect. Professionally, they maintain ethics and prevent burnout. Intrapsychically, they regulate self-cohesion and unconscious influences.Cultures shape boundary norms, with individualistic societies valuing personal space and collectivist ones emphasizing connection. Myths depict boundaries as transformative thresholds, like Janus symbolizing transition. The key dialectic is between rigidity and permeability—too rigid isolates, too porous exhausts. Healthy boundaries require self-awareness, clear communication, and adaptability. They are not barriers but tools for navigating relationships while preserving identity and well-being.Read along with our dream interpretation HERE.LOOK & GROWJoin THIS JUNGIAN LIFE DREAM SCHOOL⁠⁠⁠Do you have a topic you want us to cover?⁠⁠⁠WE NEED YOUR

DREAM WITH US, and we’ll teach you how to interpret them!⁠⁠⁠Carl Jung considered visions extraordinary intrusions of the unconscious into waking life, moments when hidden psychic contents press forward with striking intensity. These phenomena do not represent mere hallucinations or idle fantasies. They reflect purposeful eruptions from Psyche’s deeper strata, often evoked by personal crisis or cultural upheaval. Visions stand apart from normal mental processes because they carry a sense of autonomy; they appear spontaneously and feel real despite an absence of tangible external stimuli.Unlike psychotic hallucinations, which generally lack insight, visions evoke wonder or awe but do not lead to a break with reality. Instead of dismissing them as illusions, we should explore their symbolic significance and trace their relationship to archetypal patterns. Visions may emerge to correct lopsided ego positions, illuminate a coming transformation, or highlight a collective shift in cultural identity. These visionary

DREAM WITH US, and we’ll teach you how to interpret them!⁠⁠⁠Join us this week to explore the results of our grand experiment in dream telepathy. A few weeks back, Joseph transmitted an image our listener volunteers were primed to receive, with the hope that it would appear in their dreams. The results? Intriguing, if not conclusive. On today's episode:Joseph shares some uncanny experiences listeners reported during his transmissionWe dive into the dreams that were matches for the beautiful image of a reddish-furred dog. Jung's understanding of dream telepathy, and how this ties into his concept of the collective unconscious. IF YOU WANT TO SEE THE IMAGE JOSEPH PROJECTED, CLICK HERELOOK & GROWJoin THIS JUNGIAN LIFE DREAM SCHOOL⁠⁠⁠Do you have a topic you want us to cover?⁠⁠⁠WE NEED YOUR HELP! Become a patron to keep TJL running.⁠⁠⁠We've got totally NEW MERCH!We’d like to take a crack interpreting your dream.If you’ve been struggling in the dark, trying to find the keys to unlock your dreams, hel

DREAM WITH US, and we’ll teach you how to interpret them!⁠⁠⁠*Content warning: contains references to sexual abuse, animal cruelty, self-harm, and cult exploitation*This is Shadowland, a new podcast experience from This Jungian Life that explores the lives of people who work and take refuge in the hidden places of our culture. We hope our work will bring insight, compassion, and understanding to the darker side of human experience.In that spirit, we meet Sarah, a mother whose daughter was rescued from the self-harm cult called "764." This dangerous group has been identified by the FBI, who continue to prosecute their leaders. Despite those efforts, it continues and targets children. We explore how she discovered her daughter's entrapment, the process of recovery, the growing danger of these types of groups, and the toll it has taken on her. Sarah's ongoing work investigating these cults requires that we protect her identity. We are using a pseudonym, altering her voice, and obscuring her face

DREAM WITH US, and we’ll teach you how to interpret them!⁠⁠⁠⁠Travel speaks to something far deeper in us than simply going from one place to another; it’s a powerful metaphor for inner change. In our dreams or daydreams, the drive to “hit the road” or venture overseas often signals Psyche’s desire for growth and transformation. Instead of just showing us new sights, these journeys hint at unexplored parts of ourselves—regions of the unconscious that hold insight, energy, or aspects of our own personality we’ve yet to embrace.When you find yourself repeatedly dreaming about traveling or caught up in fantasies of far-off adventures, it may be your inner life nudging you toward new perspectives, solutions, or even a bold reinvention. Much like ancient heroes setting sail to unknown realms, we, too, embark on soul-level quests whenever we step beyond our comfort zones. Seen this way, traveling—physically or in our dreams—becomes a path to self-discovery. Each trek outward reflects a deeper journey within as we gr