Stephen Farah, Author at Applied Jung

Mysterium Oceanus: part 2

Individuation and Humpback Whales Armed with a newfound confidence in exploring the ocean[1] that I have always both loved and been terrified of and this newfound passion for scuba diving, we signed up to do the ‘Sardine Run’ on the Eastern Cape Wild Coast. It is precisely here that things with respect to this aspiration of “becoming myself” grew more interesting. It’s a long and rather winding story, and it is quite challenging to characterise the mix between my inner and...

August 4, 2022

By Stephen FarahUncategorized9 Comments

Crime Scene South Africa: on the edge of chaos

[This is a duplicate of a post first published by the author on Facebook in 2019.] I recently came across a Facebook post from an acquaintance, Amanda Patterson, which read ‘South Africa is basically one big crime scene.’ It went on to list the ‘most dangerous places to live in 2019’, South Africa, disappointingly, came in second place. So close! Brazil topped the list. Still, I think 2020 could be our year. You can hear the rule of law and thin...

August 4, 2022

By Stephen FarahPersonally, Uncategorized0 Comments

Mysterium Oceanus: part 1

The problem with individuation, as described in the work of C. G. Jung, beyond its maddeningly enigmatic character, is that it is a somewhat grand aspiration. It is a lofty idealised notion conceived in the reified atmosphere of Küsnacht on the shores of Lake Zurich in Switzerland. Having had occasion to visit Jung’s residence there I can confirm that it has about it a decidedly Olympian aegis. This idea of “individuation” birthed in such elevated Apollonian climate, was further refined...

July 25, 2022

By Stephen FarahUncategorized16 Comments

Four Steps to Transformation in Jungian Psychology and Gnostic Alchemy

I have been doing some research into the Mysterium for our upcoming Jungian Mystery School this year on the theme of the Unus Mundus. This combined with some prior research I have done on the “Four Stages of Transformation”1 has allowed me to map the corresponding stages of the Mysterium Coniunctionis2 onto the four stages of depth psychology that Jung describes in an earlier text and onto the four stages of the Magnum Opus, i.e., the four stages of transubstantiation...

July 20, 2022

By Stephen FarahAlchemy, Individuation, Transformationindividuation, Jung4 Comments

FOUR ARCHETYPES Mother, Rebirth, Spirit, Trickster

By C.G. Jung Published by Routledge, 2003 “The hallmarks of spirit are, firstly, the principle of spontaneous movement and activity; secondly, the spontaneous capacity to produce images independently of sense perception; and thirdly, the autonomous and sovereign manipulation of these images.” (pp. 107-108, CW9 par. 393) When Carl Gustav Jung (1875 – 1961) passed away aged 86, he left a prolific legacy of profound psychological writings which even in recent years have been gradually released to the public, such as the recent publications...

June 14, 2022

By Stephen FarahArchetypes, Book and Movie Reviewsarchetypes, book review3 Comments

Systema munditotius: a Master Symbol

The question, “who am I?” lies at the heart of psychological and spiritual practice. It is the origin of self-inquiry. In Jungian psychology it is both the foundation stone and telos of individuation, the art of becoming oneself. The idea that there is indeed an answer to the question of one’s true nature is axiomatic to self-reflection and inquiry. Albeit that the answer is frequently maddeningly elusive and may lead the subject to either abandon the search or to be...

June 7, 2022

By Stephen FarahMandalas, Self, Symbols18 Comments

Jung’s Red Book for our Time: Searching for Soul in the 21st Century

This past weekend I had the extraordinary privilege of attending the Jung’s Red Book for our Time: Searching for Soul in the 21st Century symposium held at Eranos and Monte Verità in Ascona (Switzerland).[1] This short post is intended to capture what stood out for me at the conference and an attempt at some type of synthesis from the various related but also quite diverse papers. This is not intended as a journalistic account as it is too fragmentary for...

May 7, 2022

By Stephen FarahUncategorized14 Comments

Symptom or Symbol?

Carl Gustav Jung makes a clear distinction between a symptom and a symbol.[1] In this post I explore the distinction, how we might distinguish between symptoms and symbols, and what the implications of this are for the daily practice of individuation. I am currently leading a group of students on a one hundred day practice of the Microcosmic Orbit meditation as given in the mystical Taoist text The Secret of the Golden Flower.[2] The text, specifically the Richard Wilhelm translation, occupies...

April 14, 2022

By Stephen FarahIndividuation, Jungian Themesindividuation, symbols9 Comments

Individuation as a daily practice and ethic

Individuation is the principal psychological and ethical imperative of Jungian psychology, and, in this respect, it goes well beyond a narrow clinical or pathological application. Although Jung was a psychiatrist, his research and work as a physician of the soul goes well beyond the crucible of analytical practice. Concern for the soul of the subject does not stop at dealing with mental disease or facilitating normal functional adaptation of the subject to the world. Whilst addressing the pandemic of mental...

March 3, 2022

By Stephen FarahIndividuation, Living MeaningfullyThe Secret of the Golden Flower12 Comments

The Secret of the Golden Flower

I want to share a story with you about The Secret of the Golden Flower.[1] How I came across it, the journey it took me on and something of what I learnt along the way. The story begins Lü Yán, also known as Lü Dongbin (796 CE-1016 CE) was a Tang Dynasty Chinese scholar and poet who has been elevated to the status of an immortal in the Chinese cultural sphere, worshipped especially by the Taoists. Lü is one of the most...

March 1, 2022

By Stephen FarahUncategorized5 Comments

Author - Stephen Farah