Dissertation Title:
By Stokkes and Stones: Manitou As繳nal, Woodstock, and the Age of Aquarius
Candidate:
Jonathan Vaughn
Date, Time & Place:
March 27, 2023 at 10:00 am
Virtual
Abstract
Mysterious stone structures are scattered across the place known today as Woodstock, New York���on the side of Overlook Mountain, in its hollows, and in the valley below.�� This hermeneutic study seeks to uncover the symbolic meaning of the place and its stones for our cultural-historical time.�� The study shows that the place that birthed the Woodstock Festival of 1969 continues to influence people into the present���at the dawn of a symbolic new age, the Age of Aquarius.�� A depth psychological lens reveals the ways in which psyche���conscious and unconscious���interacts with the physical matter of the place.�� Furthermore, applying a decolonizing lens gives primacy to Lenape perspectives of the place that the Esopus Munsee called Waghkonk���the ���peaceful, beautiful valley������and the principle that manitou as繳nal (spirit stones) are Grandfathers.�� Utilizing the Lenape myths of creation and Ansisktay癡s��k (Pleiades), the study shows the ways the repeating symbols of those tales���human, stone, tree, and star���recur physically and archetypally in the place of Woodstock and ripple out, influencing the entire globe.�� Ultimately, Woodstock is revealed as a liminal place���a place between worlds and between ages���as a perspective and a way of being, as a place of creativity and regeneration, and as an alchemical place of coniunctio or coming together.�� The ancient image of Aquarius, the Water-Bearer, embodies these traits, as do contemporary images of the Tarot���s Star Card and of the Great Mother archetype.
- Program/Track/Year: Depth Psychology with Emphasis in Jungian and Archetypal Studies, ZZ, 2014
- Chair: Dr. Keiron Le Grice
- Reader: Dr. Sandra Easter
- External Reader: Dr. Jeanne Lacourt
- Keywords: Jungian Psychology, Stones, Lenape, Woodstock, New Age, Aquarius, Great Mother
