28/10/2026
I have just finished writing my talk for the Guild of Pastoral Psychology on Saturday at 4pm. I would love you to come and experience this, as I have put my heart and soul into it. As many of you know, I have just returned from Assisi, and this visit will also inform my talk. To book, click the link below.
In my presentation, I explore the life of this extraordinary man from 12th-century Umbria, whose enduring relevance continues to resonate with contemporary issues such as the climate crisis and rampant materialism. I will present him by sharing my own poetry about him.
I will also employ depth psychology as an interpretative framework instead of a hagiographical approach. I will utilise Jung’s metaphor of the Night Sea Journey. This concept will be applied to two significant episodes in the life of Francis of Assisi: his failure as a knight following defeat in battle and subsequent imprisonment for a year; and his odyssey to the crusades, including his unsuccessful attempt to convert the Sultan and, upon his return, the departure of his order from his original vision. These pivotal events catalysed Francis’s encounter with the realm of the Self, facilitating the integration of the Shadow and culminating in his symbolic union with the anima, or feminine principle, personified as Lady Poverty.
GPP general meta description
