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Individuation
Jungian analyst Anthony Stevens writes in Private Myths: “Individuation is the process, simple or complex as the case may be, by which every living organism becomes what it was destined to become from the beginning. The purpose of this individuation process is to increase the individual’s consciousness. In the first half of life, we make our way through the world, doing our best to develop healthy egos. The first portion of life is mainly external as we seek to meet our basic needs. “From Jung’s outlook, the second part of life can represent a turning inward toward a deeper part of ourselves.This inward turn starts the individuation process.” I find myself…
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Kinship with all things
I am returning to a blog written over three years ago, knowing that my aging cat Tabitha has passed on and the people of Syria continue to suffer. It is a difficult time for many around the world and in this country. There is so much that fills me: plants, animals, clouds, day and night, and the eternal in man. The more uncertain I have felt about myself, the more there has grown up in me a feeling of kinship with all things. ~Carl Jung; Memories Dreams, pg.359 I have found in prayer a kinship with humanity and with animals. I love the liturgical prayers, but I also find myself…
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A Solitary Orange Tree
Today I heard a 9 year old child named Colin who has brain cancer say: “If you want to be a fireman, then be a fireman.” Here is a young boy facing his own immortality speaking with words of wisdom and courage. Too often it takes us years to do what we have always wished and dreamed of. It didn’t take him long to follow his heart’s desire. Recently they declared him a policeman in Ithaca and his spirit soared. Unless a miracle happens, he will not be able to carry out his duties for very long, but I believe he has already fulfilled more than most of us. He has…
