March 7th, 2021
The buds and the little white flowers suggest the coming of spring, when the great tree, whose age far exceeds the span of human existence, will awaken to new life. (Jung, 1967, p. 254 para 306)
The spring bud has an alien quality about it. It fascinates me that this misshapen, hairy, multicolored entity can develop into leaves. The knowledge of what it will become is available to it as it grows. As far as I know there is no comparison to others, no rules to follow except develop a natural course. Of course, there are elements that influence its ability to grow like sunlight, hydration, temperature, etc., but it just becomes itself.
An important factor in the growth of this bud is the life of the tree that nurtures it. The tree is the source from the earth, and sunlight a source from above.
This spring is unlike any other to me as a human. My social climate is not what I have known. The pandemic, political uncertainly, financial struggles, etc. are all factors that can distract me from my deep listening into who I am. So, my task in this season of renewal is to be the best of who I am and who I am meant to be. Just as the bud does not reveal the fullness of its life in the photo, the me I see now is not my wholeness. When I remember my life is supported, encouraged, and nourished from matter but also from spiritual forces I have a greater chance of fulfilling my soul’s quest in this current social climate.
For a bud to blossom into leaves and flowers, it needs support of the tree and its roots in the mother Earth. It needs rain and sunshine from the father sky. Every soul to blossom into its full potential needs the energy and nurturance of a mother and a father. But not everyone is blessed. There are millions of orphan children and refugees in our world. Some of us have functionally unavailable parents. In my personal and clinical experience, each one of us has major deficits in our parental matrix. This is the reality of the human condition. So, what is the solution to this human dilemma of deficient parents?
Fortunately for us, we have two sets of parents: our biological parents and our archetypal parents. Each one of us carries the ancestral memory of our parental lineage going back at least 2 million years. (Stevens, 1993) We are able to access the memory of our archetypal parents stored in the Limbic system of our brain via prayer, contemplation, dreams, imagination and self-reflection.(Bedi, 2013; MacLean, 1990)
Each one of us has the prerogative to access the algorithm of our archetypal parents and put them into play by self-parenting. We must become our own parents and nurture our personal best potentials and put these into the “Service” of our family, community and higher calling. That is the “Way”.
Sara was adopted from an orphanage by her adoptive parents. Upon their passing, she got curious about her biological parents. She was able to trace her mother, who refused to connect with her so as not to jeopardize her fragile marriage. Then Sara had a dream:
I am a 12-year-old girl. I am helping Rev. Father Mackenzie prepare for the Festival of Mary on August 15th. I feel joyous.
Abandoned by her adoptive parents and biological mother, the archetypal great mother – Virgin Mary appeared in her dream to reassure her that while she felt orphaned, she was not abandoned by the great mother. Sara saw this as a symbol of the great mother indicating to her that our well being does not depend upon the generosity of parents but comes from the grace of God.
Points to Ponder:
- What is unlived within me?
- How can I encourage unlived parts to move into my life?
- What do I see as my source?
- What is your experience of your personal parents?
- Did you have both your biological parents available growing up?
- If your biological parents were available, did you experience them as optimal or deficient in providing a good enough parenting?
- Are you able to access the guidance of your mother and father archetypes via your inner work?
- Do you have a framework for inner work to access the mystery and the guidance of the archetypes and the unconscious?
- Are you able to cobble together a self-parenting, self-care matrix?
- Do you think and feel that you are a good enough parent to yourself?
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.
Jung, C. G. (1967). Alchemical studies (Vol. 13). Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press.
MacLean, P. D. (1990). The Triune Brain in Evolution: Role in Paleocerebral Functions: Springer Publications.
Stevens, A. (1993). The two million-year-old self. College Station: Texas A&M University Press.
Ashok Bedi, M.D., Jungian Psychoanalyst, www.pathtothesoul.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 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
