Richard Tarnas is a professor of psychology and cultural history at the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco, where he founded the graduate program in Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness. He teaches courses in the history of ideas, archetypal studies, depth psychology, and religious evolution. He frequently lectures on archetypal studies and depth psychology at Pacifica Graduate Institute in Santa Barbara and was formerly the director of programs and education at Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California. He is the author of The Passion of the Western Mind, a history of the Western world view from the ancient Greek to the postmodern widely used in universities. His second book, Cosmos and Psyche: Intimations of a New World View, received the Book of the Year Prize from the Scientific and Medical Network and is the basis for the upcoming documentary series The Changing of the Gods. He is a past president of the International Transpersonal Association and served on the Board of Governors for the C. G. Jung Institute of San Francisco.
Website: cosmosandpsyche.com
Summary and transcript of this interview.
Interview recorded April 25, 2021.
YouTube Video Chapters:
- 00:00:00 – Introduction and Welcome to Buddha at the Gas Pump
- 00:03:51 – Distribution of Film and Book Corrections
- 00:07:28 – The Playful Dimension of Consciousness
- 00:11:25 – The Tension Between Creativity and Order
- 00:15:07 – Resistance to new ideas and materialism in science
- 00:19:26 – The Liberation of Humankind and the Disenchantment of the Cosmos
- 00:24:00 – The Transformation of the Renaissance
- 00:29:01 – The Power of Initiatory Rites and Transformation
- 00:33:10 – The Acceleration of History
- 00:37:40 – The Unfolding Process and the Initiation Ritual
- 00:41:48 – The Perinatal Dimension of Psychological Transformation
- 00:45:43 – Everything Breathes Together
- 00:50:09 – The symbolic meaning of the planets in astrology
- 00:54:13 – The Mysterious Unitive Connection between Humans and the Cosmos
- 00:58:52 – The Cosmic Intelligence of the Universe
- 01:03:09 – Kinship with All Beings
- 01:07:22 – Transformation through Meditation
- 01:10:40 – Connecting with the Whole
- 01:14:18 – Immersion in the World of Each Interviewee
- 01:17:35 – The Transformative Power of Immersion in Deep Ideas
- 01:21:01 – Cultivating Similar Capacities in Oneself
- 01:24:35 – Questions about Astrology from a Sceptic
- 01:28:16 – The Numinous Universe
- 01:32:57 – Astrology and the Intelligent Cosmos
- 01:37:11 – The Existence of Subtle Bodies and Intelligent Entities
- 01:40:57 – Astrology and Psychedelic Therapy
- 01:44:59 – Archetypal astrology and the human psyche
- 01:49:14 – Living on Different Planets
- 01:53:11 – Planetary Alignments and Evolutionary Pressures
- 01:58:01 – Cultivating Hope for the Future.
- 02:01:44 – Guest Announcement for Next Week
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
YouTube
