After a 22 year career practicing pediatrics as a Physician Assistant, I opted to live my passion for learning and enter into a graduate program at Pacifica Graduate Institute (www.pacifica.edu). Juggling my deep commitments to my marriage and my family, I pursued and completed my doctorate in April 2011 in Mythological Studies with an Emphasis in Depth Psychology.

My dissertation project, Illuminating the Twilight: A Depth Psychological Exploration of the Nature of Poeisis in the Time of Dying focused on the ways in which the end of life has been held as both sacred and unique since our earliest written record. Ancient myths and literature provide a wisdom literature all its own holding deep insights that can help us to ease the end of the life journey for ourselves and for those we love. It is over the moon exciting for me to see this in publication on both Amazon in the Kindle store (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006A8D9JA) and on Smashwords in all other e-formats (https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/104848). A particularly nice thing for those of us who do not use mobile e-readers, is that Smashwords allows you to download the book to a PDF file that you could print out if you wanted it in print form. A nice option.

Being able to give sermons and talks on my dissertation research, as well as teaching on topics of myth and depth psychology, is filled with incredible joy and passion for me. Myth and Depth Psychology (mostly Jungian and post-Jungian) is something that I just love to pursue and talk about! I found tremendous joy in the patient contact of my previous career and was fortunate to have gained a wealth of medical knowledge in that pursuit. That knowledge has allowed me to act in the role of medical translator and advocate for my family and my friends many many times. Being able to assist those I love as they traverse the often foreign and daunting medical world has brought me great joy on my journey.

At the same time, I love teaching and exploring the incredible insights offered in the stories told in myth and fairy tales. The wisdom of our common human ancestors is spellbinding for me. It is pure luxury to me when I get the opportunity to experience the wisdom of millions of people as they have told their stories over thousands of years. The opportunity itself has been a gift to my soul beyond all measure.

Lastly, people have often asked me about my hobbies…they are …being outdoors doing just about anything…cycling, walking, kayaking, canoeing, camping…and indoors doing lots too: canning, making jams and jellies, baking, and playing the concert harp, piano, and classical guitar.

Thanks to all of you who have asked what I like to do when I am not reading or writing or visiting…or ….or…or….and thanks for visiting my website!
Wishing each of you the deepest peace that the season can bring to your soul.
Warmly, Carol

Website: http://www.carolrizzolo.com

abrahamic faiths    buddhism    childrens palliative care    dreams    dreams and death    dying consciously    dying well    dying with dignity    gilgamesh    hospice    humanities and medicine    japanese death poetry    jisei    jungian pschology    last word traditions    mythology    narrative medicine    palliative care    psychology jungian    religious perspectives on the time of dying    von franz    wisdom literature