Returning to Soul

This course is designed to acquaint you with aspects and workings of Soul (which is not Spirit) that have relevance and importance to your well-being and lifestyle decisions. The course describes the very real distinctions, characteristics and roles of the three components of your Self; ego, Soul and Spirit. Soul offers different explanations of the origins of your symptoms and distresses and asks for different responses from you than those than advocated by Western medicine, mainstream psychology or spiritual practice.

Soul/Psyche includes the following areas which will be addressed in the group:

• Soul's necessities for mental and physical health and healing

  - contrasting Soul's agenda and needs with those promoted by Western lifestyles, values and models of health.

• Soul and destiny

  - challenging western psychology's "evelopmental theory" model and the nature/nurture dichotomy as an explanation as to why we are who we are and why we do what we do.

• World Soul (Anima Mundi)

  -how most of our psyche is located outside of our bodies and how our health is a reflection of circumstances and environments...how the enchanted world that we once were aware of has been lost and the consequences of this.

• Soul in crisis

  -examining prevalent mental health 'problems', symptoms and diagnoses from the perspective of Soul, its neglect and its shadow.

• Relationships and Soul

  -looking at understanding family, friend and partner relationships from Soul's perspective and Soul's needs.

• Following Soul

  -ways and means of incorporating more soulfulness in large and small daily activities and in our environment.

• The Hero's Journey

  -the steps that are universally undertaken and the obstacles that are usually encountered when one seeks a transformation from the usual reality and concept of self to one that is deeper and more encompassing.

• Illness, Healing and Soul

  - Soul's connection to physical well-being and illness, viewing illness from a soul/psychological model rather than from the prevailing medical approach.

Soul thrives on imagination, experiences and love; it is through Soul that we experience the mystery, depth, poetry and story of our life and our essence. Western psychology and medicine have eliminated this vital human aspect. This course serves to re-introduce it.