Robert Lloyd: Depth Psychology 2004

Robert Lloyd, Ph.D., MFT (2004 graduate from Depth Psychology) is the clinical director of counseling services at Marine Corps Air Station, Miramar in San Diego County.

I am the clinical director of the counseling center at Marine Corps Air Station, Miramar in San Diego county. We work with active-duty Marines and their family members. Due to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the separation of families, many members of our Marine community are under tremendous stress. As a mental health counselor, my work here is to assist my clients to find the source of life and healing within. My book, The Knowledge that Leads to Wholeness, points to a way of accessing the deepest and truest part of ourselves where we can know what we need to know and find the healing for old wounds, and the power to realize our highest goals.

My roots in psychology are in Carl Jung (1875-1961), the Swiss psychologist who discovered that the psyche (Greek for “soul”) is an organ that opens up to a vast and unknown dimension of reality that is populated by real, autonomous beings. The way we experience these beings varies, but we all encounter them as archetypes, i.e. psychic forces that seem to be within us but have their own will and agenda. Jung loved the Gnostics whom he considered to be “pioneers of the psyche.” As a Gnostic depth psychologist, I understand that psychological and spiritual wholeness depends on our forming conscious relationships with the archetypes in such a way that they are integrated under the rule of the spirit.

At the root of Western cultures, there is a hidden tradition based on self-knowledge that—if embraced—can lead one to psychological and spiritual wholeness, and by extension, can save American culture from its slow demise.

The Knowledge that Leads to Wholeness explores the esoteric side of Carl Jung and reveals the connections between Jung’s pivotal theory of individuation, i.e. the journey to wholeness, and the powerful, visionary myths told by the pioneers of psyche, the Gnostics. Robert Lloyd details what happens to a person who is on the road to wholeness, how the person will change, and how a new divine-human identity will be brought into the world as a result of undertaking this transformational odyssey.

The Knowledge that Leads to Wholeness is the first book to specifically illustrate how the major Gnostic myths underlie Jung’s theory of individuation. It is a compelling and in-depth examination of a life-changing journey that begins with the author discovering the forgotten secrets of the Gnostics. These secrets are gradually unveiled as the author and his loyal dog, Gold, are initiated, each in their own way, to put the ancient knowledge into practice. Though this is a work of nonfiction, there is an imaginative narrative running through the book, weaving various ideas and insights together in the context of a story.

This volume shows how psychology may complement religious experience and vise versa. It encourages the reader to take the journey for himself or herself. The kind of person who emerges from the journey is the kind of person needed to save American culture from self-destruction. Thus, this book shows the reader not only how to find personal fulfillment, but also shows how his or her life can save a dying civilization—and quite possibly, our very own planet.

Robert is an ordained Gnostic priest, a member of a Gnostic community called the Pearl. You can contact Robert through the community’s website at http://www.thepearl.org.

As an ordained Gnostic priest, I am a member of a vibrant community of “spiritual athletes” who take the spirit seriously, but not somberly! We call our community, The Pearl, after the ancient Gnostic myth often called the Song of the Pearl. To read about this myth in my book, see chapter 15. Gnostics believe we have our origins in another realm of existence—the Divine Light—and we are sent into this world of illusion to find our true origins and destiny. We are meant to realize the potential of the spark of divine Light, which is the spirit within us. This is a process of gaining more and more gnosis about reality, about the divine, and about our selves. You can read more about gnosis in the Introduction of my book, and about the spirit, the soul, and the self in chapter 8. To contact me at the Pearl, go to http://www.thepearl.org.