AziMuth
Recently I’ve been ruminating on this quote from Carl Jung: “When an inner situation is not made conscious, it happens outside, as fate” I think we all know what it feels like when fate bites us. It’s like having a viper strike suddenly from out of the tall weeds. What Jung challenges us with is to recognize how the unconscious contents that are lurking within can constellate our outer events. So the question we are left with, is how do we grab hold of the snake?
Even pondering this question requires that we are willing to entertain the possibility that the psyche extends beyond the ego’s control. How many times have you heard this comment? “Oh, I dreamed that because this happened yesterday.” On one level, there is a bit of validity in such associations, but they tend to explain away the greater reality unfolding through us by minimizing what the dreams presents. Such an attitude is in effect a defense against the snake, an attempt to explain it away.
Jung also said that “A great work of art is like a dream, and it meets the psychic needs of the public.” From this we can glean two helpful insights. Dreams meet the psychic needs of the individual; and, the imagery in dreams should be taken as they are presented. They are self contained. Just like a work of art is judged based on ones encounter with it, a dream need be given the same deferential treatment as a work of the psyche.
Perhaps in the end it does not matter if we encounter the snake within ourselves or in the outer manifestation of event’s. Personally, I’d rather hold onto the snake within the alchemical vessel of myself then continue to get bit by those fangs in the outer world.
Related Content: Thoughts on a dream series
image cc via wikipedia
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