We’re excited to share with you that a new JCF Mythological RoundTable® group is starting in the beautiful valley of Ojai! On Wednesday, October 26th, come and explore the far-reaching influences Joseph Campbell has has upon film in all of its mythic content.

For more detailed information, please click here.  Join in for what is sure to be a dynamic conversation!

The frequent appearance of mythological figures and motifs in all areas of popular culture speaks to the notion that mythologies, far from being relics of the past, continue to have significance in the contemporary world.  Contemporary revisionings and reinterpretations of ancient mythological elements reflect the attitudes of current culture. Proposals relating to this general theme are welcomed by December 15, 2011.

Click here for more detailed information.

Depth Insights is gathering new submissions for the next issue of their semi-annual E-zine. Click here for details on themes, deadlines, and submission guidelines.

Our October ENewsletter is now available – click here to read.

Local journalist, Starshine Roshell, has published a story in the current Santa Barbara Magazine on Jane Hollister Wheelwright. She writes, “Known for being curiously fearless and wise, passionate and plainspoken, author, feminist, and stewardess of the land Jane Hollister Wheelwright literally walked softly but carried a big stick.” For a poignant and illuminating look into Jane’s legacy, with lovely photos of family and the beloved Hollister Ranch, click here to read the full article.

This frieze is from the temple of Zeus and Athena at Pergamon, currently housed in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin. The scene of Hekate using a torch in the battle of the Gods and Goddesses with the Serpent-Footed Giants that were born of Gaia  is described in Apollodorus (The Library) 1.6

Thank you to Richard Buchen for sharing this image!

The Ram’s horns are so often associated with a powerful and vigorous vitality displayed in the image of the Ram, who has become a rich symbol for, among many things, power and/or sexual, creative energy. Similar to Pan, the goat-god, the zodiacal sign of Aries, or Amun-Re, Egyptian sun-god, these figures tell of a solar illumination of both Earth and consciousness.

However, if we focus on the shape and curvature of the spiraling horns, something feminine also shines forth. Goethe, in his development of The Metamorphosis of Plants, deepened his observation on the repeating patterns of the spiral found in the natural world, calling it the Spiral Tendency. In these forms, manifesting in the vine and seed, for instance, he found a feminine drive that worked to balance and support the upright, linear line – the stem of the plant – Goethe experienced as being masculine in nature.

In the spiral there is energy both masculine and feminine. In it’s curvilinear form, we find a graceful strength – a burrowing, supportive structure; while through the Ram’s battering horns arise not only an onslaught of  hierarchy and violent bravado, but also a music echoing throughout mountain ranges, heralding signs of the creative spirit.

“We follow the clown into the circus by entering a perspective of rebellion against the dayworld order; rebel without cause or violence. Turning topsy-turvy, we deliteralize every physical law and social convention in the smallest things that we take for granted.  Through him we enter the perspective of the fantastic soul, clown as depth psychologist. Imagine, Freud and Jung, two old clowns.” (Hillman, The Dream and the Underworld,” (p. 180)

Our July eNewsletter is now available – click here to read.

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