Who is Ginette Paris?

by | Jul 9, 2024 | 0 comments

Ginette Paris (1945-) is a French-Canadian psychologist, scholar, and author whose work explores the interplay of mythology, psychology, and spirituality in the modern world. Drawing on the depth psychology of C.G. Jung, the mythological studies of Joseph Campbell, and the feminist spirituality movement, Paris has developed an original and influential approach to the study of myth, ritual, and the sacred feminine in contemporary culture.

Paris’s intellectual journey began with her early work on anorexia and other eating disorders, which she interpreted through the lens of Greek mythology and archetypal psychology. In her groundbreaking book Pagan Meditations (1986), Paris argued that the figure of the Greek goddess Aphrodite could serve as a positive model for women struggling with body image and sexuality in a patriarchal society. For Paris, Aphrodite represents a life-affirming, sensual spirituality that has been repressed and demonized by Western culture’s Judeo-Christian heritage.

Over the course of her career, Paris has extended this archetypal approach to a wide range of mythic figures and themes, from the goddesses Athena and Artemis to the hero Heracles and the Eleusinian Mysteries. In works like Pagan Grace (1990) and Wisdom of the Psyche (2007), Paris explores how these ancient myths and symbols can serve as guides for personal and collective transformation in the modern world. She argues that by engaging with the archetypes and energies of the psyche, individuals can tap into deeper sources of meaning, creativity, and healing.

Central to Paris’s work is the concept of “pagan psychology,” which she defines as an approach to the psyche that honors the sacredness of the natural world and the body, and that seeks to integrate the conscious and unconscious dimensions of the self. Drawing on the work of Jung and his followers, Paris argues that the psyche is not a blank slate or a mere product of social conditioning, but a living, dynamic system that is shaped by archetypal patterns and energies. By aligning ourselves with these archetypal forces, she suggests, we can achieve greater wholeness, authenticity, and vitality.

At the same time, Paris is deeply attuned to the ways in which these archetypal patterns are shaped by culture, gender, and power relations. She is particularly interested in how women’s experiences and voices have been marginalized and suppressed within patriarchal societies, and in how a re-engagement with the sacred feminine can serve as a source of empowerment and transformation. In books like The Sacrament of Abortion (1992) and The Psychology of Apocalypse (2006), Paris explores how a pagan perspective can illuminate some of the most controversial and divisive issues of our time, from reproductive rights to environmental crisis.

Throughout her work, Paris emphasizes the importance of ritual and embodied practice as tools for personal and social transformation. She argues that modern Western culture is deeply disconnected from the rhythms and cycles of the natural world, and that a re-engagement with pagan traditions of seasonal celebration and earth-based spirituality can help to restore a sense of meaning and connection. At the same time, she is critical of New Age approaches that appropriate or romanticize indigenous traditions without proper context or respect.

Paris’s work has had a significant impact on the fields of depth psychology, feminist spirituality, and contemporary paganism. Her ideas have been widely influential among practitioners of Wicca, Goddess spirituality, and other earth-based traditions, who have found in her work a sophisticated and nuanced framework for understanding the psychological and spiritual dimensions of their practices. At the same time, her work has helped to bridge the gap between academia and popular spirituality, bringing the insights of depth psychology and mythological studies to a wider audience.

Today, Paris continues to write, teach, and lecture on the themes of mythology, psychology, and spirituality. Her work remains a vital resource for anyone seeking to deepen their understanding of the human psyche and its relationship to the sacred dimensions of life. By illuminating the ways in which ancient myths and symbols continue to shape our inner and outer worlds, Paris invites us to engage more authentically and creatively with the challenges and opportunities of the present moment.

Read More Depth Psychology Articles:

Taproot Therapy Collective Podcast

Jungian Topics

How Psychotherapy Lost its Way

Jung and the New Age

Science and Mysticism

Therapy, Mysticism and Spirituality?

The Shadow

The Symbolism of the Bollingen Stone

What Can the Origins of Religion Teach us about Psychology

The Major Influences from Philosophy and Religions on Carl Jung

The Unconscious as a Game

How to Understand Carl Jung
How to Use Jungian Psychology for Screenwriting and Writing Fiction

The Psychology of Color

The Symbolism of Color in Dreams

How the Shadow Shows up in Dreams

How to read The Red Book 

The Dreamtime

Using Jung to Combat Addiction

Healing the Modern Soul

Jungian Exercises from Greek Myth

Jungian Shadow Work Meditation

The Shadow in Relationships

Free Shadow Work Group Exercise

Post Post-Moderninsm and Post Secular Sacred

Mysticism and Epilepsy

The Origins and History of Consciousness

Archetypes

Jung’s Empirical Phenomenological Method

The Future of Jungian Thought

Jungian Analysis

Subcortical Brain

Labyrinths

The Hero’s Journey

 

Jungian Analysts

Thomas Moore

June Singer

Jean Shinoda Bolen

Robert A Johnson

Emma Jung

Robert Bly

Murray Stein

Barbara Hannah 

John Ryan Haule

Clarissa Pinkola Estes

Gerhard Adler

Nathan Schwartz-Salant

Joseph Henderson

Adolf Guggenbühl-Craig

Ginette Paris

Michael Fordham

Esther Harding

Marion Woodman

Steven T Richards

J.B. Rhine and Eugene Osty

 

Anthropology

Neolithic Architecture

Victor Turner

Louise Barett

Allan Shore

Michael Meade

Lionel Corbett

Anthony Stevens

David Abram 

Edward O Wilson

Eliade Mircea 

David Abram

Jacob Burckhardt

Heinrich Zimmer

Arnold van Gennep

Friedrich Creuzer

Theodore Flournoy

Divided Mind

 

Explore the Other Articles by Categories on Our Blog 

Hardy Micronutrition is clinically proven to IMPROVE FOCUS and reduce the effects of autism, anxiety, ADHD, and depression in adults and children without drugsWatch Interview With HardyVisit GetHardy.com and use offer code TAPROOT for 15% off

Sacred Spaces: How Geography Shapes Our Gods and Meaning Making

Sacred Spaces: How Geography Shapes Our Gods and Meaning Making

  The Birth of Architecture and Cosmic Connection The invention of architecture during the Neolithic period marked a profound shift in human psychology and spirituality. When our ancestors erected the first megalithic structures like the Dolmen de Menga in...

The Psychology of the Dragon Archetype

The Psychology of the Dragon Archetype

"Perhaps all the dragons in our lives are princesses who are only waiting to see us act, just once, with beauty and courage. Perhaps everything that frightens us is, in its deepest essence, something helpless that wants our love." - Rainer Maria Rilke Dragons have...

Who was Owen Barfield?

Who was Owen Barfield?

 Prophet of the Evolution of Consciousness Owen Barfield (1898-1997) was a British philosopher, poet, and critic whose groundbreaking work focused on the evolution of human consciousness and its relationship to language and imagination. A close friend of C.S. Lewis...

Who was Karl Kerényi?

Who was Karl Kerényi?

Exploring the Mythical Imagination Karl Kerényi (1897-1973) was a Hungarian scholar of classical philology, religion, and mythology. Along with Carl Jung and Mircea Eliade, he was one of the founding figures of modern archetypal psychology and the study of myth....

Who was Richard Maurice Bucke?

Who was Richard Maurice Bucke?

Richard Maurice Bucke and Cosmic Consciousness Richard Maurice Bucke (1837-1902) was a Canadian psychiatrist, philosopher, and mystic whose groundbreaking work explored the evolution of human consciousness and the nature of mystical experience. His most famous book,...

The Mystical Roots and Therapeutic Fruits of Initiation Rites

The Mystical Roots and Therapeutic Fruits of Initiation Rites

Is Psychotherapy a Type of Initiation Have you ever been part of a fraternity, sorority, or similar organization? If so, you may have experienced rituals or ceremonies that felt both challenging and transformative. Even if you haven't, you've likely encountered such...

Why You Should Tell Patients to Wear Cowboy Boots

Why You Should Tell Patients to Wear Cowboy Boots

Integrating Posture Analysis Into Psychotherapy for Trauma As therapists, we are always looking for new ways to help our patients heal from complex trauma. In my own journey as a practitioner, I've found that incorporating somatic and energetic practices alongside...

Unraveling the Mystery of the Roman Dodecahedra:

Unraveling the Mystery of the Roman Dodecahedra:

   An In-Depth Exploration of the Orphic Cult Object Theory Among the most enigmatic artifacts from the ancient world are the so-called Roman dodecahedra - small, hollow, twelve-faced polyhedrons made of bronze or stone, each face featuring a circular hole of...

Viktor Frankl: Finding Meaning in the Face of Suffering

Viktor Frankl: Finding Meaning in the Face of Suffering

1. Who Was Viktor Frankl? Viktor Emil Frankl (1905-1997) was a pioneering psychiatrist, neurologist, philosopher, and Holocaust survivor whose groundbreaking work transformed our understanding of human suffering, resilience, and the search for meaning. Born in Vienna,...

The Theories and Ideas of Rollo May

The Theories and Ideas of Rollo May

Existential Psychotherapy and the Human Condition 1. Introduction: Rollo May and the Existential Approach Rollo May (1909-1994) stands as one of the most influential figures in American psychology, renowned for introducing existential psychology to the United States...

Ludwig Binswanger: Pioneer of Existential Analysis

Ludwig Binswanger: Pioneer of Existential Analysis

Ludwig Binswanger (1881-1966) was a seminal figure in the history of psychiatry and psychotherapy. As the founder of existential analysis or "Daseinsanalysis," he developed an innovative approach that fused insights from Martin Heidegger's existential philosophy with...

Medard Boss and Daseinsanalysis

Medard Boss and Daseinsanalysis

A Phenomenological Approach to Human Existence 1. Who Was Medard Boss? Medard Boss (1903-1990) was a Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who pioneered Daseinsanalysis, a revolutionary approach to psychotherapy grounded in Martin Heidegger's phenomenological...

James F. T. Bugental: Existential Humanism

James F. T. Bugental: Existential Humanism

James F. T. Bugental (1915-2008) was a pioneering American psychotherapist and a key figure in the development of existential-humanistic psychology. Over a career spanning more than 50 years, Bugental made significant contributions to the theory and practice of...

Emmy van Deurzen: Existential Therapy Across Four Dimensions

Emmy van Deurzen: Existential Therapy Across Four Dimensions

Emmy van Deurzen is a leading contemporary existential therapist and philosopher based in Britain. Born in the Netherlands, she has been instrumental in developing the existential approach to psychotherapy and making it accessible to a wide audience. Key Ideas and...

R.D. Laing: Rethinking Madness and Sanity

R.D. Laing: Rethinking Madness and Sanity

Ronald David Laing (1927-1989) was a pioneering Scottish psychiatrist who challenged the conventional wisdom of his field, offering a provocative existential and social perspective on mental illness. His radical views, unorthodox therapeutic methods, and scathing...

Medard Boss: Pioneering Daseinsanalysis

Medard Boss: Pioneering Daseinsanalysis

 Being-in-the-World Medard Boss (1903-1990) was a prominent Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst best known for developing Daseinsanalysis, an approach to psychotherapy that integrated the phenomenological philosophy of Martin Heidegger with the insights of depth...

The Theories and Ideas of Otto Rank

The Theories and Ideas of Otto Rank

1. Who Was Otto Rank? Otto Rank (1884-1939) was an Austrian psychoanalyst, writer, and teacher who was one of Sigmund Freud's closest colleagues and most brilliant students. Rank made significant contributions to psychoanalytic theory before breaking with Freud and...

How Did Jung and Freud’s Parents Effect Their Psychology

Is Religious Cosmology Just the Unlived Life of the Parent?  A commonly quoted fact about astronomy is that the Universe is “expanding”, but that’s not really true. Our universe is nothing more than a giant ball of rules that we can measure. Rules like time,...

Is The Pineal Gland an Evoloutionary Basis for Archetypes

Is The Pineal Gland an Evoloutionary Basis for Archetypes

Neuroevolutionary Basis of Archetypes: An Exploration of the Parietal Eye and Pineal System The quest to understand the enigmatic nature of the human psyche has long been a central preoccupation of both Western psychology and Eastern spiritual traditions. In the early...

What Does Mysticsim have to do with Therapy?

What Does Mysticsim have to do with Therapy?

The Mystical Depths of the Psyche: Exploring the Intersection of Mysticism, Psychology, and Psychotherapy Throughout history, humans have sought to understand the depths of their own minds and souls through various mystical and spiritual traditions. In recent times,...

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *