I'll be doing a talk entitled 'Hermes, Thoth and Seshat: (Un)Heralded Gods of the Postmodern Transition' for ‘Philosophy in the Library’ (at Central Goldfields Library, Bendigo) on Monday, August 3rd between 5.30-6.30pm. No booking required - free event.

Image: Copyright Ian Irvine, 2015, all rights reserved, of a 'Herm' o display at the Getty Villa, Santa Monica (Los Angeles) - with thanks.   

TOPIC IN DETAIL: "Hermes, Thoth and Seshat: (Un)heralded Gods of the Postmodern Transition", Dr Ian Irvine. 

"Of what relevance are Hermes, Thoth and Seshat, ancient deities presiding over writing, communications, psychological healing, diplomacy, learning, trade, etc., to people living in modern societies? In this talk Ian will outline a neo-Jungian perspective on the influence of these figures in our time. He will argue that changes related to global communication systems, mass transport, economic and cultural globalisation, as well as modern understandings of the self and personal suffering, can be seen as mutations to 'skill areas' formerly associated with these deities. Ian will argue that the ancient figure of Hermes/Mercury, in particular, can be seen as the unacknowledged archetype behind some of the major species changes currently impacting on humanity - for good and ill.