The Way of StoryWhat Coming Home to Pacifica Means to Me
Invited to present a talk on my latest book and workshop, Heal Your Self with Writing, at my alma mater, Pacifica Graduate Institute in Santa Barbara, CA. January 16-18, 2015, speakers were asked to write a short piece for this Alumni Gathering on ‘What Coming Home Means to Me’ so thought I’d share this piece with you all.
What Coming Home Means to Me
It all began with a dream one night of a woman six months pregnant. I interpreted this to mean that in three months the birth of a new life would come. The next day I had lunch with a colleague in Ojai where we both lived, and she mentioned she was a student at Pacifica. Hearing the name of the school for the first time, intuitively I felt that this was my next step. The next morning I drove from Ojai to Pacifica and was told the fall submission deadline was the next day. Sept was the 9th month according to my dream so I said I was ready to sign up that very day. I chose the Myth track as I had worked as a playwright and screenwriter for the last many years. I knew that story was my path.
I had taught graduate school for almost twenty years, first at The New School University in New York City then at U.S.C. When my conservative Texas mother challenged my decision to go back to school for another degree and in mythology of all subjects, I said, “It’s not what I am going to do with mythology, but what mythology is going to do with me.” I didn’t understand my response then yet knew it felt right.
Living from within had always been my way and I knew from experience that some right decisions might not be understood until much later.
Pacifica was a wonderful and meaningful journey. Top teachers made it all the more enjoyable. Looking back, there is one thing I would do differently. I worked full time my first year and part-time the following year. I also commuted from Ojai. This meant I missed bonding with my fellow students, a definite potential part of the Pacifica journey.
For over twenty years I had worked as a professional playwright and screenwriter but had not written prose. All those Pacifica papers enabled me to develop a prose style as well as ‘find my voice’ as the papers invited us to write from within. This resulted in two non-fiction books, The Way of Story: the craft and soul of writing and Heal Your Self with Writing (Nautilus Book Award 2014) and also writing workshops taught all over the world now.
So Pacifica trained me for my next career – a more soulful career – though at the time, I had no idea what would follow. Influenced by Jung’s writings since college, I simply listened to my dream and followed an inner intuitive call to sign up. How glad I am that I did!
So much of life is finding your tribe, and the diverse students who come from all over the world to this center of Jungian Psychology and Archetypal Mythology constitute such a tribe of kindred spirits.
The Alumni Coming Home Conference is a confirmation and deeper commitment to listen within and follow your star.
– Catherine Ann Jones
www.wayofstory.com
COMING HOME!
Three days YOU will not want to miss!
Pacifica Graduate Institute’s Annual Alumni Meeting is a 3-day feast packed with workshops, lectures, poster sessions, a film premiere, Pacifica Authors book-signing, Mythic art displays, reunions, awards, receptions, tours, and a community day honoring the dreams and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.!
Join us for a celebration of the works of our very own Alumni!
Contribute your ideas about how to steer our association, develop scholarship funds and community service projects.
Continue our mandate of tending soul in the world!
For additional information, click here:
www.cominghometopacifica.com
