Public Programs
Working Below the Chaotic Surface [DISCUSSION]
Archetypal Dimensions in the Midst of Collective Flooding,
With Panel: Barry Williams, Larry Rayburn, & Marilyn Mathews
November 15 @ 10:00 am – 1:00 pm MST
In these turbulent times we are flooded with information and opinion about our political condition. Editorials, blogs, and professional pundits reflect our desperate need to know, not just what is going on, but what it means. While understandable, this could also be a defense against the truly psychological examination of our disruptions. On Friday evening, we—Barry Williams, Marilyn Mathews, and Larry Rayburn—will offer an exploration of the archetypal contours below the surface as we mark the one-year anniversary of the presidential election.
Given the speed with which events are currently erupting, it is impossible to know what elements will be in the foreground this coming November. However, with what Jung called “careful consideration,” we will attend to the archetypal images and motifs that have emerged and are emergent in the moment. Certainly, grief, sacrifice and the raw dimensions of archetypal reality will, by definition, be pertinent, even if “these times” defy attempts at sense-making. To this task we hope to bring an analytic attitude—noting what is present in the field of our collective chaos, looking for the small voices that may be stirring, those that might bring some sanity or meaning. We are more interested in asking how more than why. How do we understand our moment, and how do we enter into dialogue about such volatile topics, while acknowledging the trauma, grief, and despair that seem to be our constant companions in these times.
As we reflect on past political panels, there always seems to be much left unsaid and unaddressed in the wake of these Friday evening programs. This year, in response, we will also host a discussion the following Saturday morning from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm for those of you who would like to join us to explore the issues raised on Friday evening.
BARRY WILLIAMS, M.DIV., PSYD, is a Jungian Analyst in private practice in Taos, NM and a member of the C. G. Jung Institute of Santa Fe. For twenty-five years, together with his wife and late son, he has been an initiated Mara’akame in the traditional healing path of the Huichol/Wixarika people of the Sierra of central Mexico. Dr. Williams’ particular interests are in dreams, healing, shamanism and depth psychology, and the archetype of sacrifice.
LARRY RAYBURN, MA, is a Jungian analyst practicing in Santa Fe, New Mexico and a member of the C. G. Jung Institute of Santa Fe where he is the outgoing (2025) president. He is also a senior training analyst of the Inter-Regional Society of Jungian Analysts. Larry is interested in male psychology, particularly that of boys and the father, and in the theories of play and psychic energy. He has presented and taught on the alchemical opus, contra naturam, or work against nature, as expressed in the flow and counter-flow of human life, the natural world, and clinical practice.
MARILYN MATTHEWS, MD, is a psychiatrist and Jungian analyst practicing in Santa Fe. A former president of the C. G. Jung Institute of Santa Fe, she also has many years of experience on Exam Committees in the IRSJA. Her interest in women’s voices and silences has led to a number of published papers on those topics. Now what holds her attention is the changing pattern of ethics during the current societal and cultural upheaval.
Get Tickets to Register
Select one of the ticket options below (this event is in person only). Online registration ends on Friday, November 14, 2025 at 9:00 am Mountain Time.
In-person Location
contact@santafejung.org
Recent Comments