Jung (In The Weeds): Part Three

Do you have a conversation topic that doesn't seem to fit any of the other conversations? Here is where we discuss ANYTHING about Joseph Campbell, comparative mythology, and more!

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JamesN.
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Re: Memory and Meaning

Post by JamesN. »

I said:
This part in particular seems to point out an element worth paying attention to:

From your quote:

( So when uncovering your "personal myth or story," consider what archetypal themes have emerged for you during the course of your lifetime, because each will have shaped where you find yourself in the here-and-now as well as offering clues as to where you might head next. As Jung said, "Anything psychic is Janus-faced: it looks both backwards and forwards. Because it is evolving, it is also preparing the future." )

( Cindy in reference to my last post check this out although I pretty sure you have already viewed this particular video at some point in your past. )


After spending the better part of several hours researching " Jung and Janus-face " on the web I came across this wonderful video interview of Carl Jung from 1959 and at the 28 minute mark Jung almost word for word references some of this same idea you mention above even including his own psychological types including thinking, intuition, and feeling; ( although maybe stating them somewhat a little differently ); and says this psychological point of view " changes " ( or " evolves " if you will; and " is not static " ); through the different life stages. And even though he does not specifically say the term " Janus-face " it seems to me from what you were saying this is indeed what he is talking about. ( Even though this interview covered a wide range of topics that 60 second portion was really illuminating to hear right from the horses mouth. This was very cool! )

http://www.openculture.com/2012/07/face ... _life.html

I know you have been busy and haven't had a chance to post much; but I thought this was so interesting to come across that I wanted to put it up for you to have a look at when you get to it.


Cheers :)
What do I know? - Michael de Montaigne

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Post by Cindy B. »

Once again, James, please know that I've not forgotten you. While it's true that nothing in the psyche is ever static, recently my psychic functioning has returned to the slo-mo speed. :P Anyway, offline I'm finishing up a reply to you about memory and meaning, and I hope to post tomorrow. Neither have I forgotten about the other issues that we've been discussing.

Take care, amico! :)


P.S. Here's an article from The Jung Page that I recently stumbled across in my bookmarks to add to your reading list: Introduction to Jung's Psychology

P.P.S. I just noticed your above post. I had a JCF reply box opened for several hours today that I intended for you, so I wasn't aware that you'd posted again before me. Oops. Anyway, you will find a "Cindy version" to come that does echo some of Jung's insights that you just mentioned. I'm so very glad, though, that you heard from Jung himself. 8) (And just in case you're unfamiliar with these terms as Jung used in this video, alienist was a very early term for "psychiatrist" derived from the French word for "insane," and dominants was Jung's early term for "archetypes.")
Last edited by Cindy B. on Mon Oct 13, 2014 4:09 am, edited 1 time in total.
If the path before you is clear, you’re probably on someone else’s. --Jung

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Re: Memory and Meaning

Post by Cindy B. »

Hey again, James.

Regarding memory, note that conscious reflection upon easily recalled memories is just one part of the integration process albeit a salient part. The psychic reservoir, so to speak, of memory is the personal unconscious, and this includes those memories easily available to conscious recall, yet more importantly for the individuation process, those memories willingly suppressed (i.e., willingly ignored and forgotten) given the associated emotional component that's anxiety-provoking or depressive, or unconsciously repressed given the associated emotional component that's highly painful in some way if the memory were touched upon. So it's important that during periods of self-reflection or considering dream elements, take special note of any uncomfortable emotion that arises, and rather than pushing aside those feelings and related thoughts, instead try to hold onto any associated memories for exploration and subsequent conscious validation and eventual integration. If, though, you chance upon some memory and associated emotion that presents as particularly fearful or seems potentially overwhelming, stop! In this case you've likely hit upon a repressed memory of significant trauma in your past, and it's imperative that you work through the situation with a mental health professional.

Remember, “Emotion is the chief source of all becoming conscious.” --Jung

As for meaning and Jung having said, "Anything psychic is Janus-faced: it looks both backwards and forwards. Because it is evolving, it is also preparing the future," keep in mind my mentioning before that nothing in the psyche is ever static, and that the developmental individuation process (i.e., journey toward wholeness as organized by Self) proceeds with or without our conscious help until our last day. And no doubt what I'm about to add regarding memories and their meanings will seem obvious once I say it...

Let’s assume, for example, that during your periods of self-reflection, you willingly explore troublesome memories regarding your relationship with Mom. Early on this conscious, retrospective (backward-looking) process presents as an orderly personal narrative that frames this remembered relationship as if established truth; this is because you’ve lived with these emotional memories and assigned meanings since your youngest days, and they still influence your perceptions and life choices now. Yet the more often that you choose to reflect upon this narrative of your past and any negative emotion-laden memories, eventually you can’t help but come to recognize how that narrative and its overall meaning is changing in a healing direction, because now it’s the more mature and life-experienced James who’s focused on personal growth and self-awareness, and who also has opened himself up to embracing processes and contents of the unconscious, e.g., any newly uncovered memories and unconscious dream elements. The result is an evolving change in conscious attitude, a more here-and-now, positive, and freer one that leads you to eventually reframe the overall meaning and implication of your past relationship with Mom, and including your re-evaluation and understanding of both her and yourself as individuals then and now. Sometimes this attitude change can even present as a spontaneous “aha!” moment of insight given that the unconscious is always at work and creatively forward-looking (prospective) given the nature of the individuation process and Self. And whether reflecting upon relationships or some other personal scenario that has seemed to leave you hindered by the past, once the new attitude is consciously validated and integrated into your changing life story with its potential new ways of living, you’ll find yourself more hopeful and energized to keep moving forward, because no longer is so much psychic energy being devoted to reliving then again suppressing past troublesome memories, emotions, and imparted meanings. You—James as ego—will feel freer to choose, to be, and to have trust in your innate Self. (Recall the ego-Self axis here and its inherent reciprocity.)

Ciao!
If the path before you is clear, you’re probably on someone else’s. --Jung

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Post by JamesN. »

Cindy said:
Regarding memory, note that conscious reflection upon easily recalled memories is just one part of the integration process albeit a salient part. The psychic reservoir, so to speak, of memory is the personal unconscious, and this includes those memories easily available to conscious recall, yet more importantly for the individuation process, those memories willingly suppressed (i.e., willingly ignored and forgotten) given the associated emotional component that's anxiety-provoking or depressive, or unconsciously repressed given the associated emotional component that's highly painful in some way if the memory were touched upon. So it's important that during periods of self-reflection or considering dream elements, take special note of any uncomfortable emotion that arises, and rather than pushing aside those feelings and related thoughts, instead try to hold onto any associated memories for exploration and subsequent conscious validation and eventual integration....

Remember, “Emotion is the chief source of all becoming conscious.” --Jung

As for meaning and Jung having said, "Anything psychic is Janus-faced: it looks both backwards and forwards. Because it is evolving, it is also preparing the future," keep in mind my mentioning before that nothing in the psyche is ever static, and that the developmental individuation process (i.e., journey toward wholeness as organized by Self) proceeds with or without our conscious help until our last day.

Cindy please allow me to pause again and thank you for all your steadfast kind and patient efforts in shepherding me through this deep, dense, and complex material. Last evening till almost midnight I read the larger portion of the material you provided in the above link and will continue further going over the rest along with the extra in the above post.

Because there was so much information and it covered so many dimensions I obviously could not begin to give an overview of the whole article. But the modest collection of quotes I'm leaving below seem to me to frame in a small but somewhat connected fashion a little portion of what I have been attempting to assimilate from that; and little by little; inch by inch; hopefully I will absorb a decent working understanding of his ideas as time goes on.


From Introduction to Jung's Psychology:
The individuation process is one which develops gradually during a person's life, more noticeably in the second half of life, and though it was observed by Jung in 'patients', one must not think of it as either a neurotic or a pathological phenomenon.

To be whole means to become reconciled with those sides of personality which have not been taken into account; these are often but not always inferior, for there are people who do not live up to the possibilities inherent in themselves. No one who really seeks wholeness can develop his intellect at the price of repression of the unconscious, nor, on the other hand, can he live in a more or less unconscious state.
The whole man is an individual, but he is not individualistic, which means being ego-centred, and is often used as an excuse to develop peculiarities at the expense of other people or to behave in an egotistical fashion. The individuated person, on the other hand, through his acceptance of the unconscious has, while remaining aware of his unique personality, realized his brotherhood with all living things, even with in organic matter and the cosmos itself.
Individuation is not usually an aim or an ideal for the very young, but rather for the mature person or for those who have been impelled by a serious illness, a neurosis, or some unusual experience to leave the ordinary safe paths and look for a new way of living. This not infrequently happens to middle-aged people, who having been successful in their chosen career, suddenly wake to a feeling of emptiness and lack of meaning in their lives.
The problem of the second half of life is to find a new meaning and purpose in living, and this, perhaps strangely enough, is best found in the neglected, inferior, and undeveloped side of the personality.
The individuation process is sometimes described as a psychological journey; it can be a tortuous and slippery path, and can at times simply seem to lead round in circles; experience has shown, however, that a truer description would be that of a spiral. In this journey the traveler must first meet with his shadow, and learn to live with this formidable and often terrifying aspect of himself: there is no wholeness without a recognition of the opposites. He will meet, too, with the archetypes of the collective unconscious, and face the danger of succumbing to their peculiar fascination. If he is fortunate he will in the end find 'the treasure hard to attain', the diamond body, the Golden Flower, the lapis whatever name and guise have been chosen to designate the archetype of wholeness, the self.
May I offer my most humble gratitude to you along with a little bit of humor from my very special friend " Henri " for you know Halloween is just around the corner. Merci! :wink:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_fUsssnHPw

( Seriously though this was really a tremendous help and I most definitely appreciate the time you took out of your very busy schedule to share it. ) 8)




(James, I entered your post to offer again the Jung Page link for others who may be interested.)
What do I know? - Michael de Montaigne

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Post by Cindy B. »

Miaou! Miaou! Miaou!

(Translation: Meow! Meow! Meow!)

(Further translation: This video is one of my favorites with Henri. J'adore Henri, vraiment. Thank you for sharing this, James. 8) )

Image
If the path before you is clear, you’re probably on someone else’s. --Jung

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Jung on Religion and Individuation

Post by Cindy B. »

Please go here for a discussion about Jung on Religion and Individuation: http://www.jcf.org/new/forum/viewtopic. ... 2822#92822

:)
If the path before you is clear, you’re probably on someone else’s. --Jung

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Back to Archetypes and Archetypal Images

Post by romansh »

Clemsy wrote:An archetype is shared by all human beings across cultures and time as parts of what Jung called the collective unconscious.

If a behavior pattern meets the criteria of the italicized part, it's an archetype. At least as I understand the term.

...But let's take any further discussion on this to another thread, okay Rom? It's certainly worthy of one, if it doesn't fit in Cindy's Jung thread better. Cindy?
OK to rephrase ...

an archetype ... is a pattern of behaviour that is shared by all human beings across cultures and time.
is this about right?

Cindy?
"That's right!" shouted Vroomfondel, "we demand rigidly defined areas of doubt and uncertainty!"

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Re: Back to Archetypes and Archetypal Images

Post by Cindy B. »

Please go back to the story thread, romansh, and check out the subsequent information that I offered per the links in this post: http://www.jcf.org/new/forum/viewtopic. ... 2894#92894

:)
Last edited by Cindy B. on Sun Oct 19, 2014 9:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.
If the path before you is clear, you’re probably on someone else’s. --Jung

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Re: Back to Archetypes and Archetypal Images

Post by romansh »

from one of Cindy's links
Jung's description of the archetype as “an image in its own right,” albeit a primordial image, frequently led to the charge that he was reviving Lamarckism - the belief that acquired characteristics - in this case specific visual images and ideas - can be inherited. As a consequence, he repeatedly attempted to clarify the distinction between ‘archetype’ and the ‘archetypal images’ which represent it:
Ok this is the distinction between an archetype and its motif. But it does imply that images and ideas are recorded in the genes.
Furthermore, Jung concluded that ultimately, both the instincts and the archetypes share a common ‘transcendental’, irrepresentable source.
perhaps this is why I am having a problem with the concept. Though I have to admit instincts seems fairly straightforward.
"That's right!" shouted Vroomfondel, "we demand rigidly defined areas of doubt and uncertainty!"

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Post by Cindy B. »

hvete wrote:...In reading an earlier post (I forget by whom) it struck me that how you understand Jungian archetypes, and a variety of other concepts depends fundamentally on whether you have had experience of paranormal phenomena or not. If you have not, you are prone to approach the archetype as something more akin to Kantian categories or Plato's theory of forms, as something which we by virtue of our physical (encoded in our genes) or metaphysical structure are prone to adopt as our matrix.

If you've had paranormal experience, you are more likely to think of it as something more like a physical object existing 'out there' which you either perceive or you don't. My sense from reading Jung is that he proposed his formulation as a consequence of having paranormal experiences himself, and also witnessing among his patients that they knew things they couldn't possibly have known.
Hey again, hvete.

Whether interpreted or not as paranormal, it's the emotional intensity or the numinosity of an archetypal experience and/or perceived acausal connection that takes hold and presents as "otherworldly." The boundaries of human nature and experience are what they are, and beyond our tiny and consciously experienced 3-dimensional part of the universe, we can be sure of little more than an as-if quality when it comes to a literal interpretation of the paranormal rather than an archetypal one, and from the Jungian depth psychology perspective.

:)


P.S. I admit, though, hvete, that a few "parapsychological" events that I've read about or seen in videos have left me scratching my head... :wink:
Last edited by Cindy B. on Mon Oct 20, 2014 7:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Back to Archetypes and Archetypal Images

Post by Cindy B. »

romansh wrote:from one of Cindy's links
Jung's description of the archetype as “an image in its own right,” albeit a primordial image, frequently led to the charge that he was reviving Lamarckism - the belief that acquired characteristics - in this case specific visual images and ideas - can be inherited. As a consequence, he repeatedly attempted to clarify the distinction between ‘archetype’ and the ‘archetypal images’ which represent it:
Ok this is the distinction between an archetype and its motif. But it does imply that images and ideas are recorded in the genes.
True, the charge of Lamarckism was due to many not clearly understanding what Jung was on about. And he certainly didn't make it easy given his writing style and the breadth of his intellect. ;)


What is inherited are archetypes, or biologically-based psychic instincts (psyche = consciousness + unconsciousness) that give rise to and help to shape human social and psychological behavior and adaptation. Conscious awareness of underlying archetypal effects presents as images and ideas (thoughts) termed archetypal images.

Jung: "Archetypes...present themselves [C: to conscious awareness] as ideas and images, like everything else that becomes a content of consciousness," that is, as archetypal images, ideas, patterned motifs, and symbols. (When I was first learning Jung's theories, it certainly would've been helpful to me had he said instead, Archetypal effects...present themselves to consciousness as ideas and images...)

The personal expression of an archetypal image and related behavior will be influenced by both psychological characteristics and sociocultural influences. Also, cultures and societal groups, too, collectively express archetypal effects.


Furthermore, Jung concluded that ultimately, both the instincts and the archetypes share a common ‘transcendental’, irrepresentable source.
perhaps this is why I am having a problem with the concept. Though I have to admit instincts seems fairly straightforward.
Jung used the terms "transcend, transcendental, transcendent" in various ways.

First, for example, Jung proposed a metaphysical unus mundus, or "one world," that both transcends and encompasses our dualistic (physical and psychic) world as human beings perceive it, a transcendental unity of experience and meaning. (In philosophical circles, this Jung-Pauli perspective is labeled as "dual-aspect monism.")

Second, here I'll use the concept of archetype as an illustration of what is "transcendent to" or "transcends" current knowledge as Jung might've used the terms. Jung acknowledged the inability to empirically or experimentally observe an archetype, and in the same way that scientists cannot directly observe other instincts. What scientists can observe is the effects of instincts, such that their exact nature transcends our current state of scientific knowledge. Instinct and archetype, therefore, are explanatory concepts to reference the cause of what is observable at the conscious level.

Then there's the psychological "transcendent function," but that's for another day and for those making an in-depth study of Jung's work.


Later!
If the path before you is clear, you’re probably on someone else’s. --Jung

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Post by JamesN. »

Hey folks. I did some recent reviewing of this thread and came across this great link of Cindy's about " projection "; so if I'm not derailing the current topic of address I think it might be worth a good look through since Archetypes and Archetypal Images are currently being discussed. ( What we see in others may have a great deal to do with the subject below; but Cindy may have extra insights to offer here as well. )

( This material just knocked me out! )

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q= ... 7178,d.b2I

8)
What do I know? - Michael de Montaigne

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Post by JamesN. »

Cindy:
Jung used the terms "transcend, transcendental, transcendent" in various ways.

First, for example, Jung proposed a metaphysical unus mundus, or "one world," that both transcends and encompasses our dualistic (physical and psychic) world as human beings perceive it, a transcendental unity of experience and meaning. (In philosophical circles, this Jung-Pauli perspective is labeled as "dual-aspect monism.")

Second, here I'll use the concept of archetype as an illustration of what is "transcendent to" or "transcends" current knowledge as Jung might've used the terms. Jung acknowledged the inability to empirically or experimentally observe an archetype, and in the same way that scientists cannot directly observe other instincts. What scientists can observe is the effects of instincts, such that their exact nature transcends our current state of scientific knowledge. Instinct and archetype, therefore, are explanatory concepts to reference the cause of what is observable at the conscious level.

Then there's the psychological "transcendent function," but that's for another day and for those making an in-depth study of Jung's work.
______________________________________________________________________


( From page 13 of " Jungian Dream Interpretation " ):
The archetypal layer of the psyche has the ability to form symbols that in effect unite contents that are irreconcilable at the personal level. This ability of the objective psyche to form reconciling symbols is called the transcendent function because it can transcend the conscious tension of opposites. In this process conflicts do not necessarily disappear, rather they are transcended and revitalized.

Because each complex in the personal psyche rests upon an archetypal foundation in the objective psyche, any complex that is penetrated to sufficient depth will reveal it's archetypal associations. Much of the art of Jungian analysis lies in amplifying images to the point where the ego experiences it's connection to the archetypal world in a healing fashion, but not to an extent that the ego is swamped in a sea of non-unified archetypal contents.



( Cindy. I moved this over from the " Cafe' " thread since I think it is a good fit within the above references. )


I came across this great piece of text that Joseph Campbell uses to describe the " labyrinth " and the " mandala "; ( the best I've seen ).


Pathways to Bliss, page xvi:
" Of course, in trying to relate yourself to transcendence, you don't have to have images. You can go the Zen way and forget the myths altogether. But I'm talking about the mythic way. And what myth does is to provide a field in which you can locate yourself. That's the sense of the mandala, the sacred circle, whether you are a Tibetan monk or the patient of a Jungian analyst. The symbols are laid out around the circle and you are to locate yourself in the center. A labyrinth, of course, is a scrambled mandala, in which you don't know where you are. That's the way the world is for people who don't have a mythology. It's a labyrinth. They are battling their way through as if no one had ever been there before. "

( Further on page xvii ):
" What myth does for you is to point beyond the phenomenal field toward the transcendent. A mythic figure is like the compass that you used to draw circles and arcs in school, with one leg in the field of time and the other in the eternal. The image of a god may look like a human or animal form, but it's reference is transcendent of that.

Now when you translate the moving, metaphoric foot of the compass into a concrete reference - into a fact - what you have is merely an allegory and not a myth.
This goes on to basically point out the " transparent to transcendent " aspect or function that the god or myth is suppose to serve as opposed to being a concretized figure or final fact within itself that becomes the religious interpreted destination or point-of-view. Hence Joseph states: " Make your god transparent to the transcendent, and it doesn't matter what his name is. "

This is very different from the usual type of introduction to these symbols where the labyrinth is presented as simply a maze to navigate through and the mandala is referenced as an eastern arrangement of god-like images utilized for meditative purposes. And although I have seen this discussed before in many different ways I had not come across these concepts put together in quite this particular manner and I really liked how he refines and reinterprets the symbols within a more modern and contemporary context. To me from this point-of-view it could be seen or utilized as a much more powerful analytical tool within the individualized personal perspective for transformation that serves this transcendent function; ( especially concerning the process of finding and living out one's own " personal myth " ).

( Of course it could also be the due to the fact that Joseph Campbell's work makes these kinds of cross-cultural connections all the time and I'm just " late to the party " on this one. :P )


See if you think this jives with you are saying. :)
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Post by Cindy B. »

I'll be back to this thread in the next day or so, James--I hope :roll:--about the psychological transcendent function.

Ciao, amico!
If the path before you is clear, you’re probably on someone else’s. --Jung

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Post by JamesN. »

( From page 13 of " Jungian Dream Interpretation " ):


Quote:
The archetypal layer of the psyche has the ability to form symbols that in effect unite contents that are irreconcilable at the personal level. This ability of the objective psyche to form reconciling symbols is called the transcendent function because it can transcend the conscious tension of opposites. In this process conflicts do not necessarily disappear, rather they are transcended and revitalized.

Because each complex in the personal psyche rests upon an archetypal foundation in the objective psyche, any complex that is penetrated to sufficient depth will reveal it's archetypal associations. Much of the art of Jungian analysis lies in amplifying images to the point where the ego experiences it's connection to the archetypal world in a healing fashion, but not to an extent that the ego is swamped in a sea of non-unified archetypal contents.


Cindy in relation to the above quote I think this item is related to the same question of " Transcendent Function "; so I'll ( attempt ) to illustate what I believe this particular connection seems to be. I came across this particular " symbol " while reading Robert Johnson's: " Owning Your Own Shadow " that seemed like an important insight:


http://www.sandplay.org/symbols/mandorla.htm

http://www.kyrie.com/symbols/mandorla.htm


The " Mandorla " seems to be a symbol that is representative of the " Transcendent Function ". :idea:


For those not familiar with this image of an " Almond- shaped opening or intersected field between two circles " here is a collection of several different versions included within this montage:


https://www.google.com/search?q=mandorl ... 36&bih=715



Not to be confused with a Mandala; there is quite a bit of material I encountered about this symbol and it's relationship to this area of the field; so as to keep any confusion to a minimum I thought you might have some certain specific thoughts about it. At least as I am understanding what appears to be it's use or metaphorical reference as applied within the context of Jungian Individuation - as a field, device, doorway, portal, point of view, lens, insight or context; etc.

For instance in the case of say " enantiodromia "; when the ( knock knock ) of the " Shadow " makes it's presence felt in later life; or when the mask or façade of the persona begins to crack and an emotional crisis begins to manifest itself; then a person might by way of the use of this metaphor of the " Mandorla " utilize the insights gained by way of interpreting it's transformative effects like say within the context of the " Chrysalis " process; ( another metaphor ); and see this experience as the " inner transcendent field "; ( read: transcendent function ); where the " reconciliation " of seemingly irreconcilable differences that are it's cause might occur; ( i.e. " intergration " ). Or put in simpler terms to either " harmonize " these polarities or to begin some sort of process towards emotional " healing or wholeness "; if that makes sense.

I realize this is a rather clumsy attempt to define what I'm grappling with here; but articulating it is rather difficult for a layperson such as myself; so I hope you'll forgive whatever mistakes I have made within this description.


( So in fine I hope that what I am trying to correlate here is clear enough to decipher as to whether or not it is correct in relationship to the above idea or anything that you might have to offer on this. )


______________________________________________


As an added addendum:


A possible Jungian knock knock joke I just made up concerning this:

( A noise from one's mental cellar is heard ): Knock knock; Who's there? is asked. " You "; replies the voice. " You who? "; is asked. " Who do you think? - Helloooooo! " is the reply!


( A feeble attempt at humor I know; but what I'm trying to extract is illustrated much more concisely below .



This is a short video I spotted that illustrates this point very well I think:



http://www.imdb.com/video/wab/vi3489071641



( In reference to the above video on the " Mandorla " is a quote from " Introduction to Jung's Psychology " that Cindy provided several posts earlier focusing on this area of the topic. And this video seems to offer a visual representation of this concept and it's inter-relation to this aspect of the Individuation process posed within the " Dreamscape " motif. )

Quote:
The individuation process is sometimes described as a psychological journey; it can be a tortuous and slippery path, and can at times simply seem to lead round in circles; experience has shown, however, that a truer description would be that of a spiral. In this journey the traveler must first meet with his shadow, and learn to live with this formidable and often terrifying aspect of himself: there is no wholeness without a recognition of the opposites. He will meet, too, with the archetypes of the collective unconscious, and face the danger of succumbing to their peculiar fascination. If he is fortunate he will in the end find 'the treasure hard to attain', the diamond body, the Golden Flower, the lapis whatever name and guise have been chosen to designate the archetype of wholeness, the self.



This of course is not to imply that all individual experiences are manifested in the same way; but only to suggest one possibility of a motif that might serve as a sort of metaphoric illustration. Incidentally the term ( Personal Sphere ) is I think another important aspect I came across in James Hall's: " Jungian Dream Interpretation " that I saw that talks about how " meaning " is assimilated within the " mindscape of personal biography "; ( which although I am no analyst seemed to me to be a critical point ); that helps to interconnect both the internal and external realities necessary for providing continuity within an individual's navigational sensibility.


In summing up what I see as some of these central elements of the process I again quote from James Hall's: Jungian Dream Interpretation:
Page 114:

Both the neurotic caught in excessive concretization of family or social " realities " and the schizophrenic drowning in a sea of archetypal meanings find a sense of haven in what might be called the personal sphere of life. Personal history is one's own sense of meaning and continuity, not simply the pseudo-personal history of dates and outer events, the usual clothesline of life on which various roles are hung as old garments. External life may go through profound changes without any alteration in the subjective perception of the meaning of life. But every therapist knows of the opposite situation in which outer life goes along smooth and unchanging while the inner subjective state is transformed into what is essentially an entirely new and fresh world of meaning.


Page 115:

The individual ego can lose it's way in either the archetypal images of the collective unconscious - particularly when they are used as an escape from tasks in outer life - or in the archetypal forms embedded in the institutions of collective consciousness and culture. The problem is to find a personal standpoint that can relativize these archetypal realms - not placing them in opposition, not identifying one as true and the other false, and without losing the personal sphere, the only space in which the deep transforming processes can occur.
And; page 115:

Nothing of psychological importance occurs outside the personal sphere. There may be great sound and fury, and enormous sweeps of historical change, but the individual psyche is the only carrier ( and ultimately the transmitter ) for the archetypal forms that are attempting to reach a stable equilibrium. Hence the maintenance of the personal sphere is of the upmost importance, both in analysis and in everyday life.


Maybe my assumptions or interpretations concerning the " transcendent function " seen in this respect as the transformative ( inner - field of the Mandorla integrated within the Personal Sphere ) and the inter-relationship of these ideas is incorrect; but this is the direction these concepts seem to be pointing me toward so far. ( Again my apologies for any lack of clarity in these descriptions. ) :idea: :?
What do I know? - Michael de Montaigne

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