Canberra Jung Society Inc.

John will remind us that strange sightings have been reported in the sky throughout history. After the Second World War, however, the appearance of UFOs became prominent in culture. Carl Jung studied the UFO phenomenon for more than a decade until his death in 1961. He wrote a book entitled Flying Saucers: A Modern Myth of Things Seen in the Skies, where he saw UFOs as a living myth for modern man, stating that we have the golden opportunity of seeing how a legend is formed, and how in a difficult and dark time for humanity a miraculous tale grows up of an attempted intervention by superior or “heavenly” beings.

Jung’s field of interest is the human reaction to the phenomena, an effort to understand the complex working of our interior life, as this is revealed through the UFO phenomenon. UFOs are visionary rumours whose basis is an emotional tension having its cause in a situation of collective distress or in a vital psychic need – shedding light on the psychic compensation of the collective fear weighing on our hearts.

UFOs have become a saviour myth, as we have projected on them a hope, an expectation. They express the symbol of totality represented by the mandala, the archetype of the Self, whose chief role is in uniting apparently irreconcilable opposites and is therefore best suited to compensate the split-mindedness of our age, bringing order and regulation to chaotic states.

John Gillam, a retired librarian and former technology innovations officer at the National Library of Australia, contributed to cost reduction initiatives by helping to implement an online national shared bibliographic database for publications.

His expertise extended to assisting in the development of the Australian national satellite system over a decade, eventually earning him the position of European Manager for a leading Australian telecommunications company. The latter part of his career was focused on Freedom of Information processing and contributing to government efforts in analysing foreign interference in Australia’s democratic systems.

In "retirement", John continues to actively engage with the ever-evolving landscape of information dissemination through various media, publications, and the internet.

John's recent books include:
* "Decoding Disinformation: Untangling the Web of Deception"
* "Decoding Antiquity Vol. 1: Challenging the Ancient Astronaut Myth"
* "Decoding Antiquity Vol. 2: Translating Ancient Texts"
* *Decoding Antiquity Vol 3: Twilight of Antiquity"
* "Decoding Antiquity Vol 4: "Building Civilizations - The Role of Empires"
* "NATO's Evolution",
* "ChatGPT Unleashed: Power Prompting and Content Creation"
* "ChatGPT for Beginners of All Ages"
* White Paper: "COP26 Outcomes: Code Red for Humanity"

... and he's still thinking, researching and writing ...

Reference:
* MSWord file download: John Gillam's article: "Jung's 'Flying Saucers' - a Modern Myth of Things Seen in the Skies"

We meet from 7:30 pm for tea and coffee and snacks, music, discussion and library.
The Guest Speaker's presentation is at 8pm for an hour or so, then we resume for questions and discussion, finishing by 10pm.

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