Show Notes
Interview begins @ 4:08
In episode 106 of "The Sacred Speaks" podcast, John and guest Lisa Marchiano dive into the complex realms of anger, manipulation, rage, and their inherent values for the feminine in our conversation as we discuss her book, The Vital Spark: Reclaim Your Outlaw Feminine Energies and Find Your Feminine Fire. Our conversation starts with a focus on the feminine wisdom tradition, contrasting the masculine and feminine as psychological principles. These principles are hard to define precisely, and it's essential to clarify our terms to truly understand them. Lisa brings her clinical experience into the discussion, highlighting the subtle yet significant differences she observes in men and women, despite their underlying similarities. This episode explores the notion that, regardless of gender, we all have access to a spectrum of psychological attributes. Lisa illustrates how it might be easier for individuals to access certain aspects of these masculine or feminine poles, though we all possess the capacity for both. Within her book Lisa uses Lilith, a figure from early Jewish mystical lore, as an emblem of empowered women who challenge cultural and hierarchical norms. This discussion segues into Lisa's book-writing process, which she describes as a journey of self-discovery, particularly in the realm of claiming personal authority. We discuss the concepts of archetypes, developmental theories from Freud to Jung, and the role of archetypes in shaping our psychological expressions, family systems, and early environments. The episode further examines the use of fairy tales in Lisa's book as a means to illustrate these archetypal patterns and universal psychological themes. An intriguing aspect of our dialogue is the concept of the 'worthy opponent' and how gender polarities seek this dynamic in various relationships, be it professional, romantic, or otherwise. These relationships challenge us to express the fullest version of ourselves. We discuss the differences between men and women in sexual dynamics, the operation of these polarities, and the importance of mutuality in sexual relationships. Lastly, we touch upon the shadow aspect of the feminine, with Lisa providing insightful context and interpretations. This episode is a deep dive into understanding our inner selves and the psychological principles that shape our experiences and interactions.
Bio: Lisa Marchiano is an award-winning author, podcaster, and certified Jungian analyst. Her highly-acclaimed books draw upon the healing wisdom of fairy tales to help women connect more deeply with themselves. Lisa is a host of the popular depth-psychology podcast This Jungian Life. With over 10 million downloads and a loyal following that includes artists, journalists, and celebrities, This Jungian Life is a top podcast in the US in the health and fitness category. Lisa obtained her BA from Brown University. She holds a Master of International Affairs from Columbia University and a Master of Social Work from New York University. She trained at the Inter-regional Society of Jungian Analysts. In addition to her books, Lisa’s writing has appeared in numerous publications, including the Journal of Analytical Psychology. She is a sought-after speaking and workshop facilitator who has lectured widely both in the US and abroad.
www.spinningstraw.com
Website for The Sacred Speaks:
http://www.thesacredspeaks.com
WATCH:
YouTube for The Sacred Speaks https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOAuksnpfht1udHWUVEO7Rg
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesacredspeaks/ @thesacredspeaks Twitter: https://twitter.com/thesacredspeaks Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thesacredspeaks/ Brought to you by: https://www.thecenterforhas.com
Theme music provided by: http://www.modernnationsmusic.com
More from The Sacred Speaks
What happens when a life built around success, intelligence, and achievement is no longer able to hold the deeper questions beginning to move through you?
What happens when someone who has spent nearly his entire life understanding code, data, and technological systems begins questioning the nature of reality itself?
Simon Yugler has spent time inside traditions ranging from Aboriginal Australia to the Shipibo lineage in Peru. Most of us will only ever read about experiences like that. I admire the ground he's stood on, and what it has done to his worldview.
Robert Forte has been at every major inflection point of the psychedelic movement for half a century, and he is skeptical of where it is going. That skepticism, coming from someone who knew Wasson, Hofmann, Grof, and Eliade personally.
In this In this episode of The Sacred Speaks, Dr. John W. Price sits down with Dr. Susan Schwartz, Jungian analyst and author, for a searching conversation about one of the most underaddressed wounds in contemporary psychology: the absent father. Susan is the author of The Absent Father Effect on Daughters and the forthcoming Absent Fathers, Yearning Sons. Her clinical work draws on decades of practice and deep immersion in Jungian theory, and what she brings to this conversation is not just scholarly precision but the kind of knowledge that only comes from sitting with this material in the consulting room across a lifetime. Father absence, she argues, is routinely minimized in both psychoanalytic literature and popular culture. John and Susan move through the specific ways absence shapes identity, relatedness, sexuality, and the gaze. They explore what it means when a father's eyes are never there to confirm a daughter's body, her mind, her worth, and how fathers model partnering, love, and respect for soul. Susan brings two clinical dreams into the conversation: one involving Vladimir Putin as a figure for the negative father complex, and one about cleaning a closet that opens into something unexpected and alive. These are not illustrations. They are the unconscious at work, showing what the personal father could not provide and what the psyche has done with that absence in the meantime. The conversation moves into territory that will matter to men as much as women: the relationship between absent fathers and male brutality, the failure of initiation when the father is not present to initiate, the ancestral and communal dimensions of the wound, and whether fathers can actually change. Susan's answer to that last question is honest and worth hearing slowly. The episode closes with the questions she believes everyone should be asking, and almost no one does.