Desert and Descent : Carl Jung’s Red Book

“But who can withstand fear when the divine intoxication and madness comes to him? Love, soul, and God are beautiful and terrible. The ancients brought over some of the beautiful that it appeared to the spirit of the time to be fulfillment, and better than the bosom of the Godhead. The frightfulness and cruelty of the world lay under wraps and in the depth of our hearts. If the spirit of the depths seizes you, you will feel the cruelty and cry out in torment. The spirit of the depths is pregnant with ice. You are right to fear the spirit of the depths, as he is full of horror.” Carl Jung, The Red Book, pg. 238.

Evocative is the language that Jung uses to render his trepidation as his experiment embarks. Clearly the threat of madness is not taken lightly with the figure of Nietzsche’s demise such an intimate story to Jung.

The theme that emerges is that of the murdered hero, but with an interesting twist in that the voice of the depths contends that all the murdering of one’s brother that forms the basis of history is an evasive maneuver so that the individual does not have to face the challenge of the murder of the hero within, a challenge that humanity is still developing toward.

Dreadful the malice and rage that issues from the hearts of men. Peculiar it is to consider the fantasy that projection dictates we are always our own intended target.

jamenta

Only a few days ago I was having a discussion about the nature of evil with a friend. Recently in the news, four police officers at a coffee shop were shot and killed by a random stranger with a long criminal record. I believe all the officers had families and loved ones - and likely had dreams, hopes and lives in front of them they wanted to live - only to be unceremoniously cut down by the whim of someone none of them knew. Not only changing dramatically the path of these four officer's lives or let us hope "souls" - but the lives (souls) of those close to them.

My friend whom I posed the question of evil too - in regards to how reality can very much seem so random - and subsequently meaningless and horror filled for the human spirit - said she believed that evil came from a different source, that her philosophy followed one of dualism.

I was taken aback by her statement. I guess I have been reading Jung and similar concepts for so long that I was honestly puzzled by what has been a traditional approach to the horror and evil of the world. But now that I think of it, it may be a truly neurotic approach - because by insisting on dualism, you insist that horror/evil is truly entirely not you - exists totally independent of you, and truly has no meaning or relation to your own identity or reality.

My response was that you cannot have the light without the dark. That rationally it all has to come from one source. But I could not go further than that in my argument because I have not really thought about the "dualism" philosophy for a long time. So I'm afraid my belief (and I believe Jungs) that both evil and good do come from one and the same source - fell, in this case with my friend, on deaf ears.

It is a huge paradox. One I still struggle with. The Shadow within and without the world that clearly exists. The puzzling part is when you being listening and looking for meaning within and without your existence, you clearly can see moments/events and images that are deeply meaningful and connecting - so you have to conclude there is meaning, and with that you must approach the darkness with the same attitude toward it as well - that there is meaning to the horror, and it does not come from some source outside of us or reality.