Spiritual development is linked inexorably to our psychological development, and is in fact the engine of personality and ultimately an integral part of one’s personal evolution. This is the true purpose of psychology, literally the study of the soul. Modern psychological theories, especially Jungian-based ones, are the inheritors of many of the ancient mysteries and can be thought of as conveyors of modern day spiritual truths. Despite the fact that psychology as an industry has turned away from their “priestly” duties, it remains an area ripe with spiritual meaning.

This class will discuss the pantheistic nature of the human soul and the soul's evolutionary journey. We dig deeper into the structures within our human psyche and how they conspire to insure our growth and development. We will also contrast and compare these elements to our understanding of similar structures such as the Tree of Life, Chakras, and the Triple Soul.

This class is based on Katrina Messenger's elemental psychological theories from her upcoming book, tentatively titled Psychology & Magick.

Shamans, mystics and wisdom keepers of old relied on their dreams for direction and support. How does a modern pagan approach the dreamtime? How can we tap this ancient wisdom store, and learn and grow as a result?

If the Psyche is the realm of the spirit, then the Dreams are like messages in a bottle from this hidden realm. Dreams like Myths are composed and structured using an ancient symbolic language. We often refer to this language as the Language of Mystery. Instead of letters and words, this language uses images and symbols.

In this class, we will start by composing a personal dream-symbol to English dictionary. Beyond the personal and subjective interpretation however is the skill of objective translation where we encounter the universal, the archetypal ... i.e the realm of the gods themselves.

Bring a “disturbing” or “interesting” dream to work with during this class.

What’s your (Elemental) Sign?

Earth, air, fire, and water - each of us interacts and functions in this world with elemental preferences that goes beyond our astrological sign or our "favorite" element. Learn how knowing your personality Element can help you identify your strengths, weaknesses, talents, bugaboos, and life path.

What is the inner conflict (Earth/Air or Fire/Water) that drives your creativity and passion? What is your inner versus your outer element?

What is the link between the ancient elements and modern psychology? And how is our personal evolutionary journey defined by our elemental type. Additionally, how is one's elemental type affected by societal prejudices and the needs of the group soul?

This class will review the elemental principals within both modern and ancient personality typology systems and provide an overview of Katrina Messenger's elemental psychological theories from her upcoming book, tentatively titled Psychology & Magick.

The shadow contains the parts of self that one has not or cannot consciously accept. These characteristics often contradict our carefully constructed self-image or they represent socially unacceptable dreams or desires. It is often said that we spend the first half of our lives creating our shadow, and the last half reintegrating it back in order to become whole.

The first half of this class provides an introduction to the spiritual, social and cultural frameworks underlying shadow work - at the personal level, and in relationship to community. In the afternoon we will discuss some of the underlying structures of our personal and collective shadows. And we will learn the use of several tools and techniques that can be used within shadow work.

If there is interest, this class can be used to create a shadow group. A shadow group is a group of people who meet regularly to study and discuss their ongoing shadow work.