Dialogues with the Unconscious — Jungian Perspectives with Roula Maria Dib
In this episode Béa interviews award-winning literary scholar, poet, and Jungian thinker Roula Maria Dib. Together, they explore Jung’s evolving place within feminist thought, the role of the feminine archetype in the psyche, and the power of poetry and art as healing practices. The conversation moves through themes of visionary art, dreams, creativity, and how artists serve as vessels for the collective unconscious. Roula offers insights into her own work, including her books The Jungian Metaphor: Modernist Literature and Simply Being--and speaks to the necessity of creating spaces for meaningful dialogue and community.
The episode also features a powerful personal story about how a dream helped Roula recognize a life-threatening illness in her daughter—underscoring the importance of cultivating an ongoing relationship with the unconscious. For anyone drawn to Jungian depth psychology, feminist perspectives, and the transformative nature of art and dreams, this conversation offers rich ground for reflection.
Books & Links Mentioned in This Episode:
The Jungian Metaphor: Modernist Literature (2020) by Roula Maria Dib
https://labrc.co.uk/roula-maria-dib/
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45:51
The Spiral Path: Myth, Surrender, and Embodied Wisdom with Carly Mountain
In this episode of Gatherings, we welcome writer and mythic guide Carly Mountain, author of Descent and Rising. Together, we explore the ancient Sumerian myth of Inanna, a powerful narrative of descent, embodiment, and feminine transformation.
Carly shares how the myth mirrored her own personal journey and why it continues to speak to modern women facing burnout, identity shifts, or creative rebirth. We explore the myth’s cultural resurgence, its symbolic contrast to artificial intelligence, and its call to reclaim erotic intelligence, surrender, and embodied wisdom. Carly reframes surrender not as weakness but as the courage to meet what’s real—and sees descent not as failure, but as the doorway to collective healing.
For those navigating inner thresholds, this episode may serve as both map and medicine.
For more information about Carly’s book and workshops: Writer, Psychotherapist and Women's Initiatory Guide.
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39:26
Romancing the Shadow: A Conversation with Connie Zweig
In this episode, Béa sits down with author and depth psychologist Connie Zweig to explore what it really means to “romance the shadow.” We speak about the lifelong task of making the unconscious conscious, the myths that still live in us, and how shadow work becomes even more essential as we age.
Drawing from her decades of writing and teaching—from Meeting the Shadow to The Inner Work of Age—Connie offers insight into how the parts we reject hold the keys to our vitality, our creativity, and even our spiritual growth.
This is a conversation about memory, myth, inner figures, and the radical courage it takes to turn toward what we’ve exiled within.
Connie Zweig, Ph.D. is a retired Jungian therapist and author of Meeting the Shadow (A New Edition is now available) and Romancing the Shadow (A New Edition is now available). Her award-winning book, The Inner Work of Age: Shifting from Role to Soul, extends Shadow-work into midlife and beyond and explores aging as a spiritual practice. Her book, Meeting the Shadow on the Spiritual Path: The Dance of Darkness and Light in Our Search for Awakening, extends shadow-work into religion and spirituality. Her new PODCAST, Dr. Neil’s Spiritual Awakening to Non-Duality, posts on all podcast platforms. See her new SUBSTACK for livestreams and new writing: https://www.shadowworkawareness.com/about.
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55:23
The Creative Process
In this episode, we explore the creative process. Is it limited to the material work we produce, or is the true creative path the inner work we do as part of the individuation journey? What kinds of conversations should we be having? How does dream work factor into the process? And does an artist need to reveal something meaningful to the collective for their work to be considered art?
Books mentioned in this episode:
The Creative Act: A Way of Being (Rick Rubin)
The Archetypal Artist: Reimagining Creativity and the Call to Create (Mary Antonia Wood)
Carl Jung and Arnold Toynbee: The Social Meaning of Inner Work (J. Gary Sparks)
Quote from Long Life: Essays and Other Writings, by Mary Oliver:
"And that is just the point: how the world, moist and bountiful, calls to each of us to make a new and serious response. That's the big question, the one the world throws at you every morning. 'Here you are, alive. Would you like to make a comment?'"
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46:24
The Wisdom of Iain McGilchrist: Reconnecting to a Larger Reality
Do you ever feel like something's off with the way we think as a society? In this episode, we explore the groundbreaking work of Iain McGilchrist, who argues that an imbalance in our brains, favoring the left hemisphere's focus on control, could be leading us down a dangerous path. The discussion delves into how McGilchrist's theories connect with Jungian psychology and the importance of a holistic view of things. Tune in to learn more about this fascinating perspective!
Show notes:
Books mentioned
The Master and His Emissary (McGilchrist)
The Matter With Things (McGilchrist)
The Dream of the Cosmos: A Quest for the Soul (Anne Baring)
Addiction to Perfection: The Still Unravished Bride (Marion Woodman)
Podcast episodes mentioned
Understanding The Matter with Things Dialogues Episode 28: Ch 28 The sense of the sacred
A Revolution in Thought? Lecture by Dr. Ian McGilchrist
Two writers and book lovers, Béa Gonzalez and Carly Micó Bess, 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.
Österreich