Conscious Femininity – Exploring the work of Marion Woodman
Guest Speaker: Kathleen McPhillips

Event Description:

The contributions of Canadian Jungian analyst and writer Marion Woodman towards an understanding of the repressed feminine in contemporary Western cultures is explored in this talk. In particular, Woodman cites addiction and its behaviours as the outcome of an unlived spiritual life, and disconnection from the archetypal feminine and masculine. This disconnection can result in a ‘split’ feminine which is clinically and culturally observable. Conscious femininity is the process of bringing this split to consciousness and returning to the body. As well her clinical and writing work, Woodman has established a Foundation which runs an international training program BodySoul Rhythms, where in a supportive space women participate in processes which encourage the emergence of their authentic voice. Processes include dream work, dance, voice and art work. I will introduce Woodman’s central concepts, give a brief account of her life and how she came to do this work, and explain the split feminine via examples in popular Australian culture, including the TV series Kath and Kim, and a number of films.

Biography:

Kathleen McPhillips is a senior lecturer in Humanities at the University of Western Sydney. She has been reading the work of Marion Woodman for 25 years, and recently attended a Body/Soul Rhythms workshop in Italy. Kathleen’s field of research is in gender, culture and religion. She has published extensively in this area.

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