Becoming Larger

About this Free Course

Carl Jung wrote that we don’t solve our problems so much as grow larger than them. This free, three-part email course will explore the ways – small and large – that motherhood helps us grow larger. Because it is sometimes intensely difficult, motherhood challenges our narrow view of ourselves and invites us to open up to our depths. Whether we are a competent professional who finds ourselves vanquished by a tiny infant, a perennially busy person forced by our children to slow down, or a spiritual seeker humbled by the depth of our love for our child, the challenges of motherhood have much to teach us.

Each week will focus on an aspect of challenge using a different fairy tale or myth. The tales in this course are quite varied in origin – one is Indian, another Algonquin, and another is from the Jewish tradition. Though they deal with serious topics, these stories are all humorous.

A new post will be emailed to you each week that includes a lively and engaging exploration of an aspect of challenge; a fairy tale that explores the week’s theme metaphorically; and thought-provoking questions for reflection that can serve as journaling prompts. The posts include a brief psychological interpretation of the fairy tale illustrated with compelling personal anecdotes. An audio version of each lecture is included if you prefer to listen rather than read.

“The experience of the Self is always a defeat for the ego,” wrote Swiss psychoanalyst Carl Jung. By this, he meant that our conscious personality is humbled whenever it comes into contact with deep, transpersonal wisdom. The challenges of motherhood can indeed be humbling, but they can also restore us to ourselves, bringing balance, humor, and insight.