C.G. Jung Society, Seattle

Allison Stieger, M.A.

Creativity and Myth

Creativity and the Intersection Between Myth and Innovation

Lecture: Friday, January 9, 2015, 7 to 9 p.m.
Good Shepherd Center, Room 202, 4649 Sunnyside Ave. North, Seattle  98103 (driving directions)
$15 members, $25 nonmembers

The ability to innovate and think creatively is a task that has been important to humankind from the time of our earliest myths. When read carefully, myth can provide us with insights into ways the ancients used their ability to innovate to bring about the earliest moments of civilization.

This lecture will use storytelling, mythic art, and film to reveal the metaphor in the myth, allowing us to pull away the layers of time to look into the heart of myths from around the world. Examples include the Greek titan Prometheus, the African epic hero Mwindo, and the Mesopotamian goddess Inanna. These mythic figures and more will show us the way toward innovation. We will also examine Jung's ideas about individuation and the importance of myth to that process, and how the use of creativity can move us forward.

Creativity and Myth: Living Outside the Boundaries

Workshop: Saturday, January 10, 2015, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Good Shepherd Center, Room 202
$50 members, $70 nonmembers

Advance registration for workshops is encouraged. You can mail your registration and payment to our office using this registration form or buy tickets in advance at brownpapertickets.com.

Saturday's workshop will build on the concepts introduced in Friday’s lecture, with more time to explore a new set of myths from around the world. We will look at each stage of the creative cycle, with exercises designed to pull out each participant’s creative energies. As with the lecture, the workshop will include myth retellings, images and short film clips to illustrate further the metaphor in each myth. This approach allows us to more deeply investigate the archetypal patterns in the myths that we look at, with time to consider the shadow aspects of the creative process as well. Finally, we will discuss in greater detail how the presence of creative and innovative thinking in our lives increases our life satisfaction and moves us ever closer on the path of individuation.

Lecture Learning Objectives
1. Deepen creative life by examining one's creative process through a mythic lens.
2. Work toward Jung's objective of individuation by understanding the mythic motivations behind life choices.
3. Understand the shadow aspects of life as one is affected by them, and work toward bringing them into the conscious mind.
Workshop Learning Objectives:
1. Examine and understand how the descent toward the unconscious mind can be navigated by looking at mythic descent journeys.
2. Bring light to the motivating factors our personal stories bring to our creative lives, and weigh whether or not we're still being served by them.
3. Evaluate the value and detriment our allies and enemies might bring to our creative processes, looking at these relationships in myth to bring wisdom and insight to how we manage these in our lives.

Allison Stieger is a mythologist, author, lecturer, and workshop leader. She is committed to using her deep understanding of the world's sacred stories to find ways to make modern life more creative, meaningful, and fulfilled. Since 2004 she has taught myth to a variety of audiences, including writers, yoga teacher trainees, and preschool to middle school-aged kids. She holds a M.A. degree in Mythological Studies from Pacifica Graduate Institute, and is working on a book on myth and creativity. She is the founder and director of Mythic Stories Education, a company that provides educational opportunities in myth to kids from elementary to high school.

Programs presented by the C. G. Jung Society, Seattle (unless otherwise noted) have approved CEUs by the Washington Chapter National Association of Social Workers (NASW) for Licensed Social Workers, Licensed Marriage & Family Therapists and Licensed Mental Health Counselors. Provider number is #1975- 157.

Updated: 22 December 2014

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