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I’m a big Elinor Dickson fan. She is one of the wise elders of our time. She spent more than 35 years as a Jungian therapist, and nearly 20 years as a community builder and chief psychologist at a trauma hospital. And she of course co-wrote Dancing in the Flames: The Dark Goddess in the Transformation of Consciousness with her good friend, the very famous Jungian Marion Woodman. That book has been so formative in my own life and work, and particularly to how I figured out what I was up to in my book On Our Best Behavior.

It was such an honor to talk to Elinor today about the new universal mythos that our culture so badly needs. I loved hearing Elinor’s historical perspective on how so much of our modern world is actually shaped by the Great Plague. We talked about the idea of living in a pre-Christian world. And we talked about matriarchies and patriarchies—and how neither are right for us.

We also talked about inspiring female archetypes, where Elinor sees hope, and the crazy ways that, within chaos, a deeper intrinsic order reveals itself.

After our conversation, I share a few more of my favorite passages from Elinor’s work. Which you may have already guessed I would, if you typically stick around until the very end. Thank you, friends.

Dancing in the Flames: The Dark Goddess in the Transformation of Consciousness

Elinor’s Website

ELINOR: