One More Quickie on Clergy and Depression: Jungian Archetypal Psychology

Parker Palmer just wrote a Facebook post about his own struggles with depression, reminding me of his lovely book, Let Your Life Speak, which has a chapter devoted to that subject (Chapter Four). A great read.

Someone’s comment about my observation that mystical intuitive types are often spiritually gifted but prone to soul suffering that can manifest as depression or anxiety reminded me of my own frustrations with the purely clinical and medical approach to the human experience, mind, body and soul. A huge part of my own healing, strengthening and gaining clarity, peace and courage came from years of study of Jungian archetypal psychology and particularly from the writings of James Hillman (and James Hollis, Clarissa Pinkola Estes and Marion Woodman and Aldo Carotenuto). I studied Jungian archetypal psychology and dreamwork intensively over five summers or so, and it changed my life. I’m sure I have written about this before but not for a long time. We must constantly thank and lift up our teachers and guides so that others may find them, so let me lift up the Jungians again! It’s probably important to say that I have never been that inspired by the primary texts of Jung himself, but Jung as refracted by James Hillman has been extraordinarily valuable for my own life and my work in pastoral counseling and spiritual direction.

You might start with A Blue Fire. Hillman’s popular works, The Soul’s Code and The Force of Character are good, but they don’t really give you the juicy stuff of Hillman. Start with A Blue Fire and go from there. I have a whole bookshelf of Hillman’s works. And thanks to you, I just located another rare one on ebay and I’m adding it to my collection.

I adored Hillman and grieved him as a key mentor in my life when he died in 2011. He knew the importance of aesthetics and beauty and never hesitated to name ugliness as a spiritual harm. He was in some ways a godfather to this blog.