This is a public statement on the murder-suicide of Dr. Robert Moore and his wife Dr. Margaret Shanahan.
And here’s the blessing that Dr. Moore sent me back in the days:
Eivind,
Thank you for your interest in my work.
KWML is helpful for understanding the depth dimension of cinema and other forms of culture. I appreciate your work on this. Perhaps we can link our websites. Perhaps you could invite others to contribute essays/reviews using kwml.
You might sponsor a chat room on this topic to give folk a chance to practice applying their insights on movies and other cultural forms. They do not all have to be “correct” or agree with each other, but practice will deepen their understanding and the discussion would aid everyone.
All i ask is that you acknowledge me as the person who decoded the structures of the archetypal self including the archetypal codes of the masculine and feminine psyche; creator of the KWML system of thought and that you refer/link to our website for the materials that folk need to study to improve their competence in interpretation of culture and personality using my work.
I will copy my webmaster and colleague christopher preissing on this. You can be in touch with him to discuss details of our cooperation going forward on furthering the use of this material more widely.
Thank you again for your work in applying my thought and aiding others in understanding how to use it.
Robert Moore
It was the first and last I heard from him. Perhaps he was already starting to succumb to vascular dementia. In any case, I’m thankful to have received these words as we carry his torch forwards.
I honor your memory, Dr. Robert Moore.
Eivind
Elvind, I had the privilege of being Dr.Moore’s student between 2003-2006. I share your sentiment. Bless you, dear soul. tragedy will not have the last word. The light of his life’s work shines now eternal, and pierces every darkness – even thie horror. You hold the light of this torch, now. Carry on, young man. Through your work and that of so many others, this story will be redeemed. He would be proud of you – I know it. Grace, peace, and much love.
Thank you, Susan. Yes without question, we hold the light of this torch and will carry it forward to a new generation and a wider audience. That’s why we are here. It’s happening and it’s beautiful.
I was friends with both Margaret and Robert. I met Robert when I was a seminary student back in the 1980’s, and Margaret and I became friends in the mid-90’s. We shared Sunday brunches at their kitchen table. We went to theatre and films together. I house sat for them when they’d go out of town. I was also shocked and dismayed by Robert’s final actions. Ironic that someone so invested in exposing the destructiveness of narcissism and grandiosity would succumb to the temptation to do such a heinous, grandiose and narcissistic act as murder, and then suicide himself. When Robert met Margaret, he described her glowingly as “a gazelle”. He loved her very, very much. She was creative, hilarious, and also very gifted in her own right. The home they created together was a showplace. Margaret designed much of it, even designing the woodwork and the leaded glass and stained glass windows. Their back yard garden was a paradise. I passed several Christmas Eves with them and a small band of singles they adopted for the holiday. We had some wonderful times. But they were very complicated people, and I sometimes left their presence feeling unsettled. For a variety of reasons–none of them in any way related to any potential for violence–I distanced myself from them about ten years ago. When I heard the news, I was stunned. My heart goes out to their remaining family and all who knew and loved them. Continue your work. Now more than ever. The world needs healthy, grounded men.
Fantastic to get such a detailed account of their lives from someone who was close to them, Kate. Thank you for contributing.
Yes, now more than ever… :)
Onwards!
please email me at [email protected]
I met Margaret and Robert three years ago as I was hired to remodel areas of their beautiful home in Hyde Park south side of Chicago.
I worked for many months and in the lapse of two years until December of 2014. I did notice that Robert would get ill and be in the hospital as Margaret would postpone some of the work. She took great care of him as he returned home. They had entrusted their house to me to House-sit during vacations and the trip to Cleveland.
We had a few talks in the mornings about many things related to the remodeling work but also of Roberts health and there was no mentioned of vascular dementia, although his heart was the main problem. She changed Roberts diet and he got back to work with clients and started going out for walks.
I will remember his way of ending his sessions with clients, he would walked them to the door and gave a long hug saying “many blessings” . Margaret had a full smile all the time and she would share food and advise… They were nice people that will be missed. I know that the Robert I knew didn’t do it. So his legacy would stand clean as a very professional person.
Many blessings.
Thank you for sharing and for offering addition information, Rudy. Your account touches me.
I knew Margaret In her youth of high school. We both were cheerleaders and came from large Catholic families. We did not meet at the high school reunions at the same time but others tell me that Margie appeared happy and non- assuming for as gifted and prominent as she was in her career.
But why the lack of transparency in follow up information on this tragedy? It would help us all to better understand this loss. There was no information on burial or funeral arrangements and no final obituary for Dr Shanahan. She comes from a large family and yet there is no final honor to her from her family. I wish to send condolences to them but not sure how to interpret the silence of 6 siblings.
I was very surprised when I saw your email about what happened with Dr Moore and his wife.
I guess this event is not something to try to understand with our minds, but with a compassionate heart, as horrendous it might look like, and mostly because of dr Moore’s work.
After all, we are all humans, and Dr Moore was one, too.
Every healer, every spiritual person, every ‘aware’ person, followed that path for a reason, which might be related with something they recognize as undesirable in themselves and so they work, investigate, meditate, connect with their body, etc, etc, in order to transmute that energy.
As much light (in a person, in society – all levels), much darkness. I think that this event is crucial in order to see how we, as humans, are so apparently incoherent, and the absolute need to not only talking the talk, but WALKING THE TALK, which includes being very aware of our shadow. Dr Moore killed his wife acting from an unbalanced archetype.
But yes, he did kill her. That doesn’t invalidate his work. The fact itself is asking each and everyone of us to be very aware of both our light part, and shadow part.
Keep on the good work, Eivind!
“A Master’s Teaching in Disguise” is my recent article on Dr. Moore. If you all have any of your own articles on his passing, I would be happy to link them up. http://shadowtechbook.com/2016/08/a-masters-teaching-in-disguise/ There’s also a Facebook version here:. https://www.facebook.com/notes/colin-e-davis/a-masters-teaching-in-disguise/1071689812949820
Like all of the commenters on this site, I, too, was stunned to learn of this tragedy. I knew and know Robert Moore from both his books and listening to his talks at several Men’s Gatherings in Mentone Alabama in the early 2000’s – weekends with Robert Bly and John Lee and Martin Prectel – wonderful teachers all. Robert would caution us about the “wolf circling us just outside the fire” and that we always had to be vigilant to keep the wolf at bay and to keep those fires (our lives) burning. All of us have some pathology within us, some more than others. That pathology can be used to not only hurt ourselves but others as well. We apparently will never know if Robert’s illness was the cause of his tragic act. But he gave us hints in his works as to the power of the dragon, the shadow, the darkness of patholgoies. KWML has had a profound influence on me and as a result, those in my life, most preciously, my children. The work that Robert and Doug Gillete did in creating KWML is so informative and full of deep knowledge that we must continue to push it out there in this age of “monster boys” and potentially “monster girls”. The mature masculine and feminine needs our support now more than ever.
Couldn’t agree more, Steve.
I have one of Moores books KWML and over the last 2 years was highly influenced by his teaching. It is today really when I learned about his death and tragic circumstances around it happened and uff I do not know what to say. I do not get it do not understand it.
Rgds
Karol
Well, it would seem from the latest reports that we haven’t heard the whole story yet.
Maybe the new information will eventually become public.
Though I don’t feel good about sharing what I have heard, as the information has not been confirmed.
Thanks for this discussion. It answers some questions I raised at the last MMC.
I had maybe five or six therapy sessions with him over skype from Los Angeles, he took notes and was very pragmatic and kind but I was n’t able to continue working with him. I googled him about 6 months ago and I saw the story. I was very sad to learn of the manner of his passing.
Rest In Peace – Robert Moore
I am the niece of Robert L. Moore (Uncle Bob). I just saw your comments. You can contact me if you like. I would be more than happy to give you the details of his passing especially since the forensics report contradicts what the newspaper/social media wrote.
Marina
[email protected]
I think we may have a clue on this tragedy thru the works of Dr David Hawkins.
He says something about an equal and opposite force. A man such as Moore with such great wisdom had met is equal and opposite match of a mentally debilitating disease / moment and it took over him.
I apologize that I’m not able to share which one of Hawkins’ videos this was in. But Hawkins’ theory makes sense to me and I think it applies here in the case of Moore.
A great man has fallen. But his wisdom remains as a beacon for the rest of us.
Why has no one noticed Marina Weems’ comment? She was the niece of Robert Moore. She has important information to share… Let’s pick it up! Get the conversation going
I’m so shocked. I’ve recently discovered Robert Moore’s work via his recordings at the Chicago jungian institute. Wow! Totally bewildered right now. I’m wondering how his teachings and students have been impacted by this. I found this news while searching for others following his neo jungian view and doingnintegrative work with the structural Organization of the psyche.
I am a Black American, retired pastor. Bob and I were friends in seminary at Perkins School of Theology during the mid 60s. In the late 70s we reconnected in Chicago where I met Margaret and had Bob as a professor at Chicago Theological Seminary. I was shocked and saddened to hear of their demise and its’ circumstances. What a tragedy! I will always remember their kindness and Bob’s interest in my well-being.
I found Bob’s work on the masculine archetypes fascinating to ponder and helpful in informal counseling with homeless men. Thank you for advancing this important work. Its’ relevance is highlighted by the challenges confronting our nation today.
The nieces of Robert said the media is not telling the truth about what the forensics found.
I sensed that this was foul play when I heard about it. There are those whom wish to suppress this occult type knowledge that Robert made so digestible and available to the layman.
I am honored to have found Robert Moores work and echo the shock and sentiment of tragedy. I am thankful so many good people have relfected on what he has brought to the practice of psychotherapy and know my life is changed – incredibly – for the better. I am thankful his words continue to echo within the halls of human consciousness. I have needed his work all my life and I am so thankful that his teachings are accessable through MMC and other sources. I am also thankful to read all the words here, as my grief today had no place to feel known. Without them having been deeply touched, how could I begin to untangle this grief with others.
Thank you.
Blessed be.
I just became aware today after checking YouTube for possible content by Robert.
I am shocked, perplexed.
I worked with Robert many years ago in the 90’s. Rather, he worked with me. What I learned was invaluable to me in my journey. I’m grieving.
I do wonder if there might be someone I can correspond with from time to time about men’s support events, Robert’s masculine psyche (Archetypes) model, Jungian psychology, etc.,
Thank you for creating this page and video. Thank you all for sharing.
My email [email protected]
Blessing to you all in the wake of such a loss