An Ongoing Community Exploring Jungian Psychology in Lived Experience
“The world hangs by a thin thread, and that is the psyche of [hu]man.” — C. G. Jung
The Symbolic Life Salon is an invitation to restore that relationship—to cultivate a deeper conversation with the psyche through study, reflection, dialogue, and lived experience.
Exploring Psyche, Symbol, and Lived Experience
The Symbolic Life Salon welcomes those drawn to Jungian depth psychology, mythology, dreams, symbolism, and the lifelong work of individuation. Through thoughtful dialogue and shared reflection, we explore how psychological insight becomes lived experience.
Current Journey
Summer–Autumn 2026
Murray Stein’s Jung’s Map of the Soul
Our current journey follows Murray Stein’s Jung’s Map of the Soul, a thoughtful and accessible guide to the architecture of the psyche. Rather than rushing through the material, we allow each theme to unfold through conversation, reflection, and lived experience. Our initial orientation draws from the work of Jungian analyst Murray Stein, whose book Map of the Soul offers a clear and accessible framework for understanding the psyche.
Dr. Stein (Ph.D., University of Chicago; Diploma, C.G. Jung Institute–Zurich) is a former president of the International Association for Analytical Psychology and a widely respected teacher of Jungian thought.
Current themes include:
• Persona
• Shadow
• Psychological Complexes
• The Structure of the Psyche
• Individuation
The pace is intentionally unhurried, allowing each topic to unfold through conversation, reflection, and lived experience.
The Symbolic Life Salon is not simply a place to study Jung’s ideas. It is a place to practice seeing symbolically, listening deeply, and discovering how psychological insight gradually reshapes the way we live, relate, dream, and make meaning. Each gathering becomes less about mastering concepts and more about cultivating a way of being.
Joining the Salon
The Symbolic Life Salon is intentionally kept small so that genuine conversation and trust can develop over time. If you would like to be invited when a new Salon begins, I warmly invite you to join the interest list below.
The Approach
This is not a lecture series, nor a traditional academic class. Each gathering begins with a Jungian theme before opening into thoughtful conversation, shared reflection, and lived experience. Insight emerges not only through ideas but through the ways those ideas become personally meaningful.
The Salon is a facilitated by Dr. Anne Taylor.
Themes We Explore
Our conversations draw upon many of Jung’s central ideas, including:
- Ego and Consciousness
- Complexes
- Persona
- Shadow
- Individuation
These themes are not approached as isolated topics to master, but as living realities that reveal themselves gradually through reflection, experience, and dialogue.
What This Work Offers
- A grounded introduction to Jungian depth psychology
- A deeper understanding of the psyche and its role in experience
- A developing sensitivity to symbolic and psychological patterns
- A small, consistent group for meaningful conversation
- A space to think, reflect, and reconnect with inner life
An Ongoing Journey
Jung reminded us that psychological development is not something we finish, but something we live.
The Symbolic Life Salon exists to support that lifelong unfolding—one conversation, one symbol, one insight at a time.
A Complementary Path
Many participants find that the Symbolic Life Salon and the Seasonal Embodied Practice naturally complement one another—one offering a contemplative exploration of the psyche through dialogue, the other an embodied encounter through Kundalini Yoga and contemplative practice.
Stay Connected
While the Salon is between cohorts, I invite you to receive MetaHeart Reflections, my monthly letter exploring the intersections of Jungian depth psychology, mythology, contemplative practice, and the symbolic rhythms of the seasons.
Many members of the Salon first encountered this work through these reflections.