Jungian Archetypal Psychology Made Easy

Part I

Jungian Archetypal Psychology: Process of the Soul

Carl Jung believed that modern humanity suffers from a disconnection from Soul.  He said, “That is because most people find it quite beyond them to live on close terms with the unconscious.” He defines unconscious as the aspect of the personality that is hidden from the conscious, waking mind.  Dreams, fantasies, hidden desires and agendas belong to the unconscious realm.  Jolande Jacobi says, “The ability or inability, rooted in the psyche structure of the individual, to find access to symbols, is one of the reasons Jung’s method of deciphering dreams according to their symbolic content is difficult for many to follow.  For too many individuals are cut off from the figurative language of their psyche, and these are precisely the highly civilized, the intellectuals.  They no longer are capable of grasping anything more than the outward façade, the semiotic aspect of symbol”

Not only are we disconnected from our unconscious; we are also basically disconnected from our bodies, our sexuality, and the Earth.  The majority of humanity lives in cities where we walk on concrete.  Our air, water, and land are becoming increasingly polluted.  We have lost the ability to be intimately attuned to the cycles of Earth, the rising and setting of the Sun, the changing of the seasons in the manner that our ancestors acknowledged it.  Their survival was based on an intimate connection with Earth in order to produce food, shelter, clothing, and to nurture their psyches.  

Our ancestors were aware that they were somehow connected to the cycles of the universe and so sought to understand this in order to understand themselves.  They used astrology for mapping the stars and the effects on the human psyche.  The ancient Hebrews predicted the coming of the Christ child ages before hand using their knowledge of the stars.  For them, the conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter in a certain pattern, portended a new age and a new messiah  Stonehenge and many of the pyramids were placed in such a manner that created alignments with the equinoxes, the solstices, the rising and setting of planets and the moon.

Throughout history, different philosophical and religious systems have separated the mind from the body.  The idea is that there is a “better world beyond this one”.  Some traditions encouraged the neglect of the body by not feeding or bathing it.  The most extreme form would be the suicide bomber, giving up one’s life in hopes of a better life beyond.  Indigenous people realized the connection between the body, mind and spirit and recognized the importance of treating every aspect for optimum health. Today’s Holistic Health movement is attempting to bring together these aspects and treat the whole person.  Also preventive medicine recognizes the benefits of exercise, nutrition, and the appropriate expression of anger and all emotions for optimum health and in reducing the risk of high blood pressure.