Gatherings
Two writers and book lovers sit down to talk about the books, podcasts, and quotes that are inspiring them! Jung and Jungian writers, archetypes, history, and fiction of all kinds feature heavily --with some detours into the unseen worlds! Music is provided by Jay Redelsperger.
Episodes

Monday Feb 03, 2025
Navigating Life’s Depths: A Guide to James Hollis’ Wisdom
Monday Feb 03, 2025
Monday Feb 03, 2025
This episode takes a deep dive into the writings and influence of Jungian analyst James Hollis. We focus on four essential books to get you started: The Eden Project, Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life, Under Saturn’s Shadow, and Swamplands of the Soul. Through these works, we examine powerful themes such as taking responsibility for our lives, embracing individuation, understanding relationship dynamics beyond romance, confronting the struggles men face in expressing emotions, and learning to navigate life’s darker, swampy moments. We also reflect on how Hollis’ ideas have shaped our personal journeys. Tune in as we explore the mind of one of the wisest thinkers of our time—and find out which of his books might resonate most with you.

Friday Jan 17, 2025
Unveiling the Books That Captured our Attention in 2024
Friday Jan 17, 2025
Friday Jan 17, 2025
Join Béa and Carly as they discuss their top reads from 2024. With a focus on both fiction and nonfiction, they explore Carly Mountain's 'Descent & Rising,' Roberta B. Corson's Stepping Out of the Shadows,' J. Gary Sparks’ The Call of Destiny and Andrea Wulf's 'Magnificent Rebels,' among others. The conversation delves deep into book recommendations, literary themes, and personal reflections on the significance of these works.
The song used in this podcast is Jay Redelsperger’s “On my Way”. You can find Jay’s music on Spotify, Apple Music and all other music platforms. He is also on YouTube Jay Mark Redelsperger - YouTube
For information on the SophiaCycles project: www.sophiacycles.com
Bea will be teaching a month-long course at the Jung Archademy on “The Archetypal Venus”. You can find information here: The Archetypal Venus LIVE-VIDEO SEMINAR SERIES with Béa Gonzalez, M.A. — JUNG Archademy
00:00 Introduction to Gatherings Podcast
00:39 Hosts' Personal Book Habits
03:03 First Book Highlight: Stepping Out of the Shadows
05:33 Exploring the Medial Woman Archetype
10:51 Second Book Highlight: Searching for Venus
14:14 Fantasy Romance Genre Insights
16:35 Third Book Highlight: The Shepard Duology
17:52 Impact of Fiction on Personal Growth
23:09 Personal Reflections and Career Doubts
24:03 The Power of Stories and Rituals
25:49 The Heroine's Journey and Self-Discovery
27:34 Exploring Jungian Concepts and Guides
31:54 Book Recommendations and Synchronicity
34:11 Alchemy and Symbolism
39:11 Historical Insights and Intellectual Movements
42:27 Final Thoughts and Upcoming Projects

Monday Feb 12, 2024
Episode 21 | Venus, Inanna and Modern Perspectives
Monday Feb 12, 2024
Monday Feb 12, 2024
Uncover the Journey of the Feminine Archetype through Time
In this episode, Jay and Béa discuss the myth of Inanna, the two Venuses, and the evolution of the feminine archetype across various cultures and eras. They initiate the conversation with an in-depth exploration of Inanna's myth, drawing parallels with the movie Barbie while emphasizing the continual relevance and transformative power of this ancient archetype. They also explore how Venus, a symbol of beauty and love, has transformed from an androgynous warrior to an emblem of love and connection. Finally, they discuss the need to shift from the binary perception of such themes towards viewing them as ongoing, transformative stories that are accessible to all individuals, regardless of gender.
Book Discussed: Descent to the Goddess, Sylvia Brinton Perera

Tuesday Jan 16, 2024
Episode 20 | The Healing Journey
Tuesday Jan 16, 2024
Tuesday Jan 16, 2024
In this episode, Jay and Béa explore the many dimensions healing can take. There seems to be a lot of attention placed on the notion of healing in the public sphere but what does this look like? Is it possible to ever fully heal? And if so, what modalities can help us on this journey? Authors and books mentioned: Dr. Gabor Maté [The Myth of Normal]; Marion Woodman "Addiction to Perfection". Books we recommend: "Waking the Tiger", Peter Levine: "The Body Keeps the Score", Bessel van der Kolk.
Song: "The Gathering" Jay Redelsperger

Wednesday Dec 13, 2023
Episode 19 | Ways of Seeing | Conversation with Geneviève Caron
Wednesday Dec 13, 2023
Wednesday Dec 13, 2023
In this episode, Béa has a conversation with a member of the Sophia Collective---Geneviève Caron, photographer, documentary film maker, artist and spectacular human! Geneviève has just released an exquisite 8-minute documentary where she invites the viewer to journey with the artist Ljubodrag Andric, as he travels through Jaipur, India. We talk about her background, her involvement with the Sophia Collective, shadow work and much more.
Here is the link to her website: Geneviève Caron Photography (genevievecaron.com)
The documentary: Geneviève Caron Photography | Motion | 2 (genevievecaron.com)
Jay is busy at work on his new album, but we still get to listen to some of his gorgeous music! The song used in this episode is "In the Summertime" from his album, Harvesting James. Jay's music can be found all major streaming platforms including Apple, Spotify, Google and more.

Monday Nov 06, 2023
Episode 18 | Is Doing Inner Work enough to Change Things?
Monday Nov 06, 2023
Monday Nov 06, 2023
Béa and Jay wrestle with the question of whether doing inner work is enough to change things in the external world as well. Does doing shadow work and wrestling with our inner demons rid the world sufficiently of the burdens we place on others---or do we have a duty to address the social problems of the day as well? If so, how does doing inner work help us in that regard? Books explored include those written by Keiron Le Grice, Richard Rohr, Dale Mathers, Herbert Barks, Robert A. Johnson and more. Musical artist Jay is listening to is Patti Smith.
The song used in this episode is Jay's "Lead me to Gardens" recorded this year.

Friday Oct 06, 2023
Episode 17 | The Limits of Rational Thought
Friday Oct 06, 2023
Friday Oct 06, 2023
In this episode, we discuss Jeffrey Kripal's book, “The Flip” which is an exploration of what happens to people who have an experience that is life transforming but which cannot be explained in rational terms. Other thinkers mentioned include Bernardo Kastrup [More than Allegory] and Rupert Sheldrake [Dogs That Know When Their Owners Are Coming Home]. Jay also talks about the song, Rain and Gold, from his album "Harvesting James".

Monday Sep 25, 2023
Episode 16 | Landscape and Typology, Jung in Love
Monday Sep 25, 2023
Monday Sep 25, 2023
In this episode we explore how landscape might map onto Jung's typological system. What do the landscapes that attract us say about our typological orientation? We also discuss Lance Owen's book, "Jung in Love" and the Jeff Buckley biography, "Dream Brother: The Lives and Music of Jeff and Tim Buckley" by David Browne. The song in this episode is from Jay's album, Harvesting James, "In the Summertime."

Friday Aug 25, 2023
Episode 15| The Problem with the Word ”Spiritual”
Friday Aug 25, 2023
Friday Aug 25, 2023
Jay and Béa are back after a summer break to discuss some of the issues they have with the way the word "spiritual" is used. What does the word mean? How can we approach what it encompasses? We also discuss how the word drifts into a subject that keeps showing up---UFOs and the search for intelligent life in the universe. Is this part of an age old phenomenon appearing in a new guise? Books mentioned include "American Cosmic: UFOs, Religion, Technology" by DW Pasulka and "The Re-enchantment of Everyday Life" by Thomas Moore. The song in this episode is "And the Angels now Are Singing" from Jay's album, "Harvesting James".

Monday Jul 10, 2023
Episode14 | The Anti-hero
Monday Jul 10, 2023
Monday Jul 10, 2023
We are back after a brief hiatus with an exploration of the "anti-hero". We discuss how the film industry has changed its portrayal of the figure of the anti-hero--from "Bonnie and Clyde" and "The Godfather" to "The Sopranos" and "Succession". We also look at how this has been explored in literature [Lazarillo de Tormes, The Idiot, Catcher in the Rye] and in music [the rock and roll mythos and how it connects to Lord Byron.] Is the anti-hero something we relate to because we are attempting to outrun our shadows?
The music featured in this episode is Jay's newly recorded song, "Sunshine".
The CBC podcast we mention is "Under the Influence with Terry O'Reilly" and the episode we specifically refer to is:
https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-70/clip/15988412