January 22, 2021
The artist does not follow an individual impulse, but rather a current of collective life which arises not directly from consciousness but from the collective unconscious of the modern psyche. (Jung, 1966, p. 117 para 174)
I think of the number of hours it took the sculptor to make this giant lion on the beach. There are so many grains of sand held together with a blend of water and the forces of gravity. It is a blend of ancient, contemporary, and imaginal shapes that create a style of artistry. It is recognizable and seems to come from another dimension of reality.
The sculpture rests on a bed of sand near the ocean. When the tide comes in, all the work will wash back into the sandy beach—without a trace—other than those who remember the spirit/place of the lion sculpture.
I feel the parallel between the sculpture and my life at times. There are forces at work that shape me, seen and unseen. The big difference is that I have influence on how I take shape. I can encourage or resist aspects of life: some consciously, some unconsciously. The sculpture of my life has personal and collective elements to engage wholeness, the journey of individuation.
Everything we undertake, create and propagate has two vectors: our personal conscious intention and our life as a channel for the work for the universe. While consciously we think that we are exercising our will, unconsciously – we are a conduit for the will of the universe. Perhaps this unconscious process to implement the plan of the universe, the Brahman consciousness is a more powerful force that our consciousness, especially in creative, artistic individuals. These are the old souls. They lead a spiritually purposeful life. Hindus believe that the source of the intelligence of the universe is the Brahman. Christians call this the Holy Spirit. Philosophers call it the Pleroma. Neuroscientists call it the Quantum consciousness.(Bedi, 2013)
When we consciously acknowledge this deeper consciousness, we live from the source rather that than the surface. We then get the tailwinds of the gods. We live in alignment with the flow of the universe. Here is a quote from the Kena Upanishad that embodies this awareness.
The light of the Brahman flashes in the lightning.
The light of Brahman flashes in our eyes.
It is the power of Brahman that makes,
The mind to think, desire and will. Therefore
Use this power to meditate on Brahman.
The Kena Upanishad, Chapter 4, para 4-6
(Eknath & Nagler, 1988)
Points to Ponder:
- How have you shaped your life?
- How has your life been shaped by other forces?
- How do you engage flexibility when life gives you unforeseen circumstances?
- What motivates you to show or conceal who you are?
- In your life choices, do you primarily follow your will or factor in your intuitions, your hunches, the guidance of your dreams and synchronistic events?
- Do you doggedly pursue your will power or are you amenable to input from other mysterious sources that intersect your life?
- Do you undertake projects that may not primarily be beneficial to you but may have a helpful impact on others?
- Are you open to the greater forces working through you?
- Do you believe that when all is said and done, life and its trajectory essentially remain a mystery?
- How does it feel when you yield to this incomprehensible mystery?
- What patterns have your dance with life created? Do they look like a lion, lamb or something unique to you?
- Give your life patterns a form, shape, a name.
- How do you live out the energy and the purpose of this pattern, form, mysterious being?
Bedi, A. (2013). Crossing the healing zone : from illness to wellness. Lake Worth, FL, Newburyport, MA: Ibis Press, a division of Nicolas-Hays, Inc.,Lake Worth, Distributed to the trade by Red Wheel/Weiser.
Eknath, E., & Nagler, M. N. (1988). The Upanishads. London: Arkana, page 217
Jung, C. G. (1966). The spirit in man, art, and literature (Vol. 15). London,: Routledge & K. Paul.
Ashok Bedi, M.D., Jungian Psychoanalyst,
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 an 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.
© Ashok Bedi, M.D. and Robert BJ Jakala, PH. D
