The Seer and the Saboteur: Desire, Denial, and Reawakening at the Crossroads
of Immanence and Transcendence
August 16, 2026 — 10 AM PT/ 1 PM ET/ 6 PM GMT
Please join me online for this free talk as part of Kosmos Institute's Inaugural Colloquium.
Everybody is dealing with how much of their own aliveness they can bear and how much they need to anesthetize themselves. ~ Adam Phillips
That’s how it is sometimes / God comes to your window / all bright light and black wings / and you’re just too tired to open it. ~ Dorianne Laux
Human life is a miracle, yet dominant Western cultures have all but forgotten this fact as we sleepwalk towards global catastrophe. While we may experience moments of revelatory clarity, awe, interconnectedness, and deep empathy, we are most often distracted, self-absorbed, driven to relentless achievement, or simply numb. Why is it so difficult (as psychoanalyst Adam Phillips has stated) to “bear our aliveness”– to bear, and to live, the miracle of our existence? What is it about human nature that has led us to create economic, political, and religious structures that aim to keep us anesthetized, dependent, and ignorant of our shared origins, wisdom, and responsibilities?
This talk will address these questions by exploring two opposing, yet complimentary–and necessary–human impulses: desire and denial. While all humans share these impulses, they are seen most clearly in the lives of artists, mystics, and medicine people/shamans; those humans whose callings entail daily navigation, negotiation, and cooperation with desire and denial as they traverse temporal and eternal realities. Their insights are invaluable for this exploration.
Writing from a prison cell, the poet, playwright, and statesman, Vaclav Havel observed that, “the tragedy of modern man is not that he knows less and less about the meaning of his own life but that it bothers him less and less.” This is indeed a tragedy with consequences that are being felt not only by the individual, but by the whole of human and non-human nature on this precious planet. At this critical moment in time, we must reawaken in numbers large enough to counter the forces that seek to keep us overwhelmed and undereducated, distracted and lethargic, as they eagerly plunder both our outer and inner worlds. We do not need to be mystics, shamans, or artists, but we can learn from their devotion to their destinies and from their relationship with desire and denial as we strive to be truly alive in the present while shaping our collective future.
That’s how it is sometimes / God comes to your window / all bright light and black wings / and you’re just too tired to open it. ~ Dorianne Laux
Human life is a miracle, yet dominant Western cultures have all but forgotten this fact as we sleepwalk towards global catastrophe. While we may experience moments of revelatory clarity, awe, interconnectedness, and deep empathy, we are most often distracted, self-absorbed, driven to relentless achievement, or simply numb. Why is it so difficult (as psychoanalyst Adam Phillips has stated) to “bear our aliveness”– to bear, and to live, the miracle of our existence? What is it about human nature that has led us to create economic, political, and religious structures that aim to keep us anesthetized, dependent, and ignorant of our shared origins, wisdom, and responsibilities?
This talk will address these questions by exploring two opposing, yet complimentary–and necessary–human impulses: desire and denial. While all humans share these impulses, they are seen most clearly in the lives of artists, mystics, and medicine people/shamans; those humans whose callings entail daily navigation, negotiation, and cooperation with desire and denial as they traverse temporal and eternal realities. Their insights are invaluable for this exploration.
Writing from a prison cell, the poet, playwright, and statesman, Vaclav Havel observed that, “the tragedy of modern man is not that he knows less and less about the meaning of his own life but that it bothers him less and less.” This is indeed a tragedy with consequences that are being felt not only by the individual, but by the whole of human and non-human nature on this precious planet. At this critical moment in time, we must reawaken in numbers large enough to counter the forces that seek to keep us overwhelmed and undereducated, distracted and lethargic, as they eagerly plunder both our outer and inner worlds. We do not need to be mystics, shamans, or artists, but we can learn from their devotion to their destinies and from their relationship with desire and denial as we strive to be truly alive in the present while shaping our collective future.
Past Events
Artist/Alchemist/Activist: Archetypal Transformers of Psyche, Matter & Reality
A talk for the Jungian Association of Western Massachusetts
Join me on Friday, December 5, 2025 for a exploration of the transformative powers of the Artist/Alchemist/Activist.
More information coming soon to the JAWM site.
More information coming soon to the JAWM site.
Returning in 2027!
I'm thrilled that there is a waitlist for this course. It will return to Kosmos in 2027, along with a 2.0 advanced course for those who worked with me in 2026. Registration coming soon.
The Archetypal Artist: Psychological, Spiritual, & Cultural Dimensions
of the Creative Calling
~~~
A New Nine-Week Experiential Course for Kosmos Institute
2027 Dates Coming Soon!
Anima ~ Insights Magazine's Spring 2025 Issue
This new issue features my artwork on the cover, an interview where I discuss the enigmatic figure known as Anima, plus a two-page spread on how to start a creative journal. Enjoy the entire issue here!
The Archetypal Artist~A Conversation with Brian James
Speaking with Brian James for his podcast "Howl in the Wilderness" was an amazing experience! Watch the episode on Youtube.
