God Archetype

February 20, 2013 — archetypes, Carl Jung, God

Jung’s Kundalini

One of Carl Jung’s most controversial theories was his view of the God within. He was drastically disappointed in his first communion at the Swiss Reform Church. His father was the pastor and Carl was a faithful member of his church. He expected something more, or different, when he attended that communion. He basically never stopped pursuing that ecstasy he had wanted through religion for the rest of his life.

His later years were consumed with individuation, which he considered to be the meaning of existence. He used artistic expression, dream journaling, and isolation in a primitive tower built by his own hand to achieve his own individuation. He studied ancient alchemy and philosophy. His belief that symbols contain the most direct and deep meaning lead him to study ancient texts and charts. To Jung individuation was not a substitute for God, but a deep search for the divine nature of self.

His investigations were deep and lengthy.  He stated that he only studied of God as a psychological  archetype and not as religious doctrine.  His idea of the collective unconscious is that images and symbols are primordial.  We absorb symbolic messages but do not analyze their meaning.  That is why Jungian therapy can include sand box drawing, word association, and art  to discover archetypes.  Dream work is a pivotal part of Jungian analysis. In his tower, reading about ancient alchemists, living without modern conveniences, Jung came close to living in a dream.  Most cannot afford such an extravagant personal quest for the divine, but we can all do a little dream investigation.  Does God enter your dreams?

dream spiral