
Understanding Narrative: Literary Theory and The Jungle Book
October 25, 2025Resources
Suggested Reading
Stephen Aizenstat – Dream Tending
A poetic and sacred approach to dreams. A major contribution to the field of dream interpretation.
Sharon Blackie – If Women Rose Rooted
A powerful integration of nature, myth, and the feminine, offering pathways toward belonging and rootedness.
Brené Brown – Daring Greatly
Grounded in research rather than theory, Brown explores vulnerability, intimacy, and connection with clarity and courage.
James Endredy – Ecoshamanism
Accessible and engaging, this book explores shamanism through its correlation to the earth and our presence within it.
James Hillman – The Soul’s Code
A foundational work of post-Jungian thought and imagination.
Robert A. Johnson – Balancing Heaven and Earth
An accessible introduction to Jungian psychology by a second-generation Zurich-trained analyst.
Carl Jung – Memories, Dreams, Reflections
Jung’s autobiographical account of individuation and surrender to creative archetypal forces.
Dacher Keltner – Awe
A lyrical exploration of how awe inspires and influences the quality of our lives.
Robin Wall Kimmerer – Braiding Sweetgrass
A beautifully written celebration of indigenous wisdom, gratitude, and reciprocity with the earth.
Thomas King – The Truth About Stories
Thought-provoking and provocative, King reveals the power of stories to shape identity, memory, and culture.
Lewis Mehl-Madrona – Coyote Wisdom
Explores the healing power of narrative through Native storytelling traditions.
Thomas Moore – Care of the Soul (Illustrated Edition, 1998)
A weaving of art, mythology, and Jungian therapy, rich in wisdom about love, spirituality, and soul.
Maureen Murdock – The Heroine’s Journey
A timeless classic charting the feminine path toward wholeness.
Carol Pearson – The Hero Within (3rd Edition, 1998)
Explores six archetypes in everyday life and offers a creative guide to self-inquiry.
Suggested Listening
Krista Tippett’s podcast On Being (Sundays 6–7 AM on MPR) is a treasured source of dialogue at the intersection of spirituality, science, ecology, and art. Here are a few episodes and voices that have been most meaningful to me:
Ann Hamilton – Making and the Spaces We Share
Embodied knowledge, cellular memory, and trusting creative process.
Pico Iyer – The Art of Stillness
The greater adventure is the inner landscape.
Gordon Hempton – The Last Quiet Places
Acoustic ecology and the endangered presence of silence.
Yo-Yo Ma – Music Happens Between the Notes
Beauty as a transfer of life, rooted in nature.
Mary Oliver – Listening to the World
Poetry as a companion, nature as a healer.
Lewis Newman – The Refreshing Practice of Repentance
Healing our history to reclaim creative freedom.
Rabbi Lawrence Kushner – Kabbalah and the Inner Life of God
Mysticism as union with the divine and seeing through God’s eyes.
Alain de Botton – The True Hard Work of Love and Relationships
Truth-telling, wounding, and unconscious patterning in intimacy.