CEUs: 3

Instructor: Laura McGrew

Fairy tales invite us into the archetypal realm, insisting that we allow our individual stories to become universal.  This workshop will focus on gaining an understanding of the archetypal underpinnings present in these tales. In their ‘once upon a time’ reality, fairy tales show us how the personal and the impersonal worlds weave in and out of each other, uniting us to the past, present, and future.  Marie Louise von Franz said that, “to approach the meaning of a fairy tale is like stalking a very evasive stag.” And further, she defined these tales as ‘collective dreams offered as compensations for the tendency in humans towards forgetfulness.”  As we move through these two tales, we shall discover if they hold relevancy for us today, yesterday or tomorrow.

Reflecting on these two tales, might we have consciously and/or unconsciously allowed assumptions to step into our lives at critical points?  How many times have we presumed to know, only to face our ignorance?  How many times have we underestimated ourselves and our capacities? Together we will explore these and other themes in a seminar style class where we will actively participate, hopefully have some fun, and perhaps gain some personal insights along the way.

The links for the tales are:
The Three Feathers – www.pitt.edu/~dash/grimm063.html
Hans Dumb {Dum} – www.pitt.edu/~dash/grimm054a.html

About the Instructor
Laura has been an analyst for over 25 years, and practices in Evanston and Chicago. Laura received a B.A. in 1963 in Liberal Arts from Northwestern University where she studied English Literature. She went on to receive her M.A. in 1978 in Communication Science at Governors State University, where she specialized in groups: Theories and Practice. In 1989, she received her Diploma as a Jungian Analyst from the C. G. Jung Institute of Chicago and went on to become an active member of the Institute, eventually becoming Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Chicago Institute in 1994. When the Institute separated into two entities, she became chair of the Board of the newly named “C.G. Jung Center”, and now serves as a Board member Emeritus.  In addition to serving on the Board, Laura volunteers at the Clinic, and presents Public Programs at the Jung Center.