EROS:

In previous centuries, the institutions of church and marriage kept Eros in check. Today, Eros is on the loose and we have to learn new ways to live with the ambiguous nature of this young primordial God.

In our digital age, intimate relationships are disposable, especially when they don't correspond to our conscious agenda. Meanwhile, passion and sexual bliss are the commonest of reveries. We entertain fantasies of polyamory while unaware of what unconsciously might be lying in the shadows. Much in our time attests to an immature relationship to Eros.

The experience of passion is a fundamental need but we dread the vulnerability that intimacy demands and the intensity of feelings that Eros brings with it.  Perhaps what we fear most is the transformative aspect of Eros. 

Do we secretly want to be taken to Hades's underworld? Do we also fear the descent? Like Persephone do we fear the separation from mother? If we forfeit making the descent have we really kept Eros's transformative powers at bay?

In this seminar series, we will envision a life where Eros matures and so deepens our intimate lives. Also, we’ll take a critical look at the sociological conditioning which affects how we love. This will help us to better navigate the unavoidable sufferings and blessings we experience in love.

Wednesdays
December 4 & 11, 2024

4-6pm Pacific / 7-9pm Eastern

+ Video recording will be available

Eros is not form-giving but form-fulfilling;
it is the wine that will be poured into the vessel;
it is not the bed and direction of the stream
but the impetuous water flowing in it.

– C.G. Jung
The Red Book, p. 365

david pressault, Iaap

David Pressault is a Jungian analyst with a strong background in the Arts. He has a Masters in dance from UQAM (Université du Québec à Montréal) and was a professional dancer and choreographer for 20 years. He developed a relationship to the unconscious through that art form. Today, he works in private practice and is a faculty member of the Ontario Association of Jungian Analysts.