Wild Nights: Grief Dreams, Mythology, and the Inner Marriage
Brilliant and beautiful, Elaine Mansfield’s essay, “Wild Nights: Grief Dreams, Mythology, and the Inner Marriage,” delves into the depths of sorrow through the lens of dreams, mythology and poetry. Her work, which won first place in the C.G. Jung in the Heartland writing competition, explores the powerful emotions and spiritual journey that accompany the loss of Vic, her beloved husband and reimagined Green Man. Elaine’s narrative weaves together personal reflections and mythological motifs, offering her readers a unique perspective on the transformative power of grief and the enduring bonds of love. Highly recommended, and you’ll ab-soul-utely love her artwork too!”
~ Deborah Gregory, Poet, Author, and Jungian therapist
In 2016, my book development editor Jill Swenson told me about a writing competition offered by Jung in the Heartland. It fit my interests in Jungian psychology, dream, and mythology. Still, I hesitated.
I’m not a therapist, although I began studying C.G. Jung with my teacher Anthony Damiani in 1970 and went to many workshop with Marion Woodman, the first in 1988. I’d also attended dream workshops with Robert Bosnak. I studied mythology with a group of like-minded women in a class that began in 1990 and continues still. I wrote a book called Leaning into Love: A Spiritual Journey through Grief following my husband’s death in 2008 and my book was awarded first place for Aging and Dying in the IPPY (Independent Publishers) awards. I was a prodigious dreamer, especially after my husband’s death.
The competition topic was “Jung, Dreams, and Sensualities.” I decided to give it a try and created one of my best pieces of writing. I now share it on my newly remodeled and updated website. My essay “Wild Nights: Grief Dreams, Mythology, and the Inner Marriage” had all the ingredients for the competition: C.G. Jung, dreams, and sensuality.
Nearly finished with the essay, I emailed Deborah Gregory, an English friend, accomplished writer and poet, and Jungian-oriented therapist. I asked for her feedback although I had never met her in person. Deborah wrote something that still guides my writing: “Follow the image!”
I had lost focus, so I returned to the main dream image and painted it. (That painting is in the essay.) There were only a few main characters in my dream–my husband Vic, the Goddess Inanna and her companions, Marion Woodman, and the Green Man. Vic had appeared in my first dream after his death as the Green Man, a Northern European God. The image of the Green Man anchored me and, in one of my paintings, he pulled me out of water when I was drowning in grief.
“Wild Nights” won first prize in the competition, so I’m now sharing the essay at my website. It’s in the section called “About Elaine,” just below a short section about my history. It was a pleasure and honor attending the conference hosted by the Jung Association of St. Louis and reading my essay to so many Jungians.
“Wild Nights” is longer than most of my blogs, so I decided against breaking it into small pieces and share the whole essay introduced with Deborah’s review. I didn’t ask Deborah for a review, but she sent her comments after re-reading the essay. It’s a gift to have generous friends. The full essay is the second entry on the “About Elaine” page and includes the painting that inspired the essay. The painting is near the end of the piece: dream-like and sensual.
With thanks to Deborah and Jill and always to my teacher and inspiration Marion Woodman. Find information about Deborah’s three books here. I recommend all of them. She’s working on a fourth. Follow Jill’s fascinating exploration into indigenous and settler history in Warroad, Minnesota on Substack. If you need help with a book project, I suggest contacting Jill at Swenson Book Development.
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If you’d like to make a comment about the essay “Wild Nights,” please leave it on this page. Thank you and may we all have sensual, mystical, and transformative dreams.
October 11, 2024 at 6:28 am
Aladin Fazel
That is such a fascinating post by you, my adorable friend. I will save it so I can read all your valuable points later.
These days, Kindergartens do not have enough personnel. That’s why we have to care for grandchildren often, and there is a scheduled trip to Lanzarote next Sunday for a week; also, heavily busy!!
However, I thank you and Deborah for this knowledgeable opportunity.
October 11, 2024 at 1:34 pm
Elaine Mansfield
Thank you, Aladin. It was a wonderful bringing together years of mythological explorations when I wrote this essay. I was inspired by the title of the competition and a sense that my life had all those elements. Your days feel busy now, but the deep connections with your family will last the rest of your life. I remember being exhausted by the needs of my young sons, but now they’re the ones helping me.
October 10, 2024 at 2:55 pm
Jean Raffa
We did have a very wild time thanks to Hurricane Milton last night. Unfortunately, he aimed his eye directly at us. But aside from a flooded road, a messy yard littered with broken branches, and a leaky french door, we escaped his wrath. Somehow we never lost our power, though we have many times before. I love your wonderful essay and Deborah’s advice to follow the image. Sharing it here along with the rest of your wise posts is a real gift to so many people who grieve and are lucky enough to have found your site. I also want to thank you for introducing me to Jill Swenson, who was a huge gift to me in the writing of The Soul’s Twins. Love your updated site! Hugs. Jeanie
October 10, 2024 at 6:01 pm
Elaine Mansfield
Jeanie, I was relieved to hear from you this morning. Sounds like the local hurricane damage isn’t extreme in your immediate area, although I know others aren’t so fortunate. Thanks for positive words about my site changes. Computer changes bring out the hysterical in me and Jill was patient and helped me stay organized and focused about what needed to be done. I needed lots of dog walking breaks and Jill needed breaks from me. Jill provided on the ground support. Deborah brought a dose of inspiration with those words she’d offered a few years before. I’m fortunate to have such helpful friends.
October 10, 2024 at 12:51 pm
Lin Gregory
What a beautiful essay Elaine, so open and honest in expressing your grief at the loss of your Green Man. The divine marriage of the masculine and feminine…there’s so much rich Jungian and mythological symbolism to digest in your subsequent dreams. I think your essay is one to return to again and again and I’m sure many of your readers will – it is so deserving of the Jung in the Heartland prize.
October 10, 2024 at 5:52 pm
Elaine Mansfield
Thank you, Lin. I was fortunate to fall in love with a man with a strong feminine nature and a huge respect for the feminine. He loved Jungian Psychology, and we gave workshops and attended workshops together. We vaguely planned to offer workshops after he retired, but then he got sick. It was time for me to find the masculine within and stop projecting it on him. Sending you love and gratitude.
October 9, 2024 at 7:16 pm
Mark Liebenow
This is so moving, Elaine. You bring in the physical grief that is so much a part of grief’s whole being when we love someone. Grief is not just mental. Thank you for sharing this, and congratulations!
October 10, 2024 at 5:45 pm
Elaine Mansfield
Thank you, Mark. I hope you are well and live in a peaceful world with no wild weather events.
October 9, 2024 at 2:19 pm
Sharyn L Duncan
What an extraordinary essay! Thank you for being so generous and sharing it with us! Vic kind of was the Green Man, wasn’t he? Don’t you have a photo of him in the green leaves, grinning like crazy. Or maybe I just imagine him that way. Much love to you. I’m so glad this hurricane is going to miss us. My cousin down south has been evacuated. ⛈️. Sharyn
October 9, 2024 at 3:55 pm
Elaine Mansfield
Thank you, Sharyn. I do have a wonderful photo of Vic as the Green Man. I was taking promotional photos of him and he was tired of looking professional for the camera so he stuck his face through the leaves of a maple tree and grinned at me. I love that photo. Can it be that I’ve never used it in a blog or in an article? Maybe you saw it when you were here because I have a copy of it on my altar? I have an electronic copy, so you encourage me to use it in a blog as the Green Man goes into hiding in this autumn weather. I’m grateful the hurricane is unlikely to come this far north, but I’m concerned about individuals I know in FL as well as a whole state of people I don’t know, not to speak of the people trying to recover from Helene. What a year! Love to you and Tim.
October 9, 2024 at 6:46 am
Marian Beaman
I can see why “Wild Nights” won the prize for the Jung in the Heartland competition. Reading through the essay, I observed such vivid imagery and felt raw feeling! I know because of your health, you feel stymied, but look at all your accomplishments! The most striking image of all is the Green Man Rescue. You write regularly, now I wonder whether you draw/paint pictures anymore. In conclusion: You have navigated well your own experiences of sorrow and bereavement, a hopeful thing and a gift to yourself and others.
October 9, 2024 at 3:29 pm
Elaine Mansfield
Thank you, Marian. It’s true my health forces me to work at a slower pace. On the other hand, I’d wanted to redo and prune my website and add this essay for years. Jill visited and the timing was right. I don’t draw or paint as much as I did before I began focusing on writing, but winter is coming. Along with writing, it’s a great time to create new artwork and bring more color to my life. I hope you are safe in FL. I’m worried about you and other friends and millions of people I don’t know who are in danger and need protection. Nature isn’t messing around with our lame excuses about climate change. Be safe and be dry.
October 10, 2024 at 6:53 am
Marian Beaman
Thank you for your concern. It’s still dark in my neighborhood, but we have power, a good thing. Our governor is pro-active and has put personnel and resources in place to mitigate the damage, which will be great when tallied. 🙁
October 10, 2024 at 5:46 pm
Elaine Mansfield
I’m glad you’re safe and have the help needed.
October 8, 2024 at 9:40 am
Deborah Gregory
Dear Elaine, having generous friends is truly a blessing! This post is fantastic! I’m so pleased you decided to share your “Wild Nights” with the world! I love all your links, photos, art and the simplicity of finding your essay here on your website. Thank you very much, my dear friend, for also including a link to my books page … where by the end of the week, I hope to share a small poetic gift for you, Jeanie & Susan.
As you know, I ab-soul-utely love your prize-winning Jungian essay, and similar to your book “Leaning Into Love: A Spiritual Journey Through Grief”, it provides much comfort to those navigating the depths of their soul. A book I’ve recommended to many clients throughout the years (my copy sleeps and dreams on my office shelves) to assist them in navigating their own experiences of sorrow and bereavement. I hope you receive lots of lovely feedback and comments here on your brilliant and beautiful essay. Lastly, it’s not surprising that you had so much fun writing this piece with your sensual and dreamy pen in hand! Dearest Elaine, you truly are a wonderful gift to the world! I’m sending you lots of love and light across the oceans and oak tops between us, from your poet friend, Deborah.
October 8, 2024 at 11:33 am
Elaine Mansfield
Thank you for encouraging me along the way and assuming the answers to my questions are within me. (You must be an incredible therapist.) I’m glad to finally get my website redesigned and include this favorite essay. I’ve wanted to remodel and trim down my site for a long time, but needed Jill’s technical and practical help as I struggled with my health. Writing this piece a few years ago was inspiring, and I was overjoyed by the outcome so I’m grateful to share it here. It’s not usual for me to enter a competition, but this one seemed designed for me. I wish I could read “Wild Nights” to Marion Woodman, including the dream where she plays a starring role, but painting the dream was the next best thing.
The maples here are redder every day. The oaks will begin turning color soon. It’s their curtain call of the season and it’s a celebration when the sun shines on the leaves. With love and light across the stormy seas. I’m grateful the storms aren’t close to me or you, but I’m concerned about Jeanie Raffa and many more who lives in endangered areas of Florida. Prayers for all the people suffering from the big climate changes in our world. They’re surely having Wild Nights.