Medicine Path with Brian James

In this episode I speak with Carl Abrahamsson about his latest book Source Magic: The Origin of Art, Science & Culture.The main theme that emerged during our conversation is about the relationship between Carl Jung's idea of individuation and the practice of magic, a topic Carl explores in an essay entitled The Magic of Individuation from his book.Carl Abrahamsson is a writer, publisher, magico-anthropologist, filmmaker, and photographer. Since the mid-1980s he has been active in the international magical community, integrating “occulture” as a way of life and lecturing about his findings and speculations. He is the author of numerous books on art and the occult as well as the editor and publisher of the annual anthology of occulture, The Fenris Wolf, he lives in Småland, Sweden.You can learn more about Carl’s work at his website carlabrahamsson.com+++JOIN THE CONVERSATIONBecome a member of the Medicine Path online community and school of soul studies: http://patreon.com/medicinepath1-on-1 Soul Recovery resources and coaching with Brian James: http://medicinepath.meSound collage: "Invocation" by Brian James+++SUPPORT & APPRECIATIONSend a gift from our Amazon wish list: https://www.amazon.ca/hz/wishlist/ls/11HNWME8NHNM7 Make a one-time contribution via PayPal: http://PayPal.me/medicinepathyoga

This bonus episode is a recording of a conversation I had with Asher Packman of the Fifth Direction platform, based in Australia (https://thefifthdirection.com).Asher reached out to me to talk about my work, and it was a nice opportunity to be on the other side of the questions for once. As an intuitive introvert type, it’s not my natural inclination to talk about my ideas unless it’s in the context of a conversation — which is why these intros tend to be short and to the point.So, I enjoyed having the chance to try putting together some of the ideas I’ve been working with lately, and hope that you get something out of this conversation. We touch on a number of topics, including men’s work, the Magician and Trickster archetype, the importance of male mentorship, and some initial thoughts I have about addressing the epidemic of despair that’s afflicting record numbers of middle-aged men here in the West.+++GO DEEPERBecome a member of the Medicine Path online community and school of soul studies: http://patreon.com/medicinepathMedicine Path YouTube channel: http://youtube.com/c/medicinepath1-on-1 Soul Recovery resources and coaching with Brian James: http://medicinepath.me+++SUPPORT & APPRECIATIONSend a gift from our Amazon wish list: https://www.amazon.ca/hz/wishlist/ls/11HNWME8NHNM7 Make a one-time contribution via PayPal: http://PayPal.me/medicinepathyogaSound collage: "Invocation" by Brian James

NOTE: Initially we were experiencing some connection issues — both technical and otherwise — until an interruption (by the Trickster?) about 20 minutes in. We restarted and found a nice rhythm and flow, so please stick with it. There's some great stuff in this conversation!Allan B. Chinen, MD is a psychiatrist in private practice in San Francisco and Clinical Professor Psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco. He has lectured extensively and presented numerous workshops on the role of myths, fairy tales and legends on our life stories.In our conversation we mainly focus on his 1993 book Beyond the Hero: Classic Stories of Men in Search of Soul which offers a vision of the post-heroic journey that is relevant not just to men struggling with the transition into middle age, but also to the sons, daughters and spouses who care for them. Through a retelling and analysis of classic stories that portray a part of the male psyche that is normally buried under conventional male roles, heroic ideals, and patriarchal ambitions, the post-heroic journey dramatically breaks with traditional Western masculine values and typical stereotypes, by making a case for the Trickster as the guiding archetype of the midlife passage.Topics: myth, fairy tales, archetypes, men, midlife, trickster, shaman, mentor+++GO DEEPERBecome a member of the Medicine Path online community and school of soul studies: http://patreon.com/medicinepathMedicine Path YouTube channel: http://youtube.com/c/medicinepath1-on-1 Soul Recovery resources and coaching with Brian James: http://medicinepath.me+++SUPPORT & APPRECIATIONSend a gift from our Amazon wish list: https://www.amazon.ca/hz/wishlist/ls/11HNWME8NHNM7 Make a one-time contribution via PayPal: http://PayPal.me/medicinepathyogaSound collage: "Invocation" by Brian James