Seminars

In this lecture, Cody takes a deep dive into the psychology behind Jung's statement Spiritus Contra Spiritum. Cody explores many symbols associated with the coniunctio oppositorum, including the Shaman/Trickster, the archetype of  Alcoholic, and Mercurius Duplex.

Introduction by Ian McCabe.

In this ground breaking talk, Cody introduces his conception of the Archetype of the Alcoholic, comparing it to the ancient energy known as the Trickster/Shaman. Pulling from the writings of Bill Wilson and C.G. Jung, Cody shows how the energy of the collective unconscious manifests in the world today.

Introduction by Dr. Steven Herrmann.

Here Cody introduces new historical information on Jung’s storied trip to Taos, NM, in 1925, just months before meeting Rowland Hazard. Cody shows how the Twelve Steps are a continuation of the concept of a personal myth that Jung was chasing during his own life, and how underlying each of our own quests sits the Archetype of the Alcoholic.

Cody explores the introduction to his book, The Shadow of a Figure of Light, getting started on the journey within. Here he introduces many of the themes that will be covered later on, presenting slides on the archetype of the Alcoholic and how his own story and experience played into the writing of the book.

Author Cody Peterson takes us through the early psychological roots of Alcoholics Anonymous and the Twelve Steps, showing how William James's influential relationship with Carl Gustav Jung was paramount in the history leading up to Bill Wilson's formulation of the Twelve Steps.

Author Cody Peterson explores Chapter Two of his book The Shadow of a Figure of Light. Here we are introduced to Jaime de Angulo, the Spaniard from the Bay Area that would unknowingly play a huge role in the formation of Alcoholics Anonymous. Peterson shows us how Jung's association with Jaime would play into his later treatment of Rowland Hazard, leading directly to the formation of Alcoholics Anonymous.

In this video, Cody explores Jung's visit to Taos, New Mexico, with Jaime, including some of the problems with Jung's narrative. We follow Jung's own vision quest which took him to Africa a short time later, leading up to the discovery of his own myth.

Cody takes readers through chapter four, tying Jung's discovery of his own personal myth to his treatment of Rowland Hazard, following Rowland's history up to his sobriety and membership in the Oxford Group, and finally Bill Wilson's foray into "the mythical world," including his revelation of the Twelve Steps.

In order to examine the Twelve Steps from a Jungian perspective, its important that we first understand how to view the Steps, and every religious statement for that matter, as myth. Viewing the Steps as a myth can be problematic, and in this chapter (and video) Cody Peterson takes us through his process in constellating the Steps as a myth, showing us why doing so can make our study of them more powerful.

Upon entering the realm of psyche, the first thing we encounter is what Jung called "the God-image." In this chapter, Cody explores the transformation of the God-image, showing how we can change our perspective from a typical, metaphysical one to take a more holistic psychological approach.

In this video, author Cody Peterson explores the psychological function of the symbol, explaining how a conventional conception of religious symbols tends to dampen the power that those symbols are meant to evoke.

This chapter explores the nature of the God-image from a psychological perspective, showing how Jung, Wilson, and others share a similar conception with the ancient mystic Miester Eckhart. Cody also explores the connection between Western Mysticism and Eastern religious traditions.

In his video, Cody explores the fundamental energy behind religious symbols, called the numinosum, offering insights on how one can connect to the numinosum in order to increase their spiritual connection.

In this chapter we go through the energies that makeup both religious symbols as well as the psyche—the highest and the lowest—introducing the two laws of spiritual dynamics and showing how Bill Wilson adopted something akin to the Eastern approach in his method for recovery from alcoholism.

In this video Cody introduces the archetype of the Alcoholic with help from C.G. Jung's famous letter to Bill Wilson. By examining the central character of the Big Book, the anonymous alcoholic, from an archetypal perspective, Cody is able to elucidate the fundamentals of archetypal thought and lay out a path toward their fusion.

In this lesson, Cody introduces the Trickster into the symbolism of the archetype of the Alcoholic, showing how the transformation of the Trickster into the Shaman is paralleled by the Anonymous Alcoholic's journey into sobriety. Peterson also explores the occult phrase from Jung, "the helpful formula, spiritus contra spiritum."

In this presentation Cody takes us through the body of Jung's 1961 letter to Bill Wilson, breaking down the imagery of the Devil as he continues to unpack alcoholism and drug-addiction from an archetypal perspective.

Bill is the author of Writing the Big Book: The Creation of AA, and it was my pleasure to interview him on 12/16/24. In this video, Bill explores the creation of AA from a mythopoetic lens, showing how Bill Wilson’s myth making has become a central component in Twelve Step ideology.