You’ve got to hand it to the blokes in the church, for their ability to keep mansplaining Godde for our own good. Recently, the Archbishop of Canterbury gave a theological slap to Ariana Grande, she of the God is a Woman fame, by announcing that God is neither man nor woman. It’s a bit rich when […]
No God without Godde
Standing up to speak I felt tentative, but it wasn’t the slight stomach turning before a speaking gig or worry about whether the technological wizardry would work. Instead, it was an awareness that the ground of my being was shifting, and it made me uncomfortable without knowing quite why. 20 or so years before I’d […]
Flinging open doorways to The More
There’ll be no return to church, said The Analyst in reflective mode, ‘until they get rid of the homily.’ He was musing, not on the lapsed art of stylish rhetoric, but the tendency to use a pulpit to tell people what to think, believe and do. Rejecting a dictatorial approach to spirituality is probably one […]
Full immerson: Jungian slow release from the Christian ties that bind
A workshop at Common Ground Conference Progressive Christianity Aotearoa Saturday 8th September 2018 Abstract Blogging about spirituality drew sharp criticism from church authorities who determined my theology ‘not Christian’. I responded by destroying my website, home to myriad articles that explored spirituality one word at a time. Still unaware I was colluding in my own […]
Reimagining the Christian myth in Palmerston North
The Illness The We Are: A Jungian Critique of Christianity by John P. Dourley A creative reading group for explorers Dates and times Thursday evenings, 7-8.30pm. 4, 11, 18, 25 Oct & 1, 8 November 2018. Venue A café in Palmerston North, the exact location yet to be determined, depending on the group. Facilitator Sande […]
Reimagining the Christian myth: a tribute to John P. Dourley
When I was at theological college I was fascinated by how it was perfectly acceptable to see the first chapters of Genesis as mythology but not necessarily the Gospel of Mark, an action-packed narrative that forms the bare bones of the Jesus story, embroidered on by the later writers of Matthew and Luke then given […]
Who’s boss of God?
‘You’re not boss of me,’ could be the petulant response from a junior God not yet clear of its identity, to the Episcopalian Church’s intention to change their prayer book. Quite! If God continues to live and breathe, then Godde might want to have a say, particularly when the Episcopalian’s are keen on presenting God […]
Burning Seraphina: a solstice to get you in the guts
The giant creature Seraphina went up in flames on Wellington harbour. Within her maternal belly were notes holding the secret desires, dreams, yearnings, and concerns of the locals. A form of confession if you like. The whole thing was cathartic, passionate and regenerative with an ability to connect us deep into our primal selves as […]
Jungian novice dreams up more
In 1969 when singer Peggy Lee released, Is that all there is, she posed an intense existential question. She wasn’t searching for an after-life but musing about the disappointment that life can be, even when faced with the unbridled energy that is a raging fire or lost love. Since I’ve been tangling with dislocation from […]
Spirituality beyond dogma: a creative balancing act
Musician Moana Maniapoto found her beliefs challenged when the ashes of Headless Chicken’s founder Grant Fell were sprinkled on stage during an award ceremony by his wife Rachael. But one of Fell’s colleagues said, ‘I felt like he was there. It was a total magic moment for us.’ The broadening out of how we express […]