WHAT SUSTAINED LOVE REQUIRES...July 21, 2023

This requires a very specific effort to set aside one's conscious ego (our 'me')and its desires, regarding expectations about the beloved, for the benefit of the beloved one.

It is the opposite of 'posessing' the other. This must surely be the ultimate test of enduring Human/Divine love; as well as the source of authentic joy of loving another person over time.

Anything less- however much called love-is the desire, often unconsciously, to have power over the other. To have the other be what one's own ego imagines or desires them to be, not who they actually are. This is the opposite of love.

PERSONAL SYMBOLIC MEANING OF '608'...July 22, 2023

I made this wall hanging yesterday. It is the native lumber board with the home address '608' tacked to it. It was part of a sixty-year-old fence I tore down two years ago. The number '608' took on strong symbolic meaning to me some thirty years ago. It now feels foundational to my life experience.

For three decades my forty-seven-year '608' E. Lincoln St. address has been symbolic of my personal development, or in Jung's term, of my on-going individuation process.

'Six' to me is a number indicating change. I relate it to my first adult need/readiness for complex changes in outlook of myself, others and of the world. Rather early on I found by 'accident' some writings of C.G. Jung applicable to my needs and the IChing, the ancient Chinese Book of Changes, based on symbolic common archetypal configurations of the number six.

Reflecting, I consider myself at thirty-eight years old(1982) as having been, still mostly unconscious, a very ripe 'six' in this developmental process. It's as if I'd been psychologically/spiritually prepared for significant personality/values changes by experiencing my personal limits of some highest and lowest realities from the common-to-all Collective Unconscious.

'Zero' I take as the time of initial, and reocurring, experience of  humbling. Initially some archetypal energies of the Collective Unconscious all but overwhelmed my ego, my 'I' or 'me'. The building-up of experienced outer/inner life tensions threatened me with the potential loss of mind and of a sound ego awareness. I experienced my greatest battle.

I was compelled in time to know that my ego awareness, as important and essential as it is, is so very small compared to the powers and contents of the Unconscious. The Collective Unconscious might be thought of as, 'All that is, has been or ever can be'. In practical terms the Unconscious introduced my ego to inner images of the 'other', the Divine/Sacred, often called God throughout the ages.

In the 'zero' state I learned that the Unconscious makes itself known to the smaller but eager ego consciousness, in Jungian terms, as the Self. The Self is the only all-encompassing mind factor that I conscientiously can and morally must, to keep claiming my full humanity, bow to and give my highest allegiance.(I learned also that the Self does not ask for blind obedience but invites one to an encounter where human honesty, trust, doubt, courage, questioning and dialogue are some highest values.)

'Eight' being 'two times four' is a strong psychological/spiritual symbol of the embedded human aspiration to consciously reach for the 'wholeness, completeness and uniqueness' of adult personhood. This I believe is a primary goal for which our souls break into this earthly/bodily human life.

This kind of life journey and development toward unique completion is never for any kind of moral or religious perfection which often actually interferes with it. This kind of quest is, in my view, the highest and lowest reaches life places before each of us. It is a value we can take as our own and choose doing what we can to support others in their Self-finding journey to wholeness.

In ways beyond my capacity to articulate or well grasp intellectually, the 'eight' state of mind teaches that the most important experiences one can have are effectively being loved by another and of effectively, creatively and uniquely loving another. 

Love is not yet humanly well-defined or described except as it is experienced directly through one's whole being: mind, body and soul.

For three decades it has been helpful to me to adapt three ancient Greek words for love, taken together, as a baseline for the present-day ego and heart to work with. These are:

1. Agape- An unconditional, unrelenting high regard for the other person.

2. Phileo- The experience of honest/trusting, relaxed and heart-warming friendship.

And of far higher value than the Western world has consistently given it, but instead has generally denigrated its spiritual/psychological importance to our human evolutionary path is:

3. Eros- The spiritual/psychological experience that makes a human feel most alive and joyfully ecstatic. It can be felt toward various realities including devotion to strongly felt personal vocations(soul callings) of many kinds.

Of a most importance, in my best judgment, never should the fulness of Eros respectfully attracting prepared intimate human partners be underestimated.  It can be, in my opinion, a primary channel for the highest development of persons. And capable even of generating compassionate cultures never yet created and being always central to the world's survival and thriving. 

What the Unconscious helps happen in state 'eight' is Eros is shown to be elevated to a union of Spirit and Matter, of Venus and Apollo, of masculine and feminine, of reason and irrationality. Sexuality and spirituality, of psychological necessity for our evolving times, seek to become one.

Eros, supported by the other love expressions, must surely be a redeeming "Divine/Human power" (A Paul Tillich quote)still in and among us.

We can rightfully aspire to be open to a full measure of unfathomable love. And no conscientious person need be discouraged or embarrassed if such love has not yet become very consciously experienced. Love has its own autonomous timing. Our ego is not its master. No matter our personal present state of love, every human can be grateful that such love lives in couples across the Earth and to trust that the numbers now grow. All mature loves benefit all persons and the creation.

Many persons have historically insisted that their transforming experiences of love have been clearly best described as personal gifts received, as Divine grace unexpectedly extended.

Note: 

These three 'states' of development- 6,0 and 8, are only generally sequential in me. They overlap and none of them ceases to operate. Nothing is left behind. All is returned to in reflection to better secure the expanding foundation the Self has added to a humbled ego consciousness. 

There is, in each individuation process, what Jung called a 'circumambulating' or encircling movement of themes around some central image which the Self gradually makes more clear.

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD...June 24, 2023

This movie I think has the potential to transform the person who actually takes it all in. And it's a transformation still sorely needed in this world. It covers so much of honest living: a meaning of childhood, unity of humanity, neighborliness, a true picture of character, manliness, courage and tenderness. And even a model for facing evil and ignorance in the world. It made me more proud to be an Alabamian,home of the creative author.

Gregory Peck’s mighty performance as decent attorney Atticus Finch is the anchor of this adaptation of Harper Lee’s inspiring novel. Lee herself agreed—the author and actor kept in private touch for decades. The film is also about surrogate fathers and defenders; watch for a young Robert Duvall as the mysterious Boo Radley, a ghost and a hero. -- It puzzles me why it did not more profoundly and lastingly affect the eternal race problem in our nation..when one of our own, perhaps somewhat unconsciously, can lay it out so clearly in story? The nation has continued to violate its message all along with every imaginable excuse. But maybe it did help alter history...The'Civil rights' movement.

TO HELL WITH IMPERIAL CHRISTIANITY ....June 24, 2023

What an excellent preaching effort by Jim Rigby of Austin, Texas. To put into words for today what was originally wordless and unexplainable living symbols. Symols that captured many persons' hearts in early first century Palestine. The experience brought with it a clarity beyond ordinary words or preaching. A clarity, which seemed from God, of how one person supposedly modeled for others how humans are designed to highly value each other human. This indescrible falling-star beginning was quickly, within two centuries at most and probably sooner in some places, undermined by its own leaders for self serving power. We can hope for such a collective clarity, that fits our times and needs,again.

"TO HELL WITH IMPERIAL CHRISTIANITY When Christianity spread into the Roman Empire it went through a terrible reframing. The Roman emperor Constantine forced bishops to come up with creedal statements that had little or nothing to do with the original teachings of Jesus. For many, the Christian religion was reduced to supernatural claims and cultic moralisms. For many, Christianity was reframed from a religion of empathy to one of mind control. If the new imperial Christians were superstitious and ignorant about this world, it was okay because they became experts on the world to come. If they couldn’t be good neighbors to the poor and outcast, it was okay because they were good neighbors to their new and improved Jesus who was no longer concerned with the poor and outcast. I believe there is confusion in calling the Christianity of Constantine and that of Jesus by the same name. I’m not saying we should argue about who gets the label, but it is important to remember that, if some Christians want to force their dogma into the public square- it is the Christianity of Constantine, not Jesus. If some Christians are more concerned with maintaining their culture's norms than including their culture's scapegoats- it is the Christianity of Constantine, not Jesus. If some Christians are more concerned about the the success of the American economy than with liberating workers enslaved in sweatshops all over the globe- it is the Christianity of Constantine, not Jesus. And, if the cross is a symbol of Christian exceptionalism instead of a call to suffer on behalf of the oppressed- it is the Christianity of Constantine, not Jesus!"   

Jim Rigby

Beautiful Love Is Never Easy. April 20, 2023

 

Tap and open.

https://carljungdepthpsychologysite.blog/2020/08/11/carl-jung-love-is-like-god-both-give-themselves-only-to-their-bravest-knights-2/#.ZED5L6ROmk_

EASY TO THINK ONE'S EGO IS EVEN MORE AMAZING THAN IT IS...March 25, 2022

 Our ego, our 'me' or 'I' came into our awareness at some point in early childhood. Before that we were out and about entertaining the adults but we were very unconscious little beings with little conscious ego presence. This is how we each began our mind development, fully apart from our own conscious plan or personal willing. 

Once 'in' us and somewhat conscious to us  as our 'me' our ego kept expanding and eventually it came to believe it was all that we are.  And it remained unaware of any vast Unconscious in us which contains all possible development and from which the ego was given its birth to start with. 

This unawareness is the reason the ego tends to feel itself quite superior in its assessments of reality and accounts for our human general lack of humility the first half of life. It is usually at midlife that the ego slows down enough to ask ourselves questions about what we are beyond only our ego me. 

This 'talking to our self' or reflection can begin an expansion of the deeper, still mostly unconscious, part of us that the ego in it's rapid growth the first half of life had ignored and remained mostly unaware of. 

For example we were aware we dreamed at night but we felt no real connection or responsibility to our dreams. We were emotionally moved by stories, movies, pictures and family and religious rituals but little did we know all these themes and impressions were already present in us unconsciously waiting to be awakened. Even our 'falling in love' was more about an awakening of what was already in us than in our really 'knowing' our beloved one.

FOR WHAT WAS JESUS WILLING TO DIE, HIS PASSION? ..March 13, 2022

Thank you for joining this second of six Lenten devotionals with 1st Congregational United Church of Christ.  

Focusing on the story of the last weeks, and especially the last days, of Jesus' life are central in the earliest gospel we have about Jesus. 

*That earliest gospel is Mark. It was written about 40 years after Jesus died. Like the other gospels it was not an eye witness report but one creatively inspired by a gifted believer to try to capture how the words and deeds of a simple-living, poor, roaming teacher had touched and uplifted so many lives. 

Jesus is shown providing the most oppressed and rejected persons of his homeland renewed hope in life and in God. 

Mark's emphasis is important because it shows what to some earliest Christians was most important to know about Jesus. We will try to capture some of that central emphasis in this devotion. This is important because the  emphasis in telling the old old story has changed through the centuries and risks losing what the original story says is most important for us to know and practice.

For example the popular movie The Passion  Of Christ eighteen years ago excited many Christians that Jesus was again in the secular headlines. Churches were renting and showing the movie to their people and guests. How could all this excitement not be good? Unfortunately what the movie emphasized above all else was the horrible suffering of Jesus' death. There were continuous graphic images of his beating, bleeding and slow murder by Roman crucifixion. 

The expression 'Christ's passion' has often been equated to his horrible death and we've been  told that the Jews and even the rest of us are guilty of killing Jesus. This has resulted in worldwide centuries of persecution of Jews and a general sense of false guilt among Christians. We Christians have our share of guilt to bear but I don't think killing Jesus is one of them.  This misguided understanding of the meaning of Jesus' passion implies that God is unable to forgive humans of our wrongs if Jesus did not suffer this horrible way. 

But Mark does not aggrandize Jesus death that way. He writes simply, " After mocking him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. Then lead him out to crucify him."  Mark 15:20. As we will see the movie unfortunately failed to even come close to capturing Mark's emphasis.

Another, and our most common, meaning of a person's passion is what is most important in life to them, what is it they most love and want to be real and true in this world? So what does Mark's gospel clearly show was Jesus' true passion?

Whoever the actual inspired author of this creative gospel was, he frames his story around contrasting Jesus' passion with that of his high powered enemies who wanted him killed. Mark makes clear that Jesus' true passion was not about dying a cruel suffering death. Jesus did not want that anymore than you and I or any sane person does. 

Yes he was certainly willing to endure that suffering in order to follow his real passion which Mark says was his longing for what he called the, 'coming of the kingdom of God' into this world.  Jesus saw his human and sacred purpose in life was to do what he could to bring forth a new and different humanity, a transformed humanity with a raised appreciation of and compassion for each other, especially those who at any time are most oppressed and crushed by life. 

Jesus'  passion then is his world view that every human no matter her religion, ethnicity, color, sexual orientation, gender, economic status or any other natural differences is an equally loved and valued child of God. The Kingdom of God breaking into human life was Jesus' dream, his passion- that all persons come to be seen as having authoritatively equal dignity and respect in life and death. 

But then, as still now, that is not how the world is. Instead of desiring the equal valuing of all persons some have an opposite view, that our primary goal as humans be to accumulate power, wealth, status and authority over others as much as we can.  And the winners of this competition are said to deserve the necessities and the overflowing fruits and gifts of the Earth, while the ones who fall behind in this competition are not.

This opposite view of life's purpose was what Jesus eventually ran into head on in Jerusalem, even to the point of dying for his passion and his message. This opposing view is what the Roman emperor and his empowered underlings believed. They called the emperor King, Lord and son of God.

Jesus had daily seen ordinary poor people not being given opportunity to live in a valued and respected way but instead suffering much for the high life styles of the Roman elite and the ranking leaders of the Jewish religion who had become political puppets of Rome. These of course were the ones who in ignorance crucified Jesus.

Mark shows Jesus throughout his teaching ministry as never entering big cities where the rich and powerful lived. He knew his message would enrage them. Jesus was not a coward but had his own sense of Divine timing. 

Mark shows Jesus in his last week finally and purposely entering the largest city in his homeland, Jerusalem. Jerusalem was the center of political and religious power. Jesus knew he would likely be killed. And we all know how the situation resulted in his murderous crucifixion.

Mark creatively crafts his story leading to the ultimate climax of this true passion of Jesus.This was six days before Jesus was killed and what what came to be called Palm Sunday. The remainder of Mark's  gospel (more than a third of it)is devoted to his last week. Here is how Mark begins these last days with words of chapter 11 verses 1-11. ....

Today the church in the form of individual persons can desire to have the passion of Jesus grip our very inner beings, to capture our souls. It is from that same passion, only possible in individual hearts, that something grand, good and redeeming can still come in the world. Such can come in spite of the intervening centuries of injustice, power grabbing, war, materialistic world views and lack of respect for humanity including all our diverse brothers and sisters across this rapidly shrinking world .

Our prayer this Lenton season can surely be, "May it be so. May the kingdom of God come. Amen."

*The information shared here is influenced by the scholarship of Marcus Borg, co-author of 'The Last Week.'

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