From 1st May 2022 we are planning to revive our regular Zoom meetings for the whole Middle Way Network. These will combine a focus on working with archetypes along with wider Middle Way practice. Talks by Robert M Ellis (drawing on his recent book ‘Archetypes in Religion and Beyond’) will be accompanied by a focus on some specific practices introduced after each talk. These practices will be geared towards integrating our desires and beliefs, and finding inspiration in archetypal symbols whilst avoiding projection of them.
The meetings will have a slightly different format from the meetings we had during 2020 and 2021. Instead of fortnightly meetings with a talk and breakout groups, we will have a monthly meeting with a talk by Robert and an introduction to a practice focus for that month. In between each monthly meeting there will be a follow-up meeting, facilitated by George Glen or another experienced member of the society. The follow-up meeting will allow more time to explore the practices and discuss our experience of them.
Meetings will be on Sunday evenings UK time (UTC+1 in summer, +0 in winter) from 7.30pm to 9pm. Meetings with the initial talk will be on the first Sunday of each month, and the follow up meeting on the 3rd Sunday of each month.
All members of the Middle Way Network and Society will be welcome at the meetings. If you are not already a member of the Network, you can easily join on this page. Urls for the Zoom meetings will only be shared with members of the network by email newsletters or on the Network Slack area.
A programme of meetings for 2022 (and Jan 2023) is given below:
| Talk meeting date | Follow up meeting date | Theme of Talk | Practice Focus |
| 1st May 2022 | 15th May 2022 | Archetypes and meaning | Recognizing meaning as embodied |
| 5th June 2022 | 19th June 2022 | Meaning and belief | Distinguishing the meaning of symbols from our beliefs about them |
| 3rd July 2022 | 17th July 2022 | Archetypes and inspiration | Identifying and recalling inspiring symbols |
| 7th August 2022 | 21st August 2022 | Inspiration and religion | Finding inspiration in our religious heritage, but with agnosticism about its absolutes |
| 4th Sept 2022 | 18th Sept 2022 | Integrating the hero | Maintaining inspiration in our pursuit of goals, without projective fallacies |
| 2nd Oct 2022 | 16th Oct 2022 | integrating the shadow | Differentiating genuine from projected threats in our responses to evil |
| 6th Nov 2022 | 20th Nov 2022 | Integrating the anima/ animus | Finding inspiration in the other without appropriation |
| 4th Dec 2022 | 18th Dec 2022 | Integrating the God archetype | Maintaining wider inspiration without projection |
| 8th Jan 2023 | 22nd Jan 2023 | The Middle Way archetype | Holding ideals in tension with recognition of conditions: the 5 Principles |
Hello there!
I have been greatly enjoying and benefitting from the recorded talks on Youtube and was wondering: are the practice focuses for each session written down somewhere so we can reference them?
Anyway, great work and thanks to Robert and also the participants for the insights!
Hi Marco, Thanks for the comment and the appreciation. There are notes for each session, including the practice focus, that were originally shared on our Slack area. However, the Slack area is now out of use, so we will have to find some other way of making them available. In the meantime, if you drop me an email (robert at middlewaysociety dot org) I can send you the notes for whatever sessions you particularly want by email.
best wishes, Robert