The Muse

(Zoe Westhof asked in the comments, “I’m curious to know your thoughts on the muse as an archetypal image?”)

Historically, the muses were figures of inspiration that provided the impetus for poets and artists to create.  In Jung’s thoughts we can glipmse these figures within his writings on the Anima.  Like all the archetypes, the Anima is elusive and tends to morph into a new form once a claim is made with our rational minds in an attempt to define Her.  Jung paid great tribute to this reality by saying “The anima is the archetype of life itself.” (CW 9i, par.66)

Like the mythic figure that loosened the poet’s tongue, the Anima is that archetypal reality whose engagement is recognized when the spirit of life is coursing through us.  “It is always the a priori element in moods, reactions. impulse and whatever else is spontaneous in psychic life. ” (CW 9i, par.57)

What I value about the relationship we see between the muse and the poet is that it puts the poet in right proportion, perspective, and position to these figures.  The ancient texts begin with an invocation seeking assistance in the task at hand.  As we desire to engage archetypal realities, relating to these forces with this attitude relies on accepting what Jung defined as the objective psyche.  To encounter aspects of ourselves as “other” is always, as Jung says, a defeat for the ego, but it is also the path that leads to the widening of consciousness.  When we are ready, the Anima leads us down that path.

(Note: Jung defined a contra-sexual psychic reality whereby for women, the Animus functions in the same manner as the Anima does for men.)

Related Post:  Soul Figure