In this episode:
We explore Jung's thoughts about the capacity for reflection and why he sees it as an essential component of our humanity.
Let's make this a conversation:
Do you have a comment or question about this episode, or about something you would like me to address in a future episode? Please contact me on Facebook (facebook.com/jungiananalyst) or Twitter (@Jason_E_Smith).
For more on living a symbolic life:
Please check out my book, Religious but Not Religious: Living a Symbolic Life, available from Chiron Publications.
Sources for quotes and more:
- "'Reflection' should be understood not simply as an act of thought, but rather as an attitude. It is a privilege born of human freedom in contradistinction to the compulsion of natural law...." ~ C.G. Jung from A Psychological Approach to the Dogma of the Trinity (footnote, par. 235) in 'Collected Works, vol. 11.'
- "It cannot be denied that our current age is a distracted one." ~ 'Religious but Not Religious: Living a Symbolic Life.'
- Episode 27: Working With Your Dreams
- Discussion of bios and zoê in The Experience of God: Icons of the Mystery by Raimon Panikkar.
- Discussion of events and experiences in Healing Fiction by James Hillman.
- “[Human] instincts are not all harmoniously arranged, they are perpetually jostling each other out of the way. The ancients were optimistic enough to see this struggle, not as a chaotic muddle. But as aspiring to some higher order.” ~ C.G. Jung from The Psychology of the Transference in 'Collected Works, vol. 16.' *
- "[It is] indeed wonderful to see how human beings, besides their life in the concrete, always live a second life in the abstract...." ~ Arthur Schopenhauer in 'The World as Will and Representation.' *
- "The object can only be to make the soul more creative, more effective, more useful to God..." ~ Evelyn Underhill in 'Concerning the Inner Life.'
- "[One] must offer a ransom in place of oneself, that is, one must bring forth values which are an equivalent substitute for one's absence in the collective personal sphere." ~ C.G. Jung from Adaptation, Individuation, Collectivity in 'Collected Works, vol. 18.' *
- “the profoundest night of non-being...” ~ C.G. Jung in 'Memories, Dreams, Reflections.'
- "The destiny of the universe passes in and through us — once the us, of course, has been purified of all that is 'our' private property. We are not isolated beings. [We] bear the burden, the responsibility, but also the joy and the beauty of the universe." ~ Raimon Panikkar in 'The Rhythm of Being.' *
*Some quotes have been adapted to reflect gender neutral language. There has been no change made to the essential meaning of those quotes.
Music:
"Dreaming Days," "Slow Vibing," and "The Return" by Ketsa are licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
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