Our December 2012 eNewsletter is now available. Click here to read.

We certainly find ourselves living in interesting times, and our dreams are reflecting not only the challenges, surprises and graces that we find in our outer waking lives, but also what is being evoked and felt deeply in our inner dreaming lives.  Dreams are the medicines of the soul, individually and collectively.  Remember what Joseph Campbell said, “Dreams are private myths, and myths and are public dreams”.

Art mimics nature…

The weekend of November 9^th -11^th, Steve Aizenstat, Robert Bosnak and Maren Hansen are giving a public program called “Dreams: Medicines of the Soul”, and all proceeds will benefit Opus Archives and Research Center.

The weekend will be an exploration of dreaming psyche through the ancient Asklepian tradition of dream healing. If you have been feeling the call to engage more deeply with dreaming psyche, I hope you will come to this event and support Opus at the same time.  For more information and to register, please visit Pacifica’s Public Program here.

If you are not planning to come to this event, please consider making a donation to Opus directly. You can do so by clicking here.

Thank you!

Safron Rossi, Ph.D.

Executive Director

Opus Archives and Research Center is a non-profit research center, on the campuses of Pacifica Graduate Institute, that houses the archives of Joseph Campbell, Marija Gimbutas, James Hillman, Jane and Joseph Wheelwright, Christine Downing, Marion Woodman, Adolf Guggenbühl-Craig, and Katie Sanford. In addition to safeguarding these important resources, Opus works to foster ongoing research in the fields of depth psychology and mythological studies.

A colleague and friend of Marija Gimbutas’ just gifted to us some wonderful new materials! The first couple of items are DVDs including:

• “The Goddess in Art”, a cable TV series produced and moderated by Starr Goode from 1985 to 1991, dedicated to the Goddess in Art, the oldest and most enduring tradition in art. These 2 interviews with Marija capture her spirit and wealth of knowledge. The first took place on Jan 31, 1987 and the second on February 10, 1988.

• Also we now have “Marija Gimbutas: Voice of the Goddess”, a documentary about the world premiere of The Civilization of the Goddess as well as additional interviews with Marija and friends/scholars. A moving portrait of one of the great figures of the 20th century. The documentary was produced by Lollie Rogers.

• Lastly, there is the CD recordings that cover the entire evening of the world premiere and book launch of The Civilization of the Goddess, produced by Starr Goode. It is said that Marija considered this the best talk she ever gave and that it was an ecstatic evening.

Later this year we will be announcing our Friends of Opus program, and as a friend you will have special digital access to Marija’s lecture from the comfort of your own home! Curious? Stay tuned and become a Friend of Opus when we launch the program, and support our work!

All these items are available for viewing and listening at Opus by making a research appointment. Visit our website for contact information.

We’re excited to announce the second New Mythos Research Grant which focuses on JAMES HILLMAN, one of the most spirited, radical and brilliant individuals of our time.  Inspired by his courageous, deep questioning of so many key aspects of  our culture, we encourage New Mythos II grant applicants to follow Hillman’s lead in searching out the New Stories of our time, shining a mythological, archetypal and depth psychological light on critical social, artistic, cultural, or environmental issues.

Find all proposal guidelines here!

Our September 2012 eNewsletter is now available. Click to here to read.

Opus invites you to join us for a flight with the Wild Gander!

The calm before the mythic storm!!!!

“Artemis’s imagination is concrete and specific, bespeaks a living respect for the unique essence of everything as it lives in its natural state. It would be wrong to mis-take her mode of perception for literalism: her response is animistic, anima-istic. Each creature-each plant, each wood, each river-is to her a Thou, not an it. Unlike Aphrodite she never confuses this I-Thou relation with merging. To know Artemis is to understand what Buber means by “distance and relation.”

Christine Downing, The Goddess: Mythological Images of the Feminine p. 167

Happening now…

The BBC has arrived at Opus to document the manuscripts and photos found in the collection of Marija Gimbutas!!! Offering context, meaning and integrity to Marija’s indelible contribution, such an interdisciplinary unearthing of image and imagination, culture, a feminine scholarship and so much more, Opus has welcomed the BBC for an upcoming documentary series titled Great Excavations!

Enjoy some images of Joan Marler (Marija’s literary executor), Charlene Spretnak, Safron Rossi, and members of the film crew tending to the treasures of this unique collection.

Our August 2012 eNewsletter is now available. Click here to read!