William Blake and the Divine Power in the Imagination (Mondays)

Jung Center of Houston offers William Blake and the Divine Power in the Imagination.

Connect to the imagination through the work of William Blake (pictured). Blake believed that we get a glimpse of the capacity for the imaginal, the divine spark, when we reduce our need to see things with our senses, when we part with the rational and connect with the imagination.

Blake stated, “He who sees the Infinite in all things, sees God. He who sees the Ratio (reason) only, sees himself.”

The Ratio and imagination to which Blake makes reference, points us to the relationship between the ego and the Self. When we perceive things only through the eyes of the ego it becomes rational, as the immature ego cannot abide anything which it cannot possess, or make sense of. The totality of the contents of inner and outer aspects, which cannot be possessed by the ego, will be pushed beneath the surface of consciousness and/or projected.

In this class we will engage the work of William Blake as a way of pushing against our tendency towards seeing the world as concrete, in favor of opening our lens to the symbolic.

Recommended reading: The Book of Urizen, William Blake

John Price, MA, LPC, is a psychotherapist in private practice, where he works with adults, families, couples, adolescents and children. He also practices as a consultant in New York City for families struggling with the emotional and behavioral consequences of children who have experienced early trauma, abuse, or neglect. He leads workshops nationally on Trust-Based Parenting, an attachment-based intervention.

John works closely with the Institute of Child Development at Texas Christian University and is currently working on a PhD in psychology, with a specialization in Jungian studies, through Saybrook University.