AshokBedi

January 16, 2021

The beginning, where everything is still one, and which therefore appears as the highest goal, lies at the bottom of the sea, in the darkness of the unconscious. (Jung, 1967, p. 23 para 34)

Fourteen years ago, I purchased a statue of Ganesh on a trip to India. When I brought the crate home from the shipyard, I decided to open the wooden box outside my home. I remember talking to him while it was still sealed shut. I told him I was going to be making a lot of noise (opening the box with a hammer) and that when the noise was done, he would have a view of his new home.

As the cover came off and I pulled to wrapping away, I excitedly greeted him into my world. I told him the place for his image to reside would be in my entryway, and that I was going to take him out of the box to carry him inside. As I picked up the statue, a new awakening sparked inside me. I felt obstacles to see myself more clearly had been removed.

I felt an aliveness, the energy of the sound of a drum reverberating from deep within the statue and me. The deep tone anchored the moment yet freed my soul to move out of time and into the unknown world of beginning again.

The idea of projection helps me intellectually appreciate the experience in psychological terms. Ganesh’s ability to remove obstacles and constellate a new beginning was something within me that his image reflects. He is a mirror to remind me of who I am and the abilities I have within me. The idea of it is clear to my thinking […]

January 1, 2021

It has always seemed to me that I had to answer questions which fate had posed to my forefathers and which had not yet been answered, or as if I had to complete, or perhaps continue things which previous ages had left unfinished, (Carl G. Jung, 1961, p. 233)

What fate is posed as the sun rises in the desert? What life will emerge from the darkness of night to harvest the nutrients of the day?

The image of a barren landscape leaves room to cultivate imagination and curiosity of what the day will bring. Then I must ask myself what I bring to it. Just as the rocks are landmarks of history, I have DNA of my forefathers. Just as the sun above the horizon is a marker of the present moment in time, I have this moment to be here and now. Just as the potential of the day is open, I engage the possibilities within me. What I will contribute? What will I harvest from it?

The horizon of a new year Is upon us. It is time to reflect, be present, and imaginative of how I hold the future.

We hear often about staying in the Present – the power of Now. What does that mean. What is Now? Is it I in this physical space? Is it “I” in this space? Is it I in this space at this time? What are the dimensions of this I, this place, this space at this time? If we ponder this image, the answers seem simple initially, but if we stay in the Now, it becomes complicated? Let us try to explore.

Do I exist in the Now only in the physical space I can […]

Honey – The Elixir and a Poison
In the Eye of the Storm
An individual response to the Global Crisis
ISSN 1939-3407
 
April 5, 2020
Ashok Bedi, M.D., Jungian Psychoanalyst
www.pathtotheosoul.com
www.tulawellnessllc.com
Robert BJ Jakala PH.D., Jungian Psychotherapist
In a storm, the safest place is in the eye of the storm. My colleague BJ and I will share our daily reflections on this centering process from an Analytical perspective, sharing from the repertoire of our personal and professional experience. BJ is a psychologist and a photographer and will pick and image of the day that catches him in this collective crisis. I will amplify it from a Jungian Analytical perspective. We hope that this may offer you a baby step on the path to your own unique response to this chaos.

With the honey the pleasure of the senses and the joy of life went into the mixture, as well as the secret fear of the “poison,” the deadly danger of worldly entanglements.(Jung, 1970, p. 493)

The drop of honey is about to return to the jar, but in this moment, it is noticeably separate. The unusual design of the spoon is functional for just such an occasion. It is used like a regular spoon to scoop things our of a jar, but then rests in a way that facilitates conservation. The spoon is placed in position so there is little or no waste of honey.
The image reminds me how important the right tool at the right moment is in life. We have been asked to follow medical guidelines, based on research, to protect our health. One of those guidelines is to wear a mask to help prevent the spray of droplets during conversation. We are not used to seeing people wearing masks in public. […]