On Saturday I went with Hayley to Brecon. After parking in central Brecon we we walking towards the town centre. As we passed Andrew Morton Booksellers in Lion Yard. I had an overwhelming sense that there was a book for me in the shop. We have been to this book shop many times over the last five years, Si the more sceptic amongst you will find plenty of shall we say more rational explanations for the events.
What you may not know is that for the last few months I have been doing a Diploma in Jungian Psychotherapy. It is experiential, academic and heavily based on dream analysis. My tutor on the course is one Beverly Martin of the Marian Society. The organisation is very powerful into a feminine spirituality that suits my political, philosophical and spiritual outl0ook.
I joked to Hayley that I was sure Jung had a book for me inside the book shop. We found a few initially and with my appalling site I could see a few but not many. Then on the floor waiting to be found Hayley spotted a copy of Jung's book on Synchronicity. Next to it we found a second edition of volume 6 of the collected works very reasonably priced indeed. As we took it to to pay Andrew Morton he told us that he had more in the back room.. He returned with more second editions of the complete works. In each book was a mandala type image with the letters JRE in a circle . Andrew Morton explained that they came from the collection of James Rhoose-Evans of the The Bleddfa Centre for the Creative Spirit in nearby mid Wales. James was both a Theatre director and is still a very active Theologian who writes a blog called “The Sound of Silence” .
He is now in his late eighties and I need not say say a devotee of Jungian ideas. We left the book shop with perhaps a dozen books and about £85 pounds lighter in our pockets
James Rhoose Evans has the sophistication to properly appreciate ritual and how it provides, an individual existential and s sense of meaning both in a psychological ,cultural and self referential identity. Both the fundamentalists of the Abrahamic faiths and the new atheists fail to understand this point. Both the atheist and the fundamentalist find themselves missing the essential point of ritual, mythology and story and end up in a unusual alliance against symbolism and myth.
I joked to Hayley that I was sure Jung had a book for me inside the book shop. We found a few initially and with my appalling site I could see a few but not many. Then on the floor waiting to be found Hayley spotted a copy of Jung's book on Synchronicity. Next to it we found a second edition of volume 6 of the collected works very reasonably priced indeed. As we took it to to pay Andrew Morton he told us that he had more in the back room.. He returned with more second editions of the complete works. In each book was a mandala type image with the letters JRE in a circle . Andrew Morton explained that they came from the collection of James Rhoose-Evans of the The Bleddfa Centre for the Creative Spirit in nearby mid Wales. James was both a Theatre director and is still a very active Theologian who writes a blog called “The Sound of Silence” .
He is now in his late eighties and I need not say say a devotee of Jungian ideas. We left the book shop with perhaps a dozen books and about £85 pounds lighter in our pockets
James Rhoose Evans has the sophistication to properly appreciate ritual and how it provides, an individual existential and s sense of meaning both in a psychological ,cultural and self referential identity. Both the fundamentalists of the Abrahamic faiths and the new atheists fail to understand this point. Both the atheist and the fundamentalist find themselves missing the essential point of ritual, mythology and story and end up in a unusual alliance against symbolism and myth.
Well James Rhoose-Evans your books are safe they have joined the Asclepius collection where they will be looked after and treasured. Jung defined synchronicity as a concept that belongs to him. It is about acausal connection of two or more psycho-physic phenomena.
Anyway let me give you details of the previous owner of these books and of his blog He appreciates Neitzche and uses this quote to illustrate his outlook
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There is one path in the world no-one can walk but you. Where does it lead? Don’t ask – walk!’ He goes on to say “Like Jung, I believe that each of us comes into this world with a blueprint of the person we are meant to be. The tragedy is that so many people do not manage to live their lives to the full. To do this requires work, a word that was central to the teachings of George Gurdjieff, an influential spiritual teacher of the early to mid-twentieth century. He taught that most of us live our lives in ‘a waking sleep’, but that, with work, it is possible to achieve our full potential.
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There is one path in the world no-one can walk but you. Where does it lead? Don’t ask – walk!’ He goes on to say “Like Jung, I believe that each of us comes into this world with a blueprint of the person we are meant to be. The tragedy is that so many people do not manage to live their lives to the full. To do this requires work, a word that was central to the teachings of George Gurdjieff, an influential spiritual teacher of the early to mid-twentieth century. He taught that most of us live our lives in ‘a waking sleep’, but that, with work, it is possible to achieve our full potential.
The writer, Katherine Mansfield, who studied with Gurdjieff in the last year of her life, wrote, ‘I want to be what I am becoming. There are no limits to suffering – one rows one’s boat into the darkness. If only one can accept, there is a landscape to be discovered, to be one’s true self without the personal, to be afraid of nothing.’
Early Life and education
James Roose-Evans was born in London on 11 November 1927, the second son of Jack and Primrose. His older brother Monty later emigrated to America. Roose-Evans attended the Crypt Grammar School, Gloucester, before spending eighteen months in the Royal Army Educational Corps, ending his service in Trieste in 1947.
In 1949, he was admitted to St Benet’s Hall, Oxford where he read English. In the vacations, and after graduating from university, he worked as an actor in repertory theatres. In 1954, at Bridgwater, Somerset, where he was leading man, he was encouraged to direct by Kenneth Williams.
In 1949, he was admitted to St Benet’s Hall, Oxford where he read English. In the vacations, and after graduating from university, he worked as an actor in repertory theatres. In 1954, at Bridgwater, Somerset, where he was leading man, he was encouraged to direct by Kenneth Williams.
Career as a theatre director
In 1954, Roose-Evans was appointed Artistic Director of the Maddermarket Theatre in Norwich. Here, in the 1954-5 season he directed nine plays including Shakespeare’s Macbeth (in which he also played the lead), and Garcia Lorca’s Dona Rosita, for which he visited Granada and met the eponymous heroine.
Having met Martha Graham and seen her dance company on its first visit to England, Roose-Evans determined to go to America to learn more about modern dance. He was appointed to the Faculty of the Juilliard School of Music in New York where he was given a studio, a group of dancers, musicians and a composer, and invited to experiment with integrating music, dance and drama, which he did from 1955-6.
Having met Martha Graham and seen her dance company on its first visit to England, Roose-Evans determined to go to America to learn more about modern dance. He was appointed to the Faculty of the Juilliard School of Music in New York where he was given a studio, a group of dancers, musicians and a composer, and invited to experiment with integrating music, dance and drama, which he did from 1955-6.
RADA
On his return to England Roose-Evans joined the staff of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, directing many productions in the Vanbrugh Theatre, from his own adaptation of Milton’s Paradise Lost, to Henri de Montherlant’s Port Royal. His production of Dylan Thomas’s Under Milk Wood was revived term after term, with different casts, eventually transferring to the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith, with Philip Madoc in the lead role.
Among the RADA students Roose-Evans taught were Mike Leigh, Sarah Miles, John Hurt, Geoffrey Whitehead, and Michael Williams. He also taught at the Central School of Speech and Drama, where he influenced students including Vanessa Redgrave and Judi Dench.
Among the RADA students Roose-Evans taught were Mike Leigh, Sarah Miles, John Hurt, Geoffrey Whitehead, and Michael Williams. He also taught at the Central School of Speech and Drama, where he influenced students including Vanessa Redgrave and Judi Dench.
Hampstead Theatre
In 1959 Roose-Evans founded the Hampstead Theatre Club, at Moreland Hall, in Holly Bush Vale, London. The first season opened with Siwan, a play by the Welsh poet Saunders Lewis, translated by Emyr Humphreys, and with Siân Phillips as the Princess Siwan. A double-bill by Harold Pinter, The Dumb Waiter and The Room, received rave reviews from Harold Hobson inThe Sunday Times, and put the fledgling theatre on the cultural map.
Roose-Evans remained at the Hampstead Theatre until 1971, during which time his production of Noël Coward’s Private Lives transferred to the West End, followed by his adaptation and production of Laurie Lee’s Cider with Rosie - at one point Hampstead had two productions running simultaneously in the West End. In that time he also founded the short-lived Stage Two, an adjunct to the Hampstead Theatre conceived as a laboratory for experimental theatre.
Roose-Evans remained at the Hampstead Theatre until 1971, during which time his production of Noël Coward’s Private Lives transferred to the West End, followed by his adaptation and production of Laurie Lee’s Cider with Rosie - at one point Hampstead had two productions running simultaneously in the West End. In that time he also founded the short-lived Stage Two, an adjunct to the Hampstead Theatre conceived as a laboratory for experimental theatre.
Career from 1971
In the following years, Roose-Evans directed a number of commercial productions (including Private Lives with Joanna Lumley and Simon Cadell), an experimental production of Oedipus for the Contemporary Greek Theatre in Athens; as well as his 1973 production of the Chester Mystery Plays which he rehearsed over a period of nine months.
84 Charing Cross Road
In the summer of 1980 Roose-Evans went to teach a practical course in Experimental Theatre in Grand Rapids, Michigan. His assistant there, Susan Kruger, gave him a copy of Helene Hanff’s 84 Charing Cross Road, which he then adapted for the stage. He directed the world premiere at the Salisbury Playhouse in the summer of 1981. It transferred to the West End, winning awards for Rosemary Leach as Best Actress and for Roose-Evans as Best Director. In 1982 he directed an American cast in the play on Broadway, with Ellen Burstyn and Joe Maher in the leading roles, where it won further awards for Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Director and Best Play. James subsequently directed tours of 84, the first with Miriam Karlin as Helene, and thenRula Lenska. In February 2015 his new production of 84 Charing Cross Road opened at Salisbury with Janie Dee as Helene and Clive Francis as Frank Doel.
In the summer of 1980 Roose-Evans went to teach a practical course in Experimental Theatre in Grand Rapids, Michigan. His assistant there, Susan Kruger, gave him a copy of Helene Hanff’s 84 Charing Cross Road, which he then adapted for the stage. He directed the world premiere at the Salisbury Playhouse in the summer of 1981. It transferred to the West End, winning awards for Rosemary Leach as Best Actress and for Roose-Evans as Best Director. In 1982 he directed an American cast in the play on Broadway, with Ellen Burstyn and Joe Maher in the leading roles, where it won further awards for Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Director and Best Play. James subsequently directed tours of 84, the first with Miriam Karlin as Helene, and thenRula Lenska. In February 2015 his new production of 84 Charing Cross Road opened at Salisbury with Janie Dee as Helene and Clive Francis as Frank Doel.
Frontier Theatre Productions
Roose-Evans is now involved in Frontier Theatre Productions, a new theatre company, which provides a platform for actors aged over 60.
Ritual
Roose-Evans has a special interest in ritual, and in the development of rituals for particular situations. His book, Passages of the Soul: Ritual Today, describes his work in this area, and the exercises he has evolved.
Meditation and Spirituality
I
I
n the early 1960s, Roose-Evans presented a series of Epilogues for BBC television on the subject of prayer. He also wrote a weekly column on meditation for the Church Times.
Roose-Evans was brought up an Anglican, but was received into the Roman Catholic Church while in Trieste on army service. He later reverted to Anglicanism and in 1981 he was ordained in Hereford Cathedral as a non-stipendiary priest of the Church of England.
Roose-Evans was brought up an Anglican, but was received into the Roman Catholic Church while in Trieste on army service. He later reverted to Anglicanism and in 1981 he was ordained in Hereford Cathedral as a non-stipendiary priest of the Church of England.
Roose-Evans has practised meditation for more than fifty years. In his first book on the subject, Inner Journey: Outer Journey, Finding a spiritual centre in everyday life, he wrote, ‘The little that I know about prayer has been forged in the fire of practice, against a backdrop of uncertainty, stress, and a lack of security, in a restless and hustling profession. I am not an authority on prayer, if indeed such a thing is possible; but it may be an encouragement to others to know that in such a gypsy existence an inner centre can be found and held.’ His most recent book on meditation is Finding Silence: 52 Meditations for Daily Living. He maintains a blog, entitled The Sound of Silence.
The Bleddfa Centre, in Powys, was founded in 1974 by Roose-Evans and his partner Hywel Jones. The Bleddfa Centre hosts seminars, workshops and retreats, and aims to encourage the exploration of the relationship between art and life, and between the creative and the spiritual.
Journalism
Roose-Evans has contributed articles and reviews to many journals and publications. He was a regular contributor to the BBC’s programme,Kaleidescope, and Woman’s Hour, and for two years contributed a weekly column for Woman magazine, under the heading Something Extra.
Publications
Roose-Evans is the author of seventeen books, including: Directing A Play, with an introduction by Vanessa Redgrave; Experimental Theatre; London Theatre: from the Globe to the National; One Foot on the Stage (the biography of the actor Richard Wilson); Inner Journey: Outer Journey; Passages of the Soul: Ritual Today; Opening Doors and Windows: A Memoir in Four Acts; and Finding Silence: 52 Meditations for Daily Living.
Roose-Evans also edited the letters of Joyce Grenfell to her mother, Darling Ma, as well as her wartime journals, The Time of My Life. In addition he wrote for Maureen Lipman an entertainment about life of Joyce Grenfell entitled Re:Joyce! and directed the first performances. It later played two sell-out seasons in the West End.
Roose-Evans' papers are lodged at the Harry Ransom Center, the University of Texas at Austin.
Roose-Evans also edited the letters of Joyce Grenfell to her mother, Darling Ma, as well as her wartime journals, The Time of My Life. In addition he wrote for Maureen Lipman an entertainment about life of Joyce Grenfell entitled Re:Joyce! and directed the first performances. It later played two sell-out seasons in the West End.
Roose-Evans' papers are lodged at the Harry Ransom Center, the University of Texas at Austin.
Personal life
Roose-Evans has known two major relationships in his life: the first was with the actor David March whom he met as a student in Oxford and with whom he lived until 1960. In 1958 he met the actor, Hywel Jones, who would be his partner for the next 54 years. Jones died in 2013, and Roose-Evans is writing a memoir of their life together.
Roose-Evans has known two major relationships in his life: the first was with the actor David March whom he met as a student in Oxford and with whom he lived until 1960. In 1958 he met the actor, Hywel Jones, who would be his partner for the next 54 years. Jones died in 2013, and Roose-Evans is writing a memoir of their life together.
Well what do you think..........of course there is a rational explanation but then again.......
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