Journey to the Land of Shiva through the Jungian Lens: January 9-22, 2015

Ashok Bedi, M.D.

B.J. Jakala, PH.D.

From January 9-22 2015, a group of soul seekers will travel in India to experience the land of Shiva 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!

Shiva (portrait) by ChristasVengel on DeviantArt

christasvengel.deviantart.com

By B.J.Jakala

We had an extraordinary experience being granted permission to watch one of the local priests perform a morning ritual honoring this goddess.  It is a daily labor of love.

I often start my day with coffee, shower, daily planner and to do lists.  How much different it would be to establish a morning ritual that bathed and honored the qualities I value within myself. I would to face the day with more consciously cherished and acknowledged resources.  I would  then give gratitude for what they offer in my life. I need to remember to anchor who I already am and not just be on the path of becoming more. 

Ancient traditions have helped me see ways of being more present 

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

Reflections by Ashok Bedi, M.D.

Much of our life must be lived in managing our outer life and concerns about survival and responsibilities. This is the task of our Ego-the center of our conscious personality. However, beyond the threshold of survival, we must at some point move towards the dynamics of thriving emotionally and spiritually and honor who we really are at our core and live an informed a purposeful life that cultivates our innate potentials and puts these in service of our family, community and higher good- our Dharma. We can cultivate an awareness of our depth and purpose via a REFLECTIVE LIFE. Most of us lead a REFLEXIVE LIFE, responding in knee jerk reptilian mode to challenges of life. But when we Reflect before we act, we move to our higher and deeper self. This is a life lived out of the Soul not just of our Ego. It accesses the timeless wisdom of human civilization and ancestral wisdom or Archetypal guidance. We can access this Transcendent function by paying attention to our dreams, our complexes, our relationship tangles and synchronicities. Our creative activities and balance between work, love, play and creativity further amplifies this transcendent function. We must make room for such Interiority in the hustle and bustle of our daily life. Then, we move from a horizontal to a vertical mode of existence and while acknowledging the mundane, we live out of the sacred dimension of our being.

Join us often to share in our experiences and images as we engage the Mystery of Shiva in India with our Jungian peers.

NAMASTE

DR. ASHOK BEDI, MD

He is a Jungian psychoanalyst and a board certified psychiatrist who 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 is also Clinical Professor in Psychiatry at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, serves as president of the Carl G. Jung Institute of Chicago, and is in private practice in Milwaukee (www.tulawellnessllc.com)

In addition, Dr. Bedi is the liaison for the International Association for Analytical Psychology (IAAP) for developing Jungian training programs in India, where he travels annually to teach, train, and consult with the Jungian Developing groups at several centers including those in Ahmedabad, Mumbai, and Bangalore. He leads the annual “A Jungian Encounter with the Soul of India” study group to several centers in 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

Ashok Bedi’s fourth book, Crossing the Healing Zone: From Illness to Wellness, was published earlier this year by Ibis Press, a division of Nicolas-Hays, Inc. His previous books are Awaken the Slumbering Goddess: The Latent Code of the Hindu Goddess Archetypes (BookSurge, 2007), Retire Your Family Karma: Decode Your Family Pattern and Find Your Soul Path (Nicolas-Hays, Inc., 2003), and Path to the Soul (Samuel Weiser, Inc., 2000).

For more information, please see Dr. Bedi’s website, www.pathtothesoul.com

Robert “BJ” Jakala, PhD

Graduated from Pacifica Graduate Institute in 2007 with a degree in Depth Psychology. He has been in private practice as a Marriage Family Therapist in Woodland Hills CA since 1987. He has taught courses on stress management and self-replenishment for health care professionals for over ten years at the Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital at UCLA. This is his fifth trip to India with Mindful Journeys with Dr. Bedi.

To Support the Charitable Activities of the USA – India Jung Foundation, kindly visit our website – www.uijf.org and click under the DONATE link to make your Tax Deductible Contribution via check or PayPal

Thank you

Ashok Bedi, M.D.