Upcoming lecture for the C.G. Jung Society of Atlanta

Art by Johnny Decker Miller

For the past several years, I've received a persistent question. It's been coming from my friend here in Atlanta, Bill Bridges. Inevitably, he and I wind up at the same event—DragonCon is a prime example—and Bill brings it up in his characteristically kind, quiet way:

"Do you think you might want to speak at the Jung Society of Atlanta sometime?"

Each time, I'd always offer the same response.

"Well, that's really thoughtful and kind of you. It would be an honor. Maybe someday. But I just don't feel like I'm ready for it yet."

And on and on we would go, year after year. Bill, persistent, supportive, and confident in my work. Me, afflicted with imposter syndrome, sidestepping the possibility.

Eventually, though, 2026 rolled around. With it, the discourse around UFOs/UAP changed considerably. (For better or worse. I'm of two minds about it.) Now, we can all finally talk openly about the topic, at the very least indulging it as a possibility. There exists an ever-growing realization that we might glean some insight from examining the phenomenon, even if we remain agnostic as to its ontology.

But the discourse around UFOs wasn't the only thing that changed. I mean, look at what I just wrote: "agnostic as to its ontology."

That's not something 2019 Josh would have written, or even 2022 Josh. I'm not sure what happened—maybe it was the process of writing Ecology of Souls, or fully engaging with archetypes and philosophy in 2025's Fourth Wall Phantoms—but something inside me seems to have changed as well.

I remain allergic to arrogance. I've been told repeatedly that this backfires on me. Not only am I selling myself short, so to speak, but it can often come off as false humility. That, in its own way, is a sort of ego-driven position.

So when Bill broached the topic again, I finally said it.

"Yes."

Don't get me wrong—the imposter syndrome is still there—but I have to admit that I finally feel prepared to engage with the material in a meaningful way. (Doesn't mean I won't make a fool of myself. But the odds are a little lower, now.)

So when I say that I am deeply honored to be presenting a lecture through the C.G. Jung Society of Atlanta early this autumn, that is not an empty platitude. I mean it with every fiber of my being.

Psyche in the Sky: Thresholds, Death, and the Symbolic Reality of UFO Disclosure will be held online via Zoom on Saturday, September 19, 2026 at 7:30 p.m. If you cannot make it, the lecture will be sent out the following day after the program with a 60-day window to view the recording. You can register, see all the details, and read the full description here.

I'm both excited and nervous. More than anything, though, I'm looking forward to the conversations that this lecture will facilitate. The Jungian perspective has profoundly shaped how I think about anomalous experiences, symbolism, and meaning. (In fact, it may be the only way to engage with the UFO topic at a personal level... at least in my opinion.)

In the end—as if to underscore the symbolic scaffolding lurking beneath our reality—I can't help but notice the irony, here. The lecture that I plan on delivering concerns thresholds.

And in a way, finally accepting the invitation felt like crossing one of my own.

See you there.