Soul Making in the Valley of the Shadow: by the Deep River Poets

The Deep River Poets offer this collection of our poems to the Jung Institute of San Francisco, in celebration of its passage from a beloved old home to a transformative new home, and as an expression of deep gratitude to Extended Education, which has given Deep River support, visibility, and a place to gather. Soul Making, which began in the library of the Gough Street building, was nurtured by Extended Education, has been influenced by the spirit of our times as well as the spirit of the depths, and is a manifestation of the essential role the creative arts play in the Jungian approach to healing the individual as well as the culture. Since the trauma of the 2016 election and the catastrophic times that have followed, Deep River has become a sacred river we wash ourselves in, as the Hindus do in Ganga Ma-Mother Ganges-to cleanse our souls and heal our broken hearts. We gather at the river to follow the flow of our poems; they take us to surprising places, show us the unexpected-the tree of life around a bend in the river, its roots deep in the earth.