About this image – BJ Jakala

The Taj Mahal is a world class example of a tribute to love. Its majestic architecture dominates the moment with beauty. The white marble and semi-precious stones not only provide design from a distance, up close the stone inlay gives a deeper magnificence when it is touched by light.

While walking inside I was captured in a meditative way. My focus, without effort, was the incredible artistry and craftsmanship that lead me to reflect upon divine love; nothing else mattered. I was captured and held by something so impressive words fell out of thought. Images impressed feelings that flowed and stood still at the same time. I was transported and supported to the world that I imagined the Shah Jahan felt for his wife Mumtaz Mahal. The structure is alive and awakens a universal sense of vast and deep love.

About this image – Ashok Bedi

Taj Mahal is a memorial of emperor Shah Jahan to his wife Mumtaz Mahal. It is one of the seven wonders of the world and a glittering memorial of archetype of Eros. Love or Eros comes in many shades. There is a love of a mother, love of a father, of a sibling, friend, country, cause, purpose, art, nature etc. However, at the end all love for the other is a projection of our love for the sacred or the divine. We try to grasp that transcendent connection with the divine via our love for the other. At the end of days, our love must be transferred from the other to the source – the spirit. Hindus call this the merger of the Atman with the Brahman, of soul with the primal spirit. For most of us, the love gets stuck to the middle person, which is the cause of all suffering. We must struggle to free the other from the bonds of our love and let them find their wings. Buddha would call this Detachment; an antidote to attachment- which is the cause of all suffering. Such a detachment is easier said than done. Nevertheless, it remains the goal of all human relationships of those who are conscious of their own depths.

JUNGIAN ENCOUNTER WITH THE SOUL OF INDIAʼS HEARTLAND

Sponsored by the C.G. Jung Foundation of New York; Guest Faculty – Ashok Bedi M.D., Jungian Psychoanalyst

January 31 to February 11, 2016

Ashok Bedi, M.D. & B.J. Jakala, PH.D.

This is the 11th study tour of India to explore the archetypal soul of India from a Jungian, Analytical lens. For the next several days, the faculty member of the group, Jungian Analyst Ashok Bedi and a Depth Psychotherapist Dr. Robert J. Jakala will compose a daily blog of their reflections about the experience. B.J. is the blog photographer and will display a photograph of the day and share personal reflections. Ashok Bedi will amplify the image with an archetypal lens. Share your brief reflections on our blog comment section.

Ashok Bedi, M.D. is a Jungian psychoanalyst and a board certified psychiatrist. He is a member of the Royal College of psychiatrists of Great Britain, a diplomat in Psychological Medicine at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of England, a Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association. He is a Clinical Professor in Psychiatry at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee and a training analyst at the Carl G. Jung Institute of Chicago. He is in private practice in Milwaukee and is the author of several books which may be previewed at his website www.pathtothesoul.com. He is the liaison for the IAAP for developing Jungian training programs in India and travels annually to India to teach, train the consult with the Jungian Developing groups at several centers in India including Ahmedabad and Mumbai.

Robert “BJ” Jakala, PhD is a depth psychotherapist in private practice for twenty-eight years. He is a graduate of Pacifica Graduate Institute in Carpentaria, CA. He is also licensed as a Registered Nurse and has worked at UCLA Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital for thirty-three years. He has taught Stress Management to the Nurse Residents at the UCLA Ronald Regan Medical Center for the last ten years. He may be reached at his website www.secretologist.com