Saturday, May 12, 2012

Moore writes foreword to Songlines of the Soul

Thomas Moore contributes the foreword to Veronica Goodchild's book, Songlines of the Soul: Pathways to a New Vision for a New Country, to be released 1 October 2012 by Ibis Press. According to Amazon.com:
"Songlines of the Soul proposes a new paradigm of reality, a new worldview. The signatures of this new reality are arising both in our own experiences and all around us if only we can stretch wide our stubbornly held perceptions of what is "reality." As we stand at a crucial turning point in our human history, this book offers hope, a call to awaken and expand our perceptions of the fundamental principles that orchestrate reality.

In an age when the answers offered by governments and traditional religion are no longer sufficient, the quest for meaning must — as it always has in the past — arise first through visions, dreams, and journeys to other dimensions of consciousness."
Goodchild is a professor of Jungian psychotherapy and imaginal psychology at Pacifica Graduate Institute where she received her PhD in 1998. She has a Masters in Clinical Social Work from Columbia University, NYC granted in 1980.

Songlines of the Soul: 
Pathways to a New Vision for a New Country
by Veronica Goodchild
Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Ibis Press
Release Date: 1 October 2012
ISBN-10: 0892541687
ISBN-13: 978-0892541683
Foreword: Thomas Moore

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Thursday, May 10, 2012

Do undesirable attributes lead to underlying value?

The San Diego Reader offers an interview with Austin Vickers in which he describes selecting his expert witnesses, including Thomas Moore, for his new film People vs. The State of Illusion.
"How did you choose your expert witnesses?
It was purely selfish. I'd read material from all of them and gotten a quantum leap in understanding of one form or another from each one. So they had all touched my life. They also represented different segments of society, and they were heavyweights in their respective domains. Finally, these are people from MIT and Princeton. This isn't woo-woo science; they're working from well-established principles."
Vickers shares, "I spoke at the Ben Franklin Institute a couple of years ago — it's basically the largest association of mental-health providers in the country. Essentially, I told them that in many respects, traditional psychotherapy can be part of the problem as opposed to the solution. It becomes a problem when a person walks into your office and says, "I've got a problem with addiction," and you say, "Okay, I'm going to help you with your problem."
[...]
Whenever I ask an alcoholic or addict, "What's bad about your drinking?" they can talk for hours. But the minute I ask, "What's good about it? Why might whatever's inside you seek the experience of alcoholism from a positive standpoint?" all I get is a blank stare. Because they're so fixated on the idea that there is something bad about them. But there are underlying values to all behaviors — anger, depression, addiction, violence. There are times when numbing out is a really good thing to do."

This sentiment echoes Thomas Moore's view in Care of the Soul:
"If, as a therapist, I did what I was told, I'd be taking things away from people all day long. But I don't try to eradicate the problems. I try not to imagine my role as that of exterminator. Rather, I try to give what is problematical back to the person in a way that shows its necessity, even its value."

Barque coverage:
2 April 2012 "People v. The State of Illusion in N.Y. next month"
10 Feb 2012 "Samuel Goldwyn Films to release Vickers movie"
4 Oct 2011 "Our deep inner source guides us to the edges of life"
28 August 2011 "Film featuring Thomas Moore opens next week "
24 June 2011 "Moore has expert role in film about imagination"

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Friday, May 04, 2012

New York Open Center sells Moore's talk of eros

The New York Open Center offers Thomas Moore's 1 April 2012 presentation,  The Path of Eros, as an audio download for $9.99 U.S. This edited file is 1 hour 13 minutes long.

The Path of Eros
"In early Greek religion, Eros was a god responsible for the creation of the world. In other words, eros is a creative principle in us. Eros includes sexuality, desire, pleasure, longing, connection, intimacy and love. We know that eros is difficult. Many have been brought up to fear it and repress it. For that reason alone it can be a portal to new vitality. Eros can lead us to the highest spiritual levels and to the sense that life is beautiful and worth living." From the linked page, listen to the free audio clip of Moore's introductory fish stories (2 minutes 20 seconds).
 The Open Center also offers an audio download of Thomas Moore's presentation Natural Magic: Using Your Hidden Powers for a More Effective Life, (2 hours) for $9.99 U.S., delivered 31 March 2012: "The magus of the European Renaissance saw art, music, and architecture as powerful tools for living, not just aesthetic entertainments. This was magia naturalis, natural magic, with its own resources and rules." This linked page provides a free (6.5 minutes) audio clip of Moore's introduction.