Jungian Themes Archives - Page 6 of 7

A Roadmap of the Soul

Although not our natural state, I believe in the possibility of a truly meaningful and fulfilled life. A life lived with a sense of profound excitement and awe; a life where the depth, complexity and beauty of the cosmos live in us. I don’t suggest that suffering is not a reality, or that I have personally reached such an elevated state of consciousness. I suggest rather, that much suffering we do endure is illegitimate and that: a meaningless existence, boredom, lack of purpose, a...

September 4, 2012

By Stephen FarahJungian Themes, Symbolscomplex, consciousness, Freud, individuation, Jung, meaning1 Comment

The Primal Scene in the 21st Century is about Money not Sex

The idea of the Primal Scene was given to psychology and 20th Century Culture by Sigmund Freud the father of Psychoanalysis[1]. The Primal Scene is the first time you discovered your parents having sex and understood what you are seeing, hearing or becoming aware of in any other form, even if just through your intuition. The idea here is that sex, certainly at the time Freud was writing but even today, although possibly less so, was a taboo...

July 12, 2012

By Stephen FarahArchetypes, Jungian Themesmoney, primal scene, sex7 Comments

Yes I know your mother is a bitch…

Recently a young man (well not that young really, late thirties) came to see me for some coaching. He was fairly distressed; he felt a certain lack of direction, an absence of meaning in his life perhaps. Looking back on his life he saw a litany of failures, missed opportunities, could-have-been’s, should-have-been’s, mistakes, wrong turns, unfortunate turn of events and a few regrets thrown in for good measure. The young man was familiar with some pop-psychology and understood the importance...

May 9, 2012

By Stephen FarahJungian Themes, Shadowconsciousness, ego, existential, Jung, shadow4 Comments

To Have or Not to Have an Ego

In western culture the ego has had a bad rap. Most people think that an ego is something negative. That it should be suppressed. You have an over inflated ego, or you are egocentric or egotistical. And Eastern religions say you should abandon it altogether, it just causes problems. :) But what is the ego? Is it something good or bad? Should you give up on it or hold on to it? In both analytical psychology (Jungian) and psychoanalysis (Freudian), the Ego plays...

May 3, 2012

By Anja van KralingenEgo, Jungian Themescomplex, consciousness, Freud, Jung, shadow, unconscious3 Comments

The Mysterious Case of the 2nd Personality: a Psychological Detective Story

One of the most profoundly interesting ideas in depth psychology is the second personality. In this post I will explore this idea of Jung’s, and consider its implications and practical application. In as much as we refer to the ‘second personality’ we must credit Jung with coining this phrase and articulating the idea. However, first, to better understand the dualistic nature of our inner life it will be helpful to consider Freud’s idea of the id and the superego. OUR FIRST...

February 7, 2012

By Stephen FarahComplexes, Jungian Themescomplexes, id, superego1 Comment

Boardwalk Empire and the Human Experiment: Jung, Chopra and Harrow

“There are no extra pieces in the universe. Everyone is here because he or she has a place to fill, and every piece must fit itself into the big jigsaw puzzle.” Deepak Chopra Boardwalk Empire and the Human Experiment I recently watched the first two seasons of Boardwalk Empire. The series is set in and around Atlantic City, during the infamous Prohibition in the nineteen twenties. Tracking the fortunes of Enoch “Nucky” Thompson and his associates based on historical characters from the...

January 17, 2012

By Stephen FarahBook and Movie Reviews, Jungian ThemesBoardwalk Empire, Chopra, Jung4 Comments

I Just Can’t Stand Them! – What Are You Really Saying?

When I was younger, I had a real issue with Summercon Developers. We stayed in one of their townhouses for a few months and just hated it. Stephen and I were in a young relationship and we were fighting like cats and dogs. And of course EVERYONE heard it. I could not understand why Summercon were allowed to put up these terrible little boxy houses, with no privacy that were ridiculously priced. Also only the bottom units actually 'owned' the...

December 15, 2011

By Anja van KralingenJungian Themes, Transferenceprojection1 Comment

The Genius-Demon of Women: and the Challenge of Staying Sane after 35

I am currently working with a most exceptional woman through a process of articulating the hidden, or what Jung called the second, personality. Whilst doing this work I had the most astounding realisation about the genius-demon that lies in a woman's soul, and brings a great charge of libido with it that is so very difficult to contain in today's world. This awakening came to me the way so many truths do. It is something I have been aware of...

November 14, 2011

By Stephen FarahArchetypes, Jungian Themesfeminine archetype, midlife crisis, women9 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, worshiped especially by the Taoists. Lü is one of...

October 21, 2011

By Stephen FarahJungian Themes, Narrative AnalysisThe Secret of the Golden Flower8 Comments

Common Dream Archetypes

This is a Guest Post by Patricia Duggan. Carl Jung believed that dreams had their own language. The things we see in our dreams are not signs that represent one specific idea, but rather fluid images to which we ascribe meaning based on our individual experiences. Dreams may reveal truths, philosophical revelations, illusions, fantasies, memoires, plans, irrational experiences or even prophetic visions. The images in our dreams are ultimately representations of our own unconscious. Although they come from our individual minds, many images...

October 16, 2011

By Anja van KralingenArchetypes, Dream Work, Jungian ThemesDream interpretation4 Comments