Thank You Steve & Pauline Richards | Jung to Live By

The iconic quote, "to boldly go where no man has gone before," is from the opening monologue of the original Star Trek television series. It describes the Starship Enterprise's five-year mission to explore space and seek out new life.

Dear Steve and Pauline,

I want to take a moment to put into words what has been resting in my heart for years: my deep gratitude for you both, for your compassion, and for the life-changing work you have given to the world.

“Where is the highest level of conversation happening just past the fringes of what is commonly known?” This has always been my framework for responding to my inner desires and inspirations.

Just before COVID, when I first encountered your work through your channel Jung to Live By and then Psycho-Systems Analysis, I was searching desperately for “Where is the highest level of conversation happening just past the fringes of what is commonly known?” This has always been my framework for responding to my inner desires and inspirations. It allows me to move quickly and expand without the unnecessary ungroundedness that is common with heuristic learning such as mine.

I didn’t have a strong enough ego container to hold me in time and space while traveling through the vastness of the endless branchings emanating from the cosmic, extra-dimensional, and superpositioned web.

I had been asking questions that felt far too big to answer alone. This was a genomic necessity, an overwhelming analogous webbing that I was always trying to grasp. During my first 40 years of life, this genomic potential (“calling”) fragmented me, because I didn’t have a strong enough ego container to hold me in time and space while traveling through the vastness of the endless branchings emanating from the cosmic, extra-dimensional, and superpositioned web.

I struggled with the maddening and irresistible challenge of putting God-given insights and visions into a coherent form.

At the time, I was wrestling with the psychological significance of how creating my autobiography was helping me heal, and with my ideas about how the deeper role of instincts shapes our limited egoic thinking. I was inspired by James Hillman’s ideas of consciousness and by Konrad Lorenz, the "father of ethology," particularly his work The Ring of Solomon. Alongside these influences, I struggled with the maddening and irresistible challenge of putting God-given insights and visions into a coherent form.

In one search I discovered a couple who were not only speaking about these separate fields in the same breath but doing so with clarity, depth, and compassion.

For years I felt like I was reinventing the wheel, stumbling through a jumble of ideas and inspirations without language or structure. Then I found you. In one search I discovered a couple who were not only speaking about these separate fields in the same breath but doing so with clarity, depth, and compassion.

You had already gone ahead on the path I was trying to navigate for myself. In finding you I found a sense of relief that is hard to describe.

Your work saved me decades of wandering in labyrinthine circles, banging my head against the walls of false mazes, and enduring the existential madness of walking the void alone. More than that, it gave me validation. The things I had carried inside me my whole life were not the meaningless clutter of a madman, scattered beyond repair. You gave me a framework, a language, and a hope that what I had been struggling with could be understood, shared, and built upon.

I have only spoken to you twice over Zoom, yet those conversations left a lasting imprint. In those moments I felt respected, seen, and understood. That kind of compassion is rare. It is the heartbeat of why I hold you both in such high regard.

I feel like I have joined a conversation you began long before me, one that honors instincts, autobiography, and the profound psychological depth of being human.

My own work is now rooted in the soil you prepared. I do not feel like I am alone, reinventing everything from scratch. Instead, I feel like I have joined a conversation you began long before me, one that honors instincts, autobiography, and the profound psychological depth of being human.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your generosity in sharing your wisdom, for the courage to pioneer where few fear to tread, and for the compassion with which you continue to guide others. Your influence is woven as a golden thread into my life and work, and for that I will always be grateful.

With deep respect and gratitude,

Michael C. Walker

Thank You Steve & Pauline Richard FAQ

• Who are Steve and Pauline Richards?

  
  

  Steve and Pauline Richards are the creators of Psycho-Systems Analysis and the YouTube channel Jung to Live By, exploring deep psychological insights.

  
  

• What is Psycho-Systems Analysis?

  
  

  It’s a framework developed by Steve and Pauline for understanding psychological patterns, instincts, and the unconscious, helping individuals integrate insight and meaning.

  
  

• How did their work influence Michael C. Walker?

  
  

  Their clarity, depth, and compassion provided validation and structure for Michael’s lifelong ideas and inspired his creation of Integrative Self-Analysis (ISA).

• How do instincts play a role in ISA?

  
  

  Instincts are the foundation of human consciousness, guiding behaviors, emotions, and thought patterns, and ISA helps individuals reconnect with this primal wisdom.

• Why is autobiography important in healing?

  
  

  Creating one’s autobiography translates instinctual and emotional experiences into coherent narratives, facilitating understanding, integration, and personal growth.

  
  

• How does ISA differ from traditional therapy?

  
  

  Unlike CBT, which often focuses on surface-level thoughts, ISA works at neuropsychological, somatic, instinctual, and spiritual layers for deep, lasting transformation.

  
  

• Can I use ISA for dreams and symbolic insights?

Yes, ISA emphasizes dream imagery and symbolic narratives to decode emotional and instinctual messages, integrating them into daily life.

• What makes Steve and Pauline’s work unique?

Their work combines Jungian depth psychology, instinctual analysis, and compassionate guidance, offering a structured framework for complex human experiences.