Pan Pipes, drawing by Jessica Boehman How I found the title GOATSONG Titles come from the most surprising places—at least, this is true of Goatsong. Senior Jungian Analyst and cofounder of the C. G. Jung Institute of San Francisco Dr. Joseph Henderson inadvertently named Goatsong, a title which came when I was consulting him about… Read more »
GOATSONG Cover Image: Artist Jessica Boehman During the time we were working on the cover for Goatsong, friend and poet Leah Shelleda forwarded me a link to a goat drawing by Jessica Boehman. I was mesmerized! There was the image for which I had been searching! As it turned out, though, the image was already… Read more »
Looking toward the tail of the Great Serpent, In my own story in Marked by Fire: Stories of the Jungian Way, I told a big dream I had as a young adult in which I was introduced to the word manitou. The word was so compelling I began a search to… Read more »
The Path of Contemplating Mystery, Pisa, Italy Opening to mystery: such a creative act! My job as analyst is often helping people tolerate the anxiety of mystery long enough to enter the portal of the unknown. So often we scramble to the so-called safety of the known, concentrate on adaptation, the tasks… Read more »
The structure of Goatsong was inspired by a story I used to read to my sons, The Day Jimmy’s Boa Ate the Wash. The mother in the story played a kind of deadpan backup comedian as she asked her son about his school field trip that day, the storyline consisting of her questions and… Read more »
Black Oak Seed Rudolf Steiner stated that when matter’s complexity is taken to its most ultimate degree (as in the seed), it disintegrates, and chaos ensues. Carl Jung would call this enantiodromia: the tendency to change into the opposite, “especially as a supposed governing principle of natural cycles and of psychological development” (New… Read more »
Goatsong: A Novel My new novel Goatsong, to be released by Fisher King Press in November 2012, began 25 years ago when, during my daily walks, I found piles of garbage near my home. At first I searched through the piles for identifying information, took recovered addresses to the sheriff’s office, and fumed when nothing… Read more »
Marked by Fire: Donor Event at the C. G. Jung Institute of San Francisco Become a donor and attend the Marked by Fire: Stories of the Jungian Way event at the C. G. Jung Institute of San Francisco! Your donation supports the Institute’s work of the psyche through making it possible for people to have… Read more »
When you are short, it is important to stick close to an adult! Negotiating with Dasher. Last month my great niece, five year old Olivia, visited with her grandmother, my sister Judy. We did the usual things when people visit: spent an afternoon on the paths through the redwood giants of Armstrong… Read more »
The bark of an old friend. Biodynamic Preparation 505: Oak Bark Our first introduction to Biodynamic Compost Preparation 505, Oak Bark, was as one of the ten sprays our biodynamic consultant used to ripen a failing mountain vineyard. It was already late September and the grapes were six weeks behind schedule. The winemaker informed us… Read more »
© 2024 Patricia Damery.
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