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Storyteller, psychologist, author, poet Jonathan Young will be visiting the area lecturing on the wisdom of mythic stories.
Young studied the uses of myth in psychotherapy with Rollo May and the role of the search for meaning in human development with Victor Frankl. But his most important teacher was Joseph Campbell, who he assisted at many seminars for a number of years.
Following the death of the distinguished mythologist, Young founded the Joseph Campbell Archives and Library at the Pacifica Graduate Institute in Santa Barbara. In his own right, Young is a well-respected authority within the academic fields of myth and ritual studies . He is a popular speaker and workshop leader specializing in the archetypal and psychological dimensions of fairy tales.
Young is a sought after lecturer because of his great love for telling stories and giving talks on matters of the soul. As a speaker, he weaves his way through myth and magic. "Whether simple parables or complex tales from ancient myths, every scene is a collection of images we can study for spiritual significance," Young explains.
Young is featured in many documentary films, particularly on the History Channel.
It was perhaps his destiny to become a storyteller. His father, who worked with crusading evangelist Billy Graham, was a gifted Sunday School teachers. In their world travels, Young's parents instilled the love of mythic stories in their children. "I heard the Arabian Nights in Baghdad, stories of the Buddha in India and Japan, The Little Mermaid in Denmark, the Pied Piper in Hamlin."
His youthful travels to visit missionaries had an unexpected impact on Young. "I went along to visit missionaries throughout the Middle East, India, and Asia. I'm sure these travels were meant to show me the truth of my father's religious views. But it had an unforeseen impact on me as I could see the grandeur and the ritual and the temples. It was evident that there was an abundance of the Divine present in the belief systems of other cultures."
Young maintains that there is more than just a good tale in our familiar wisdom stories. "I believe that all those fairy tales and beloved stories were sacred to begin with," he observes. "And as they have been passed along through the generations, the spiritual bits have been ignored. The stories that remain do so largely because they are good yarns.
"All stories," he contends, "have symbolic meaning, hidden wisdom that illuminates the soul's yearnings to reconnect with the mysterious beloved.
"Mythology allows us to reconnect with a dimension beyond ordinary time. In this moment of history, consumer values dominate the media. Ancient stories give us a chance to visit with the eternal characters involved with primal adventures. This can provide perspectives that go beyond superficial daily concerns."
Young takes mythology and teaches its practical application. "Stories teach us how to pay attention and perceive the options available. One's least honored personal attribute may come to the rescue on some fateful day when circumstances require that very quality," he observes.
Dr. Young travels widely, speaking at spiritual gatherings, literary and story-telling festivals, and academic conferences. He is the director of the Center for Story and Symbol, which was founded to continue the work of Joseph Campbell. He conducts online Continuing Education seminars for mental health professionals and others in caring professions. He is also minister at the Live Oak Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Goleta, a suburb of Santa Barbara, California.
Noted Jungian anlayst Marion Woodman says, "Jonathan Young's sensibilities touch into the yearning of the contemporary soul. He shows us how the guiding characters in stories can take us into another place -- where we are given a special image, a symbol -- that brings everything together. That's what we need for healing, a moment when we are whole -- intellect, soul, imagination, body, and emotion. His work is about recognizing the true longings of the soul -- and the wisdom that comes out of being an eternal presence in a temporal body. His passion and clarity open the reader to exciting new insights. "