The next Jung seminar is "For Men Only." My women readers, pass this on to your men if they are interested. Don’t pass it on to your sons if they are below 40. They may be too young. Taking a Jung seminar needs some experience. It’s like taking an MBA. If you take it right after college, it’s too early and you won’t appreciate the full value of it. Work for three to five years, then take your MBA. Or take it before you retire, like I did, and realize you didn’t have to. But that’s another story. The next Jung seminar, titled "King or Hunter?" will be held at Ricco-Renzo Gallery on Friday, November 11 and Saturday, November 12. The tuition is P4,800 for two days, including lunch and snacks.
It is, like I earlier wrote, For Men Only. Men have different psyches from women. So they must have their own workshops. They don’t want to go with their wives who will simply argue with them.
I called up an old male friend whom I know had taken it. Why did you go? I asked. "Well, I read Jung when I was much younger and didn’t understand him," he said, which drew peals of laughter from me. I had the same experience. I tried to read him in my mid-20s and just ended up lugging his book around. "After I took that workshop, I understood what he had been trying to say and I understood myself better. It’s good. I think men should take it." Lest you think differently, this friend of mine is a very male engineer.
What was the content? "First day, basic Jung, which is very interesting and second day, archetypes — Zeus, King, Hunter, Lover, everything. That second day was excellent. After that, I had a much, much better understanding of myself. It’s a really good seminar," he said.
Who should take it? I asked. "Men in their menopause," he said, chuckling. I thought that was hilarious even if I knew it was true. Men go through the same period, a cessation of something, a petering out of hormonal manufacture, a dip in the testosterone, something difficult to define but definitely happens anyway. For women, it’s easy to call that time menopause. It has been called that since forever, made more and more public over the years especially when the Baby Boomers were undergoing it. What do you call it for men? I know there’s a word, it escapes me right now, because it’s not as popular as menopause. Male menopause actually sounds better than female menopause. It’s more alliterative. Only maybe for men, it gets a bit worse because they can’t talk about it to anyone. It is more than just the cessation of a process, that’s the physical sign of it, but emotionally, there are many questions. Why is this happening to me? Why now? What is the best thing for me to do? How?
Here’s what the Friends of Jung say in their flier: "A basic two-day workshop that provides rich opportunities for the exploration of the masculine self. To paraphrase Sam Keen, how does it feel to be a man these days? Is manhood celebrated? What issues are special to men? What is the male psyche? What are its tasks and landmarks? Lectures, archetypes of the male psyche, and a riveting myth will be the tools used for this inner exploration. An instrument especially designed for this workshop will also be given to enhance awareness."
Who are the members of the Friends of Jung Society? You know, I really don’t know for sure. Here is a partial list: Dr. Dido Gustilo-Villasor, Bernie Nepomuceno, Sophie Sim-Bate, Rose Marie Yenko, Alex Tee, and Raj Mansukhani. For reservations, call either Lito at 0927-4923143 or Sophie at 0917-5276279 or Rose at 0916-3023763. I’m giving out cell numbers because we are facing holidays and I do not know where any one will be. So call now, make your reservations because they only have space for 20 and, most of all, enjoy the workshop. Then you will know why I am a Jung disciple.