DATE: Saturday, November 3, 2012
TIME: 12:30 p.m
PLACE: Studio, Lambert Road campus
CANDIDATE: Scott Duncan Gilliam
DISSERTATION TITLE: "From Christian to Pagan Soul: An Archetypal Journey"
PROGRAM-TRACK/YEAR: PhD-T; 2006
CHAIR: Dr. Elizabeth Nelson
READER: Dr. Mike Denney
EXTERNAL READER: Dr. Virginia Anderson

Gilliam, S. (2012). From Christian to Pagan Soul: An Archetypal Journey (Doctoral dissertation, Pacifica Graduate Institute, 2012)

ABSTRACT

Out of our collective past, from the land of shadow, ancient images and ways of being have begun stirring in the souls of people who identify as Pagans. This phenomenological and heuristic study examines the archetypal nature of moving from a Christian to a Pagan identity or soul, focusing on contemporary Neopagans in the United States who once identified as Christians. This study explores the archetypal nature of this journey to foster understanding of one of the fastest growing religions in the Unites States today (Adler, 1986) with as many as a million adherents (Hedrick, 2011).

This study seeks to address a lack of information in American psychological literature about spiritual diversity and, in particular, the unique challenges of counseling Neopagan clients. The intention of this work is to inform therapists working in the fields of depth and counseling psychology about Neopaganism and Pagans so that this population may be treated with understanding and respect.

This study asks the question: “In a world with a dominant Judeo-Christian world-view and a negative view of Paganism and Pagans, what draws someone into becoming a Pagan?” Furthermore, it asks, “What could be revealed by exploring the archetypal nature of the journey from a Christian to Pagan soul?” To answer these questions, the study produces a phenomenological portrait of this journey, discussing the source from which the desire to become Pagan springs and where, as a collective phenomenon, the growing popularity of Paganism may be leading all of us. This study invites the participation of the soul, and becomes an act of soul-making, to bring images of the Pagan soul to life in the imaginative, empathetic reader.