The JCF Roundtable of Ojai returns this Fall with an invitation to open up the gathering to new voices. Everyone is invited to come prepared with a specific symbol in mind which they feel would be valuable to consciously carry into contemporary culture. We will draw from the pool of symbols offered by the group and consider what they point to, what energies, mythic and archetypal, they stir in our awareness and in the awareness of the collective.
The beauty and power of a symbol is that its final and deepest expression comes to us in the form of an experience. By considering the qualities of these experiences, we can investigate the myriad expressions that a single symbol can invite. Yet, as with all symbols, common threads can be traced, common meanings that are central to human experience–in a word: archetypes.
As the present times unravel into so many possibilities, the employment of symbols can help us to thoughtfully steer and navigate the terrains that emerge. We will draw mostly from world mythologies to contextualize our investigation. But only by recognizing which symbols hold value to the individual can we begin to recognize where our focus is of most value collectively. We look forward to hearing from everyone, and to exploring the many variations of experience that emerge, and how these variations unfailingly lead us back to foundational truths.
Sunday, October 19, 5:00 pm in the Ojai Foundation Council House 9739 Ojai Santa Paula Rd, Ojai, CA 93023