Washington Friends Conference on Religion and Psychology

Thirty-fifth Annual Conference
Claggett Center · Buckeystown, MD · February 24–26, 2012

The Story of the Friends Conference on Religion and Psychology
Presenters: Dixon Bell and Bonnie Damron

All great stories are continued by those who respond to them, as long as their truth endures;
and myths that cease to grow through the centuries will die.—Helen Luke, Old Age: Journey into Simplicity

The origin of the Friends Conference on Religion and Psychology is a very big story. It is a story that needs to be told over and over, in the same way elders pass along to the young the ancient stories of the ancestors. Although much of this story is available here on our website, it can come alive more vividly though personal story-telling.

On June 29,1935 a group of Quakers including Dr. Elined Kotschnig traveled to Kusnacht to meet with Dr. and Mrs. Carl Jung. The seed that was formed from that meeting took root with the first conference at Haddonfield, NJ, in 1943. Now, seventy seven years after the visit with Dr. Jung, two conferences meet each year—one at Lebanon Valley College, Annville, PA, over Memorial Day Weekend, and this Washington conference, which has met every February since 1977. Both meet to explore the continuing relationship between the depths of the psyche and the Inner Light.

This year we will gather at the Claggett Center to tell our story and to remember our roots. We also will reflect on the present and to imagine the future of the conferences. Dixon Bell and Bonnie Damron will lead our plenary sessions. To help them with this task they have called upon the spirits of Dr. C. G. Jung and Dr. Elined Kotschnig. The presence of these two illustrious individuals from the past will be felt throughout the weekend.