Fate and Destiny in Dickinson and Jung

Poetry and writing as paths to spiritual wholeness will be examined in the works of Emily Dickinson and C.G. Jung. Practical methods of journaling will be presented to enhance one's relationship to dreams and the unconscious.

Fate, destiny, and spiritual marriage are notions that have appeared across the centuries in the myths and philosophies of all nations. Both Emily Dickinson and C.G. Jung had a great deal to say about these complementary concepts. Dickinson embodied the power of transformation to overcome the slings and arrows of her fate and rose to a truly post-heroic destiny during an era of spiritual democracy. Superiority to fate was Dickinson’s central path to wholeness and healing. For Dickinson, such healing was Nature-oriented and equalizing and her love affair with Mother Nature finally led her to become superior to her fate. The lecture will make the concepts of fate, destiny, and spiritual marriage practical through a Jungian lens. Journaling methods will be presented to make the technique of poetic reverie relevant to dream work, active imagination, and in-depth analysis across the course of one's life.

STEVEN HERRMANN, PhD., MFT, is a Jungian analyst and author of many papers and several books. Steven has presented nationally and internationally on the subjects of analytical psychology, spiritual democracy, vocational dreams and synchronicity, and American poetry, including: "Emily Dickinson: A Medicine Woman for Our Times" (2018).