Posted on by Peter Woods

Radical Christ – Saviours and Scapegoats

Early on in the narrative of Jesus’ ministry, the crowd want to make him King.

Both occasions are after he has miraculously fed them (John 6:12-15) and extravagantly made wine from water. (John 2:23-25).
In a publicist’s nightmare, on both occasions Jesus withdraws from the projection and idolization, “because he knew what was in people’s hearts”.

What was it that Jesus knew?

Carl Jung in his work Aion, has helped us understand the psychology of projection which I unpack in this video.

Understanding how we project our own gold out of the shadows of the unconscious can help us understand (if not desist), from falling in love, worshiping the wrong objects, and even from falling prey to scapegoating others when they don’t meet our unrealistic expectations of them.

We cannot blame the devil, nor make Jesus responsible for our salvation.

As the poet Mary Oliver says, “You are the only person you can save.”

Also available on podcast. The diagram isn’t (grin)


Posted on by Peter Woods

A Radical Christ 10- Miracles: Signs, Wonders, Power

In this episode we continue to explore the public ministry of Jesus as part of his whole life which left us an orienting map for our own journey.
What we regard as the miracles of Jesus life were not intended to be the extraordinary and illogical events we have come to believe miracles to be.
Instead these moments were the symptoms of an integrated and inclusive life that empowered ordinary people with wonder at their own being and belonging in the world.

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Posted on by Peter Woods

Radical Christ 9 The Wilderness-Ravenous Hunger and Test

Last episode we explored the wonderful Baptism of Jesus, the dove, the voice, “You are my agapeitos” (beloved child).

Why, Jesus could have been the proto Trust (fund) Kid!

How then does the same Spirit, (can you still see the dove?) “offer him up” to the Wilderness where the Devil and the Ravens rule?

This episode explores how our Wilderness times are essential counterpoints to our Baptimal blessing moments. One without the other leads to rampant, inflated egos behind picket fences, or conversely to despairing dark depressions when we recognise we can’t be love and light all the time.

Thanks to Stephen Jenkinson for some of the insights used in this talk. You can listen to his work here https://orphanwisdom.com/listen-stranger-days/

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Posted on by Peter Woods

A Radical Christ 8 – Jesus at the Jordan river

Moving into the second phase of Jesus’ life, the public ministry once more through the lens of it being an archetypal map for ours, Peter considers the Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan.
The Jordan is a pivotal symbol in the Abrahamic faiths, and water is a universal religious symbol for humankind.


This episode explores those themes as well as looking in the end at what parental acceptance may do to transform our lives, and if withheld do the opposite.

Here is the Podcast link if you’d rather listen than watch…

Posted on by Peter Woods

A Radical Christ- 7 – Phase One –Three Glimpses of Jesus’ Childhood

Concluding the Preparation Phase of Jesus life map, this video looks at three moments before Jesus begins his public ministry:

  1. The deaths of all the children younger than two years, in and around Bethlehem caused by Herod’s paranoia at the news that a king had been born there. How did that story impact Jesus’understanding of his own life. How does it impact us to know that we are still alive and others are not?
  2. The finding in the temple when Jesus is twelve years old. Was this really only a Bar Mitzvah?
  3. The mission eighteen years. Did Jesus exotically got to the east for enlightenment and return to Israel with secret wisdom? Or did he, quite ordinarily simply go and grow into himself and his destiny in the humble home of Nazareth?
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Posted on by Peter Woods

A Radical Christ- 6 – Phase One – Incarnation vs Excarnation

In the sixth talk on “A Radical Christ”, Peter examines the Incarnation of Jesus and how this symbolises the return of divinity to indwelling humankind.
From the dawn of consciousness humans have projected their consciousness outwards further and further from access. A kind of EX-carnation.

Less and less embodied and more and more intellectual and philosophical.
In the Incarnation, the process comes full circle as the divine returns to the consciousness that is the reality of all Life here and now.

You can also listen on Spotify below

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Posted on by Peter Woods

Radical Christ Session 5 – Phase 1 -Annunciation (or simply an Announcement)

Getting into lock down with Jesus.
After four introductory sessions setting the scene, we are now ready to enter the life of Jesus as an Archetypal map for all of our lives.
Yes, of course, he didn’t have to deal with the Corona Virus COVID-19, but he experienced his context and time and the challenges then, which offer us critical reference points for our own healing, and dare I say “survival”?
In this first episode relating to the Preparatory Phase of Jesus’ life, Peter explores the role of angels in Jesus’ birth and also what the symbolic meaning of an angel could be for us psychologically.
Far from being an esoteric consideration of how many angels can fit on a pin-head, this episode is an investigation of how the humanly created idea of angels can explain our own mind, to ourselves.

Posted on by Peter Woods

The Radical Christ 4- Pivotal Life Stages for Jesus and for Us

In this fourth video of the Radical Christ Series Peter maps the Life Stages that Jesus, with every hero in mythology, and our lives follow. Myth is understood as an “Absolutely True Story that probably never happened”
Jesus as the proto-typical (arche-typal) human life has in the stages of his life the experience and the cure for every human condition.
The key lies in being able to connect where we are in our life stage, with the corresponding stage in Jesus’ life.

You can contact Peter by emailing peterwoods.pe@gmail.com

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