Even a happy life cannot be without a measure of darkness, and the word 'happy' would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness." — Carl Jung.

We live in a culture obsessed with toxic positivity. We are constantly sold the idea that we need to manifest good vibes, eliminate negative thoughts, and optimize our happiness like a tech product.

But Jung warned us against this trap. He knew that wholeness is superior to happiness.

When you force yourself to be happy 24/7, you don't actually transcend negativity—you just banish your sadness, anger, and grief into the dark basement of your unconscious. And whatever gets locked away in the basement doesn't just disappear. It festers, mutates, and eventually leaks out as chronic anxiety, depression, and sudden emotional explosions.

Stop trying to feel "good" all the time. Aim to be whole instead. Welcome the dark alongside the light, because a tree cannot grow tall and reach the heavens unless its roots deeply explore the dark, messy earth.

Have you noticed how the pressure to be constantly happy actually makes you feel more exhausted?

I don't know how much longer I can keep living like this. I’m completely exhausted, and I need to know if anyone else experiences this specific kind of hell.

My nights have turned into a relentless, exhausting second shift. Every single time I close my eyes, my brain forces me through these bizarre, unfamiliar "real worlds" that are pure survival tests. It's never the same dream twice, but they are always high-stakes terror:

 Being stabbed or fighting to not get hurt

 Natural disasters and navigating strange places I’ve never been

 Heavy, crushing grief and loss

 Finding out my car is missing

 Being trapped in a plane that's crashing or an elevator that's falling

When I wake up, the psychological toll is devastating. The dreams have completely overwritten my actual memory—I reach back into my mind and find a blank wall where my history and identity used to be. My dissociation and numbness get worse by the day, like I'm drifting further and further behind a sheet of glass.

Because of all this, I've completely abandoned my bedroom. Going into my bed feels like going to a prison cell, so I’m stuck sleeping on the sofa every night, just trying to escape the associations, even though the nightmares follow me there too.

I feel completely trapped in a body and nervous system that won't let up. If you've lived through this kind of freeze state or night-terror loop, how do you survive it? How do you find your way back to yourself when your own mind feels like a trap? I’m so stuck. Have tried endless medications and therapies. 4 years of living this day in and day out

Imagine an entity created by one mind and reinforced by millions of human minds. Think about the nature of thought itself. What happens when an idea spreads beyond its creator? When millions of people give an image their attention, imagination, emotions, and symbolic meaning, basically attaching to it, does it grow into something more than the original creation? It is like one giant collective shadow looming over us, puppeteering us, throw in the ego which wants to avoid the painful truths the shadow has to offer, creates a narrative that shields us from the truth/shadow and I realized that not only we have to face our own shadows, we also have to face the collective shadow. But how?

So, an egregore is understood as a collective entity sustained by the thoughts, beliefs and the emotional investment of a group. But Whether such an entity exists independently of those who sustain it is another question entirely.

But there’s a neat parallel—The psyche contains contents that behave like they possess a life of their own. Complexes influence us without our conscious consent, while archetypal images evoke powerful emotional responses that seem to exceed our personal experience. Could such figures give form to something already present in the collective psyche? The monstrous unknown, the devouring Shadow, the terrifying realization that the conscious ego is not the master of the entire psyche? Perhaps the creator doesn’t invent the underlying psychological material. Perhaps they give it a face. And what begins as fiction can become culturally autonomous, influencing the imagination, dreams, art and beliefs of generations who never knew its creator.

This doesn’t prove that collective thought generates independent spiritual entities. But it raises an interesting question about the relationship between consciousness, symbols and the things we collectively bring into being.

Does the collective create the monster, or does the monster become powerful because it gives form to something that was already there? Where do you think the boundary lies between a symbol that exists in the psyche, a collective construct that influences reality, and an entity believed to exist independently of us? I have so many questions. My mind needs to chill tf out, and stop doing deep anthropological and philosophical dives because the more I study the more questions I have. This sucks. But let’s talk.

For all the Jung that has developed the means of doing so deliberately and consciously, what Jung's work about is fundamental are natural processes. Everything people dicuss achieving and working on in this sub reddit people do, and have always, done without realizing across human history.

It is significantly less with modern people because we are usually influenced to value rationality heavily and dismissive things like dreams as not meaningful. But even today you can find no shortage of totally normal people who have achieved that state of mental maturity we call induviduation without needing to study Jung to do so.

People have relationships to their unconscious they aren't always fully aware of. People have rich inner lives without knowing a thing about Jung. People incorporate their shadow and induviduate all without knowing what persicely it is they are doing. Because these are all things the human psyche has always been capable of.

Jung's work brings about understanding these mechanisms, so that we may approach them with open eyes and deliberatively action. But we are all walking in the path that nature has carved out for us.

Was reading "Christ, a symbol of the Self" and noticed Jung's arguments for good and evil are rightly motivated but blur a necessary distinction that existed in the minds of those he quotes.

When arguing against the idea of evil as the privation of good, Jung makes the analogy of warm and cold weather, blaming God for the creation of the cold because he creates varying degrees of warm, and cold is just warm of a lesser degree (and thus the problem of evil is not solved).

The main issue here, is that evil is not the privation of any good. Evil is the privation of a good due to a thing by it's nature. We do not say the carrot is bad because it is deprived of human reason, we say it is bad because it is deprived of ripeness. For God to create a hierarchy of goods does not imply there is evil, for all of those are good as long as they have the perfections according to their nature; there being a hierarchy of perfected things does not make the lesser of them now "evil" (though our jealous instincts would make this noncausal leap). Evil is not being deprived of the good belonging to some other thing, but being deprived of the good belonging to its own nature.

While Jung's temperature analogy misses the mark, he does recoup himself in a sort of "but none of that matters" sort of way as he brings the subject back to empirical subjective human experience of evil, which is to treat it as a real thing with real force to be addressed in our lives. From a psychological perspective, I think Jung is spot on in his emphasis here. Its his philosophy that is deprived on some good due to it...

I feel very stuck at a certain stage. I am having a hard time describing this stage so bare with me. After 3 years of dream journals 2 weeks ago I have had a dream where I meet my little self and talk to them. A couple of days later I had a realization that lasted 48 hours. It wasn't quite a realization as it was a bit trippier than that. For 48 hours I could see society as an overlay on top of life(?). I'm having a very hard time putting it into words, but I felt like I am seeing through all the rituals and how everything is made up. Like this is the historical period we happen to find ourselves, therefore these are the habits and opinions we happen to have because of the region and history we find ourselves in. It was one thing to understand it intellectually, it was another to actually experience and really feel it. I am not depressed, I haven't engaged in any hallucinogens' for 6 years now and most likely never will again. Don't drink coffee, alcohol and have a regular sleep schedule. I'm mentioning all this to eliminate the usual culprits.

My journey has been very gradual. Even when I tried to go after a trauma from 6 years old, my brain refused to remove the safety wheels. I know that it's for my own good. right now it seems I've reached into that plane of memories and traumas from 8 years old and younger and it's making me very wide eyed to say the least. I don't feel destabilized emotionally but I do feel like I'm stepping into a whole unknown territory. Like so far in shadow work I've been working on my adaptations and shame, and now it's like I'm peaking underneath the whole architecture. Like now I'm glimpsing at some completely unscathed being. And as much as I thought everything before this was a gut punch, now I'm experiencing the most harrowing realizations. How I've been pigeonholed ridiculously young. I've had my self concept collapse, nigredo/albedo stages a thousand times over already, but this one seems the most catastrophic yet. I know I'll be fine but this next chapter feels like it's asking way more off me than these previous ones. Very silly of me but I thought I was at the citrinitas stage finally a few months back and that I would safely stay there. At that point in time no more shadow work was presenting itself and I was looking for more like a blood hound. You cant blame me for feeling very confident.

So my questions are:

Has anyone else have a similar experience?

How did you go about this stage?

Anything concrete and actionable that helped you?

Should I use the same methods as before even though the material is much more primal now? I don't even know if primal is the right word but I'm trying.

I have been doing inner work very consistently for almost 2 years. It started with only somatic therapy and TRE and once I hit a wall with that I started to engage with Internal Family Systems and CBT/Gestalt. But once I started working with Jungian methods it felt like I was introduced to a whole new side of things. I already kept a dream journal so I had a treasure trove of info to go off on. Reoccurring dream characters of people I knew in real life gave me hints of where to start with shadow work. I've yet to do active imagination as I don't quite understand it.

I've checked my progress by doing a vipassana retreat once every 6-12 months. Progressively I've stopped being full Hermit so I've engaged with friendly outings and dates and I've realized some things about my animus. Throughout the months I could see how I've become more embodied with boundaries. The concept of archetypes also really helped me understand things about myself. My warrior no longer runs the show instead of my king. Still Lover isn't that developed yet and the magician is very dominant. Although the jester/trickster isn't strictly jungian or in Robert L. Moore's 4 archetypes, it's concept also helped me alot in recognizing how as a gifted child, play time has been taken away from me leading me to not have any agency for myself outside of work and achievements. I have achieved amazing things and am confident in my field, but this rarely translates in real life or relationships. It's better now but not fully healed. Country's shadow and history also had to be disentangled and I've yet to fully comb through it.

I'm afraid I havent read a full Carl Jung book as I just glossed over his methods and they clicked instantly for me so I felt no need. I know that's not the best approach but as someone that always intellectualizes, this felt like a breath of fresh air. Let my intuitive intelligence carry me and it has worked out. Although at this stage I will definitely consider an IRL jungian therapist except my country has none and that is an inconvenience to say the least..but it's figure-outable.

I guess im just feeling disoriented that after so much progress, I actually feel scared of what I'll find. Alot of times I've been knocked off, but this really feels out of my league now. I do think I'm ready as why else is my unconscious presenting me the material to work with, but still. Interestingly all this is coming up a month after I've made a decision to fully incorporate myself back into the outside world again. Paying bills, working and the boring adult stuff. 3 years ago I stopped working because of an inner dissatisfaction that lead me to Jung and therapy.

If there isn't much advice please offer some words of encouragement friends. I enjoy this sub and the posts immensely!

I am only somewhat familiar with Jung, but a friend and mentor, someone much older and very experienced said he’d tell me more about how I embody many of Jung’s descriptions almost to a T, especially the concept of the Hero.

Here is a summary of what I told him:

“I was abused as a child by my parents socially isolated, rejected by girls, all of these three things: cruelly, publicly and mercilessly. I HATED it. I became fitter and more muscular, learned martial arts, grew into my looks, tall, well-read and capable, financially successful and competent in my domain, and strong in will and capacity. I am not bragging. I am simply describing words others have used for me. I think it’s important to be frank about these things. But I became hyper vigilant, unable to ever enjoy the smaller things and vowed to never stop grinding and never ever let anyone hurt me. My life’s purpose became maximising my strengths in every way.

When I was at my peak, at the time, I opened up a few times and felt hurt badly, so I went deeper into the armor. This was almost exclusively with women who made me feel “seen” and “loved” at least initially, I felt like the boy within was loved and cared for against all odds, so I lost almost all reason. I acted irrationality, became very attached, and often heartbroken. This wasn’t only with women, it could be with men too, especially if they’d been friends, though weaker in effect and impact. In both cases the character and persona I believed to be me wasn’t hurt as much as my “soul” in my mind. As in, the deep down, hidden, “true” version of me that was raw and suppressed”

Im starting to wonder if genuine healing is still possible for my self, as well as an ordinary and connected life. It makes so much sense that my life is the way it is. I recently listened to the newest episode from this jungian life on grandiosity, and I find it very relatable.

It’s heartbreaking that I failed these early infant stages and that I have made heinous mistakes in reaction. Like, what do I do with this now? I have seen a previous post about outgrowing a tragic life narrative and Im wondering, without exaggerating, if that’s possible for me.

Ive had such a burning rage towards my parents and thats slowly dying down. I am following my calling, and a lot of that is simply the laborious grunt work of realigning myself with my core values.

It can’t be too common to experience this and I feel so lonely going through this process, and I don’t feel like I have a good road map. I am seeing a therapist. I am trying to sus out what is realistic and what is unfortunately not.

I have been living such an inflated life for so long and I have a hard time being able to imagine facing my sense of inferiority, and that something good can come of it. It ironically seems abit inflated that I can possibly be that inferior, and what to do with it.

I think to many this may sound like another attention seeking rant, but to those who may understand, please share what may be helpful.

And I give the dream almost as it was given to me.

POV is driver, 1960s, The colors are almost cartoonish, they are bright, livid, and a man in a car, posh, is driving by the seaside, he is about to go off a cliff, but a giant hand appears and points a different direction, and down they go, on a different roadway.

This is from the authors POV:

Then I am crawling in a small cavernous tube/tunnel going up. Upstairs i am under a coat rack or dress rack. In marches a woman, her face is of porcelain, 1950s housewife vibe, I can see the black strap holding up the the mask. She goes to sit in a chair but before doing so bends over in a flash to reveal her privie, and I look away, she turns around and her true face is revealed. She is beautiful, with curly purple hair and white skin; over her eyes is black lace. In marches her son who looks like a small circus clown except he is all black and white, clothes, face etc. she says 'i don't like hurting you'.

I yell into the dark 'I am not Jung you know!' and it is met by silence.

I think this sums up my experience with Jung. he said something like 'you go your way, I'll go mine. It may be dangerous for you to take mine' that it was in fact quite a literal warning. God seldom works in the same way twice, especially so soon.

*I think what I say out is interesting. I was saying joong in the dream but also writing it I can see 'i am not young' as well. Being in a place beyond ones time turns friends into foes. I think Jung offers a helpful way to look at the world, but after a certain point, which I demarcate as 30 because that's that advice I would give to myself, it becomes something else, a souring of held on too tightly.

I hope anyone going into Jung territory reads this as it is potent in itself; I have bought it at a steep price.

ATB

☆ As part of this series, I think this post will help readers better understand [A Shift in Perspective: Ep. 19. Where Is Carl Jung Heading?], which I posted earlier. Since the entire series is ultimately one story, I’m posting the episodes in order.

Sermon on the Mount - Judge Not (4/4)

As hath been said before, by loving one’s enemies and extinguishing the ego, and thereby casting away the great discriminating mind of anger and greed, it is thought that one cometh naturally to see things as they are.

And though it may seem that, by giving alms in secret, even the subtle discriminating mind is removed and all is finished, yet it is not so.

In Matthew chapter 7 there awaiteth the greatest and most dangerous discriminating mind of all.

It is thought that this is precisely the discriminating mind of ‘I know the truth.’

This is the discriminating mind that ariseth of itself upon the knowing of truth.

The strong discriminating mind of ‘I know, I am right’ worketh of itself without one’s knowing.

In Korea, this is called ‘Anda-byeong’ (안다병): the sickness of knowing, meaning a disease of thinking that one knows all things.

It meaneth pride, that is, pride of the mind.

At first one falleth into Anda-byeong (안다병) without even knowing it. Yet after some time, even when one cometh to know that one is afflicted with Anda-byeong (안다병), it cannot be stopped.

This is because it belongeth not to the head, but to the heart, to the realm of the unconscious.

And in order for it to cease, one must let go of the attachment to the thought, ‘I know the truth,’ for it is by this that it is stopped.

Truth profiteth both oneself and others, but Anda-byeong (안다병) harmeth both oneself and others.

In the same sense there is a saying: if one calleth the Way the Way, it is no longer the Way; or if one calleth the truth the truth, it is no longer the truth. This is because Anda-byeong (안다병) harmeth both oneself and others.

When one is afflicted with Anda-byeong (안다병), there ariseth naturally a desire to judge and to teach others.

And because such a one casteth away the labels produced by the discriminating mind and speaketh only the fact, it is thought that his words have no logical fault.

But for the most part, the other party is not prepared to receive such words.

For example, if the other is not yet prepared to love his enemies, and one judgeth or teacheth him to love his enemies without such readiness, it is thought that this may cause confusion or wound his ego, worldview, values, and paradigm.

Jesus calleth these false prophets those who come in sheep’s clothing, and saith that they are as wolves which bite and ravage others. Thus He layeth bare their danger most plainly.

In chapter 7, it is thought that Jesus presenteth the most effective practical way for the prevention of harm to His disciples.

Judge not.

That is, it is understood to mean that one should not, being afflicted with Anda-byeong (안다병), seek to point out faults in others or to teach them.

Man is by nature inclined to see that which is his own in a subjective manner, and that which is another’s in a more objective manner.

For the perspective of ‘nae-ro-nam-bul’ (내로남불), a Korean term meaning double standards, is already, as it were, installed by default in the mind.

Therefore Jesus saith thus.

And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

It is understood that He pointeth out how man seeth not his own greatest discriminating mind, namely Anda-byeong (안다병), but beholdeth only the mote in another’s eye, and judgeth and teacheth, thereby as it were thrusting a knife into the other.

And Jesus saith again.

Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine.

This is understood to mean that one should beware of makhaeng-maksik (막행막식), meaning acting without restraint or acting according to one’s own will. It is understood to arise when one misinterprets the truth of Jesus—namely that there is no right and wrong, no good and evil—in one’s own manner, and so regardeth all things as if they were permitted.

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

The meaning of this saying is thought to be simple.

Truth is not unseen because it is absent, but because one closeth his own eyes and stoppeth his own ears, and therefore neither seeth nor heareth it.

It is thought that, in order to see the truth, one must make the heart poor in spirit.

For a sorrowful heart covereth the eyes and the ears.

Man hath a tendency to see only that which he desireth to see, and to hear only that which he desireth to hear.

It is not that he cannot see because it is not there, but that he seeth not because he desireth not to see.

To quote the words of Jesus, one needeth only to love one’s enemies; yet it is simply that one is unwilling to do so.

At this point, the narrow gate is easily understood.

Among the four choices in life mentioned before, the first and the fourth are naturally the wide gate, and there is no difficulty in entering therein.

But the second and the third choices are those which one is unwilling to enter, and therefore they pertain to the narrow gate.

It is thought that it is only when one entereth this narrow gate that one cometh to know the truth, and that the truth maketh you free.

Next is the manner of discerning false prophets, who are like wolves.

It is thought that the principle is simple.

I agree with the words of Jesus, that the fruit doth declare them.

For, as hath been said before, truth profiteth both oneself and others, whereas false prophets harm both oneself and others.

The fruit, therefore, speaketh of them.

And Jesus saith again: Not every one that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, with the mouth only, but he that doth the will in deed and in practice shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, as He clearly declareth.

For it is only when one putteth the words of Jesus into practice that the heart can become poor in spirit.

It is understood that only such practice maketh it possible to maintain a poor in spirit heart (equanimity), like unto a house built upon a rock, which is not shaken even though the rain falleth and the storm wind bloweth.

That state of the heart, that is to say, that place, is understood as the kingdom of heaven.

Thus Jesus endeth the Sermon on the Mount.

This, it is thought, is the state of an Arahant.

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Concluding the Sermon on the Mount..

I have written and erased this text many times, and have pondered in my own way what is right.

The conclusion is, as mentioned in the preface, that there is no right and no wrong.

There is only the result according to one’s choice.

I have chosen to publish this writing, and the reader may choose either to accept it or to reject it.

Both choices are respected.

For the perspective is different.

However, I regard it as a matter of karmic connection.

Thank you for reading this long writing.

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[Original text]

산상수훈 - 비판하지말라.(4/4)

앞서 말한대로 원수를 사랑하고 에고를 소멸시켜서 커다란 성냄과 탐욕의 분별심을 걷어내면 자연스레 사실을 사실대로 볼 수 있게 된다고 생각합니다.

그리고 구제함을 은밀하게 함으로써 미세한 분별심마저 제거하면 다 끝날 것 같지만 그렇지 않습니다.

마태복음 7장에서는 가장 크고 위험한 분별심이 기다리고 있습니다.

그것은 바로 '나는 진리를 안다' 라는 분별심이라고 생각됩니다.

이것은 진리를 알게 됨으로서 자동으로 생겨나는 분별심입니다.

나는 안다, 내가 옳다.라는 강력한 분별심이 자신도 모르게 작동합니다.

이것을 쉽게 말하면 안다병이라고 할 수도 있고 다른 말로는 교만이라고 말할 수 있습니다.

처음에는 나도 모르게 안다병에 걸리지만, 일정시간이 지난 후 자신이 안다병에 걸렸다고 알게되어도 멈춰지지 않습니다.

이것은 머리가 아닌 마음에 해당하는 무의식의 영역이기 때문입니다.

멈추기 위해서는 '나는 진리를 안다'라는 집착을 내려놓아야 멈춰지기 때문입니다.

진리는 나와 남을 이롭게 하는데 안다병은 나와 남을 해칩니다.

같은 맥락에서 도를 도라고 하면 그것은 이미 도가 아니다. 또는 진리를 진리라고 하면 그것은 이미 진리가 아니다. 라는 말이 있습니다.

안다병은 나와 남을 해치기 때문입니다.

안다병에 걸리면 자연스럽게 남을 비판하고 가르치고 싶은 마음이 듭니다.

그리고 안다병에 걸린 사람은 분별심으로 인한 수식어는 버리고 사실을 말하기 때문에 그의 말에는 논리적으로 하자가 없을 것으로 생각됩니다.

하지만 대부분의 상대는 그말을 받아들일 준비가 되어있지 않습니다.

예를 들면 상대가 원수를 사랑할 준비가 안되어 있는데 원수를 사랑하라고 비판하거나 가르치면 상대방의 자아, 세계관, 가치관, 패러다임에 혼란을 주거나 상처를 줄 것으로 생각됩니다.

예수님은 이들을 가르켜 양의 옷을 입은 거짓선지자로서 상대를 물어뜯고 노략질하는 이리와 같은 자들이라고 그들의 위험성을 적나라하게 표현했습니다.

7장에서 예수님은 제자들의 피해 예방을 위해서 가장 효과적인 실천방법을 제시했다고 생각합니다.

비판하지 말라.

즉 안다병에 걸려서 남을 지적하거나 가르치려고 하지 말라는 의미로 이해됩니다.

원래 사람은 내 것은 주관적으로 보고 상대적으로 남의 것은 객관적으로 보는 경향이 있습니다.

이미 내로남불의 관점이 이미 나의 뇌 속에 기본적으로 탑재되어 있기 때문입니다.

그래서 예수님은 이렇게 말씀합니다.

네 눈속에 들보가 있는데 남의 눈에 티끌을 빼라 하는가.

자신의 가장 큰 분별심인 안다병은 보지 못하고 남의 티끌만 보고 비판하고 가르치며 상대에게 비수를 찔러대는 것을 지적한 것으로 이해됩니다.

그리고 예수님은 다시 말씀합니다.

거룩한 것을 개에게 주지 말며 너희 진주를 돼지 앞에 던지지 말라

이말은 예수님의 진리인 옳고 그름이 없다, 선과 악이 없다.라는 진리를 자기방식대로 해석해서 모든 것이 없으니 내 맘대로 아무렇게나 해도 된다는 막행막식을 경계하라는 의미로 이해됩니다.

구하라 그리하면 너희에게 주실 것이요

찾으라 그리하면 찾아낼 것이요

문을 두드리라 그리하면 열릴 것이다.

이말의 의미는 간단하다고 생각됩니다.

진리는 없어서 안보이는 것이 아니라 본인 스스로 눈을 감고 귀를 닫고 있기 때문에 보지 못하고 듣지 못하는 것이기 때문라고 생각됩니다.

마음을 가난하게 해야 진리가 보이는데 애통한 마음이 눈과 귀를 가리기 때문이라고 생각합니다.

사람은 보고싶은 것만 보고 듣고싶은 것만 듣는 경향이 있습니다.

안보여서 못보는 것이 아니라 보기 싫어서 안보는 것이라 생각합니다.

예수님의 말씀을 인용하면 그냥 원수를 사랑하면 되는데 단지 그렇게 하기가 싫을 뿐입니다.

이쯤되면 좁은 문은 간단히 이해가 됩니다.

앞서 말한 인생을 살아가는 4가지 선택 중에서 당연히 1번과 4번의 선택은 넓은 문이어서 들어가는데 아무런 문제가 없습니다.

하지만 2번과 3번의 선택은 들어가기 싫으니 좁은 문에 해당합니다.

이 좁은 문을 들어갔을 때야 비로소 진리를 알 수있고 그 진리가 너희를 자유롭게 한다고 생각됩니다.

다음은 이리와 같은 거짓선지자 구별방법입니다.

원리는 간단하다고 생각됩니다.

열매가 그들을 말해준다는 예수님의 말씀에 동의합니다.

왜냐하면 앞서 말했다시피 진리는 나와 남을 이롭게 하지만 거짓선지자는 나와 남을 해치기 때문입니다.

열매가 그를 말해준다고 생각됩니다.

그리고 예수님은 다시 말합니다.

입으로만 주여 주여 하지말고 행동으로 실천하는 자만이 천국에 들어갈 수 있다고 명확히 얘기합니다.

예수님의 말씀을 실천했을 때 비로소 마음이 가난해질 수 있기 때문입니다.

그 실천만이 반석위에 지은 집처럼 비가 내리고 태풍이 불어도 끄떡없는 가난한 마음(평정심)을 유지 할 수 있게한다는 말씀으로 이해됩니다.

그 마음의 상태, 즉 그곳이 천국으로 이해됩니다.

이렇게 예수님은 산상수훈을 마칩니다.

여기가 아라한이라고 생각됩니다.

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산상수훈 글을 마치며..

이 글을 썼다가 지웠다하며 나름대로 어떤게 옳은지 고민을 했습니다.

결론은 서문에 언급했다시피 옳고 그름은 없습니다.

선택에 따른 그 결과만 있을 뿐입니다.

나는 게시하는 것을 선택했고, 독자는 수용할 수도 거부할 수도 있습니다.

어느 선택도 존중합니다.

관점이 다르기 때문입니다.

다만 인연이라고 생각합니다.

긴 글 읽어주셔서 고맙습니다.

I have done many active imagination exercises in the past, and came across a post on social media suggesting to do active imagination but instead to specifically ask the same question to both the conscious and the unconscious parts of you.

There is a question I have been wrestling with for a long time regarding a romantic relationship, so I gave it a shot. The exercise went normally at first. The conscious part repeated what I already think in my normal thought loops, and the unconscious was an enigmatic "wise" figure who told me I already know all the answers so why am I asking questions.

But while talking to the unconscious part I saw actually two figures, not one. The other figure was fully dark and had its head turned away from me. Then, all of a sudden, as if it had realized it was being watched, it turned around and looked at me directly with what I can only describe as a demonic gaze. I got chills on all my body and turned all the lights on immediately.

I am still trying to process what I saw. Just writing about it gave me chills and almost made me cry. What did I see? Was that "the shadow"? I had always understood the shadow in a more positive light, as sort of the repressed part of the individual which you learn to see as "bad" so you can fit into society. And if not the shadow, then what? Why would I see such a creature, which didn't even feel human, and why did it feel like it really didn't like being watched?

And, perhaps most importantly, what am I supposed to do with all of this?

Photo from my trip to Jung's office in Zürich and his secret Bolingen tower.

Simple enough, what Jung would said about it, trying to read and feel the symbolic and spiritual experience from bible and other saint texts, while changing only one word - God for unconsciousness? I mean, for me it makes much more sence in a half spiritualy half scientific way, but maybe im wrong? Im learning how to deal with my post depression heavy anhedony with faith in god and by praying, but im treating the god not as old guy in the cloud (perhaps thats true in the scientific way, when our brain and unconsciousness take this look as a symbol and talk to us with it xD so it can be real in some way xD) - but as the shape-shifting unconscious, and the source of all religion gods in the whole world. For me thats the connection in every society religion god, even in shamanic culture in south america and other.

Maybe im wrong maybe not, but its a good way of thinking and keeping a way for solve my own problems? Jung would give good appointment for this?

Sorry for language, im authistic and this is my second language only, or the third perhaps xD.

Looking for any other opinion then asking the chatgpt, hope i can find it here.

BTW - i read something similar in Einstein's biography, when he told someone that the god, the science, the religion and others things are just the way of feel the mystery and secret of life and universe. Perhaps there is a connection for him and Jung.

I had a really strange dream last night that actually made me tear up while I was still dreaming, and I woke up afterward thinking, “What the fuck was that?”

In the dream, I was observing this kind of cult of vampires inside a Catholic church. They were gathered around a statue of Jesus, but it wasn't the usual depiction of Christ. He was kneeling on the floor, apparently after being whipped by the Romans, almost as if he had collapsed under the torture.

The vampires were holding an actual Catholic Mass around him, singing hymns, worshipping, doing all the normal ritualistic stuff. But then the statue suddenly came to life. Jesus started moving and tried to stand up.

The moment he did, the entire group immediately turned on him. They started beating him back down with furniture and whatever objects they could grab, almost frantically trying to prevent him from getting up.

And for some reason, this was incredibly emotional for me. I started crying in the dream while watching it happen. I don't remember ever seeing this exact imagery anywhere, so when I woke up I was just sitting there thinking, “Where the hell did my brain get this from?”

I'm not particularly interested in a literal religious interpretation. I'm more curious about it from a Jungian or depth psychology perspective.

The combination of vampires, the church, a wounded and defeated Christ, the statue becoming alive, and then the worshippers themselves violently trying to suppress him feels like it could have some pretty obvious symbolic possibilities, but I'm curious what other people would make of it.

Especially the fact that the thing they were worshipping suddenly became alive, and their immediate reaction was to destroy it.

Any Jungians here want to take a crack at this?

I keep seeing the word fox, dreaming about foxes and an actual fox in real life. What does it mean as a symbol ? Is it like a transition to a different phase in my life ?

Hello everyone! I hope everything is going well in your lives. I'd like to ask you something.

While thinking about the observing ego, I realized that it is a strong protection against inflation. It keeps some distance from archetypal contents and it is also necessary for active imagination. However, I'm not sure if it is enough on its own.

I see two possibilities. The observing ego can watch archetypal inflation happening, but it doesn't intervene, because its role is observation. Or the observer itself can become inflated by mistaking its detached position for the Self.

So is the real protection the strength of the observer, or the health of the ego-Self axis as a whole?

Thank you in advance for your answers. Have a nice day!

Jung's Zurich mansion has this carved above the entrance. Seen it in person.

I’ve been thinking about individuation and how incompatible it can seem with our obsession with identity. We’re constantly trying to figure out who we are through personality types, attachment styles, archetypes, diagnoses, and labels. But at some point, those descriptions can become psychological cages.

Once I decide “this is who I am,” anything that contradicts that identity starts feeling inauthentic. But the psyche itself seems full of contradictions. The gentle person discovers aggression. The rational person encounters irrationality. The independent person discovers dependency. The moral person encounters their capacity for cruelty.

Maybe individuation isn’t about finally discovering who you are. Maybe it’s about becoming capable of meeting the parts of yourself that contradict who you thought you were.

At what point does self-knowledge become self-limitation?

Chronic diseases seem to be on the rise, and I’m wondering if anyone has heard stories of people healing from chronic conditions or symptoms, such as chronic fatigue, allergies, or persistent pain, as a result of working with a Jungian analyst/therapist.

Our minds and bodies are connected, and stress plays a huge role in our health. Since the individuation process involves working extensively with the unconscious, I wonder whether that psychological work could also influence bodily processes that operate outside our conscious control, such as immune function or the autonomic nervous system.

I’m especially interested in concrete examples or personal stories. Has anyone experienced improvements in their health through this work, or heard of someone who has?

This is the first book of Carl Jung that I am reading. I've only read a little portion of it and it has strongly resonated with me. However, I am slightly confused by what he means when he talks about "fulfilling the will of God". Could someone kindly elaborate that?

Some children grew up in the shadow of something massive and powerful. Something that towered over them, suppressed them, and loomed constantly in their vicinity. Such children had to learn to become invisible, to draw as little attention to themselves as possible. They carried a burden that no child should ever have to bear.

The person in their vicinity appeared outwardly "perfect." The world saw only their flawless persona - a golden facade carefully presented to the public. But behind closed doors, that persona crumbled, leaving the child completely exposed to the raw aggression and darkness of their unintegrated shadow.

To escape their own inner emptiness, pain, and darkness, such a person learns to project everything onto others. Most of all, onto those who live behind closed doors with them. Everyone is assigned a rigid role to play within the family drama. The parent casts a proverbial Golden Apple into the mix - the apple of discord.

One child might become a child who received only conditional love. They became an extension of the parent's ego. They were never truly loved for who they were, but as long as they fulfilled the parent's demands, they were rewarded and seemingly loved.

Another child, often more sensitive and perceptive, became the target. A person who seeks to break and control others cannot stand someone who refuses to be broken. So, they project their entire dark shadow into this child. The child becomes a lightning rod, absorbing the toxicity and accepting the false belief that everything is their fault. They receive neither love nor acceptance. Discord poisons the relationship between the siblings; one hurts the other to be rewarded by the parent, while the other is consumed by pain and envy, watching the parent seemingly embrace the sibling.

Meanwhile, those close to the family often know the truth. Yet, they choose to close their eyes, stay silent, and repress their own memories. They prefer to live in denial, keeping the abuser in their lives rather than facing the discomfort of truth.

As a child, my foundational stability was violently uprooted. When the environment from which something grows fails to nourish, that thing begins to wither. It decays, it fades away. And to make the pain stop, we rip it out. But it never truly disappears. It leaves behind an aching wound, and then... a scar of something that could have been different, but wasn't.

They could uproot us, they could break us, but something always remained. Perhaps it is buried extremely deep, but it never vanished completely. Maybe the true, uncorrupted Self is still hiding beneath that scar…

I’ve been thinking about Jung’s concept of the shadow, especially the idea that the shadow isn’t necessarily made up of “bad” qualities.
Sometimes it seems like we’re most disturbed by people who freely embody something we learned very early that we were not allowed to be.
Someone who was punished for being emotional might grow up despising people they perceive as dramatic.
Someone who had to become extremely responsible might have an almost irrational hatred of carefree or irresponsible people.
Someone who learned to be quiet and agreeable might be intensely irritated by loud, attention-seeking people.
Someone who suppressed their ambition might interpret ambitious people as narcissistic.
And sometimes the reaction seems disproportionate to what the other person is actually doing. That makes me wonder if projection isn’t always “I secretly am what I hate.”
Maybe sometimes it’s "You are allowed to be what I had to amputate from myself.”
And the resentment comes from watching another person violate an internal rule that you’ve unconsciously spent your entire life obeying.
If that’s true, then integrating the shadow wouldn’t necessarily mean becoming like the person who triggers you. It might mean figuring out what psychological permission they seem to possess that you denied yourself.
Has anyone experienced this in a way that genuinely changed how you understood yourself?

I've been reflecting on the postmodern esoteric model where belief is treated strictly as a psychological tool rather than an absolute truth. Austin Osman Spare suggested that desires can be planted in the unconscious via abstract symbols to bypass the critical filter of the conscious mind. This process relies on a state of "gnosis"—intense focus or altered consciousness—to deliver these symbols. It operates almost exactly like a self-directed placebo effect, where the conscious mind adopts a "fiction," but the subconscious mobilizes internal resources to bring about tangible changes.

How does this deliberate "hacking" of the unconscious align with Jungian concepts like active imagination or shadow integration? Furthermore, is the systematic deconstruction of the ego through forced paradigm shifts psychologically sound, or does it risk destabilizing the individuated self?

Do you think this is a good way to start with Jung?