upcoming events
essential jung: a weekend retreat
September 26th - 28th 2025, at crown isle resort in courtenay BC
This retreat, hosted by the Western Canadian Association of Jungian Analysts, will provide you with an opportunity to meet with our analysts from Alberta and B.C., as well as others who are interested in exploring Jungian psychology and its relevance to our present time and culture. The retreat was first offered in Alberta in 2024 with great success, and now comes to B.C. It is intended for anyone with an interest in Jung, regardless of previous exposure to his psychological concepts. During the weekend we will present some of the basic Jungian concepts, such as “Shadow”, “Animus and Anima”, and “Dreams”, with time for discussion as well as reflection on one’s own experience.
When: September 26-28, 2025. 4 p.m. Friday - Sunday at 3 p.m.
Where: Crown Isle Resort and Golf Community, Courtenay, B.C.
Fee: Early Bird Registration- $750.00 before July 1, 2025; Regular Registration- $850.00 on or after July 1, 2025
*The fee covers conference expenses and meals but does not include the cost of accommodation. Registrants will be able to make their own accommodation arrangements with the hotel. https://crownisle.com/
Please visit the WCAJA website for more information, and to register: https://wcaja.org/
MEMber-Led discussion groups
These groups are free to attend, and open to members and non-members alike. They are informally facilitated by passionate society members who have a keen interest in the topics below. If you see a group you’d like to join, send an email to the contact person listed to inquire about registration. If you have an idea for a discussion group you’d like to facilitate, our only prerequisite is that you are an active member. Get in touch with us and share your ideas via email at jungsocietyvictoria@gmail.com.
thE poetry of mary oliver
Our next Mary Oliver poetry reading is scheduled for Tuesday, July 15th.
The days are lengthening as we swim alongside Mary Oliver and dare to celebrate the early arrival of spring. While reading poetry is a pleasure, the process of writing can lead one to the depths of despair. In this group, we read, listen, reflect, and converse while savouring tea and snacks. While several members are devoted poets, others are content to explore Jung’s realm of the unconscious through the enchantment of words. If you're interested in our meetings, please get in touch with us at mturnerca@hotmail.com.
These sessions are held on the third Tuesday afternoon of each month at the home of Michele Turner at D-349 Foul Bay Rd. To register for the group, please get in touch with Michele at mturnerca@hotmail.com.
Read some of the poetry written by group members HERE.
CAFÉ synchronicity
Hint of a quantum universe at play?
Have you ever experienced something you would call a synchronicity? Do you have stories you’d like to share? What type of universe would need to exist that allows for the experiences we call synchronicity? How would you explain it?
Let’s start a conversation, tell our stories, explore books, literature; consider our thoughts, and those of others through time about the phenomena of synchronicity. We suggest you keep track of the synchronicities you are experiencing so we can share our stories and consider the descriptors of our experiences.
Meeting Dates: Last Wednesday of each month (with the exception of July 16th)
Time: Happy Hours 4-6 pm
Locations: A central cafe, pub, or lounge chosen by the group
Next date: Wed. June 25th at Bodega in trounce alley, 4-6 pm
To join or inquire, email Patricia Lyster at 2plyster@gmail.com.
TAROT STUDY GROUP
The intention of this group is to explore the use of the Tarot, and how it is another method for accessing the personal unconscious and generating insights. We will get to know the cards through focused discussions of one card per month, as well as engaging in practice readings using a Jungian framework.
We meet one Thursday a month from 4:30 - 6:30 pm at the home of Patricia Lyster in Esquimalt. Folks are welcome to come and go as needed. Please arrive with a set of tarot cards (not oracle), and some thoughts or research regarding the chosen card of study for the week.
The structure of the evenings will be as follows:
4:30-5:15 practice readings
5:15-6:00 focused discussion of one card (bring ideas + info to share)
6:00-6:30 viewing lessons from an Jungian-based Tarot course
Meeting Dates: Thursdays (July 3, August 14, Sept 18, Oct 9, Nov 13)
Time: 4:30 - 6:30 pm
Location: Patricia’s home in Esquimalt (alongside the 26 and 15 bus routes)
Get in touch with Patricia if you would like to join, and to obtain the full address details: 2plyster@gmail.com
Ego and archetype
This group provides a space to discuss Edinger's distillation of Jung's work on the Self, and the building of one's Ego Self-Axis. We will read through and discuss sections of Edinger’s “Ego and Archetype”, chapter by chapter. Here is the link to a digital Jungian library, that includes a pdf of this book:
https://mega.nz/folder/JChkRBZR#spQxk0-HW322xh__Y_hUGQ/folder/oLYWyJqQ
Meetings take place over Google Meet, on the second Monday evening of each month. Email Thomas at thomas.goenczi@gmail.com to obtain the invite link.
Concerning creativity
The Simoniac Pope, William Blake, 1824
A discussion group which hopes to encourage the inner necessity to reveal and share our creative selves in our attempt to form a meaningful relationship with life.
Jung believed that art itself had no inherent meaning, suggesting that perhaps it is like nature – something that simply “is”. But the creative process was something distinct, and Jung posited that works of art could be seen to arise out of much the same psychological conditions as a neurosis. Like all neuroses these conscious contents have an unconscious background which in their artistic manifestation often go beyond the individual and into something deeper and more broadly reflective of humankind. Jung offered the analogy that “personal causes have as much or as little to do with a work of art as the soil with the plant that springs from it”. True art is something “supra-personal”, a force which has “escaped from the limitations of the personal and has soared beyond the personal concerns of its creator.”
This group is currently on pause until further notice. If you have an interest in joining, please email Christine Ross: christine_ros25@yahoo.com
library socials
Once a month we open our cozy little library to the public and our members, to peruse books together and spend quality social time. Members are allowed to borrow books, and one is welcome to become a member on the spot if you see a book you fancy reading! Upcoming dates are as follows, to be held at the Centennial United Church (enter through the side doors on David St.):
Stay tuned for autumn dates, as we are on pause for the summer season.
If you can’t make it to these events, but would still like to borrow a book, email us at jungsocietyvictoria@gmail.com.