Jungian Experience - A Spiritual Travelogue

By Mohan

Let me start this travelogue with a story that I heard one evening over Dinner recounted by our guide Srinivas who was escorting the 4th Jungian Journey organized for the members of the Carl Jung Foundation New York.

One day in the heavens, a debate ensued between Goddess Lakshmi (Symbol of Prosperity and Wealth) and Goddess Saraswati (Symbol of Knowledge and Wisdom). Lord Narada , the trouble maker instigated this debate for supremacy. The story of the poor Brahmin settled the dispute by affording equal status to both the goddesses.

A poor Brahmin had a large family but did not have the means to support them. He had heard about King Bhoja Raja ( the king of plentiful ) and went to seek his help. The king upon hearing him asked him to return the next day.

When the Brahmin returned to the court the next day, the King ordered that a Pumpkin be given to him. The Brahmin disappointed at being given a pumpkin did not have the courage to say anything to the King. His Dharma (duty) prohibited him from cursing the king and he left the court carrying the pumpkin on his head.

On his way back home he traded the pumpkin with a person of the Vaishya Community (a trader) and took whatever money he got in exchange. The Trader on the other hand went home and gave the pumpkin to his wife who cut it and found it full of precious stones .

Moral of the story : The Brahmin had the wealth but did not have the wisdom to find it. The ideal situation in life is when you have both wealth and wisdom by your side.

The Jungian journeys through India followed the footsteps of Carl Jung who traveled extensively in India and wrote several books analyzing the Indian and Western Philosophies. Meticulously researched by Regine Iyer from Mindful Journeys, USA and lead by Ashok Bedi, a Jungian expert and a psycho therapist, the group on their 14 days program began their journey at Bangalore, and covered Sravenabelgola, Chikmagalur, Mysore, Nagarhole, Tellichery and Neeleshwaram. Overnight stays at Shreyas Retreat ( Bangalore ) , Metropole ( Mysore) , Cicada ( Nagarhole ) and Neeleshwar Hermitage were combined with sessions with Ashok Bedi and sightseeing and cultural insights.

I was fortunate enough to be with this year’s Jung group for a few days and hear Dr. Ashok Bedi lecturing on various topics. I joined the group at Cicada in Nagarhole, five hours drive from Bangalore and headed directly to the conference hall where Ashok’s lecture was in progress.


Sessions at Cicada Resorts, Nagarhole :















The Flower and the Thorn in a rose bud represent the TOTALITY of life, the positive and negative, the good and evil – a duality and a choice that we are constantly faced with in our day to day life.

Life’s journey towards the ultimate is manifold and there are many paths to this. Jesus represented the Path of Sacrifice while Buddha chose the Path of Wisdom. One’s path is entirely an individual choice but it must be remembered that as every path begins with the sacrifice of the EGO.

For a first session it was a soulful connect for me. All the pressure of work, life and living was set aside and to be able to do this even briefly is wellness as one experiences inner healing.

Our second session with Ashok was on analyzing the Jungian Philosophy with the the Hindu Epic RAMAYANA. It was an amazing session and an eye opener of sorts for me . Using the character of Lord Rama as the archetype, Ashok expertly defined the use of archetypes from a religious point of view. How one can adopt certain traits for their personal growth but trying to completely emulate them can be detrimental. He also delved deeply into myths of Indian Goddesses. Words flow out of Ashok and one gets so engrossed in his lectures that you do not want the session to end.


Session at Neeleshwar Hermitage, Dist Kasargod, Kerala :














The DREAM GROUP session was a first for me. One person shares his or her dream with the group and the rest of them discuss that dream and come up with their own interpretations or experiences related to a similar dream that they might have had. The session ended as we lit a lamp for world peace, held hands and offered a prayer.

To wrap up my experience I would say that the three days spent with Dr. Ashok Bedi and the group were small blessings I always feel that power my life as I travel either on work on leisure. The retreats and destinations – Shreyas Retreat, Cicada and also Neeleshwar Hermitage lent themselves superbly to the theme of the journey, and enhanced the experience for the group.