James Hollis

The Best of James Hollis: Wisdom for the Inner Journey is a collection of excerpts from the writings of James Hollis, PhD, Jungian psychotherapist and author. These selections span across his body of work from The Middle Passage (1993) to Prisms (2021) organized into different topics ranging from the psychological concepts of Carl Jung to the everyday tasks of our living and callings. Hollis's wisdom will challenge readers to find their own path, to be who they are called to be, to take the risks to trust their soul, and thus live a life worthy of their unique gifts. Hollis's writings ask us to live a deeper and more authentic life.

Prisms: Reflections on the Journey We Call Life summarizes a lifetime of observing, engaging, and exploring why we are here, in service to what, and what life asks of us. These eleven essays, all written recently, examine how we understand ourselves, and often we have to reframe that understanding, the nature and gift of comedy, the imagination, desire, as well as our encounters with narcissism, and aging. James Hollis, Ph.D., a Jungian Analyst in Washington, D.C., explores the roadblocks we encounter and our on-going challenge to live our brief journey with as much courage, insight, and resolve as we can bring to the table.

Prisms: Reflections on the Journey We Call Life summarizes a lifetime of observing, engaging, and exploring why we are here, in service to what, and what life asks of us. These eleven essays, all written recently, examine how we understand ourselves, and often we have to reframe that understanding, the nature and gift of comedy, the imagination, desire, as well as our encounters with narcissism, and aging. James Hollis, Ph.D., a Jungian Analyst in Washington, D.C., explores the roadblocks we encounter and our on-going challenge to live our brief journey with as much courage, insight, and resolve as we can bring to the table.

What guides us when our world is changing? Discover the path to deeper meaning and purpose through depth psychology and classical thought. How did we get to this crossroads in history? And will we make it through--individually and as a species? "We all assumed that learning, rationality, and good intentions would prove enough to bring us to the promised land," says Dr. James Hollis. "But they haven't and won't. Yet what we also do not recognize sufficiently is that this human animal is equipped for survival. In time, as we have seen of life's other insolubles, we grow large enough to contain what threatened to destroy us." Dr. Hollis's readers know him as a penetrating thinker who brings profound insight and sophistication to the inner journey. In Living Between Worlds, he broadens his lens to encompass the relationship between our inner struggles and the rapidly shifting realities of modern human existence. You will learn to invoke the tools of depth psychology, classical literature, philosophy, dream work, and myth to gain access to the resources that supported our ancestors through their darkest hours. Through these paths of inner exploration, you will access your "locus of knowing"--an inner wellspring of deep resilience beyond the ego, always available to guide you back to the imperatives of your soul. Though many of the challenges of our times are unique, the path through for us, personally and collectively, will always rely on our measureless capacity for creativity, wisdom, and connection to a reality larger than ourselves. Here you will find no easy answers or pat reassurances. Yet within the pages of Living Between Worlds, you will encounter causes for hope. "We can find what supports us when nothing supports us," Hollis teaches. "By bearing the unbearable, we go through the desert to arrive at a nurturing oasis we did not know was there."

An Invitation to Listen to Your Soul’s Calling How do you define "growing up"? Does it mean you achieve certain cultural benchmarks—a steady income, paying taxes, marriage, and children? Or does it mean leaving behind the expectations of others and growing into the person you were meant to be? If you find yourself in a career, place, relationship, or crisis you never foresaw or that seems at odds with your beliefs about who you are, it means your soul is calling on you to reexamine your path. With Living an Examined Life, James Hollis offers an essential guidebook for anyone at a crossroads in life. Here this acclaimed author guides you through 21 areas for self-inquiry and growth, challenging you to: • Recover Personal Authority—how to stop living in response to the expectations placed on you • Choose Meaning Over Happiness—why seeking truth instead of entertaining distractions ultimately leads to greater fulfillment • Exorcise the Ghosts of the Past That Bind You—how the voices that haunt you can lead you to grow • Bestow Love on the Unlovable Parts of You—recovering the guiding force concealed in your Shadow • Construct a Mature Spirituality—the five essential elements of integrating meaning and mystery into your life • Seize Permission to Be Who You Really Are—the challenge of fully showing up for your life With his trademark eloquence and insight, Dr. Hollis offers Living an Examined Life to inspire you toward a life of personal authority, integrity, and fulfillment. "It is my hope that this book will be a tool to recover your respect for that which abides deeply within," writes Dr. Hollis. "You will not be spared disappointment or suffering. But you can know the depth and dignity of an authentic journey, of being a real player in your time on this turning planet, and your life will become more interesting, taking you deeper than ever before."

Pochemu tak chasto nashe predstavlenie o sebe i to, kak nas vosprinimajut drugie ljudi, ne sovpadajut s nekotorymi nashimi postupkami? Pochemu obychnye ljudi igrajut v azartnye igry, zloupotrebljajut spirtnym, rastrachivajut chuzhie dengi, poseschajut pornograficheskie internet-sajty, izmenjajut svoim suprugam, smejutsja nad neudachami drugikh, destruktivno vedut sebja na rabote i v povsednevnoj zhizni? Izuchenie tenevykh storon nashej zhizni ochen polezno dlja lichnostnogo rosta, poskolku sposobstvuet preodoleniju vnutrennikh razryvov i protivorechij, a takzhe pomogaet obnaruzhit te vnutrennie sily, kotorye rabotajut protiv nas, i ponjat, pochemu tak proiskhodit. V etoj knige Dzhejms Khollis predlagaet svoju pomosch v tom, chtoby sdelat nashe povedenie bolee razumnym, i ukazyvaet puti vykhoda na novyj uroven osoznanija nashikh reshenij i dejstvij.Perevodchik: Bondarenko E.Redaktor: Shaposhnikova O. V.

"It is all about conscious practice," asserts Dr. Steinwedel. In an effort to encourage more consciously engaged organizations, Janet Steinwedel, author of The Golden Key to Executive Coaching, brings us back to critical reflection on oneself - the Coach - and the work she or he does on her or his own inner life.This connection of ego and the Self archetypes establishes conscious awareness in service to the Coach's well-lived life and in support of the meaningful lives of others.It is in relationship with others that all of our "stuff" shows up. We bring our histories with us. Our childhood wounds, expectations and experiences, along with our cultural influences and biases, all tag along in every interaction in which we find ourselves. Without our conscious awareness, we confuse what really is with what we fear might be, or with what unknowingly haunts us. This work is a process--it is our life--and it will enable our growth and the growth of others in countless meaningful ways. This is the work of authenticity and individuation and we gain access to it through understanding archetypes.

"It is all about conscious practice," asserts Dr. Steinwedel. In an effort to encourage more consciously engaged organizations, Janet Steinwedel, author of The Golden Key to Executive Coaching, brings us back to critical reflection on oneself - the Coach - and the work she or he does on her or his own inner life.This connection of ego and the Self archetypes establishes conscious awareness in service to the Coach's well-lived life and in support of the meaningful lives of others.It is in relationship with others that all of our "stuff" shows up. We bring our histories with us. Our childhood wounds, expectations and experiences, along with our cultural influences and biases, all tag along in every interaction in which we find ourselves. Without our conscious awareness, we confuse what really is with what we fear might be, or with what unknowingly haunts us. This work is a process--it is our life--and it will enable our growth and the growth of others in countless meaningful ways. This is the work of authenticity and individuation and we gain access to it through understanding archetypes.

The celebrated author ofFinding Meaning in the Second Half of Lifedelivers a unique look at happiness, sharing a Jungian approach to finding a fearless, authentic path.Why are we here? What is the meaning of existence? What truly matters the most in life? To even begin to answer these questions, we must start by exploring our own internal ideals, values, and beliefs. Presenting the unique perspective of respected analyst and author James Hollis, Ph.D., What Matters Mosthelps readers learn to appreciate (even be amazed by) events unfolding within, even as the external world creates constant struggles.Taking a fresh look at the concept of happiness, Hollis uses a warm, accessible tone to encourage readers to learn to tolerate ambiguity, embrace growth rather than security, respect the power of Eros, engage spiritual crises, and acknowledge the shadow of mortality. Providing inspiring wisdom and personal reflections to address our deepest worries, What Matters Mostyields far more than mere self-help clich s. Instead, Hollis guides readers in uncovering the heart of the matter, discovering what it means to truly live life to its fullest, most meaningful state--as fully engaged citizens of the world.

In Hauntings, James Hollis considers how we are all governed by the presence of invisible forms spirits, ghosts, ancestral and parental influences, inner voices, dreams, impulses, untold stories, complexes, synchronicities, and mysteries which move through us, and through history. He offers a way to understand them psychologically, examining the persistence of the past in influencing our present, conscious lives and noting that engagement with mystery is what life asks of each of us. From such engagements, a deeper, more thoughtful, more considered life

The celebrated author of Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life delivers a unique look at happiness, sharing a Jungian approach to finding a fearless, authentic path. Why are we here? What is the meaning of existence? What truly matters the most in life? To even begin to answer these questions we must start by exploring our own internal ideals, values, and beliefs. Presenting the unique perspective of respected analyst and author James Hollis, Ph.D., What Matters Most helps readers learn to appreciate (even be amazed by) events unfolding within, even as the external world creates constant struggles. Taking a fresh look at the concept of happiness, Hollis uses a warm, accessible tone to encourage readers to learn to tolerate ambiguity, embrace growth rather than security, respect the power of Eros, engage spiritual crises, and acknowledge the shadow of mortality. Providing inspiring wisdom and personal reflections to address our deepest worries, What Matters Most yields far more than mere self-help clich s. Instead, Hollis guides readers in uncovering the heart of the matter, discovering what it means to truly live life to its fullest, most meaningful state--as fully engaged citizens of the world.

Following the philosophy of psychiatrist Carl Jung, this perceptive book teaches how to acquire a higher level of consciousness concerning daily decisions so that one can be more in tune with the complexity of both the world and other people. The typical question of why bad things happen to good people is also turned on its head in this study, which instead asks Why do good people do horrible things? Dissecting the answer, this complete analysis explains that accepting the "Shadow"--those unconscious parts of the self that one projects to the world--as a part of a person's identity is the first step towards complete personal understanding. This guide also cautions, however, that this dark side must be controlled, or it will ultimately cause good people to fall into bad behaviors. Siguiendo la filosof a del psiquiatra Carl Jung, este libro perceptivo ense a a adquirir un mayor nivel de conciencia de las acciones y decisiones cotidianas al fin de estar en sinton a con la complejidad del mundo y de otras personas. Este estudio trata en una manera nueva la pregunta t pica de por qu las buenas personas experimentan las cosas malas con la pregunta Por qu las buenas personas hacen malas cosas? Analizando esta respuesta, esta an lisis completa explica que acceptando la Sombra--aquellas partes inconscientes del yo que contradicen la imagen que la persona muestra al mundo--como parte del ser es el primer paso hacia la totalidad completa. Esta gu a tambi n advierte, sin embargo, que este lado oscuro deba ser controlado, o ltimamente causar que la buena gente act e mal.

Working with the Shadow is not working with evil, per se. It is working toward the possibility of greater wholeness. We will never experience healing until we can come to love our unlovable places, for they, too, ask love of us. How is it that good people do bad things? Why is our personal story and our societal history so bloody, so repetitive, so injurious to self and others? How do we make sense of the discrepancies between who we think we are--or who we show to the outside world--versus our everyday behaviors? Why are otherwise ordinary people driven to addictions and compulsions, whether alcohol, drugs, food, shopping, infidelity, or the Internet? Why are interpersonal relationships so often filled with strife?Exploring Jung's concept of the Shadow--the unconscious parts of our self that contradict the image of the self we hope to project--Why Good People Do Bad Things guides you through all the ways in which many of our seemingly unexplainable behaviors are manifestations of the Shadow. In addition to its presence in our personal lives, Hollis looks at the larger picture of the Shadow at work in our culture--from organized religion to the suffering and injustice that abounds in our modern world. Accepting and examining the Shadow as part of one's self, Hollis suggests, is the first step toward wholeness. Revealing a new way of understanding our darker selves, Hollis offers wisdom to help you to acquire a more conscious conduct of your life and bring a new level of awareness to your daily actions and choices.