Hello, Jung. Do you hear me?
Let’s talk about my dream, old man.
Standing in the doorway of a staggering stone tower, he offered a wool blanket, “here, take this.” I eagerly draped this gift over my shivering body. He was a warm man whose spectacles clung to the tip of his flushed nose. His wispy porcelain templates caught my gaze. Had I summoned Jung? With a nod, he chuckled, “you may call me C.J.” Startled by this psychic connection, I noted the imaginal realm’s interface — otherwise known as the Mundus Imaginalis. The Mundus Imaginalis exists as an interdimensional realm positioned between spirit and matter (Corbin, 1972).
“Come, come, girl,” C.J. murmured as he whisked me into his humble abode. An energetic force carried me towards the fireplace adjacent mustard chair, and I plopped into her pulpy cushions. “Ah, good choice. Make yourself at home!” he chuckled while shuffling towards an archaic stovetop. I contemplated the ethereal vibration of the space. How is it simultaneously tangible and ethereal? “We are in the personal unconscious,” he whispered.
“Here, girl. Tea warms the soul,” he handed me a mug and retrieved a tobacco pipe from his double-breasted smoking jacket. Bewildered, I sipped my tea, which scalded my tongue. The burning sensation permeated through my body, and I scowled. C.J. smirked and held a lit match to his pipe’s chamber, “careful, my dear!” he bellowed and slowly relaxed into a coffee-colored chair.
“Speaking of burning sensations, where were we? Ah yes, the personal unconscious.” He inhaled a satisfying puff from his pipe, “from empirical observation, the unconscious contains lost memories, repressed [forgotten on purpose] painful emotions, and subliminal perceptions — such neglected material interfaces through shadow figures in dreams” (C. G. Jung et al., 1972).
My Hellish nightmares of late flooded my mind, and C.J. lowered his gaze, “these shadow figures indicate repressed material, which naturally influences the conscious mind (Jung & Hull, 1981, para 101). Comprehension of such dominance can is achievable through dream investigation.” I wondered if I could rid myself of this “personal unconscious” that plagued me. With a raised eyebrow, C.J. sharply inquired, “have you spoken to Freud?”
With a brash tone, he continued, “The unconscious holds repressed material, yes, but elimination is undesirable as this psychic layer contains the potential for numinous experiences.” He cleared his throat, “If we wish to emphasize repression, then our occupation concerns the shadow, which is one facet of the unconscious, but by no means the whole. The shadow is the repository of consciously rejected material. When we repudiate negative emotions, our soul’s purpose becomes inaccessible. This process of repression compromises the light” (Franz & Kennedy, 1985). He continued, “just as the sun reflects aspects of the moon, only conscious awareness reveals shadow material. Otherwise, unknown contents serve as the conductor of our waking life” (C. G. Jung et al., 1975).
I felt a sharp ping in my throat — how do I access these contents? C.J. smiled lovingly, “your emotional state is the key. Emotions are, after all, how you have arrived at my tower. Your fear is valid, but integration and freedom are equivalents (Franz & Kennedy, 1985).” I knew he was right, but how do I access repressed feelings? He paused for a moment and puffed his pipe, “you already have.”
“Without engagement with rejected emotions, Mundus Imaginalis entry is unlikely. When you evoked desperation, you initiated the process of active imagination, which consciously integrates unconscious material (Franz & Kennedy, 1985, pp. 119). Can you recall this dream? The one that led you to our visit?” A flame-coated hallway flashed before my eyes, and I watched as my body lay lifeless on the blood-stained floor; demons crouched over my beaten remains. A cloaked feminine figure lingered for a moment before she swiftly vanished into a cloud of smoke.
“I understand. It seems you have coincided with the anima image. You are fortunate in this case. As an archetype, the anima appears when the emotional fabric [connection to the numinous] is present, and her image yields a possibility for unconscious integration (Jung, Adler, & Hull, 2014).
“An archetype is primordial energy which resides in the collective unconscious and is accessible through archetypal images. Essentially, the image functions as a portal that serves as a funnel for unconscious material. The presence of a shadowy feminine figure in your dream indicates the anima at work. When rejected of the feminine occurs, the anima appears as the dark feminine.” (C. G. Jung et al., 1976).
“In my work, I note the contrasexual expression of the anima. However, the gendered theory is provisional (C. G. Jung et al., 1976). Thus, regardless of biological sex, the anima will express herself when psychic synthesis is necessary” (C. G. Jung, 1966).
Jung abruptly rose, shot me a soul-permeating stare, and bellowed, “you must look beyond the anima. You must uncage the daimon!” With a heavy hand, he hurled his pipe athwart. The clay pieces shattered into thousands of fragments and sank into the floor panel divets.
Startled, I awoke from my imaginal state with questions I intend to pursue with you, the reader. Before commencement, let us consider the concept of fragmentation. According to Jung (C. G. Jung et al., 1972, pp. 110), the human psyche tends towards dissociation, which results in a fragmentary psychic system. fragmentation is not inherently harmful as it provides humans with the potential for aptitude development. Only when amnesia of psychological wholeness occurs does it become problematic. I have discovered the personal root of fragmentation as a perceived separation between feminine and masculine.
With the glorification of masculinity in the form of “rational” intellect and a rejection of feminine emotional expression (Arendell & Brody, 2001), a revival of a primordial philosophical framework is necessary. Disconnection from innate psycho-spiritual wholeness, cultural norms remain polarized.
References
Arendell, T., & Brody, L. (2001). Gender, Emotion, and the Family. Contemporary Sociology, 30(1), 48. https://doi.org/10.2307/2654343
Corbin, H. (1972). Mundus Imaginalis Or the Imaginary and the Imaginal. Amsterdam University Press.
Franz, M., & Kennedy, W. H. (1985). Projection and Re-Collection in Jungian Psychology: Reflections of the Soul (Reality of the Psyche Series) (Third Printing Used ed.). Open Court Publishing Company.
Jung, H. B. G. T. C. R. F. C. (1966). The Practice of Psychotherapy (The Collected Works of C. G. Jung, Volume 16) by C. G. Jung (1966–06–01). Pantheon Books.
Jung, C. G., Adler, G., & Hull, R. F. C. (1972). The Collected Works of C. G. Jung, Vol. 7: Two Essays on Analytical Psychology (2nd ed.). Princeton University Press.
Jung, C. G., Campbell, J., & Hull, R. F. C. (1976). The Portable Jung (Portable Library). Penguin Classics.
