About
I am wearing a backpack in the photo because that is often how anyone would see me at this point in my life. I am on a journey of soul, a journey in search of meaning and in search of self. I am a retired school teacher and school administrator having taught in various schools in Saskatchewan, Canada. I was a principal for a number of years as well. Intermingled with my career in education was a second career as a psychotherapist. Needing to take care of students with issues and later, teachers with issues, I took a number of university and certificate courses to allow me to work more effectively and safely with those whose care I was entrusted. My counselling focus eventually shifted to include others and to include some “depth” work. The depth work had a foundation in Jungian psychology.
Now that I am retired, I am currently in Calgary, Canada working on my writing, my journey through a personal “Dark Night of the Soul” with my wife of forty-one years sharing most of my days and dreams. Our children and grandchildren have their own homes in both Canada and the U.S.A. For those interested in these things, I have three children and six grandchildren.
Since retirement, we have travelled to a number of countries with some becoming places of part-time residence over the past five years. We lived in Changzhou, China for the better parts of four years. Three months in Costa Rica during one winter, and three months in the Yucatan, Mexico during another winter were other longer stays during this time. Added to this was a month in Rajasthan, India, a month in Thailand, and a month in IndoChina with most of that time spent in Vietnam. This past winter break, I spent a a break of ten days in the Philippines. Of course, if you are a reader here, you are already aware of these things as the selection of photos talk about my response to being in all of these places. In travelling with a camera, I discover myself through images of both the known and the unknown.
Someone asked about my ability to communicate in other languages. I am fluent in both English and French and have an intermediate knowledge of Spanish and a rudimentary ability in communicating in oral Mandarin and pinyin – Chinese characters present more of a challenge that I am willing to meet so that I have learned only about fifty characters. I wish I wasn’t so lazy in learning other languages as language breaks down so many barriers when travelling. I do intend to become fluent in Spanish as there is an intention of spending a good amount of time in Central America and South America in the years to come. There is too much to learn and see, too many people from whom I can gain a better understanding of the human race, and importantly, myself.
I look forward to hearing from you, my readers.
Dear Robert,
Please visit my photography website:
http:/www.denniscordell.zenfolio.com/
Thank you,
Dennis Cordell
Dennis Cordell
21 Dec 10 at 10:28 AM
Hi Dennis. Your photos are absolutely powerful and poignant. Thanks for providing the link here so that others may see your work with Buddhist monks. I hope you come again and comment.
rgl
22 Dec 10 at 6:16 AM
Dear Robert,
How do I get a regular feed of this new blog sent to my email inbox?
Thanks,
Abha
abha
5 Jan 11 at 3:06 PM
At this time I am not quite sure. I will check it out soon to see if I can enable the RSS feed, or a subscription feature.
rgl
5 Jan 11 at 7:41 PM
You can redirect your domain to your other domain easily through your control panel. That will fix one problem. I use google analytics for stats. Why don’t you use it?
Brad Dalton
8 Jan 11 at 3:20 PM
Thanks, Brad. The stats problem is now fixed. It is amazing what sage advice and encouragement can accomplish.
rgl
21 Feb 11 at 10:56 AM
Interesting – not many James Hollis fans I come across! In fact, in my environment of about 10 000 people, I don’t think anyone has ever read any of his books.
I read and reread, and am busy with such important projection issues.
Astra
17 Jun 11 at 2:46 AM
Thanks for the comment and the visit Astra – I look forward to your return.
rgl
18 Jun 11 at 12:47 PM
Hello!
I read this page and found it fascinating the way that you describe “discovering yourself through images of both the known and the unknown”.
I haven’t read any of your other pages yet (and want to), but in the meantime want to let you know about some related fields (and websites and people), who also use photography in a “therapeutic” (healing) way.
There is a website “PhotoTherapy Techniques in Counseling and Therapy” (links are below), where you can find out about how other people are using photos as part of therapy practice and also for their own personal insight and communication. see:
http://www.phototherapy-centre.com
There is also a FaceBook Group: “”PhotoTherapy, Therapeutic Photography, Photo Art Therapy, and VideoTherapy” at:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/PhotoTherapy.and.Therapeutic.Photography
There are also several sites/projects about “photography as contemplative practice” (the best-known of which is http://miksang.com )
I would love to know more about your blending photography with Jungian approaches (I am a Canadian psychologist, art therapist, and photographer) — so I welcome direct correspondence if you want:
Judy Weiser, Director, PhotoTherapy Centre
Vancouver Canada
jweiser @ phototherapy-centre.com
SKYPE: weiserphototherapy
Judy Weiser
28 Aug 11 at 10:55 PM
Thank you, Judy, especially for the links. I will investigate them more fully in the days and weeks to come. I look forward to your reading and commenting here. I get to B.C. with relative frequency so perhaps one of these years we will have a chance to meet and share ideas.
rgl
29 Aug 11 at 6:28 AM
Hello, I’ve arrived here through a Google search of words representative of topics that interest me the most. After reading through your entries, I find we have quite a bit in common via interests in education, therapy & counselling, Jungian psychology and travel.
I would love to get your thoughts & opinions regarding some upcoming career choices I might be seeking (therapy related).
Thank you….be well
Terri
25 Sep 11 at 9:51 PM
Hi Terri – I am glad that your searches have lead you to come here and read a bit of my work. I would like to get to know you better and talk with you about your ideas and such. You can ask me anything you want and I will respond as best I can. But with that said, anything I do say is always said through my own, personal filters. Feel free to comment on any post, past or present or send me e-mail directly. I will respond. I am looking forward to hearing from you.
rgl
26 Sep 11 at 7:27 AM
Creating a great life here! wow! Do you speak these many languages, also?
Susan
5 Mar 12 at 8:48 AM
I have just edited this page to answer the question as well as to update my geographical location. Thank you for finding the time to come here and read. I look forward to your comments on the posts to come.
rgl
5 Mar 12 at 9:45 AM
Came across this site googling Jung. Not really clear why but I keep coming back. Though my attitude toward your blogs has been that you are selfposessed and on an ego trip I derive energy from your journey and reflections on it and feel maybe ego trips are not all that bad. Self affirmation if okay. So I think I will go along for the ride for awhile. Thanks for sharing. Imagine if no one did.
john
John McLaughlin
10 Jun 12 at 5:06 PM
Thank you, John, for coming back and wrestling with my words. I am glad that there is some energy that is making the cross-over. I look forward to hearing more from you in the future. Please don’t hesitate to challenge me and call me on any BS.
rgl
19 Jun 12 at 8:53 PM
Robert. I want to thank you for this site. I found you by googling “jung symbolism- drowning baby’. I just awoke as I looked (in my dream) over the side of my little dinghy-type boat, and a desperate baby was going under and drowning, and desperately trying not to- & wanting to get picked up to come into my boat. As I saw this, I awoke. What I also really want to say thanks for, is how you have it set up, that I can email a certain page form your site- to myself. I emailed the one on the “Baby in the trash’ to myself. And this is very helpful, as I can put it in my folder, and re-read and meditate on it. Without that set up function- long-winded essays are very difficult for me. That makes it so good.,and all the best to you in your work. PS- IF you finish your book on your ‘Long night of the soul’ and decide you shall publish it, I would like to be on a list to recieve the info that you have done so,and the book’s title. All the best to you and your family, Susan
Susan
22 Dec 12 at 7:58 PM
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and writing, look forward each time you publish an entry. Very grateful for your insight and challenges.
Matt
30 Jan 13 at 9:10 PM
Thank you, Matt, for your words and presence here.
rgl
31 Jan 13 at 11:15 AM
Robert, I stumbled across your site/blog back in 2011, when I was looking for info about churches in Changzhou.
And since have married a wonderful woman in Changzhou.
My wife is now chatting with me, and telling me about a schoolmate of hers, who is in an abusive marriage. The schoolmate Z told my wife about a secret love for another schoolmate W. Obviously Z is thinking of trying to emotionally escape her abuse with an affair with W. Which obviously is not going to solve the issue.
I suggested to my wife that we do 2 things…
1.) try to help Z find good psychological counseling to help her with her emotions.
2.) try to help Z find a Women’s Abuse Support Group in China… even if it only via phone.
So I looked up your blog, and wondered if you knew of any good Jungian psychologists in Changzhou, where Z is visiting. (Z lives in Yangzhou.)
Perhaps the Changzhou psychologists can connect Z with people in Yangzhou or elsewhere.
If you can see the email address I registered, you can reach me there.
If you can help, thanks.
Sean
16 Mar 13 at 10:11 AM
Sean (Xiaoen) – Thanks for taking the time to be hear and read. I trust that the names I provided you will help you find the resource you are hoping to find for your friend. Please feel free to comment with thoughts, resonances, questions or whatever to the posts here.
rgl
18 Mar 13 at 7:53 AM