INDIVIDUATION: Becoming who we are meant to be

Individuation, the central concept of Jung’s psychology, is the foundational image and aspiration of Jungian psychoanalysis - and life. It is the theme of many a fairy tale, the sought-for treasure of a quest, and the “juice” that makes symbols compelling. Individuation has an innate developmental arc and a psychological trajectory that allows us to bring conscious intention to our own individuation process. However, vital transformational events are not simply occurrences ego alone can command; they are ultimately mysterious. They arise independently from the unconscious and what Jung termed the Self, the center, circumference and true center of the personality.
HERE'S THE DREAM WE ANALYZE:
"In the beginning of the dream, it's morning. I'm waiting for my father in the house where I grew up. We are about to drive halfway across the country to look at graduate schools. It is nearing afternoon, and we still haven't left the house. I know from previous experience that it takes more than a full day of driving to reach our destination, which leaves me feeling anxious. Now my parents and I are in the car heading down the highway. From the backseat, where I used to sit, I'm looking outside. We reach an empty stretch of road surrounded on either side by farmland. The sky is overcast- halfway between rain and sunset; I notice a few geese flying across the road from the left of my line of vision in a small V-shaped formation. Once they have reached the other side, they circle back, flying in the opposite direction; they have doubled in numbers and form a more unified chevron. I am standing in a field with my girlfriend. We are watching the dark shapes of the geese bobbing in the dusk. Suddenly they start to glow, one by one, as if each is carrying on their bodies a neon orb, similar to a brake light. I look down in the mud by my shoes and see a broken red light, one that could fit on a bike; I tell my girlfriend that the cracked object must have come from the geese. She agrees with me, which I find very reassuring."
RESOURCES:
BECOME A DREAM INTERPRETER: We've created Dream School to teach others how to work with their dreams. A vibrant community has constellated around this mission, and we think you'll love it. Check it out: thisjungianlife.com/join-drea...
PLEASE GIVE US A HAND: Hey folks, we need your help. Please become our patron and keep This Jungian Life podcast up and running: / thisjungianlife
SHARE YOUR DREAM WITH US: Submit your dream for a possible podcast interpretation: thisjungianlife.com/share-you...
SUGGEST A FUTURE PODCAST TOPIC: Share your suggestions: thisjungianlife.com/podcast-f...
INTERESTED IN BECOMING A JUNGIAN ANALYST? Enroll in the Philadelphia Jungian Seminar and start your journey to become an analyst: www.cgjungphiladelphia.org/se...
YES, WE HAVE MERCH! www.zazzle.com/store/thisjung...
#jungian #dreamanalysis #analyticalpsychology #dreaminterpretation #jung

[@heath3546]

I feel like I’m in another dream with you three. In a sacred gathering , to be part of the unfolding , of the subject matter (words energy magic)within the visions of the dreams and within your vulnerabilities, within mine, and letting go. Migrating back home to the heart of the source. So healing. . Thank you

[@yootoob1001001]

Really loved the analogies of the caterpillar/butterfly as well as the alchemical process. Also during the dream analysis, when there was a mention of the broken light in the mud: another thing it called to mind for me was the alchemical axiom, ""in sterquiliniis invenitur" from the Latin meaning, "in filth it will be found" i.e. - that which you need to find will be in the places you least want to look. Maybe there is something he needed to dig down into before moving on (?). Just a thought! Grateful to listen as always---thank you!

[@amye1067]

We all have a daimon. Meditate often. Blend the brain mind and the gut mind, the logic and emotion, and you will hone it.

[@JacobsL4DD3R]

Gut mind? I quite like that

[@carmel3613]

Always look forward to hearing your latest episode, thank you Deb, Joseph and Lisa!

[@thisjungianlife]

Thanks, Carmel! ~ Joseph

[@BaoWeezyNguyen]

I just stumbled into this absolutely charming channel (TY YT algorithm). Love the discussion and can’t wait to binge on the rest.

[@abrahammanzo2455]

Really enjoyed this! 😊 Thank you guys for your work!

[@gwendolynmurphy9563]

I am heartened by many points made in this discussion: acknowledgement of the Self that is beyond Ego; Erickson's stages of development, the importance of relationship to promote individuation as opposed to isolation; and appreciation that it's not always a fun easy process; yet must be embraced lest the dying process be fraught with regret.

[@Watercolordragon]

Thanks!

[@mstirmii]

Fascinating. Circumambulation..wow and yes.

[@thisjungianlife]

Thanks, Michael. Jung had such a gift for taking ancient religious practices and translating them into modern psychological metaphors.

[@mstirmii]

@@thisjungianlife seems like he blurred the lines between psychology and religion

[@thisjungianlife]

@@mstirmii He felt the roots of psychotherapy rose from religion. The etymology of the word psychology is 'study of the soul'. I'm wondering if he blurred the lines or reaffirmed the disavowed relationship between the two.

[@tracypewthatswho1362]

Fantastic

[@bela-botondjakabhazi9153]

Very helpful, thank you

[@edgreen8140]

Exactly mahler is what I first of thought of. But early ambulation and lagging psychic development can cause problems

[@miketv101]

Hey guys! I don't know if you take any questions, but since you're treading near an idea I've been snagged on recently I suppose it's worth a shot. Sorry it came out a bit longer than intended. It's to do with this sense of intuition, inner knowing, calling or pull towards the process of completion. Through much of my life whenever I've attempted to settle somewhere "logical" or "sustainable" I've felt a great inner restlessness and resistance. I've always had a very authoritative and concise sense of when I was "off track," and I do trust it. However my hesitation comes that living through such a encompassing and powerful force makes me question how much free will I myself possess in where I am going or who I am to become. If the most important aspects of me are decided and only coming to be through my listening and seeking, then do I really have a choice at all besides whether or not to follow? It seems itself a profound and mystical process certainly worth living, but it seems always into further uncertainty, and so I listen but with a sense of reluctance and hesitation. Besides all that gotta tell you guys, love the show. Think it's great to have such in depth Jung content at a more comprehend-able level with multiple opinions and without just being a watered down version of his ideas with a handful of quotes. It's always an absolute treat to listen, so I hope I get to keep hearing from you. Cheers.

[@tristecherie7464]

This is why Jung emphasised so much on connecting to a higher power/god/universe Because we aren’t meant to know answers, and we aren’t meant to be sure The restlessness that comes from these questions when channelled into something devotional can be magical and healing if you’re careful where you go for this. It’s truly what teaches surrender and acceptance while also having a fire to seek. I think capitalist life has us thinking were demigods and put those same expectations that make us lost. Connecting to something higher ironically grounds and makes you realise human life ain’t all that. Organised religion is awful but there’s been a significant rise in depressed w it’s decline in our lives.

[@jenmdawg]

Such a deep, wonderful, powerful question and I’m exploring something so similar. Look into Bernardo Kastrup - his talks on Jung and consciousness and nature are mind blowing.

[@aclark903]

@@tristecherie7464Well, #Christianity isn’t awful, it’s awe full. Don’t confuse the 2.

[@belindacullen-reid4595]

To do something radically different....

[@individuationportal]

jung's dream that told him about individuation [48:30]

[@Pneumanon]

43:00 This is a concept of 'sin' that I came to recently myself, based on the idea that God is a metaphor for reality. God (as we call it) is the over-arching external reality but there is also a reality that emerges within us which seems, to me, to be what we might think of metaphorically as 'The Holy Spirit'. This is a personal, internal aspect of reality which is not separate from the over-arching external reality but it is a part of that greater reality that only we experience. Though we experience it, we don't control it or know it's depths. It's not 'us' but some emergent phenomena occurring within us. To 'accept the Holy Spirit' is to follow the guidance of this emergent reality within us. To be ignorant of it, or reject it, is to 'live in sin'.

[@l.jamillah4833]

woah!

[@cosmosaic8117]

I am writing a song called Circumambulation

[@sterlgirlceline]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[@kittyheinrich9196]

This is the first episode I watched....so I may be out of turn asking. I am very interested in dream interpretation. The events of this dream, the symbols are interpreted so abstractly. Why wouldn't a more direct interpretation be correct?....I know I have lots to learn. But I"m struggling with.....why isn't the girlfriend, the girlfriend. I get the geese are about flight ....but they go back and forth. Brake lights....and reassurance by the gf. So....My interpretation is that he wants to leave his home....migrate....perhaps be solely with his gf (grounded on the dirt in a field) and is flighty on whether he should.....so he thinks of flying back and forth. He is unsure but his gf assures him she is fine and will wait until he stops breaking (broken brake light?). The magical nature of the glowing flight is in the excitement and mystery of love.......so.....are there really different interpretations of dreams? How do you know when you have the correct one?

[@R1chbloke8]

I can relate my experiences of the female image/anima and her function as gatekeeper to the shadow realms. May be time join dream school 😂

[@jordansage9655]

23:18 cool

[@sumankhati7867]

31:00 for myself.

[@prod3362]

Or......in additionn to amassing millions citizen cane also had a wealth of good experiences from flying on rosebud that lasted his entire lifetime

[@prod3362]

If a migrating buffalo told u why he was migrating......

[@prod3362]

Mr Spock speak with forked tongue

[@deanhettig1920]

Individuation, simply put, is maximizing your ability to adapt at every phase of human development. As professor George Engel puts it - BioPsychoSocially We discuss practical Jungian ideas on individuation on our channel 😎

[@abinraj640]

Dream 53:20

[@MrJamesdryable]

1:59 Jesus christ, Joseph. Coming in a bit hot!

[@Magik1369]

The Jungian model confuses everyone. The personal self or "ego" arises from the Soul center at birth and comes to consciousness at around 2-3 years old. Jung called this higher Soul center the Self. Sri Aurobindo calls this center the "Psychic Being". The Christ figure of the Sacred Heart where Jesus is pointing to a burning flame in the center of his heart symbolizes the Soul Center. The Soul center or Self is Divine...however it is the personal evolving Soul. Without understanding reincarnation and the multi dimensional nature of existence, it is impossible to understand the Self in its entirety. One must understand how the Soul is evolving through time through many incarnations. There is a higher energy body called the "Light Body" or the "Causal Body". This is Universal and its energy is Divine. This is the circumference and totality of the Soul when the Soul reaches a point of development where it is fully integrated with the Light Body. When a Soul integrates with the Light Body...this is called the Higher Self. This is Self Realization and is extremely difficult and rare to achieve. Achieving a strong mature ego and fully integrating with the Soul center (Self) is one level of self actualization. Then there is a 2nd higher level which is called "G-d realization" or enlightenment. Jung reached the 1st level of actualization but not the 2nd.

[@nomadman5288]

There is no real separation of anything, only the appearance of separation from a more limited perspective, like ours. A human cannot integrate the whole "Self" as it is too much for 'the ego' to handle(it would be information overload) because it is part of the whole Self, in the same way the second hand is part of the clock. There also is not "higher self" per se, only greater understanding and more wholeness. People get caught up in these terms and I often wonder if they are doing it from a very egoic place without realizing it, to feel special in some way or maybe even as a psychological coping mechanism and defense. I have come to believe that "enlightenment" is a trick people play on themselves. I often wonder if any of these people that believe themselves to be "enlightened" or living as a "higher self" have ever stopped and asked "Am I really enlightened or am I just tricking myself, and just full of shit?" I would imagine not many, if any.