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October 22, 2021

It is only because the persona represents a more or less arbitrary and fortuitous segment of the collective segment of the collective psyche that we can make the mistake of regarding it in toto as something individual. It is, as its name implies, only a mask of the collective psyche, a mask that feigns individuality, making others and oneself believe that one is individual, whereas one is simply acting a role through which the collective psyche speaks.(Jung, Hull, & Jung, 1966), para 245

What a surprise to discover a 5-foot snakeskin in the bushes. I do not know what kind of snake shed its skin. (It may be a black snake which is common in the area.) I do know that is has outgrown this shell of its existence.

I begin to wonder what it means to I find this symbol of transformation. There are two ideas that come to mind. First, the snake has a new skin and subjectively it feels freedom from what no longer suits it. Second, I think about what skin I would like to shed to feel the freedom of a contemporary me.

The image is a bit scary as well as beautiful. There is a blend of terror and hope. It certainly is spooky yet reminds me how it feels to let go of something that no longer suits me. I feel clean and refreshed. I imagine myself stepping out of the “shell” I have been in, and how the dynamics of the world and me would shift. My potential would feel closer to realization. I would be more of who I am without the burden of what no longer fits.

For every occasion, there is an outfit. For a […]

October 9th 2021

The hypothesis of the unconscious puts a large question-mark after the idea of the psyche. The soul, as hitherto postulated by the philosophical intellect and equipped with all the necessary faculties, threatened to emerge from its chrysalis as something with unexpected and uninvestigated properties. It no longer represented anything immediately known, about which nothing more remained to be discovered except a few more or less satisfying definitions. Rather it now appeared in strangely double guise, as both known and unknown.(Jung, 1969, p. p.167 para 356)

The image provides an early morning view of a seed branch as it emerges from the womb of the pod. I visited this spot the evening before, and the pod was completely closed. I was surprised at the amount of growth that happened during the night.

The dynamics remind me of Jung’s ideas of the psyche. The light of the sun shines on the pod as the life of the seed branch begins to emerge from its womb. Some of it can be seen. Some remains hidden. All will be revealed in due time. As the branch matures more, the outer covering falls away so it can fully connect with its source of growth, the sun. The sun gives the proper energy for the seed branch to use for tis development. The branch must do the work of life contained in its genetic code to fully achieve maturity. The environment has the essential ingredients for its proper development.

Your soul is the seed. The branch is your ego consciousness. The night is the unconscious. The Sun is the Spirit which stimulates the seed of the Soul to blossom. The nigh is the womb of the Psyche or the Unconscious where […]

March 14th, 2021
It is therefore of the utmost importance in practical treatment to keep the integrity of the personality constantly in mind. For, if the collective psyche is taken to be the personal possession of the individual, it will result in a distortion or an overloading of the personality which is very difficult to deal with. Hence it is imperative to make a clear distinction between personal contents and those of the collective psyche. (Jung, 1953, p. 154 para 241)

This image helps me see how many world views a person can take and how many different views of us are possible as any given moment. The important factor is having perspective objectively and subjectively.

In midst of the pandemic and global racial fairness movement among other contemporary challenges that face us, we are all in our individual bubble of safety and viewpoints. We tend to look at ourselves, others, world and the future from inside our bubble. However, our bubble is still part of the collective. While it is our personal responsibility to establish a safe and secure bubble for ourselves and our families, we must never forget that we are part of the whole. Our destiny is intertwined with the rest of humanity. If we forget that continuity with the collective, we are merely rearranging the chairs on the deck of the Titanic. We swim or sink together. That the spiritual message of the pandemic and the other global crises. It reminds us of our interdependence, attachments and importance of neighborliness. Most importantly, to attend to the least fortunate amongst us. As Christ succinctly put it,

Matthew 25:40- King James Version (KJV)

“And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, […]

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. […]