Hawaiian Goddess Myths, the Matristic Culture, and the
Feminine Psyche
Presented by Carolyn H. Bray, PhD
link to audio file
Sunday, 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM, April 2nd, 2017
Parallels between Hawaiian Goddess myths and Marija Gimbutas’ Matristic Culture bring additional feminine aspects into consciousness. Renowned archeologist Marija Gimbutas, through her interpretation of artifactual images, identified a “Matristic Culture” that lived in Eastern Europe from 30,000 BCE to 3,500 BCE. This matristic culture embodied the feminine and functioned as an egalitarian society. Closely parallel to this culture is the ancient Hawaiian culture, reflected not in artifacts but in their goddess myths. This presentation will introduce seven Hawaiian goddesses and their myths and delineate their connections to Gimbutas’ goddess classifications; thereby expanding our view of “the feminine psyche.” Included will be a clinical perspective of utilizing this expanded feminine consciousness in a Jungian psychoanalytic practice.
Course objectives:
Introduce participants to Hawaiian female archetypes using myths and historical understandings of the Hawaiian culture.
Familiarize participants with the work of Marija Gimbutas and its impact on a Jungian understanding of the archetypal feminine.
Provide a clinical context for psychological professionals as they apply their knowledge of Hawaiian female archetypes and the archeological work of Marija Gimbutas in their own clinical practices.
Carolyn H. Bray, PhD, is a Jungian psychoanalyst and clinical psychologist. She is a member of the International Association for Analytical Psychology and an analyst member of the C.G. Jung Institute of San Francisco, where she teaches in the program for professional and public programs. Dr. Bray has a private clinical practice in San Francisco and Mill Valley, California, working with adult individuals and couples. She is also a consultant to other mental health professionals. Dr. Bray is an associate editor for Jung Journal: Culture & Psyche; a lecturer at Sonoma State University in California; and a researcher and lecturer on Hawaiian goddess myths.