Individuation

The 3rd Critical Step to Becoming a Human Being

In one sense, at least, life is quite simple. At any point in time you are either busy being born or you are busy dying. In the world today this is usually understood in a physical sense- our identification with our bodies is absolute. This is the reason for the obsession with youth and youthful appearance that frequently endures long past when such a 'youthful appearance' is appropriate or attractive. The inescapable truth though is that nature is a bitch. That beauty...

September 5, 2011
By Individuation, Jungian Themes, 0 Comments
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Towards Authenticity

You can either be good or whole, but not both- C. G. Jung. In this post I examine the Jungian concept of individuation. I will consider what Jung meant by this idea, some of challenges to this idea and how one can practically approach such a goal. Individuation This is the central goal of Jungian theory and practice. The idea is that each of us has an innate individuality. That we come into the world with a specific character, a soul imprint if...

March 14, 2011
By Individuation, Practically, 2 Comments
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Are you sure you are still alive?

I'm serious, I know that sounds like a crazy question, but I'm being dead serious (if you will forgive the pun). I might equally ask, have you ever been alive? I suspect, though, I know the answer to that question. I remember you as a child- and you were happy. I know you would cry at times and get angry or sad sometimes, but basically you were really, really happy. Happy to be alive and happy to be here or at least...

February 28, 2011
By Individuation, Practically2 Comments
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Becoming

A central idea in Romanticism was the idea of becoming. We are always in the process of becoming not only our future, but a future wherein we are different, and hopefully more, than we were before. You could say that becoming happens spontaneously as is evident in the changes we see in a child growing up. However Jung would argue that there is a world of difference between becoming which is driven by a conscious intention for individuation, and simply growing...

February 13, 2011
By Individuation, Practically, 1 Comment
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