Jung on Self and God

“Two things have yet to be discovered. The first is the infinite gulf that separates us from one another. The second is the bridge that could connect us” ~CGJung, The Red Book,

Quoted in this post from Jungian Sanford Drob, "Jung on Self and God"

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  • As we draw nearer to an idea of the archetype of God, we have to see the connection to ourselves, as we are included in the universe with God. Though the God of the mice will have to look like a mouse, the God of humans will ultimately have to resemble a human on some level, yet something more.

    This is where the two archetypes, God and Self, become inextricably entangled, or contaminated with each other. Two distinct symbols, which are interconnected and share many of the same characteristics out at the edge of conscious comprehension, dominate the conscious sphere.  Jung’s “bridge that could connect us” may be found within the area where these symbols relate.

    I see the Self as numinous, at least as I have seen it objectively, as an observer during dreams, in the same way that people see God. There is an otherworldly aspect to it that cannot be shaken, and I’ve read that I’m not unique in this respect. I can feel this in my bones, agreeing with Jung’s comment, 

    “we must therefore emphasize that though the self can become a symbolic content of consciousness, it is, as a supraordinate totality, necessarily transcendent as well.”

    If my Self is that transcendent, where do I draw the line between Self and God? Is the “infinite gulf that separates us from one another” a contrived myth which the unconscious would scoff at?

     

    • Here's my story.

      Eleven (almost twelve) years ago I started reading Jung's books. I was still a student of electrical engineering. I literally knew nothing about Jung at that time, only his name. A few months after I had read his work on synchronicity I had an idea (it came to me out of nowhere) that the quaternity (conservation of energy, space-time, causality, synchronicity), four physical interactions (weak, strong, electromagnetic, and gravitational), and four psychological types (functions: emotion, thought, intuition, and senses) are different manifestations of the same thing.There is more in my first comments written here: http://www.depthpsychologyalliance.com/forum/topics/a-multi-causal-...

      Google "genetic code" and golden (mean or ratio). Professor Rakočević from Serbia will be on the top. Here http://community.fortunecity.ws/emachines/e11/86/shadow.html is mentioned another professor from Serbia, Đuro Koruga. Besides these people I know and who are looking for an underlying pattern), there are some other authors claiming that someone who is pretty much interested in the same things as I am will be involved in a revolution of sorts and win. Considering how much I hate imperialism in all shapes and forms... I've mentioned more details in the Red Book group, topics 17-20. You can't make up this stuff.

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yv6L4DunPDE - Pi movie clip

      A multi-causal approach to synchronicity
      A Multi-causal Approach to Synchronicity is the title of an online article written by Zachary Stinson, in which he argues against Jung, Robert Aziz…
  • Speaking of bridges: http://jewishcurrents.org/carl-jung-and-the-question-of-anti-semiti...

    It's a long text, so in order to make the long story short: Was he an anti-Semite? Am I an anti-Semite because I think that Zionism is the most destructive (both directly and indirectly; I don't see any sane reason why Muslims should be marginalized in the United Nations) ideology after World War 2 (but I at the same time think that it would be absurd and dangerous to reverse history in the 21st century (globalization and the environment are more urgent issues), no matter whether we talk about colonization of Palestine or America)? Am I anti/pro-whatever if I think that Ukraine has been in minds of the people who live there two countries (and one nation) for quite awhile and that they should separate instead of letting sociopath extremists from both sides being the only viable option? People out there get killed for this kind of disagreements. Sometimes I disagree with my own parents.

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