Erel Shalit on InTouch with Carl Jung, an interview

Original Air Date: May 04, 2010

4 May - Erel Shalit on InTouch with Carl Jung




Erel Shalit talks with Phil Lynch. Dr. Erel Shalit is a Jungian psychoanalyst in Ra’anana, Israel. He is a training and supervising analyst, and past President of the Israel Society of Analytical Psychology. He has served as liaison person of the International Association of Analytical Psychology (IAAP) with Bulgaria. He is a past Director of the Community Mental Health Clinic, Shalvata Psychiatric Centre. The InTouch series features interviews with psychologists and hypnotherapists who use methods developed by Carl Jung. Visit CarlJungGateway.org for more information. The show is produced by the MediaMojoGuy for the Centerpointe Foundation.

Erel Shalit's Enemy, Cripple, Beggar: Shadows in the Hero's Path and his previously published book The Complex: Path of Transformation from Archetype to Ego can be purchased at http://www.fisherkingpress.com/ or by phoning Fisher King Press directly at 1-831-238-7799

Gita Sahgal – a hero of postmodern times

Gita Sahgal, an Indian-born author and journalist, is a leading voice against oppression of women, particularly by religious fundamentalists.
Until fired, April 2010, she was head of the Amnesty International's Gender Unit.

Why did Amnesty International fire Gita Sahgal?

Gita Sahgal criticized Amnesty for its association with Moazzam Begg, director of Cageprisoners, a well-known supporter of the Taliban.

Begg has said Sahgal's claims of his jihad connections and support for terrorism were "ridiculous," since he doesn't consider anyone a terrorist who has not been convicted of terrorism – i.e., if you commit a crime but escape conviction, you are innocent, goes this immoral, unethical and pervert reasoning.

Salman Rushdie, among others, has spoken up in support of Gita Saghal, claiming Amnesty – and Begg – "deserve our contempt."
Denis MacShane, a former Labour minister, called it "Kafkaesque" that Amnesty would threaten the career of Sahgal for her having exposed "an ideology that denies human rights."
Amnesty has stated that she was not suspended for "raising these issues internally." That is, her "crime" was going public (to let herself be quoted in The Sunday Times) about it – disclosing to the public the organization's hypocrisy.
Is not the mission of Amnesty to go public about "protecting human rights worldwide," as they claim?
In the post-modern condition, we fortunately do not adhere to the one and absolute truth of fundamentalism. Also, abandoning discrimination and reaching out respectfully to the Other, is one of the assets of multiple subjectivism.
However, there is a great danger that post-modern, multiple subjectivism gives undifferentiated, equal value to anything – to any act and any belief system – except for those who might criticize this lack of moral differentiation. Indian journalist Antara Dev Sen writes about Gita Saghal's courageous stand "given the dread of political correctness that cripples our thought" – a political correctness which may replace moral judgment and intellectual integrity, or, as written in the Wall Street Journal, "it's a pity that a group that was born to give voice to the victims of oppression should now devote itself to sanitizing the oppressors."

Read more about transiency and psychological aspects of the post-modern condition in Erel Shalit: 'Destruction of the Image and the Worship of Transiency.' Jung Journal: Culture & Psyche, Feb. 2010.

All of Erel Shalit's publications can be purchased at http://www.fisherkingpress.com/ or by phoning Fisher King Press directly at 1-831-238-7799, Toll free in Canada & the US 1-800-228-9316

Mother Earth has Struck at the Temples of Transiency

Mother Earth has struck, and by means of her messenger, angry Hephaestus, the eruption of the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajokull, she reminds us how she can fasten Icarus's wings to the ground.

We have all become accustomed to the swift and structured passage through the airport, until we briefly breathe the disconnected sense of being duty-free, free of any duty. However, during the last several days, thousands of weary travelers have been stranded, making airports their inconvenient, temporary home.

The nonlocality and temporality of airports, as Temples of Transiency, sooth the restlessness of the Transient Personality, and suit him or her better than the temenos of the therapy room and the analytical relationship. For a moment, however, the airports have come to a standstill. Suddenly the swift transition between one non-place and another, has frozen.

I wonder if postmodern man will, indeed, stop for a moment, to reflect on Mother Nature's messages, one of which may be the need to stop for a moment to reflect, as we speedily resume our movement, and continue the journey toward our destination, which if we are lucky may be Eco, Home.

Read further in Destruction of the Image and the Worship of Transiency. Jung Journal: Culture and Psyche, Vol. 4, number 1, Feb. 2010, pp. 94-108.

All of Erel Shalit's publications can be purchased at www.fisherkingpress.com or by phoning Fisher King Press directly at 1-831-238-7799, Toll free in Canada & the US 1-800-228-9316

From Memorial Day to the Day of Independence

Monday, April 19, corresponds to 5th day of the month of Iyar in the Hebrew calendar, Israel's Independence Day.
Characteristic of the swings between pain, loss and despair, on the one hand, and relief, euphoria and sometimes arrogance, on the other, the transition from a day of mourning to a day of celebration is harsh and immediate, with no buffer in between.

The following is a brief excerpt from my novella Requiem: A Tale of Exile and Return:

The country had always been too hard for almost everyone. And the price of keeping it alive was perhaps too high, not only in the past, but in the future as well. For the last several years he had made it a habit, as the sirens rang out on Remembrance Day for the dead, to recall not only the fallen and the killed, friends and relatives, but to think of those whose time is yet to come. The words of the poet Yehuda Amichai were always on his mind, “The bereaved father has grown very thin; he has lost the weight of his son.” (pp. 71-2)


The following is a brief excerpt from The Hero and His Shadow: Psychopolitical Aspects of Myth and Reality in Israel:

Since redemption grows out of death and destruction, Zionist redemption has always carried a dark shadow of death and madness, despair and alienation. The second a’liyah, the consequential wave of immigration between 1904 and 1914, suffered massive remigration and numerous suicides. While the early plays and dramas about settling the Land depicted the pioneer in accordance with the collective idea as a giant, “sunburnt as the earth with which he identified,” the so called theater of doubt had him appear as a weakling, “pale and out of place in nature” (Ofrat 1979, p. 46). The pioneer who redeemed the land and felt at one with it, who built the new national home, was portrayed as a collective being, representing the collective’s ego‑ideal. However, in the more pessimistic, skeptical plays of the period, “he dissociates himself from his people” (ibid., p. 46). In these dramas we find the loneliness and estrangement of the individual who felt he or she did not belong, or who was unable to fit into the collective ego‑ideal. Underneath the hope for the future, there was despair of the day, as expressed, for example, by the characters in Orlov’s Alla Karim, written in 1912:

I ask, is there a reason why we are wallowing in the filth here in blessed Palestine, suffering hunger and sinking from day to day?... We are lost, all of us, lost ... with no path ... where are we going?

Madness lurks in the background of redemption, as told by the narrator in a story by Yehuda Ya’ari from 1934:

In their souls there was a striving for redemption, redemption of the entire people and redemption of the individual human being. And, I’ll tell you a secret: this striving was greater than they could sustain or even comprehend. Too great a soul’s desire ... can drive a person out of his mind.

The individual’s identification with the archetypal idea of redemption threatens him with madness. Behind the notion of home, we find displacement; behind redemption linger death and madness; and behind the dreams we are ridden by the mares of the night. The dialectic was and is inescapable. However, if the collective dream accounts for its nightmarish aspects, not letting the outsider and the outcast be sole carriers of the entire burden, society stands a better chance not to fall victim to its own split-off shadow, or misled by false conceptions (such as the fallacious self-perception leading up to the Yom Kippur War). (pp. 35-36)

All of Erel Shalit's publications can be purchased at http://www.fisherkingpress.com/ or by phoning Fisher King Press directly at 1-831-238-7799, Toll free in Canada & the US 1-800-228-9316

Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day

Mordecai Ardon, Kristallnacht (Missa Dura Triptych), 1958–60, oil on canvas, 30.22" × 40.35", Tate Gallery, London (© The Ardon Estate, by permission)

Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, is held on the Hebrew date 27th of Nisan, which this year begins in the evening of Sunday, April 11.

The six million Jews that perished, out of whom approximately one and a half million children are remembered in ceremonies and services held all over Israel, in schools and the media.

At ten am on Yom HaShoah, Monday, April 12, a siren is sounded across the country, which comes to a complete standstill, in silent commemoration.

The following is an excerpt from the chapter "Silence is the Center of Feeling," in Living with Jung: "Enterviews" with Jungian Analysts, Vol. 3 , by Robert and Janis Henderson.

Robert Henderson: As a Jungian what are some of the important lessons or observations you have of the Holocaust or Shoah?

Erel Shalit: This is quite a big question – profound and to me personally meaningful.

I feel I have to anchor it in my personal background, but before that, a word on etymology: Holocaust is an ambiguous word. In the sense “everything has been burned,” it is an apt denomination of the extermination of the Jews by the Nazis. However, considering its original meaning pertaining to religious sacrifice, as it was used prior to WW2, makes it a rather cynical term.

While I use both Holocaust and the Hebrew word, Shoah, I prefer the latter, which has no similar religious implications. It means catastrophe, destruction, to crash into ruins, to lay waste, to make desolate. It may possibly be connected to the Hebrew word for being amazed, to wonder, “to stand empty of thoughts.”

While many aspects of the Shoah have occupied my consciousness during much of my adult life, the repression and the silence about the Holocaust during my childhood is striking. The silence in the aftermath of the War was of course common among refugees and survivors, reflecting how the soul is at a loss dealing with catastrophe.

In contrast to less fortunate relatives – among them, my paternal grandmother who was gassed in Auschwitz – my parents found refuge in Sweden.
…
Silence about the war during those years was, I believe, a means to gain a foothold in an uprooted world, awareness that there were others so much worse off, and an effort at protecting the children. Only later did I hear for instance about the officer at a local Gestapo headquarters where my father had to report, who for some unknown reason told him quickly to get out and run away.

That is one of those big moments in life where something seemingly minor yet tremendously powerful, such as a friendly smile, or a smell of an unconscious memory, makes the wind of fate blow in an unexpected direction. I am forever grateful to that unknown Gestapo officer, and I often remind myself that he may be present in my greatest enemy. Just like evil resides in the soul of everyone of us, there may be light in the midst of darkness; where the shadows of horror cover the face of the earth, you may unexpectedly find the exceptional person. ...

All of Erel Shalit's publications can be purchased at www.fisherkingpress.com or by phoning Fisher King Press directly at 1-831-238-7799, Toll free in Canada & the US 1-800-228-9316

Clash of the Titans and the Story of Perseus

The recent film "Clash of the Titans" is loosely based on the myth about Perseus. The "original," the fascinating Greek myth about the hero Perseus is likely more intriguing.

In Enemy, Cripple & Beggar, the story about Perseus is retold for the modern reader, and the meaning of the myth and its psychological interpretation are expounded in clear and understandable language.

In addition to the captivating story, you will find many intriguing details – for instance, did Perseus rescue Andromeda from a cliff in the harbor of Yafo or from Ethiopia, and how come they were mixed up in Greek mythology? What is the meaning of his name? What part do all the horses play in the story? How come the nymphs have danced alone for a thousand years? What does Perseus put in his satchel?


Enemy, Cripple & Beggar: Shadows in the Hero's Path was a 2009 nominee for the Gradiva Award. It can be purchased at www.fisherkingpress.com or by phoning Fisher King Press directly at 1-831-238-779, toll free in the US & Canada 1-800-228-9316


From the reviews:
"An original work by Erel Shalit, Enemy Cripple & Beggar is a unique blend as a literary and psychology manual, making it highly recommended for both personal reading lists and community library collections."

--Midwest Book Review

"Enemy, Cripple & Beggar is a treasure for our times. Vital and applicable to both lay people and experts, the book flows seamlessly and spirally from scholarship, to textual interpretation, to case studies, and the analysis of dreams. Shalit draws on an impressive breadth of scholarship and myths/fairy tales, looking at both history (e.g., the Crusades or Masada) and story."

--Joey Madia, The New Mystics

Requiem: A Tale of Exile and Return is on sale now for $14.95, and Enemy, Cripple, Beggar is on sale now for $19.95 or $30.00 for the pair when ordered directly from the Fisher King Press. You can also order The Hero and His Shadow: Psychopolitcal Aspects of Myth and Reality in Israel directly from Fisher King Press. Phone orders welcomed, Credit Cards accepted. 1-800-228-9316  toll free in the US & Canada, International +1-831-238-7799 

Download the

• Fisher King Press Newsletter
• Fisher King Press Catalog of Publications 
• Fisher King Press Price List and Order Form

Self in Exile - Psyche, Healing and Sense of Place

ASSISI INSTITUTE Summer Conference

Self in Exile - Psyche, Healing and Sense of Place July 20 -27, 2010
on the Island of Procida, Italy in the Bay of Naples

There is something profound about finding one's special place. We become transfixed by its power, charm and magic. The beautiful island of Procida is just such a site, and home to our 2010 Summer Conference. The oldest island in the Bay of Naples, Procida maintains its charm as an Italian fishing village, and with its scenic panoramas and unique Mediterranean architecture, the island has served as the setting for several films, including Il Postino, a story of the exiled poet, Pablo Neruda.

Throughout history, humanity has recognized the power of place, and has designated certain locations throughout the world as sacred sites. While we have always known the transformative power of place, contemporary researchers are discovering a physiological relationship between place, well-being, and healing. So too, we find that while connection to a place can be transformative, exile and estrangement create a loss of Self, a sense of rootlessness in the psyche, and a longing for one's place - in both the inner and outer world. Our faculty for this program, all leading thinkers and artists, will explore this theme from a truly trans-disciplinary perspective. We hope you can join us on the island of Procida for this special event.

Conference Faculty

MICHAEL CONFORTI, Ph.D. is a pioneer in the field of matter-psyche studies. He is Founder and President of the Assisi Institute, a Jungian analyst, and has taught at the C.G. Jung Institute-Boston, and the C.G. Jung Foundation of New York. Dr. Conforti lectures widely in the U.S. and abroad, including in Italy, Denmark, the Caribbean, Canada, Venezuela, and at the C.G. Jung Institute-Zurich. In addition to his clinical practice, he consults to organizations including the film industry, helping to identify archetypal patterns. He is the author of Field, Form and Fate and Threshold Experiences: The Archetype of Beginnings.

EREL SHALIT, Ph.D. is a Jungian psychoanalyst in Ra'anana, Israel, author and lecturer. He is a training and supervising analyst, and past President of the Israel Society of Analytical Psychology. He serves as liaison of the International Association of Analytical Psychology with the Jung Society of Bulgaria. He has been active in the peace movement, and is a member of The Council for Peace and Security. He is the author of numerous books and articles including: Requiem: A Tale of Exile and Return (2010), Enemy, Cripple & Beggar: Shadows in the Hero's Path (2008), and The Complex: Path of Transformation from Archetype to Ego (2002).

ESTHER STERNBERG, M.D. was on the faculty at Washington University, St. Louis, MO before joining the National Institutes of Health in 1986. Currently she is the Chief of the Section on Neuroendocrine Immunology and Behavior. Dr. Sternberg is internationally recognized for her discoveries in brain-immune interactions and the brain's stress response in diseases including arthritis: the science of the mind-body interaction. She publishes numerous scientific articles, reviews and textbook chapters and has authored two popular books: The Balance Within: The Science Connecting Health and Emotions and Healing Spaces: The Science of Place and Well-being (2009). Her PBS special, The Science of Healing, introduces viewers to the science behind the brain's role in healing.

GIOIA TIMPANELLI Often called the 'Dean of American Storytelling', Gioia Timpanelli is considered one of the world's foremost storytellers. Winner of two Emmy Awards, she has also won the prestigious Women's National Book Association Award for bringing the oral tradition to the American public. She has performed her improvisational telling of ancient and modern stories with other respected masters - James Hillman, Joseph Campbell, Robert Bly, Nor Hall, and Gary Snyder. She is one of the founding members of the New York Storytelling Center in New York City. Her latest book is called What Makes A Child Lucky.

Optional Seminars
Reality of the Psyche

Michael Conforti will be leading an optional case seminar on Wednesday and Friday afternoons from 2:00 - 4:00 p.m. In this colloquium, Dr. Conforti will present clinical and theoretical illustrations of archetypal pattern analysis, and will examine the workings of complexes and archetypes. This small seminar is a unique opportunity to explore ways of applying Jung's symbolic approach to psyche in psychotherapy and organizational consultation. This program is open to anyone attending the full conference. We hope you can join us for these special presentations. Seminar Fee: $100 per session. Wednesday and Friday afternoons.

Writing from the Soul - An Archetypal Perspective on Literature, Poetry and Film Script Writing

While all stories are written from a personal perspective, they also depict humanity's encounters with the Self. Universal themes such as love, fidelity, loss and joy, while part of our collective experience, are recounted by writers in a myriad of ways. Stories are deeply enriched when viewed from the perspective of their relationship with these eternal, archetypal dramas. Writers who understand that their inspiration comes from the Self, are more profoundly connected to this greater life, which then finds expression in their stories.

These workshops will help participants learn to discern the presence of the archetypal processes and universal motifs in their stories, and how to create an archetypally coherent narrative. Marie-Louise von Franz has called archetypes "nature's constants", as are the archetypal underpinnings of all stories. Workshop members will have the opportunity to share their writing with the group.

We hope that you will join us for this special opportunity to work with Jungian analyst and film script consultant, Michael Conforti and filmmaker Gregory O'Connor, founder of Solaris Entertainment. Michael and Gregory have worked together on the film Pride and Glory, and are set to begin a new film project based on Simon Weisenthal's book, Sunflower: On the Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness. Together, Michael and Gregory bring image and symbol to a new level of understanding, and make a major contribution to the world of literature and film. $100 per session.

Thursday and Sunday afternoons.

Conference Details
Conference Fee: $2395

Conference fee includes:- Tuition- Round-trip chartered bus and ferry from Rome to Procida- 7 nights accommodations (based on double occupancy)- Breakfast daily- Three dinners with local wines- Administrative fees- Pre-conference reading packet

Taxes and gratuities: $95Single room supplemental fee: $400.Optional Case Colloquia: $100 per session

Registration: $500 deposit is required at time of registration. Cancellations received prior to May 1 receive a refund less $250 per person. Before June 1, 50% will be refunded. No refunds after this date.

Travel Arrangements Conference tuition includes ground transportation from and to the Rome airport. We suggest contacting our travel agent, The Travel Loft at 888.843.5638 to ensure that your flight coincides with these arrangements.

For more information or to register, please contact the Assisi Institute at 802.254.6220 or Assisi@together.net

http://www.assisiconferences.com/

Continuing Education Credits

This conference is co-sponsored by the National Association for the Advancement of Psychoanalysis and the Assisi Institute. NAAP is approved by the American Psychological Association to offer continuing education for psychologists. The conference will carry 20 Continuing Education Units. The optional case colloquium will carry 2 Continuing Education Units per-day. NAAP maintains responsibility for the program. Full attendance is required at each presentation to receive credit. Fee is $10 per day for the main conference, and $5 per day for the case colloquium.

Please note: A limited number of partial scholarships are available for students and senior citizens. Also, if you are unable to attend the entire program, please contact the office at the Assisi Institute, as a limited number of seats are available for single-day registrations. In the event of illness or emergency, all rights are reserved to make faculty substitutions.