Episode #7: Christina Becker

I first met Christina Becker during a trip to Toronto back in August. We had a spirited conversation about Jung, her time in Zürich, why she decided to republish her book, and the unique opportunity she had to train with renowned astrologer and Jungian analyst Liz Greene. So when Christina was in Chicago to attend the Fall Conference of the Inter-Regional Society of Jungian Analysts {IRSJA}, she was kind enough to meet with me again to record an interview for this podcast.Christina spent a total of 6 years in Zürich where she was granted a Diploma of Analytical Psychology by the C.G. Jung Institute, the only institute in the world founded by Carl Gustav Jung. "It was such a gift to be training less than a kilometer from Jung's house on Lake Zurich," she writes.She first earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in music composition, having an active interest in sound healing and music. She then went on to earn an MBA and continues to be a successful organizational consultant to the non-profit sector. She's also a principal in a small family business, Becker Associates.Christina is a registered psychotherapist with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario, a clinical member of the Ontario Society of Psychotherapists, a senior analyst with the Association of Graduate Analytical Psychologists, and a senior training analyst with the IRSJA. She is also a faculty member of the Toronto Art Therapy Institute and a member of the Canadian Association for Sandplay Therapy.In addition to her Jungian training, she has studied astrology at the Faculty of Astrological Studies in London as well as with Liz Greene through the Astrodeinst seminars in Zürich.Christina has lectured at Jungian training institutes in Buffalo, Calgary, Halifax, Johannesburg, Montreal, New York, Toronto, and Zürich. She has also spoken at various astrological conferences and local Jungian societies across North America, and currently maintains a private practice in the west end of Toronto.She is the author of the book, The Heart of the Matter: Individuation as an Ethical Process, originally published by Murray Stein's Chiron Publications in 2004. A second edition has been published by Chiron in 2014.This interview was recorded in Chicago on October 23rd at the 2015 Fall Conference of the IRSJA. It's 57 minutes long and around 55 MB. You can play it right here in your browser, or click on the download link on the right to save it to your computer. You can also listen to this episode on iTunes and on Stitcher. BOOKS MENTIONED DURING THE INTERVIEW Healing Fiction by James HillmanThe Red Book: Liber Novus by C.G. JungJung: A Biography by Deirdre BairMemories, Dreams, Reflections by C.G. JungSymbols of Transformation by C.G. JungC.G. Jung: Word and Image by Aniela JafféLINKS Christina has an extensive website and blog at cjbecker.comFollow Christina on Twitter at @JungianPathEntry Points to the Divine: An Exploration of Soul and Nature with Jungian analysts Christina Becker and Beaty Popescu – December 4-6, 2015The Moon: Symbol of the Soul with astrologers Christina Becker and Julie Simmons – May 13-15, 2016Christina is featured in the new award-winning feature documentary, What Is Synchronicity? You can watch her segment on YouTube.QUOTE Christina on individuation: "The Self is the centre of the personality, the inner divinity within each individual that guides one's life and destiny. Individuation, according to Jung, is a natural developmental process within every individual that helps them become the person they were meant to be. In other words, it is a process through which an individual becomes more him- or herself – more authentic and distinct from other people and from collective values and norms." ~Christina Becker, The Heart of the Matter: Individuation as an Ethical Process, p. ix