Episode 14: Ray Hillis, a true elder

What is it to embrace our shadow?

I adore this man, Ray Hillis.  He has had a profound impact on my life, and I am grateful for his guidance over the years as a depth psychologist, dreamworker and wilderness guide.  He is also a Professor Emeritus at California State University, Los Angeles where he taught Counseling for 40 years.  In this #earthconversepodcast you get a feel for him and his contribution to the world.  He has stories to tell, rich in metaphors and imagery, and wonderful wisdom to share (97 mins)

As the shadow falls with the sunset during our conversation, we explore

·  Returning to childhood 

·  Observing the shadow, dancing with the paradox of light and dark in our psyches.  “If you create light, you create shadow”

·  A journey of separateness to a feeling of connection; “standing aside to being immersed in life’

·  Solo Together – being connected and vulnerable to intrusion. "Finding the rightness of the distance"

·  The beauty and suffering side of nature

·  The individual and collective

·  Ray’s incredible paper: Psyche and annihilation

·  What is the role of civilisation to manipulate the story?

·  “Your death is the most important fact of your life”

·  Stepping into eldership

·  Listening to your intuition, connecting with your anima

·  Destruction and reconstruction,  “getting away from linear view of progress, and honouring dying as much as birth”.  

EPISODE EXTRAS:

Links to Ray’s work:

·  https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/raymond-hillis-santa-fe-nm/142990

·  http://wildernessdreaming.com/contact.html

·  http://www.southwestpassages.org

·  Psyche and annihilation https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00322928508407943

You can also watch it on the Earth Converse YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/oatTqQbgEGA

NEW HERE? ABOUT EARTH CONVERSE AND I

Hi, I am Penelope Mavor,  podcast host and founder of Earth Converse a nature-based leadership collaborative helping leaders have the conversations they need to: with themselves, each other and the earth.  Please get in touch for executive coaching and leadership development programmes.

https://linktr.ee/EarthConverse

Email: [email protected]

And the wind, the trees...