There are layers of the collective unconscious – that part of the psyche described by Carl Jung as containing powerful energies and symbols that relate more to the universality of being a human than to our own personal histories – and each of those layers impacts us in different ways. Join John Schuster and the Community for Conscious Aging to discover the phenomenon of the ancestral unconscious, that layer so named for the ancestral memory that we hold and are either dimly or keenly aware of within us. For many of us, exploring this level of our psyche and attempting to integrate its images and symbols – the whispers and murmurings of ancestral energies – is an important part of becoming more self-aware, and a key element in Jung’s writings about aging. As modern humans, a kind of ancestral amnesia is often encouraged, and we need to work diligently to find what there is to learn from our ancestors. This session, borrowing on Celtic and indigenous spirituality, Jungian work, and the journeys of the presenter, will explore how searching for and through ancestral memory can add depth and richness to the journey of aging.

John Cunningham Schuster teaches leadership coaching at Columbia University and Rice. He has an MA in literature and an MA in psychology from Saybrook University’s Jungian studies program. He is the author of five books and a coach and mentor to corporate executives and non-profit leaders. In 2018, John launched a podcast about aging with intention called Stories for the Ages on NPR.

This livestreaming program can be taken from home or anywhere with an internet connection. If you register, you will be emailed viewing instructions either the evening before or the morning of the event. Please be sure to check “spam” and “junk” folders!

This class will be recorded. Recordings will be made available on the CCA website within two weeks after the program.

All times are CT. Please contact onlinelearning@junghouston.org with any questions.