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

Our tour guide, Jairaj, explains one of the gigantic carvings to honor Shiva.  These reliefs in granite were completed around 640-670 CE in Mahabalipuram.

I am humbled by how the ancient artists made these lasting deep impressions. There are no written records explaining the accomplishment, only the carvings. I find myself wanting to know how many artists it took, how long it took, and what was their experience of creating this timeless work of art.  They did not create temples for worship. They made a storybook in stone to last throughout time.

I hope to remember to distinguish what has been constructed for worship and what needs to be honored within me. I begin to appreciate the value of my inner artist, that is still alive, constructing my contemporary and future self. The inner artist translates the Source but is not the Source.  I must honor the inner artist and be careful not to worship the translator. Just like the ancient artists who carved these gigantic reliefs, they were not the source of the stories. They gave us lasting images to describe the Source beyond time. 

There is a magnificent paradox in these “permanent” carvings: Shiva is the god of destruction. I believe these carvings were made to inform and not defy.  As I hold the tension of this realization, I value how permanent impermanence is. 

Thank you Shiva.  Thank you artists who provide the images to remember the important stories in life. 

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.

The inner Sculpture – our Soul carves out a pattern out of the stone and substance of our present life However, the pattern it carves belongs to the timeless, archetypal flow of life and spirit. As Shakespeare famously points out, life is a stage and all men and women merely players. We all play a part in the archetypal drama of life. We leave imprints on the face of the world via our work and family and the impressions we cast in the stone sculptor of our life may last seven generations before it fades into the mist of time and history. It is our choice what legacy we wish to leave. In my book, Retire Your Family Karma, I explore the impact we leave on our children for several generations. They are the beneficiaries of our gifts and retire our karmic debts.

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.