Ashok Bedi , M.D.

B.J. Jakala, PH.D.

From February 7th through 18th, a group of soul seekers will travel in India to experience the land of Mahatma Gandhi through Jungian lens of Analytical Psychology. This experience is sponsored by the New York Jung Foundation. For the next several days, the faculty member of the group, Jungian Analyst Ashok Bedi and a Depth Psychotherapist Dr. Robert J. Jakala will compose a daily blog of their reflections about the experience. Other group participants have been invited to contribute to the blog and may join us from time to time. We are glad to share our experiences and reflections. Enjoy!

 
 

By B.J.Jakala

Stepwells

Mythological artistry blossoms in the 11th Century in the Stepwells of Patan, a multi-story well that provides hydration and respite.  The stepwell is a valuable example of immersion into art. While performing the function of gathering water, the visitors can engage the surrounding ornamentation of Hindu gods and goddesses.

An example of a relief carving in the stepwell wall.

 


Stepwell ornamentation and function all take place below ground level. There is no visual announcement of the structure in the distance. Once inside, the walls provide the visual nourishment to the soul, as well as, a venue to socialize and rest.

With each step down, I am more amazed at the enormity of this project. I am astonished when I consider how much work and talent it took in the 11th Century to complete. There is balance between architecture and art; Each element enhances the other. I experience the parallel between this structure and the unconscious. Once below the surface, there is enormous opportunity for engagement and reflection. 


BJ Jakala, PhD is a participant in this year’s Journey to the Land of Gandhi through the Jungians Lens led by Dr. Bedi.

Reflections by Ashok Bedi:

Engagement with our unconscious is stepping into the mystery of the psyche. When we honor the whispers of our soul, make sacred space to engage our dreams and reflect upon our complexes, our relationship tangles, our medical and psychiatric symptoms and synchronicities, we tune into the flow of universe and align our individual consciousness with the bigger picture of the universe. This alignment is essential for the health of the mind, body, soul and the community. Both Carl Jung and Mahatma Gandhi had to courage to step into the well of the psyche and their contemporary culture to introduce us to our deeper and sublime nature. They beckon us to step into our own well to engage our own mystery!

Join us often to share in our experiences and images as we engage the spirit of Mahatma Gandhi’s India with our Jungian peers.

NAMASTE


Ashok Bedi is a Diplomat Jungian psychoanalyst and a board certified psychiatrist. He is a member of the Royal College of psychiatrists of Great Britain, a Diplomat in Psychological Medicine at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of England, and a Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association.

He has been a Psychiatrist in Milwaukee since 1976 and now practices Adult Psychotherapy and Jungian Psychoanalysis (www.tulawellnessllc.com).  He is a Honorary Psychiatrist at the Aurora Psychiatric Hospital and the Aurora Health Care Network. He has been a psychiatric consultant to several agencies in Metro Milwaukee. Presently he is the consultant for the Sexual Assault treatment center at the Aurora Sinai Samaritan Hospital, Dewey Center at the Aurora Psychiatric Hospital for treatment of Addictions and the Pastoral Counseling Services of Greater Milwaukee.

Trained in India, Great Britain and the US, he is interested in the emerging frontiers of Spirituality and Healing and the synapses of the Mind, Body, Soul and Spirit. He is author of several books including- Crossing the Healing Zone: From Illness to Wellness, Nicholas Hayes Inc. 2013, Path to the Soul, Weiser Books, 2000, Awaken the Slumbering Goddess: The Latent Code of the Hindu Goddess Archetypes, Booksurge Publishers, 2007, and the coauthor of Retire Your Family Karma, Nicholas-Hays, Inc. 2003, These and his other upcoming presentations can be previewed at his website www.pathtothesoul.com

 

He is the liaison person for the International Association of the Analytical Psychologists for developing Jungian training programs in India (www.iaap.org). He travels annually to India to teach, train the consult with the Jungian Centers that he led in establishing at several cities in India including Ahmedabad, Mumbai & Bangalore. He leads the annual “A Jungian Encounter with the Soul of India” study group to India under the auspices of the New York Jung Foundation.

He is the Co-Founder of the USA India Jung Foundation (www.uijf.org). The USA India Jung Foundation promotes educational and clinical activities in India and USA based on the principals of Carl Jung’s analytical psychology and Eastern spiritual and healing wisdom and traditions. It fosters clinical, medical, and educational exchange between professionals of the United States and India. These activities include educational activities directed both to professional and lay organizations in both countries to promote mental health education and prevention activities based on principals of analytical psychology and Eastern Spirituality. To support this  A 501(c)(3) Foundation and its charitable activities, kindly make your tax deductible contribution via the website: www.uijf.org