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This Jungian Life Podcast

This Jungian Life Podcast

Joseph Lee, Deborah Stewart, Lisa Marchiano 433 Episodes Jul 23, 2026

Join us—Lisa, Deb, and Joseph—for sometimes irreverent but potentially life-changing conversations. Every Thursday, we explore culture, relationships, and depth psychology through the lens of Carl Jung. We devote a segment of each episode to analyzing a listener’s dream.

Episodes

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice: Power Without Wisdom
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice: Power Without Wisdom Jul 23, 2026 01:04:41 The tale of the Sorcerer’s Apprentice is a gripping story about loss of control and the timeless warning to be careful what you wish for.  It sets out the archetypal theme of a magical shortcut that promises to bypass the difficult labor life asks of us. Such tempting shortcuts inevitably land us in trouble.The Sorcerer's Apprentice story goes back nearly two thousand years. In the tale of Euc
The Odyssey: A Jungian Journey Home
The Odyssey: A Jungian Journey Home Jul 16, 2026 01:17:25 The Odyssey (the subject of a new Christopher Nolan film released on the same day as this episode), is the ancient Greek epic attributed to Homer and one of the foundational works of Western literature. This week, Jungian analyst ROBERT SHEAVLY joins Lisa Marchiano and Deborah Stewart for a Jungian exploration of The Odyssey.For Jungians, the Odyssey models a process of returning to the Self, offe
Prayer and the Psyche: A Jungian Exploration
Prayer and the Psyche: A Jungian Exploration Jul 9, 2026 01:02:22 Throughout human history, prayer has been a constant. Jung referred to it as “not only one of the most original but also the most frequent means to change the condition of mind”.This week Jungian analyst ROBERT SHEAVLY joins Lisa Marchiano and Deborah Stewart for a Jungian exploration of prayer. Everyone at some point in their lives will pray (even if we do not call it that). When we reach out for
Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Individuation: A Jungian Reading of the Declaration of Independence
Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Individuation: A Jungian Reading of the Declaration of Independence Jul 2, 2026 00:56:33 America’s Declaration of Independence has profoundly influenced the development of democracy and democratic movements all over the world, with its bold assertion:“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” This week Jungian analyst
The Descent: A Jungian Exploration of the Underworld
The Descent: A Jungian Exploration of the Underworld Jun 25, 2026 01:06:29 In every culture and every religion, we find the concept of the underworld: sometimes located underground, and usually understood as a final destination after death. This week, Jungian analysts Lisa Marchiano and Deborah Stewart circumambulate the notion of the underworld and what it means for us psychologically. James Hillman’s Dreams and the Underworld offers a guide, linking our dreaming life t
The Absent Father: Jung and the Missing Masculine
The Absent Father: Jung and the Missing Masculine Jun 18, 2026 01:23:52 A father who is unavailable - whether due to untimely death, a demanding job, family breakup, or simply an inability to step up and meet his children’s needs - may deprive his children of the emotional bedrock they require. They can struggle to access their capacity for aggression and creativity, or to build the self-esteem necessary for successful adult relationships. As many fairy tales show us,
The Cry of Merlin: A Jungian Approach to the Wizard
The Cry of Merlin: A Jungian Approach to the Wizard Jun 11, 2026 01:13:11 Merlin, the mythical prophet, magician, and kingmaker of medieval legend, has lived in the Western imagination for centuries. Arthurian legend gives us more than the idealized government of the Round Table and the hero’s valiant quest for the Holy Grail—it also gives us Merlin’s darkness and power: sorcery, communion with nature, and the prospect of achieving our aims through shadowy transgression
Working with Short Dreams and Fragments
Working with Short Dreams and Fragments Jun 4, 2026 00:59:25 This week, to mark the publication in paperback of Dream Wise: Unlocking the Meaning of Your Dreams, Jungian analysts Lisa Marchiano and Deborah Stewart interpret a selection of short dreams sent in by listeners. Many of us dismiss short dreams or fragments of dreams as unworthy of our time. We await the arrival of epic, cinematic dreams, while perhaps overlooking the gold that can be found in mor
The Devouring Mother: Facing Archetypal Darkness
The Devouring Mother: Facing Archetypal Darkness May 28, 2026 01:05:38 Every archetype has a dual aspect: light and dark, and ‘mother’ as devouring and destructive is the dark side of this ever-present, over-arching archetype. The mother’s life-giving, bright aspect is counterbalanced by her engulfing, attacking aspect. The devouring mother is present across cultures in myth, fairy tale, religion, and literature, and most of us have at least had glimpses of her in ou
Coniunctio: The Alchemy of Union
Coniunctio: The Alchemy of Union May 21, 2026 01:43:03 In this final episode of our series on Jungian alchemy, we explore coniunctio, the union of opposites that gives rise to new wholeness.There are many ways in which we might encounter coniunctio in outer life. We might fall in love, form a partnership, or undertake transformative work with a psychotherapist. In some meaningful, mysterious way, two become one, giving us incremental tastes of transfo
Desirous Dreams: Our Private Erotic Encounters
Desirous Dreams: Our Private Erotic Encounters May 14, 2026 01:09:06 Erotic dreams are extremely common. We may experience them as pleasurable, exciting and moving, or as disturbing and upsetting. It can be hard to talk about erotic dreams, even in therapy, as they insist on attending to secret satisfactions and shames.There is relatively little written on the subject from a Jungian perspective, so this week we dive in and discuss how to work with your erotic dream
Jung and the End of the World: Can Depth Psychology Save Us?
Jung and the End of the World: Can Depth Psychology Save Us? May 7, 2026 01:03:46 In his new book, The End of the World, author and psychoanalyst JON MILLS considers the question of why humanity seems bent on self-destruction.We face famine, climate change, obscene wealth disparities, and threats of global war and nuclear annihilation. Yet the majority of us seem to prefer living either in denial, or in irrational, active opposition to reading the writing on the wall.This week

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