Carl Jung once wrote: "For the sake of mental stability and even physiological health, the unconscious and the conscious must be integrally connected and thus move on parallel lines. If they are split or apart or "disconnected, "psychological disturbance follows. In this respect, dream symbols are the essential message carriers from the instinctive to the rational parts of the human mind, and their interpretation enriches the poverty of consciousness so that it learns to understand again the forgotten language of the instincts."
The above quote from Jung's Man And His Symbols is a paragraph I find myself rereading and is a baseline for my debut poetry collection exploring Jungian theories.
I've been a prolific dreamer since I was a teen, but it wasn't until adulthood that certain dreams reoccurred, and as years passed, I began drawing parallels to personal spirituality. It would be even more years (in my late 40s) before I revisited my childhood love of writing and delved deeply into dreams through poetry on online platforms like Vocal Media and Medium.
Of course, Carl Jung was a name I recognized, but intrigue prompted me to learn more. The more I explored his theories, the more I realized his concepts were the missing helpers I needed, filling in the blanks of what felt like decades of "lost time." This lost time refers to all the previous disconnects I had encountered, the gaps between personal development, and all the times I had felt misunderstood by society.
Symbols always fascinated me; dream interpretation began in my early 20s, but as a novice, I didn't delve much beyond the typical book explanation. Imagination-rich, I was, but more or less, keeping oddities to myself, as I knew my thoughts were not always well received. Today, I fondly look back, proud of my quirks, but decades and life experience do that to a gal.
Reflection has demonstrated time and again that much of my "instinctual" past was indeed spot-on. Oh, how many times that inner nudge spoke to me, and oh, how many times I ignored that voice, doubting myself.
Another noteworthy quote from Man and His Symbols:
"Here I must clarify the relation between instincts and archetypes: What we properly call instincts are physiological urges, and are perceived by the senses. But at the same time, they also manifest themselves in fantasies and often reveal their presence only by symbolic images. These manifestations are what I call the archetypes. They are without known origin; and they reproduce themselves in any time or in any part of the world- even where transmission by direct descent or "cross fertilization through migration must be ruled out."
True, many have argued against Jung's ideas, often misunderstanding his interpretations, but this doesn't deter me from completing my book, even though I realize I will likely meet similar scrutiny. No, I do not claim a seat next to his likeness, but as a woman who's met much pushback in her life simply for remaining true to herself, I expect this creative venture of mine will produce more instances of the same.
Even more of a reason for me to complete this project.
The Sri Yantra (cover image) mirrors my journey—interlocking paths that lead back to the center, just as my poems seek the self's center.
If you'd like to explore how I translate these 'message carriers' of the unconscious into verse, visit my latest piece: Weight of the Contour
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