Come with us to explore what these four figures have in common. Real or imagined, each of the characters conveys wisdom – Morgan Freeman in virtually every project he touches. If you haven’t seen Cosmic Voyage (a remake of the Charles Eames Powers of Ten film), do. Rarely will you spend a more worthwhile half hour: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQGz76_1feY&t=55s It is a blessing that Morgan Freeman is so generous with his talent.
For our next Myth Salon on Thursday, November 16 at 5PM Pacific, Terry Ebinger will be guiding us through an exploration of character arcs and mythic journeys that will be transferable to each of our lives in a real and practical way. Her intention is to inspire us to follow the lead of these regular humans in movies, and to do the work to become wise elders in our own right.
The most compelling films about wise elderhood serve as journeys into mythic territory — offering daunting trials, vital awakenings, necessary sacrifices, and healing transformations. We'll explore pilgrimage, mentoring, character, eccentricity, giftedness, forgiveness work, receiving help and facing death — all repeating motifs of eldership films. Through the lens of depth psychology, myth, and the language of dream, we'll observe and amplify the values, attitudes, and tasks of later life individuation.
Salon Description: Wisdom fits into very small spaces and expands to cover the breadth of the cosmos. It can occupy the thinnest moments in time. Wisdom is large and small at the same time, and never appears rushed or hurried. Often, when we arrive at the threshold of wisdom, we either overlook or miss the opportunity for enlightenment, which is why age can often be a contributing factor to making sense of profound occurrences. Terry Ebinger is as fluent in the history and evolving nature of contemporary media as she is wise in her knowledge about film, story, archetypes, and the power of how to recognize characters of virtue when she sees them. The most compelling films about wise elderhood serve as journeys into mythic territory - offering daunting trials, vital awakenings, necessary sacrifices, and healing transformations. Movies bring the archetypes to life, gracing us with unique characters embodying essentials of authentic elderhood: generativity, integrity, reflection, reconciliation, connection. Depth psychology and mythic imagination will guide our expansive consideration of remarkable cinematic elders, observing and amplifying the values, attitudes, and tasks of later life individuation. This presentation will include multimedia lecture, analysis of multiple film clips and images, and practice finding metaphor and meaning in cinema's fundamental language of dream.
Terry Ebinger, MS, is a passionate film scholar and retired psychotherapist with over three decades of experience as a depth psychology practitioner and educator, dream consultant, archetypal spiritual director, and multidisciplinary group leader. Terry approaches film studies through myth, depth psychology, cultural history, and the language of dream. She teaches at extended education programs and lifelong learning institutes around the Bay Area and through her own Cinema Cafe online salons.
PANELISTS
Dr. Tina Stromsted, is a Jungian analyst, Dance/Movement Therapist, Somatics Educator, public speaker, author and Founding director of Soul’s Body Center®, which offers courses and workshops at universities and healing centers in many parts of the world. She is a former co-founder & faculty at the Authentic Movement Institute and teaches for the Jung Platform Online, the Marion Woodman Foundation and C.G. Jung Institute of San Francisco, where she has a private practice. www.AuthenticMovement-BodySoul.com
John Bucher, Ph.D. is a mythologist, screenwriter, pop culture expert and Executive Director of the Joseph Campbell Foundation. He teaches all over the world and has authored several volumes on myth, storytelling and pop culture. You can find him in series, documentaries and on social media at telling a better story as well as tellingabetterstory.com. His bio could honestly be endless. I couldn’t even list all our collaborations. It’s a privldige to work with you and thank you for being here!
Kayleen Asbo, Ph.D is a cultural historian, musician, writer and teacher who weaves myth, music, psychology, history and art with experiential learning. She is also the founder and Creative Director for Mythica, which offers Online Salons around Music, Poetry and Art; as well as in person pilgrimages to sacred sites in Europe and workshops at the intersection of Myth and Jungian Psychology.
Connie Zweig, Ph.D., is a retired therapist and author of the award-winning book The Inner Work of Age: Shifting from Role to Soul, which extends her work on the Shadow into midlife and beyond. Her earlier books, Meeting the Shadow and Romancing the Shadow, introduced shadow-work to the world. Her newest book, Meeting the Shadow on the Spiritual Path, explores spirituality through the lens of depth psychology. Corinne is the founder and visionary behind 360 Degree Communications, a leading entertainment marketing company that specializes in environmental and social justice films and conferences. She has worked on the Academy award winning films The Cove, Free Solo, and films such as Fantastic Fungi, Biggest Little farm, Wild Life, Sea of Shadows, Wild Hooe, All That Breathes and many others. She is founder and director of The Esalen film festival and graduate of Pacifica Graduate Institute.
Dennis Patrick Slattery, Ph.D. is a Distinguished Emeritus Professor in the Mythological Studies Program At Pacifica Graduate Institute. He has authored, coauthored, edited or coedited 33 volumes of poetry, non fiction and fiction. His most recent titles include The Way of Myth: Stories' Subtle Wisdom and The Fiction in Our Convictions. His web site, dennispatrickslattery.com contains a series of blogs, paintings, adventure invitations and online courses.
HOST
Dana White, Ph.D. a contributing faculty member to Pacifica's myth degrees and author of numerous volumes on mythology. Over the course of his career, Dana has worked in radio and industrial television, as a vice president of marketing for Merrill Lynch, and as an academic department chair at an art college. He edits and designs books, produces films and motion media for universities, corporations and non-profits, and is a professional photographer with more than 40 books to his credit.He currently produces and hosts the Myth Salon, a venture he co-founded in 2016 with Dr. Will Linn,
MODERATOR
Will Linn, PhD, Will is a Creative Mythologist. For three seasons and thirty episodes, he anchored the Sky, ZDF and History Channel TV show, Myths: The Greatest Mysteries of Humanity as one of the two recurring “meta experts.” He is the founder of mythouse.org and Head Mythologist for Fascinated by Everything—a visionary experience company that creates narrative art in next-generation mediums. Will served as a leader for the Joseph Campbell Foundation over an eight year period and was the founding chair of an innovative film and performing arts college called Relativity School in Los Angeles Center Studios. From 2015-2023, he taught myth, anthropology, writing, story and philosophy at the college while leading high school, graduate and professional coursework in the United States and Europe. His media and conference appearances, publications and roundtables have been focused on the poesis of nature and technology, meta-narratives of transformation, historical arcs in the mythic imagination and the archetypal revolution of meteor-steel.
MYTH SALON
The Myth Salon is all about cultivating community – bringing people and ideas into a delicious convergence every month to explore ideas of substance. Dr. Will Linn and Dr. Dana C White, the indefatigable moderators of our Myth Salon, congregate the mythological community to explore upon this rich and fertile path, and increase the amperage of myth and substance wherever we are. When we nurture and sustain our community relations and involvement, we all benefit! The full playlist of Myth Salons since the Spring of 2020 can be found Here.
MYTHOUSE INVITATIONS
Mythouse.org - Mythic Calendar: The Mythic Calendar integrates the world’s major holidays into a single calendar of media and information rich portals that explore the mythic dimensions of each holiday, sign of the zodiac, flower of the month, birth stone and celestial event. Check in with the mythic calendar each month and with every holiday to stay engaged with mythic time.
Mythology Channel: Explore ten years of mythic radio series, round tables, myth salons and special events in the Mythology Channel’s content library.
Special Thanks to the continued support of the Pacifica Graduate Institute Alumni Association.