Trans Ways of Knowing
Socially Relevant Salon Series
with Cybele Brandow, Rae Davis, and tyler redskye
hosted by Satya Doyle Byock
Saturday, December 3, 2022
10 - 12pm PST | 1 - 3pm EST
All salons and seminars are hosted online. Recordings are provided to all registrants.
Community Subscribers are automatically registered for this salon.
“The shuttling to and fro of arguments and affects represents the transcendent function of opposites. The confrontation of the two positions generates a tension charged with energy and creates a living, third thing—...a living birth that leads to a new level of being, a new situation.”
“The paradox . . . reflects a higher level of intellect and, by not forcibly representing the unknowable as known, gives a more faithful picture of the real state of affairs. ”
The Salome Institute is deeply honored to host Cybele Brandow, Rae Davis, and tyler redskye—three trans academics, artists, and community members—in this special two-hour salon exploring the trans experience and its direct correlation to Jung’s work.
In a time when trans people find themselves under constant threat from legislative, political, physical, and emotional attack, and when the vast majority of people still do not personally know a trans person, we heartily encourage your presence and participation in this salon to engage collectively in a deepened understanding of the lived experience of trans individuals, and the remarkable ways in which trans people’s lived understanding of individuation and the union of the opposites illuminates Jung’s core ideas.
In this salon, Cybele Brandow, Rae Davis, and tyler redskye will share some of their experiences on the path to individuation as trans people, convey the ways in which imagination and dreamwork supported and confirmed their trans identities, and how Jung’s understanding of the Transcendent Function mirrors trans identity and the emergence of “the third” within the gender binary.
In particular, Cybele, former Director of the Maine Jung Center, may speak to the parallels between their lived experience of “third gender,” the Taoist search to move beyond the binary, and the transcendent "third thing" of Jung's psychology in which the opposites can unite. They’ll explore: how is the transcendent function of Jung’s work in direct conversation with the trans experience?
Rae, a lifelong visual artist, may convey some of his understanding of the beauty of cis men that cis men struggle to see, or how nature finally felt like a place of freedom and joy for him once he was able to locate himself in a story that had otherwise been denied him. He may share some of the dreams he had while transitioning that indicate the sense of freedom his psyche finally felt after decades of confusion.
tyler may speak to paradox and how it informs and undoes the concept of trans "identity." The use of imagination was an essential part of tyler's ability to dream their trans self into existence—to see possibility emerge from two opposites and, as Jung wrote, use the tension as a way to allow a third to emerge. They may reflect on the concept of man and woman as man-made concepts and the expanse that is gender, and that these are just two possibilities amidst infinite possibility. They may speak on the kind of unimaginable compassion and self-love that trans people hold for themselves—not just in recognizing themselves, but also loving themselves.
After the panel presentation and discussion, Satya will moderate a Q&A with the community.
Recording: If you are unable to join us live or would like to watch this on your own time, a recording will be sent to all registrants within 24 hours of the live event.
About the Presenters
Cybele Brandow is a third-gender writer, poet, and divinatory counselor of Magyar, Welsh, English, and German descent. They studied late antique Christian mysticism and pre-imperial Chinese religion and philosophy at Reed College, presenting a thesis on Trialogic Hermeneutics in the context of Tarot Divination events. Cybele served as Director of the Maine Jung Center for three years before leaving to pursue full-time publication of their debut novel of mid-grade nonsense literature. Their writing weaves mythological motifs, fairy tale, dream symbolism, and magical imagination to create whimsical yet familiar worlds where mycelial synchronicity abounds and wordspells lead readers deeper into their own playful awareness of sElf. Cybele lives atop a hill in a book-brimming Seussian bungalow in South Portland, Maine with their beloved partner and a well-worthy-of-worship tortoiseshell cat named Persephone ('Persy' for short).
Rae Davis, born 1970 in Cambridge, England, holds a BFA from the University of Michigan School of Art. His paintings and drawings have been exhibited across the United States, and are included in many private and public collections. Traywick Contemporary in Berkeley, CA represents his work. He has made Portland, Oregon home with his family for the last 16 years. Instagram @raedavisart
tyler redskye is a queer non-binary trans settler whose ancestors come from Sicily, the Maghreb, the Aegean islands, Malta, and Ireland. They were raised by the great eastern white pines and the Muhheakunnuk, The River that runs both ways. They make medicine, furniture, and timber frames in the Dawnland with their spouse and cattle dog. They attended Sarah Lawrence College for Semiotics and Gender theory and completed their Master's at Pratt for Environmental Design. They see their work in this world to decolonize and dismantle violent colonial systems by listening, remembering, and imagining new ways of being—to hold the truths and always say the things that need to be said.
Host
Satya Doyle Byock is a psychotherapist in private practice in Portland, Oregon, the author of Quarterlife: The Search for Self in Early Adulthood (Random House, 2022), and the founding director of The Salome Institute. Her work has been featured in The New York Times and The Times of London, and her writing has been published in Literary Hub, Psychological Perspectives, The Utne Reader, Goop, Oregon Humanities Magazine, and elsewhere. Satya has lectured at Jung groups in the US and UK, and has been interviewed for her work on many podcasts. She is the co-host of Carl Jung’s Red Book Podcast and has twenty years of practice with The I Ching and dreamwork.
Register:
Online Attendance: a link for Zoom will be sent to all registrants via email in advance of this salon.
Recording: A recording will be made available to all registered participants following the live event.
Scholarships & Discounts: Please send us an email if you are unable to pay the full price. We don’t require an explanation, just an email.
Subscribers: If you are a subscriber to the Salome Community, you do not need to register for this salon. You will automatically receive an email with login information in advance, as well as the recording following the event.