Dr. Jeffrey Raff is a highly prominent Jungian psychoanalyst who specializes in bridging Carl Jung’s depth psychology with the esoteric traditions of alchemy and active imagination.While traditional psychology views alchemy as an ancient pseudo-science or treats alchemical images purely as psychological metaphors, Raff argues that the alchemists were navigating a very real, objective spiritual universe. He uses active imagination—a meditation technique where a person enters a conscious dialogue with figures from their unconscious—to access this transpsychic landscape.

Key Core Concepts

The Psychoid Realm: A reality that exists beyond the mind and matter where spirits and archetypes live as independent, objective entities.
The Ally: A divine spiritual counterpart or guide encountered in the psychoid realm via active imagination that assists in your transformation.
The Sacred Marriage: Achieving spiritual wholeness by uniting our ego with the divine feminine energy, known in esoteric lore as Sophia.

Essential Reading List

Jung and the Alchemical Imagination: His seminal work explaining the self, the transcendent function, and active imagination through rare alchemical texts.
The Practice of Ally Work: A practical blueprint containing activities to help you consciously interact with your spiritual guide.
The Wedding of Sophia: An intensive study on reviving the divine feminine archetype within psychoidal alchemy.
Healing the Wounded God: An exploration of how humans and the divine co-create each other through active imagination.

Website

JeffRaff.com

Nóirín Ní Riain is an acclaimed Irish singer, theologian, author, and interfaith minister renowned for her spiritual music and expertise in Gregorian Chant. Born in County Limerick, Ireland, she has dedicated her career to exploring the intersection of sacred sound and spirituality.

Key Aspects of Her Career

• Spiritual & Traditional Musician: She performs widely, spanning Celtic music, traditional Irish sean-nós singing, and international sacred music. She plays the Indian harmonium, shruti box, and feadóg (whistle).
• Theology & “Theosony”: She holds a PhD in Theology from Mary Immaculate College, where she coined the term Theosony—the practice of listening to the Divine through sound.
• Historic Collaborations: Ní Riain was the first woman ever permitted to perform and record with the Benedictine Monks of Glenstal Abbey. She has also collaborated with iconic figures like Sinéad O’Connor, John Cage, and Paul Winter.
• Family Ensemble: She frequently performs and tours with her two sons, Owen and Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin, under the musical moniker A.M.E.N.
• Interfaith Ministry: Ordained as an interfaith minister in 2017, she currently designs and officiates customized wedding, funeral, and naming rituals.

Discography Highlights

She has released 16 albums over her extensive career, including:

• Vox De Nube (1979)
• The Darkest Midnight (1996)
• Celtic Soul (1996)

Website
Wikipedia

Stephen Karcher was a premier Western scholar and diviner of the I Ching (Yi Jing), celebrated for returning the ancient oracle to its primal, mythic roots. Karcher passed away on April 30, 2025. His unique approach heavily blended Jungian psychology, deep linguistic research, and comparative religion.

Core Philosophy

Unlike translations that lean strictly on rigid Confucian moral codes, Karcher focused on the Zhouyi—the oldest layer of the text.

• Myths for Change: He treated hexagrams as living archetypes and psychological mirrors rather than simple fortune-telling.
• Active Participation: He taught that consulting the oracle lets you co-create your destiny instead of being a victim of fate.

Essential Books

• Total I Ching: Myths for Change
  His definitive masterpiece. It fuses Confucian logic with early shamanic Taoist myths.
• I Ching: The Classic Chinese Oracle of Change
  Co-authored with Rudolf Ritsema through the Eranos Foundation. It features a character-by-character concordance for deep study.
• The I Ching Plain and Simple
  A streamlined, beginner-friendly guide to daily practice and consultation.
• How to Use the I Ching
  A practical handbook focusing on straightforward ritual use and interpretation

Thomas Elsner, J.D., M.A., was a highly respected Zurich-trained Jungian Psychoanalyst, professor, and author based in Santa Barbara, California. He was a co-founder for the Center for Alchemical Studies. He also maintained a private depth psychology practice for over 25 years and was well-known for his specialized teachings on dreams, alchemy, and active imagination. His lectures at the Center for Alchemical Studies included the topics: Jung + Physics, Fairy Tales, Romantic Poets, and Alchemy. He passed away in January 2025.

Core Areas of Expertise & Teaching

Elsner lectured internationally, frequently combining scientific, literary, and mystical perspectives:

• Alchemical Active Imagination: He specialized in Carl Jung’s method of transforming subjective internal crises or emotions into objective images to engage in conscious dialogue with the unconscious.
• Literature & Folklore: He investigated the psychological depths of fairy tales, myths, and Romantic-era poetry.
• Liminality & Politics: He applied Jungian theory to modern cultural crises, examining how concepts of symbolic death, rebirth, and political chaos mirror the internal evolution of the human psyche.

Published Works & Media

• Book: He is the author of A Flash of Golden Fire: Coleridge and the Alchemical Imagination, which explores depth psychology themes through Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s epic poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.
• Podcasts: His pedagogical legacy lives on through various recorded lectures and interviews, which can be found compiled on his  Website Media Page.

Websites

• ThomasElsner.org
• FlashofGoldenFire.com

Rebecca Seiferle is an acclaimed American poet, essayist, and translator known for her emotionally raw, urgent, and fiercely beautiful writing. She served two terms as the Poet Laureate of Tucson, Arizona from 2012 to 2016.

Essential Poetry Collections

Seiferle has authored four celebrated collections of poetry:

• The Ripped-Out Seam (1993) – Finalist for the Paterson Poetry Prize.
• The Music We Dance To (1999) – Winner of the Cecil Hemley Award.
• Bitters (2001) – Winner of the Western States Book Award and a Pushcart Prize.
• Wild Tongue (2007) – Winner of the Grub Street National Poetry Prize.

Style and Themes

Her poetic philosophy centers on a deep sense of urgency: She once said that “one should always read a poem as if it was a matter of life and death.”

Her work frequently deals with:

• The “Wild” vs. Control: Confronting societal constraints and the suppression of the human spirit.
• Domestic Realities: Unflinchingly exploring dark themes like domestic violence, alongside healing and newfound love.
• The Human Voice: Giving voice to everything wild, unspoken, and vital on the edge of extinction.

Website

PoetryFoundation.org

John Tarrant, Roshi, is a pioneering Western Zen teacher, psychologist, and poet who revolutionized traditional koan meditation by making it an accessible, creative, and collaborative art form. As the founder and director of the Pacific Zen Institute (PZI), Tarrant moves away from treating koans as logical puzzles or rigid examinations, presenting them instead as “healing stories” or environments that accompany us through the uncertainty of daily life.

Core Philosophy of Tarrant’s Approach

• Koans as Friends: A koan is not a barrier to break through, but a companion to walk with in the dark.
• No Special Mind State: You do not need to feel calm, kind, or clear to practice; the koan accepts you exactly as you are.
• The Gift of Not-Knowing: Stepping away from our thoughts and explanations allows natural brilliance and intimacy to arise.
• Radical Non-Judgment: The primary rule is to avoid criticizing your mind, your thoughts, or the meditation itself.

How to Practice His Method

• Choose a Koan: Pick a phrase, like “Not knowing is most intimate” or “In the Sea of Ise, 10,000 feet down, lies a single stone”.
• Set a Posture: Sit comfortably, drop your shoulders, let your back straighten, and exhale with a deep sigh to release physical tension.
• Keep the Koan Nearby: Let the words repeat softly in your heart without forcing an emotional or intellectual answer.
• Wander with It: Take your koan into your daily life—to work, to bed, or into difficult conversations.
• Treat it as play.

Essential Books & Materials

• Bring Me the Rhinoceros: And Other Zen Koans That Will Save Your Life — His landmark text exploring the joy and freedom found in classical Zen stories.
• The Light Inside the Dark: Zen, Soul, and the Spiritual Life — A profound look at how dark paths, depression, and confusion integrate into spiritual awakening.
• The Story of the Buddha — A mythic, imaginative re-telling of the Buddha’s life and realization.

Website

TarrantWorks.com

Dr. Jean Shinoda Bolen is an American psychiatrist, Jungian analyst, and bestselling author who blends mainstream psychodynamic theory with myth, spirituality, and feminist perspectives.

Key Literary Works

• Goddesses in Everywoman: Her most famous book. It maps female psychology through powerful archetypes represented by Greek goddesses (e.g., Athena for the career woman, Demeter for the maternal figure).
• Gods in Everyman: The companion volume exploring male archetypes, examining how internal myths and external cultural expectations shape male behavior and identity.
• The Tao of Psychology: Her debut book, linking Carl Jung’s concept of meaningful coincidence (synchronicity) with Eastern Daoist philosophy.
• Close to the Bone: A profound psychological guide focused on finding spiritual meaning and personal transformation during life-threatening illness.
• Explore more titles on Jean Bolen’s author page

Career & Philosophy

• Jungian Analyst: She is a diplomate analyst from the C.G. Jung Institute of San Francisco, specializing in using mythic archetypes to help clients uncover subconscious drives.
• Academic Leader: Bolen served for many years as a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and is a Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association.
• Feminist Activist: She uses her psychological framework to champion global women’s rights and grassroots movement-building. She founded the Millionth Circle Initiative to empower women through collaborative talking circles.

Website

JeanBolen.com

Dr. Hansueli F. Etter is a prominent Swiss Jungian analyst, anthropologist, and author. He is widely recognized for his work on the relationship between the human psyche and matter, synchronicity, and the religious dimensions of analytical psychology.

Research & Publications

His work bridges evolutionary biology, archaeology, and depth psychology.

Notable English publications include:

• The Creation Tapestry of Girona (Spain) from around 1100, exploring medieval mandalas and cross-religious archetypes.
• The Wisdom of Dreams: The Significance of Inner Images in Evolutionary Psychology.
• Various academic papers on synchronicity and Jungian thought published through platforms like Taylor & Francis.

Kirsten Kairos, founder of LightHorse Equine & Wellness, a 501c3, is a Creative Life Guide, Sound Medicine Musician, Touch Medicine® Bodyworker, Equine Gestaltist™ and GROF® Breathwork Facilitator. Her love of sound, movement and breath as both a soul expression and a healing modality has been cultivated through lifelong careers as both an international touring and studio musician and as a voice over artist with her most recent collaboration as narrator for the 10-part series, Changing of the Gods with Rick Tarnas, et al. Partnered in practice with her horse, Ash, Kirsten is inspired by nature, multiculturalism and inclusion, as she holds space for the release of trauma and the emergence of authenticity in all beings. lighthorseequineandwellness.org

Monika Wikman, Ph.D., is a Jungian analyst, astrologer, teacher/group facilitator with a deep emphasis on alchemy and the incarnation of the subtle body mysteries. (She also worked in the past as a cranial-sacral practitioner with the dying.) She is the author of Pregnant Darkness: Alchemy and the Rebirth of Consciousness (Nicolas-Hays, 2004), and is executive editor and a contributor to Living with Fire: The Alchemical Imagination of Nathan Schwartz-Salant and its Impact on Depth Psychology (Chiron, 2026). She has also contributed chapters, articles and poems to numerous publications. A graduate of the Jung-Von Franz Center for Depth Psychology in Zürich, she taught for many years in the graduate program at California State University, Los Angeles, and was a dream researcher at University of California, San Diego Medical Center on dreams of the dying. She recently saw her mate, Tom Elsner, through his intimate death process, and now focuses primarily on living in nature, writing, and meditation. And meanwhile she also enjoys podcasting, giving lectures and leading retreats and workshops through the Center for Alchemical Studies. Her interests in projects as a member on the Earthways.org board focus on supporting indigenous peoples with care for their cultures and wild lands.

Applying the Enneagram to real life means moving past static personality “labels” to actively transform your unconscious habits, communication styles, and daily reactions.

Core Framework:

The 3 Centers of Intelligence The system teaches that you possess a default “Center of Intelligence” that dictates how you react to daily stressors, life changes, and relationships.

• The Gut Center (Types 8, 9, 1): Reacts to life through instinct and physical intuition. Driven by a desire for independence and autonomy.
• The Heart Center (Types 2, 3, 4): Reacts to life through emotional intelligence and connection. Driven by a desire for worth, attention, and appreciation.
• The Head Center (Types 5, 6, 7): Reacts to life through mental analysis, strategy, and foresight. Driven by a desire for certainty, freedom, and security.

Dr. Raymond (Ray) Hillis is a psychologist, clinical counselor, and Professor Emeritus. He spent 40 years teaching counseling at California State University, Los Angeles before retiring to Santa Fe, New Mexico.

His work bridges traditional clinical therapy with profound existential, spiritual, and artistic themes:

• Depth Psychology & Elder Wisdom: In therapeutic and wilderness rite-of-passage circles, Hillis is highly regarded as a spiritual elder. He frequently focuses on depth psychology, dream analysis, and navigating “dark times” by exploring the personal and collective shadow.
• Creative Alchemist: His teachings regularly integrate the deep, reflective work of Carl Jung and the melancholic, spiritually transformative lyrics of artists like Leonard Cohen. He presents these works not just as art, but as maps for navigating human suffering.

Dr. Hillis’ exploaration of Jung and Leonard Cohen Dancing with the Depths in Dark Times, analyzes Jungian psychology and the music of Leonard Cohen to look at how we navigate suffering, the shadow, and collective darkness.

The Core Connections

• Carl Jung & The Shadow: Jung taught that we do not attain consciousness by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious. “Dancing with the depths” means descending into the personal and collective unconscious rather than fleeing from it.
• Leonard Cohen & The Broken Hallelujah: Cohen’s entire discography is a masterclass in Jungian alchemy. From Dance Me to the End of Love (inspired by the horrors of the Holocaust) to his final masterpiece You Want It Darker, Cohen shows that spiritual illumination is found in the dark, not apart from it. As he famously wrote in Anthem: “There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.”

As a wilderness guide, dream worker, and elder associated with the School of Lost Borders and Jungian circles, Hillis advocates for soulcraft, dreamwork, and rites of passage. He highlights using altered states, nature, and dream analysis as necessary pathways to heal our internal ecosystems during times of immense crisis.

How to “Dance with the Depths”

• Embrace the Crack: Stop trying to fix or hide your brokenness. View the cracks in your life as the only entry points for genuine transformation.
• Engage Your Shadow: Use dreamwork and self-reflection to meet the parts of yourself you have rejected or feared.
• Find the Broken Hallelujah: Practice gratitude and find beauty not in spite of suffering, but right in the middle of it.

Robin van Löben Sels, Ph.D. is an accomplished Jungian psychoanalyst, author, and poet. She is widely recognized for her clinical contributions to depth psychology, dream analysis, and the integration of psycho-spiritual healing practices.

Key Background & Career

• Profession: Retired from private practice; continues international teaching, consulting, and supervision.
• Education: Graduated from the Union Theological Seminary.
• Affiliations: Senior training analyst with the Inter-Regional Society of Jungian Analysts. She has also served as a United Nations Delegate for the Committee on the Status of Women.
• Leadership: Co-edited Quadrant: Journal of the C.G. Jung Foundation for several years.

Notable Publications

She has authored several deep-dive books exploring the subconscious mind, including:

• Gwendolyn’s Quest: A Psychological Fable (2025) – A narrative journey detailing a woman’s feminine psychic realization.
• Dreamwork(ing): A Primer (2024) – A handbook designed for individual and group dream tending.
• Shamanic Dimensions of Psychotherapy (2020) – An exploration of preverbal trauma, body awareness, and ancient healing structures in modern psychoanalysis.
• A Dream in the World (2003) – A clinical breakdown comparing a patient’s dream matrix with the visions of a 13th-century mystic.
• Wanting A Country for This Weather (2022) – A retrospective collection of her psychological poetry

Website

RVanLobenSels.com

Kathleen Burt has been a Fulbright scholar to India and completed her graduate work in South Asian history at the University of Chicago She has taught at both Roosevelt University in Chicago and Mira Costa College in California. It was the early 1980s when Kathleen Burt stayed up all night reading Jung’s biography, Memories, Dreams, Reflections. Synchronistically, she was given an opportunity to participate in a two year program, “Patterns in Health,” open to counsellors of all types in which 12 individuals studied dreams, Archetypes, using Active Imagination techniques with dream figures, creating ritual, and sandplay with different Jungian analysts in the San Diego area. The timing seemed perfect, as if she were meant to be part of that group.

Her first book, Archetypes, resulted from the Patterns in Health experience and from teaching the Sun Sign Archetypes at Mira Costa College, Del Mar and Oceanside branches.

Afterwards, through Friends of Jung, San Diego, Kathleen took a mask making workshop, an experience which stayed with her for many years. There was such a strong connection between the Mask and the astrological persona, or Rising Sign that she knew one day she’d write about re-inventing ourselves in creative ways as the Rising Sign changed and we grew older and wiser. It took 20 years, and eventually, the book that emerged was Beyond the Mask: The Rising Sign and the Second Half of Life.

Kathleen lived a year in India in (synchronistically) the same city where analyst Robert Johnson stayed; they had friends in common there. Robert was one of the guest instructors in Patterns in Health. His book, Inner Work, meant a lot to Kathleen who also enjoyed his three weekend workshops with Marian Woodman in Santa Barbara.

Kathleen has led spring groups in Santa Fe sponsored by Jungian analysts Monika Wikman and Ray Hillis. Monika founded the Alchemical Society for which Kathleen is also one of the speakers. The group interaction instigated the writing of Beyond the Mask. Kathleen has also been teaching hatha yoga for 10 years and, like astrology, considers yoga as another gift from India. There are some references to yoga poses in Beyond the Mask. Yoga, she believes, helps keep us young in body, mind and spirit.

Doyle Hollister is a Santa Barbara-based author, poet, and private psychotherapist. He has lectured on Myth of the Firebird, Drumming and Story Telling

He is best known for his deeply personal memoir, I Only Went Out for a Walk: Finding My Wilderness Soul on a California Ranch.

As the great-grandson of the historic rancher William Welles Hollister, his writing heavily explores his connection to the famous Hollister Ranch.

Key Facts About the Author

• The Memoir: His book details his emotional and psychological journey reconnecting with nature after a sudden teenage separation from his childhood home.
• Background: He works as a graduate school educator and marriage and family therapist (MFT) in California.
• Poetry: Beyond prose, he publishes nature-centric poetry including titles like The Spell of the Wild and White Heron.
• Lineage: He was mentored in part by his aunt and uncle, Jane Hollister and Joseph Wheelwright, who were prominent figures in the field of Jungian psychology

Dr. Christophe Le Mouël is a French-American theoretical physicist, mathematician, and Jungian scholar who serves as the Executive Director of the C.G. Jung Institute of Los Angeles. His work uniquely Bridges hard sciences with depth psychology, focusing heavily on the intersection of matter, quantum mechanics, and the human psyche.

Background and Career

• Scientific Roots: He earned his Ph.D. in theoretical and mathematical physics from the Université des Sciences de Montpellier in France, specializing in quantum physics and electroweak symmetry breaking.
• Jungian Leadership: He moved to the United States and has managed operations for the Los Angeles Jung Institute since 2008. He also serves as the co-editor-in-chief of the quarterly journal Psychological Perspectives.
• Analyst Training: He is a candidate-in-training to become a professional Jungian analyst through the Research and Training Centre for Depth Psychology in Zürich, Switzerland.

Major Work & Publications

• Collaborations with Marie-Louise von Franz: He is the co-editor of the book Conversations with Marie-Louise von Franz on Synchronicity and Numbers: Insights and Amplifications (2025), which documents terminal-year dialogues with Jung’s closest professional associate.
• Key Research Interests: His essays and lectures explore the concept of the unus mundus (unitary world), archetypal numbers, alchemy, symbols within Jung’s Red Book, and the psychology of Artificial Intelligence.

Julian David (1933–2021) was a highly respected British Jungian analyst, writer, and lecturer who practiced analytical psychology for over 40 years. He was known for integrating comparative religion, mythology, and deep psychological exploration into his clinical practice and teachings.

Core Focus and Published Work

David’s work heavily focused on the intersection of ancient myths, the collective unconscious, and the evolution of human spirit.

A Brief History of God: His celebrated book exploring the cultural, mythopoetic, and psychological origins of the divine, specifically examining the historical shifts toward patriarchal religion.

Lectures & Essays: He produced a vast library of essays exploring classic Jungian concepts, including the Anima and Animus, the Tragedy of the Patriarchy, and psychological breakdowns of classical myths like Oedipus and Orpheus

Website

JulianDavid.co.uk

Jane Lipman is an award-winning poet and former psychotherapist based in northern New Mexico. Known for her mystical bent, her writing explores themes of nature, human connection, and spiritual revelation.

Notable Poetry Collections

• in every peach the taste of thunder (2024) – A full-length haiku collection described as wise, joyful, and paired with whimsical illustrations.
• On the Back Porch of the Moon (2012) – Her first full-length collection, which won the 2013 New Mexico/Arizona Book Award.
• The Rapture of Tulips (2009) – A celebrated poetry chapbook.
• White Crow’s Secret Life (2009) – A chapbook that was a finalist for the New Mexico Book Awards.

Major Career Highlights

• Accolades: Winner of multiple New Mexico/Arizona Book Awards and NM Press Women’s Awards.
• Contests: Won Second Prize in the national “Honoring Cole Porter” poetry contest (2015) for her poem “Unsung”.
• Workshops: Longtime educator who taught Mystical Poetry and Writing workshops in Santa Fe.

Website

HummingBirdHollowPress.com

Rani Weiss lived for a time in Gurumai’s community and she brings an amazing presence to our kitchen with her sun and moon conjunction in Cancer. In addition to the creative healthy meals she prepares, Rani works as a nurse. And as a long time potter, Rani enjoys seeking out different soils around the New Mexico landscapes through the years to create earthen vessels that carry the spirit of place in them in unique ways.