About this image – BJ Jakala

A feeling of deep meditation and prayer dominates the moment. At first, I am lost to the surroundings of the mihrab and mosque as I witness a man in contact with his soul and source. The reflective stillness emanates a gentle peacefulness and deep connection to the eternal. I am filled with a sense of humility and wonder of how many knees have been placed on the floor over the past four to five hundred years.

As I notice the man’s shadow, and imagine he is unaware of it as he prays. It is as though there are two who are praying. I am curious about the prayers of the shadow.

The window on the far left is radiant and is a source of light. I imagine that just beyond the wall the man faces is the source he seeks. Yet, the wall itself is ornamented with beauty of its own. It acts as a barrier and as a facilitator of the creative artistry of a divine source. It holds him in place and enables the connection he desires.

About this image – Ashok Bedi

A prayer is communication with the divine. We pray through our consciousness. However, it the presence of the sacred, not just our light but our shadow is also present. Those who are connected with the sense of the sacred unwittingly put their shadow in service of the divine along with their light. The totality of the psyche is in communion with the sacred. Often it is not via our light but through the shadow that we serve the sacred. When we put our light and potential in service of the society we do good work like a doctor treating his patients, a mother raising her children, a teacher tending to her students. However, when our shadow is recruited in service of the world, we do our greatest work. This archetypal theme is well illustrated in the conversion of Saint Paul who was transformed from the persecutor of early Christians to their Apostle. In India, king Ashok was transformed from the cruelest of her kings to the beacon of nonviolence and public service. To reach our higher potential, each one of us needs this experience of conversion of our shadow into our brighter light. In my psychotherapy work with my patients I often encounter this conversion in Narcissistic individuals who transform their narcissism into altruistic service of their communities. They still have a narcissistic core, but this is put in service of others rather than self-aggrandizement. For example, when a self-centered physician became deeply involved in his work with a free clinic initially to look good but eventually to do great work to serve. When our shadow prays we do our deepest service.

JUNGIAN ENCOUNTER WITH THE SOUL OF INDIAʼS HEARTLAND

Sponsored by the C.G. Jung Foundation of New York; Guest Faculty – Ashok Bedi M.D., Jungian Psychoanalyst

January 31 to February 11, 2016

Ashok Bedi, M.D. & B.J. Jakala, PH.D.

This is the 11th study tour of India to explore the archetypal soul of India from a Jungian, Analytical lens. For the next several days, the faculty member of the group, Jungian Analyst Ashok Bedi and a Depth Psychotherapist Dr. Robert J. Jakala will compose a daily blog of their reflections about the experience. B.J. is the blog photographer and will display a photograph of the day and share personal reflections. Ashok Bedi will amplify the image with an archetypal lens. Share your brief reflections on our blog comment section.

Ashok Bedi, M.D. is a Jungian psychoanalyst and a board certified psychiatrist. He is a member of the Royal College of psychiatrists of Great Britain, a diplomat in Psychological Medicine at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of England, a Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association. He is a Clinical Professor in Psychiatry at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee and a training analyst at the Carl G. Jung Institute of Chicago. He is in private practice in Milwaukee and is the author of several books which may be previewed at his website www.pathtothesoul.com. He is the liaison for the IAAP for developing Jungian training programs in India and travels annually to India to teach, train the consult with the Jungian Developing groups at several centers in India including Ahmedabad and Mumbai.

Robert “BJ” Jakala, PhD is a depth psychotherapist in private practice for twenty-eight years. He is a graduate of Pacifica Graduate Institute in Carpentaria, CA. He is also licensed as a Registered Nurse and has worked at UCLA Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital for thirty-three years. He has taught Stress Management to the Nurse Residents at the UCLA Ronald Regan Medical Center for the last ten years. He may be reached at his website www.secretologist.com