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February 28, 2021
Characteristics of the spiritual attitude include:

…Respect for the unknown. Your soul lives at the boundary between what you know consciously and the unknown precinct where Spirit begins. (Bedi, 2013, p. 81)

When I took a cruise to a part of the world I had never seen, I was excited and curious about the adventure into the unknown. I was on a huge ship with a very reputable company. The food was great, accommodations superb, the passengers were friendly. I did not care what part of the ship I was walking on, I felt secure as we ventured into new lands. I could stand at the front of the ship, even lean over the edge without fear. I trusted I was being guided to explore the unknown.

Let me compare the ship to my ego venturing through life. Like the photograph, there are times that I only feel the outer edge of who I am. The center of my security does not feel accessible. I am exposed to elements and not feeling connected to my known life. I do not want to move forward. I feel vulnerable and lost. I want to retreat but life’s circumstances will not let me.

The challenge for me in those moments is to breathe into another way of knowing. My soulful and spiritual connection are inviting me to remember I am much more than my ego. I have a center (Self) that guides me, even though I may not recognize it. I feel the pull of going inward to the best guide of my life and look for cues as to how to proceed. Then I remember this is a soulful journey that is on its course, and not an […]

February 13th, 2021

There is no position without its negation. In spite or just because of their extreme opposition, neither can exist without the other. It is exactly as formulated in classical Chinese philosophy: yang (the light, warm, dry, masculine principle) contains within it the seed of yin (the dark, cold, moist, feminine principle) and vice versa. Matter therefore would contain the seed of spirit and spirit the seed of matter. (Jung, 1934/1954/1968, p. 109 para 197)

This image is from a Chinese garden which displays the interplay of opposing forces—a doctrine of harmony and balance. As I celebrate the Chinese New Year, my contemporary self feels in touch with their ancient wisdom.

As I look at the image, I find many opposing forces, still, flowing, hard, soft, straight, curved, liquid, solid, light, dark, constructed, natural, air, earth, etc. Internally, I experience beauty and serenity as I resonate with the balance in the photo. Everything seems to be in peaceful harmony. I am grateful to a culture that promotes true wholeness.

My challenge is to allow opposing forces within myself to exist in balance. There are times that I identify with one side and engage resistance against the other, even making the other an enemy to eliminate it. I get caught up trying to have one aspect “win” over the other. Then, in that victory, want that other to no longer exist. This dynamic does not allow inner diversity nor is it real. When I see my inner life like a photograph, I see foreground and background. I can ask myself what is in focus, and what needs be in focus without losing the benefit of the whole picture. I also can ask what is out of focus […]

 January 31, 2021

When, on the other hand, psychic energy regresses, going beyond even the period of early infancy, and breaks into the legacy of ancestral life, the mythological images are awakened: these are the archetypes. (Jung, Jung, & Bollingen Foundation Collection (Library of Congress), 1972, p. 77 para 118)

When I visit cemeteries, I stand in the land of the ancients. I get a feeling of lives lived well before I was born. I step into the time of their lives. I move beyond myself. I move to a world before my existence. At times, I find it hard to imagine what their lives were like and yet I feel I am in familiar territory.

The marker on this grave dominates the scene. The family constructed a gravesite with noticeable symbols for the life buried beneath it. The site captures my imagination with each of them. Those symbols move me into more ancient times where “mythological images are awakened” (Jung, 1972). I wonder if they truly represent the life under it.

I imagine the voice of person under the marker saying, “I am so much more than what you see represented here. There are parts of me I wish they had included in my gravesite.” I also imagine the voice saying, “I wish I had revealed more of who I am.”

The image can be a metaphor for many aspects of life. The above ground marker is my persona, what I show the world. Then, there is what lies beneath, so much more than what I showed the world or what I consciously know. The image also carries symbols of the spirit of life. It reminds me how I am a product of the ancients, their wisdom, their […]

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. […]