Caifang (Jeremy) Zhu, C.G. Jung on the Nature and Interpretation of Dreams: A Developmental Delineation

(This presentation was a part of CIIS Multiversity February 2008.)

Jung interpreted about 80,000 dreams. Based on a systematic study of the dream articles found throughout The Collected Works of C.G. Jung, this paper portrays a developmental trajectory of Jung’s changing views on dreams and their interpretations. I broadly trace his development into three phases: (1) firm partisanship with Freud, where Jung accepted the theory of fulfillment of repressed wishes and excessively applied free association and sex theory; (2) Jung’s most original contributions, epitomized by the compensation theory, and (3) his final stand of relativity and fluidity expressed in 1961 (e.g. compensation theory is just a hypothesis). The paper posits that Jung’s last essay, "Symbols and the Interpretation of Dreams" epitomizes his definitive stand.

Jeremy presented this paper at the Fourth International Conference on Humanistic and Transpersonal Psychologies and Psychotherapies in Guangzhou, China during September of 2007.

Jeremy Zhu taught in Beijing for over a decade; from 2001-2004, went to Harvard Divinity School where he got a Master for Theological Studies degree with a concentration on Buddhist and Psychology; worked two years as a teaching fellow at Harvard; and Chaired the Harvard Buddhist Community and gave Tai Chi instruction class to the Divinity School community. From September 2004 through August 2005, he trained as a chaplain at St Mary’s Medical Center in San Francisco while living and training in SF Zen Center. Jeremy enrolled in the East-West psychology Ph.D. program in 2005 and has had over 10 academic papers published in China, Taiwan, USA, and UK. Jeremy practices meditation regularly and frankly acknowledges he is a perfectly imperfect person…

Annette Williams, Dreaming the Ancestors Among Indigenous Africans and Diaspora Descendents

(This was a part of CIIS Multiversity February 2008.)

This paper considers ancestor visitation dreams within African and black diaspora contexts. Ancestor dreams among the Xhosa are examined in detail as is ancestor regard among the Yoruba. Retention of this relationship to ancestors and their place in dreams is demonstrated among the diaspora descendents of African slaves. The indigenous African ontological perspective is generally one steeped in connection to spirit where distinctions are muted between the spiritual and material, the sacred and secular. The dream and traditional religion are inextricably linked as is the connection between religion and society, where religion permeates all areas of life. In terms of the Institute’s academic mission, looking at the spiritual traditions of others is in keeping with the CIIS mission of affirming spirituality by which “the Institute is committed to the study and practice of multiple spiritual traditions.”

Annette Williams holds a master’s degree in psychology with an emphasis in Jungian and archetypal approaches. Currently she is a doctoral student in Philosophy and Religion with an emphasis in Women’s Spirituality at the California Institute of Integral Studies. A student of the Yoruba Ifa tradition, Annette has had the privilege of being a guest lecturer, discussing the philosophy and lived reality of this West African religion. A trained French/English translator and admirer of hermetic tradition, Annette is a professional astrologer as well as a certified Sivananda yoga instructor.

Karen Villanueva, Iconic Symbolism and Cultural Appropriation: The Fish Goddess and Jesus Christ

(This was a part of CIIS Multiversity February 2008.)

This paper examines how the symbol of the fish is an example of a recurring pattern in patriarchal history: the traditions of the conquered are incorporated into the dominant culture's pantheon; the stories of the conquered are retold, reinterpreted, and written to reflect the values, beliefs, and supremacy of this dominant culture; and over time the original meaning is lost and forgotten as subsequent generations are reared in the manner of the dominant.

Karen has presented her paper at the following two conferences: the American Academy of Religion – Western Region Conference at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, CA in March of 2007 and the Western Association of Women Historians 38th Annual Conference at the Asilomar Conference Center in Pacific Grove, CA in May of 2006.

Karen Nelson Villanueva is a doctoral student in Women’s Spirituality awaiting advancement to candidacy for her dissertation proposal “Green Tara, the Tibetan Buddhist Goddess, and Mantra: Overcoming Fear through the Practice of Reciting Mantra, a Participatory Research Study.” The focus of her studies has been women and world religions with a particular emphasis on the dark mother and how she is found in cultures throughout the world such as the Black Madonnas of Europe and Green Tara of Tibet. She lives in San Francisco with her husband Max and regularly attends classes at the Tse Chen Ling Center for Tibetan Buddhist Studies.

David Treleaven, Falling in Love with Jung: Relationship as a Path to Individuation

(This presentation was a part of CIIS Multiversity February 2008.)

Carl Jung wrote passionately about individuation, a broadly defined process in which differentiated components gravitate toward an indivisible whole. In the fall of 2007, two East-West Psychology students documented their romantic relationship in the context of the individuation process, weaving Jung’s academic writings with conversational vignettes from their personal lives. Using documentary style footage, this 30 minute video presentation explores the integral relationship between sexuality, alchemy, and individuation.

David Treleaven is currently second year doctoral student in East-West Psychology at CIIS. While working as a therapist with male offenders in Vancouver, Canada, David served as an organizing member of the Center for Contemplative Mind in Society and helped organize monthly meditation retreats for the Westcoast Dharma Society. He is currently working closely with Marina Romero, director of ESTEL Center of Personal Growth and School of Integral Studies in Barcelona, and co-creator of Holistic Sexuality, an integral approach to psychospiritual healing and transformation that works experientially with the body, sexuality, and nature.

Kirk Templeton, Avicenna, Aquinas and the Active Intellect

(This presentation was a part of CIIS Multiversity February 2008.)

The paper focuses on a critical change that transformed the way we understand cognition from the way it was understood in the ancient world and in the Islamic philosophical tradition. In keeping with the ACS mission to foster knowledge of and respect for diverse worldviews of religion, philosophy, and culture, Kirk’s study opens wider vistas for the understanding of consciousness by comparing the development of Western theories of cognition to those of other traditions.

“Avicenna, Aquinas and the Active Intellect” will be published this summer in the peer-reviewed Journal of Islamic Philosophy.

Kirk Templeton is in the doctoral program of Asian and Comparative Studies. He specializes in comparative studies of philosophical and theosophical systems of the cultures of the old Silk Route—Western Europe, the Mediterranean, the Middle East, Central Asia, India, and China: in other words, following the golden road to Samarkand. He arrived in the Bay Area just in time for the counterculture and has been here ever since. He has packed a number of different incarnations into this current life, having been a drummer, banker, swordsman, computer programmer, and horseman.

Gal Szekely, Radical Acceptance: Between Buddhism and Psychotherapy

(This presentation was a part of CIIS Multiversity February 2008.)

“We have to face the pain we have been running from. In fact, we need to learn to rest in it and let its searing power transform us." -Charlotte Joko Beck.

Buddhism teaches us that our suffering is caused by not being present with whatever is. Psychotherapy claims that it is mainly the result of childhood wounding. Is there a contradiction? Through presentation, discussion, and exercise, we'll explore the place of psychotherapy in the path for spiritual liberation. We'll discuss the use of mindfulness in the therapy room as well as on the cushion.

Gal Szekely was introduced to Buddhism and meditation over eight years ago while traveling in South-East Asia. Since then, he has been passionate about exploring the intersection of spirituality and psychotherapy. He holds an MA in Social Psychology and has professional experience in coaching and consulting. He is currently a second year student in the ICP program.

Mary Louise Stone, Building Community: Strategies from the Andes

(This presentation was a part of CIIS Multiversity February 2008.)

Nurturing Andean communities have been vibrant throughout the millennia. The Andean rainbow flag, based on ancient rock art, demonstrates Unity in Diversity, whether expressed in Bolivia’s thirty-two ethnicities, the rainbow colors, or even San Francisco’s multiethnic neighborhoods. Theory becomes practice through Andeans’ constant reciprocity which maintains a dynamic balance among communities. Respect for the Andean Cosmic Mother knits society together with a caring that includes all community members. After twelve years living in Andean communities, I draw examples from traditional agricultural communities as well as urban organizations. Implementing the strategies of reciprocity, Bolivians recently elected South America’s first Indian president after five hundred years of exclusion of indigenous peoples from national life.

Mary Louise Stone taught cross cultural studies in Taos, New Mexico. She continued Latin American studies in Peru and Bolivia on the high plateau of Lake Titiqaqa, the most traditional area of the Andes. Working with native Andean communities, she helped develop workshops and intensive home-stays in which Andeans teach visitors about their own worldview, ecology, and community life. She is a student in the Women’s Spirituality Master’s program and is writing a portion of what she learned about Andean spirituality in her thesis "The Andean Cosmic Mother and Her Culture of Reciprocity".

Eric Shaw, Yoga in America: The Marketing of Hinduism by Multiculturalists East and West

(This presentation was a part of CIIS Multiversity February 2008.)

Integral Yoga was the philosophy of Sri Aurobindo, CIIS’s patron saint, and Hatha Yoga is the quintessential Body/Mind/Spirit practice of the type propounded by the school’s mission statement. Aurobindo, like Swami Vivekananda, Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, and Pierre Bernard, was an Anglo-Indian syncretist who re-tooled yoga for the Western mind. This slide lecture is about these luminaries and others who used Cartesian and New Age Healing modalities to change yoga and plant the seeds for today’s Pop Yoga phenomenon.

Eric Shaw, MARS, MASE, RYT, attended the American Academy of Religions conference in San Diego, CA in November of 2007. He is a yoga teacher and third year PhD student at CIIS focused on Hindu Religion and Philosophy. His dissertation is on the History of Yoga in America.

Catherine Sancimino, Intensive Intervention for Autistic Disorder in Children Ages 0-3

(This presentation was a part of CIIS Multiversity February 2008)

This presentation includes an overview of autistic disorder, including the presentation of symptoms and a description of human sensory systems and sensory integration. Treatment approaches include case formulation and intervention from developmental and behavioral perspectives and the integration of speech therapy and sensory regulation.

Catherine Sancimino is a third year PsyD and practicum student at Oakland Children’s Hospital Autism Intervention.

Dunya Nuaimi, The Publishing Process: Notes from the Editorial Side

(This presentation was a part of CIIS Multiversity February 2008)

As one of the founding editors of the peer-reviewed, online, academic journal, OCHRE: Journal of Women’s Spirituality (www.ciis.edu/ochrejournal), Dunya Nuaimi will provide an inside perspective on the editorial process. For three years, Dunya worked with students, faculty and administration at CIIS to develop and publish the introductory issue of the Journal. Using examples from OCHRE, she will discuss how a piece moves from submission to final publication. While the focus will be on online journals, much of the content is relevant to print publications. It is hoped that students will leave with a better understanding of the publishing process, better prepared and inspired to publish their work.

Dunya Nuaimi is currently completing her Master's degree in Philosophy and Religion, Women's Spirituality. She was one of the co-founders and Editorial Directors of the introductory issue of the CIIS OCHRE: Journal of Women’s Spirituality, a peer-reviewed, online, academic journal. She holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Occupational Therapy from McGill University in Canada. Previously, she has worked in the non-profit, educational, and health care sectors, with people who have experienced trauma or other significant life challenges, as an occupational therapist, group facilitator, and administrator. Her current passion is using the expressive arts for positive change in individuals and communities. She currently works at the International Museum of Women.

Sarah Noyes, Women and Ethical Leadership

(This presentation was a part of CIIS Multiversity February 2008)

In an attempt to delve further into the ethics of leadership, how they relate to women, and to network with others interested in these topics, Sarah Noyes attended a 3-day conference with the Woodhull Institute on Ethical Leadership for Young Women. Concepts learned included supporting women in their endeavors as well as teaching them how to advocate for a sustainable and ethical world.

Sarah Noyes, student in Transformative Leadership, is an experienced change-maker and has worked within the Non-Profit and Social Activism worlds for ten years. She utilizes her experience, dedication, intuition, hard skills, and positive attitude to influence change locally and globally. Sarah is most passionate about aiding individuals and organizations to see the ethical for the good of humanity. You will most likely find her at a salsa club or on a tropical beach.

Sarah Noyes, When the Ideals of CIIS Meet “Anarchy”: A Tale of a Rejected Workshop

(This presentation was a part of CIIS Multiversity February 2008)

Discusses one student’s experience with attempting to hire a speaker for the Transformative Leadership and Transformative Studies department at their bi-annual intensive retreat. The speaker, Skip Spitzer, presented on skills needed for carrying out systematic change. Yet, it was viewed negatively since he described the organization of the WTO protest in Seattle, WA. What happened next was of great educational value in many respects. The presentation and subsequent discussion will explore how CIIS includes diverse ideas and governance.

Sarah Noyes, student in Transformative Leadership, is an experienced change-maker and has worked within the Non-Profit and Social Activism worlds for ten years. She utilizes her experience, dedication, intuition, hard skills, and positive attitude to influence change locally and globally. Sarah is most passionate about aiding individuals and organizations to see the ethical for the good of humanity. You will most likely find her at a salsa club or on a tropical beach.

David Nichol, Subtle Activism and the Gaiafield Project: Applying Spiritual Power for Global Transformation

(This presentation was a part of CIIS Multiversity February 2008)

Globally-synchronized meditation and prayer events are becoming increasingly popular and sophisticated as internet technology and global consciousness continue to emerge and develop. Such events can be seen as a kind of “subtle activism,” indirectly affecting events in the social and political realm through exerting a subtle influence on the collective mindset of a community, nation, or even the whole of humanity. In this presentation, I will review the scientific evidence for the principle of non-local causality (which underlies the hypothesis of subtle activism), discuss the potential of subtle activism to help us meet the multidimensional planetary crisis, and describe the Gaiafield Project, which uses leading-edge technology to broadcast regular global meditation events to a global audience.

David Nicol has sought for many years to integrate his personal spiritual journey to wholeness with a passionate desire to play a role in the collective global transformation that so many leaders recognize as the great possibility and challenge of our times. What has emerged as a focus is the concept and practice of "subtle activism" - how we may exert a subtle (but perhaps crucial) positive influence on the collective psyche through acting together on subtle planes of consciousness, such as collective meditation, prayer, or ritual work. David is the director the CIIS-based Gaiafield Project (www.gaiafield.net). In his past life, he worked as an environmental lawyer in Australia, his native land.

Bisola Marignay, The Abolition Movement Today

(This presentation was a part of CIIS Multiversity February 2008)

A exposition of how the U.S. Constitution permits legal slavery; how it is practiced through the Criminal Justice System; why accountability is impossible within prisons; and how the new abolition movement is responding to this social reality.

The prison abolition movement is mounted on recognition of the inability of reform efforts to overcome the inherent disparity and devastation that accompanies not only imprisonment, but the entire regime of oppression throughout the criminal justice system. Profile policing and arrest, non-functionality of legal representation for indigent defendants and prosecutorial misconduct thwart the possibility of fairness in trials and cause the imprisonment of many innocent defendants on an on-going basis. Activism aimed at shrinking the prison industrial complex into non-existence will be discussed relative to the social discourse necessary to the creation of new non-penal alternatives and the obstacles to the development of that discourse.

Bisola Marignay is an activist who has participated in pro-choice and union organizing, anti-child abuse and family support advocacy, and is presently involved in the new abolition movement and organized resistance to cultural appropriation. She studies Social and Cultural Anthropology here at CIIS.

Adam Hudson, Bridging Communities/Building Communities: Politicizing A Depoliticized Culture

(This presentation was a part of CIIS Multiversity February 2008)

CIIS holds a commitment to integral government and it is my perspective that this ideal is not present but always-to-come. In an American culture where individualism is pervasive, the practice of grassroots community building is not a conscious commitment by any majority, even at CIIS. Interests in bridging communities and politicizing our own student body should be one of the first commitments of a community emphasizing diversity, cultural difference, consciousness studies, integral government, and especially spirituality. The aim of the new consciousness must first be to live-up to the legacies that spiritual pioneers set forth and taught – spiritual and integral political movement.

Adam Hudson has always found it important to live, care, be understanding, and act responsibility to self/other/world. He is now beginning to practice speaking and teaching in fulfillment of this life calling. Adam grew up in Chattanooga, Tennessee and lives in relationship to the Christianity and class consciousness that marks that area of the world. Now he has residence at Glide Methodist Memorial Church singing, volunteering, and learning in a community that is very spiritual and political – actively feeding the poor and providing underprivileged persons health services. Last semester, Adam finished his M.A. in Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness at CIIS, and is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Social and Cultural Anthropology.

Nandi Hetenyi, Rethinking Self Esteem: Deconstruction of Self-Esteem Using Buddhist Psychology and Teachings of No Self

(This presentation was a part of CIIS Mutiversity February 2008)

Aligned with the CIIS mission to integrate disciplines and also affirm spirituality, this study will focus on integrating both Western and Buddhist Psychology to shed light on self-esteem, a pervasive psychological issue in the West. Through exploring current theories of self-esteem as well as deconstructing these theories using Buddhist teachings, this presentation hopes to find a way to use self-esteem to alleviate suffering rather than contribute to it.

Nandi presented this work at the World Congress on Psychology and Spirituality in India in January of 2008.

Nandi Hetenyi is a doctoral student in Clinical Psychology at CIIS and is currently taking a year away from school. She holds an MA in Multicultural Counseling from San Diego State University. Her primary interests include Buddhist Psychology, self-esteem, trauma, multicultural issues in psychotherapy, and the self as therapist. She is a practitioner of Vajrayana Buddhism, teaches meditation and yoga, enjoys photography, traveling, and coordinates several non-profit volunteer projects.

Surinder Gill, My Sikh Mother and I: The Way We Are in America

(This presentation was a part of CIIS Multiversity February 2008)

The intent of this dissertation is to identify and examine a number of major issues experienced by immigrant Sikh mothers and their daughters living in America. Like most immigrant families, Sikh families’ immigration journeys entail stories about struggles, dreams, and displacement. The material gathered here will describe how adapting to a new environment and surviving in the dominant American culture places immigrant Sikh mothers and their daughters in difficult, and at times peculiar, predicaments. Not only do these stories share the impact on their relationships but uncover the religious and cultural messages of how a Sikh woman is expected to behave and relate in the world.

Surinder presented on this topic at the Oral History Conference in October, 2007 in San Francisco.

Surinder Gill is a second generation Sikh American who has worked as a social service provider for close to ten years and has found that the immigrant experiences are often misunderstood and there is a lack of tools to adequately service immigrant families in the area of intergenerational issues. Currently she is writing a dissertation to complete a PhD at CIIS in Transformative Studies, struggling to raise two amazing daughters to know their Sikh roots while experiencing disownment based on marriage to their Italian American father.