Tag Archives: James Hillman

Inside Inside Out, a review of sorts

Posted on July 5, 2015 by

In a culture that imagines a sharp mind-body split, it isn’t surprising to see images of a smart inner being controlling our physical “machinery.” Inside Out gives us a committee at the helm. Among feature length movies, it is unique in … Continue reading →

Rate this:

Posted in Authors, Books, Movies, Psychology | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Character

Posted on October 12, 2014 by

Originally posted on The Ptero Card:
“A man’s character is his fate.” Heraclitus (540 BC – 480 BC), On the Universe “If the final purpose of aging is character, then character finishes life, polishes it into a more lasting image.” James…

Rate this:

Posted in Authors, Imagination, Psychology | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Soul’s Code by James Hillman

Posted on September 25, 2014 by

James Hillman (1926-2011), a prolific post-Jungian psychologist, thinker, and cultural critic, wrote more than 20 books, but The Soul’s Code: In Search of Character and Calling (1997) is probably his best known work. In a head-on attack upon the reductionist … Continue reading →

Rate this:

Posted in Authors, Book Reviews, Books, Imagination, Myth, Psychology | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

What’s coming to TheFirstGates in 2014?

Posted on December 31, 2013 by

Thanks to everyone who visited this year, old friends and new.  Here are a few year end musings on where this blog may be going in 2014.   These are not resolutions.  Remembering Yoda’s words to Luke, “Do or do … Continue reading →

Rate this:

Posted in Blogging, Books, Culture, Fantasy, Folklore, Holidays and Festivals, Psychology | Tagged , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Getting rid of those pesky memories

Posted on December 28, 2013 by

In my previous post, I wrote of advances in the field of virtual reality, and posted a video clip that brought to mind the dystopian landscape of Aldous Huxley’s Brave New Word (1932).  Huxley imagined life in “The World State” … Continue reading →

Rate this:

Posted in Buddhism, Novels, Poetry, Psychology, Science, Spirituality | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Remembering James Hillman

Posted on October 27, 2013 by

James Hillman died two years ago today.  As a culture, we have yet to appreciate the depth and range of his thought, but without any doubt, that will come.  I’m going to post a brief interview with him that I … Continue reading →

Rate this:

Posted in Psychology | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

James Hillman on world change and political polarization

Posted on October 23, 2013 by

For decades, James Hillman brought us unique observations on modern life from the perspective of a depth psychology that embraced soul as its highest value.  Recently, I’ve wished I could hear his take on our current climate of political divisiveness, … Continue reading →

Rate this:

Posted in Culture, Current Events, Imagination, Politics, Psychology, Spirituality | Tagged , , , , , , , | 54 Comments

Dreaming with animals

Posted on September 21, 2013 by

“What is the single greatest predictor of a hero’s success in folktales around the world?” A professor who had studied the subject at length once posed that question in a psychology class. The answer, he said, was finding an animal … Continue reading →

Rate this:

Posted in Animals, Authors, Books, Culture, Folklore, Psychology | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 22 Comments