Notice: Bookings will open on the 20th January 2027

Date: Saturday 20th February 2027 Location: Online
Start time: 4:00pm End time: 6:00pm Type: Webinar

Most early human cultures revered the bat. Not only were bats held sacred for the

essential role they play in our ecosystem as pollinators, seed dispersers, and natural

means of insect control, they were also appreciated for their uniqueness. Bats are the only mammals that possess the ability for sustained flight, they nurse their young, and they even share common brain-wave patterns with those of primates. And yet, they mostly live underground in caves, sleep upside down, have the ability to see in the dark, and are nocturnal. Despite their clear benefit to humans and our ecology in general, Western culture has demonized the bat. It is curious to consider why so much negative shadow material has been projected on the bat. Jung often stated that the al- chemical tradition (that often used the image of the bat within its texts) compensated for what was lacking in Judeo-Christian tradition. What does the image of the bat hold for the Western psyche? What aspects of ourselves have been deemed demonic but are actually essential to our own inner ecosystems? A deeper exploration of the image of the bat as holding not only negative shadow material, but also that of the light bringer or psychopomp, reveals a great deal about the human condition in the modern Western world.