Psychology of the Unconscious: A Study of the Transformations and Symbolisms of the Libido. A Contribution to the History of the Evolution of ThoughtJung, C. G. (Carl Gustav)
Philosophy
Psychology of the Unconscious: A Study of the Transformations and Symbolisms of the Libido. A Contribution to the History of the Evolution of Thought
Jung, C. G. (Carl Gustav)
Libido (Psychology); Mother and child; Psychoanalysis; Subconsciousness; Symbolism (Psychology)
Before I enter upon the contents of this second part, it seems necessary
to cast a backward glance over the singular train of thought which the
analysis of the poem “The Moth to the Sun” has produced. Although this
poem is very different from the foregoing Hymn of Creation, closer
investigation of the “longing for the sun” has carried us into the realm
of the fundamental ideas of religion and astral mythology, which ideas
are closely related to those considered in the first poem. The creative
God of the first poem, whose dual nature, moral and physical, was shown
especially clearly to us by Job, has in the second poem a new
qualification of astral-mythological, or, to express it better, of
astrological character. The God becomes the sun, and in this finds an
adequate natural expression quite apart from the moral division of the
God idea into the heavenly father and the devil. The sun is, as Renan
remarked, really the only rational representation of God, whether we
take the point of view of the barbarians of other ages or that of the
modern physical sciences. In both cases the sun is the parent God,
mythologically predominantly the Father God, from whom all living things
draw life; He is the fructifier and creator of all that lives, the
source of energy of our world. The discord into which the soul of man
has fallen through the action of moral laws[204] can be resolved into
complete harmony through the sun as the natural object which obeys no
human moral law. The sun is not only beneficial, but also destructive;
therefore the zodiacal representation of the August heat is the
herd-devouring lion whom the Jewish hero Samson[205] killed in order to
free the parched earth from this plague. Yet it is the harmonious and
inherent nature of the sun to scorch, and its scorching power seems
natural to men. It shines equally on the just and on the unjust, and
allows useful living objects to flourish as well as harmful ones.
Therefore, the sun is adapted as is nothing else to represent the
visible God of this world. That is to say, that driving strength of our
own soul, which we call libido, and whose nature it is to allow the
useful and injurious, the good and the bad to proceed. That this
comparison is no mere play of words is taught us by the mystics. When by
looking inwards (introversion) and going down into the depths of their
own being they find “in their heart” the image of the Sun, they find
their own love or libido, which with reason, I might say with physical
reason, is called the Sun; for our source of energy and life is the Sun.
Thus our life substance, as an energic process, is entirely Sun. Of what
special sort this “Sun energy” seen inwardly by the mystic is, is shown
by an example taken from the Hindoo mythology.[206] From the explanation
of Part III of the “Shvetâshvataropanishad” we take the following
quotation, which relates to the Rudra:[207]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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