Thursdays // October 8 through November 12 // 6-8 PM // taught by Jenny Montgomery

In this course, each participant will create a unique deck of cards based on archetypes and intended for personal use.

What are archetypes? Carl Jung described them as universal symbols that reach deep into humanity's collective unconscious. Emerging from the mists of instinct and even our animal selves, they are frequently encountered in dreams, art, literature, film, and everyday life. Archetypes are easily recognizable for their enduring ability to fascinate and communicate. We encounter the Father archetype in Mufasa (The Lion King), Yahweh, Pa Ingalls, and our own dads. Beauty takes shape as Aphrodite, Beyoncé, or the cutie-next-door. We meet the Trickster in Coyote, Robin Hood, Pippi Longstocking, or mischievous trick or treaters.

Each participant in the course will use their preferred techniques and talents to create a unique deck of cards. Collage, pen and ink, pencil, watercolor, photography, digital tools, printmaking or any other visual medium will do--even tiny shadow boxes in castoff candy tins would make fine 3D cards.

We are free to create our decks based on an existing series, such as the Tarot, I Ching, or zodiac. We may choose to work with more personal material, creating cards that represent archetypal milestones or figures in our autobiography; portraits of our inner "parts" or subpersonalities; or even a series of power objects we have owned or used. Your deck may be linked with a specific intention: letting go, healing, accessing guidance, etc. The only constraints to our work will be:

Each deck must be based on personal interpretations of universal, archetypal symbols.
Each deck must form a series or cycle with personal meaning to you.
We will create finished decks of 12-50 cards for presentation to the group during our last class. The size, medium, and level of detail is up to you. Stick figures can work if you feel you can't draw! If there are some cards too private to show the group, that's fine.
We will each determine a use for our deck, whether for divination, inner guidance, altar work, or as objects of meditation.
We will be sharing our inner process as we work with powerful symbols connected to personal stories. We agree to keep these conversations confidential within our group.
Several oracle decks, including some made for personal use, will be examined in order to spark ideas. Short periods of in-class journaling, sketching, or brainstorming will aid our deck creation, but students should expect to set aside at least 2-4 hours per week between classes to work on and complete their cards in time for presentation during the final class.

Each student should own a copy of The Book Of Symbols: Reflections On Archetypal Images published by (ARAS), Archive for Research in Archetypal Symbolism.

In preparation for the first class, plan to read up a bit on the basics of archetypes. You can use Wikipedia or other online resources or you can geek out on Carl Jung's Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious, but go for a gut-level grasp, not a mental one.

Bio:

Jenny Montgomery is an astrologer, poet, and cartoonist who is at work on a graphic memoir. She earned her PhD at Columbia University focusing on the history of "wretched subjects" such as astrology, divination, and magic in the Greco-Arab world. She and her family run Montgomery Distillery in MIssoula.