The Quest: Vision in an Age of Crisis. Jungian Psychotherapy

The National Socialist movement functioned not only as a political party and military machine but also  as a "dark religion" that sought to possess the German psyche.  Its apocalyptic vision was rooted in the esoteric mysticism. When the promised victory failed, the regime’s narcissistic core pivoted to a final, nihilistic sacrifice. Hitler’s Nero Decree and the ritualistic suicides in the Führerbunker revealed the ultimate end of the apocalyptic narcissist: a desire to see the entire nation perish rather than survive a failure of the "Master Race."   Podcast Segment Highlights: Joseph Goebbels: The "High Priest" of propaganda who managed the cult of personality and the 1943 call for "Total War." The Scale of Evil: An estimated 50 million deaths and a "continent of wreckage" that left half of Europe killed, wounded, or traumatized. The Industrialization of Death: The shift from the "Holocaust by Bullets" to the managerial, bureaucratic efficiency of the gas chambers. The Final Götterdämmerung: Hitler’s rejection of diplomacy in favor of a fiery, ritualistic end for the German people.

This episode covers the apocalyptic traditions of some of the indigenous peoples of the Americas, Siberia, and also the Celts, including their influence on medieval Christianity and even modern poetry. It finishes with more information on the two comets approaching earth vision this month, the best times for viewing, and some further reflections upon their significance. The view of the comets: Comet 'MAPS' between April 8th - April 22nd. one hour before dawn look low toward the southeast. In the Northern Hemisphere preferably on the coast or hill with clear view and low light pollution. In the Southern Hemisphere it will be higher. Binoculars required. Comet PanSTARRS. Northern Hemisphere: look very low in the East in the 'Great Square of Pegasus' around April 17th before dawn. Binoculars required. Ideal night: April 17th: new moon, dark sky. Southern Hemisphere: In mid-April, it is in the East before sunrise. But by late April and into May, it flips to very low in the West just after sunset. In early May it climbs higher in the evening sky as it moves away from the sun. Binoculars required to see its detail.

We continue our world tour of the apocalyptic traditions briefly describing those of India, Indigenous Australia, Africa, and Indonesia. We finish the episode mentioning two incoming comets due to arrive within earth vision in April of this year, 2026. We contemplate the creative and destructive powers of these cosmic messengers. 

This episode and the following are a tour of some of the world’s apocalyptic traditions outside of the Judaic, Gnostic, Christian, and Millenarian which have been explored already. This episode includes those of Islam, Norse, Egypt, Aztec, Maya, Inca, China, and Japan. By this means we can appreciate one of the features of the archetype – its widespread occurrence across the world’s civilizations.

The last five chapters of Answer to Job clearly show that Jung believed that the shadow in our psyche and the technological means at our disposal leave us in a most precarious apocalyptic situation .... “For the dark God has slipped the atom bomb and chemical weapons into his [humanity’s] hands and given him the power to empty out the apocalyptic vials of wrath on his fellow creatures.” Jung was by no means clear that humanity could rise to the level required. Neither is it clear how this realisation may have affected his moods towards the end of his life but what is well known is that he spent his final days dictating his last visions to his daughter and Marie-Louise von Franz. These were often very somber (including images of global devastation), but he reportedly faced them with a sense of "objective" calm rather than despair.

The book Answer to Job was the one work Jung said he would never change. In it he “psychoanalyses” Yahweh, challenges the Christian God, insists that God, across our evolution, has been entering into humanity as a unconscious complex of opposites requiring integration through the human psyche. This is the purpose of human consciousness and this book was Jung’s bible. Like the Christian bible it ends with an apocalypse – an unveiling.

This episode explores the Gnostic worldview, flourishing in the first centuries of the Common Era, which offers one of religious history's most radical apocalyptic visions. It is founded on a profoundly dualistic  understanding of reality: the material cosmos is a prison, and humanity is a tragic hybrid—a divine spark of light trapped in corrupt flesh and matter. The influences of Gnostic thought are traced in a succession of artists and visionaries from William Blake to D.H. Lawrence. For those who want more information on booking for the Archetypal Constellations workshop "Resourcing Our Future", led by Richard Olivier, here is the link:  https://www.wholepartnership.com/booking/resourcing-our-future-a-masterclass-on-archetypal-constellations-with-richard-olivier/  

The apocalypse isn't just an ancient myth, but an archetype, a pattern that still shapes our world.  The same emotional and psychological forces that drove medieval peasants to embark on doomed crusades or to whip themselves in public, are the very forces driving political movements today. The archetypal forces that drove these millenarian movements  are very much present in the politics of the Western world at this moment.

The Christian apocalyptic tradition is explored, focusing on the prophecies and warnings of the Gospels and the Book of Revelation. These texts contain a dramatic narrative of cataclysmic events: the end days, the Second Coming, the Rapture, the chosen few, the final judgment, Armageddon, the defeat of Satan, and the reign of Christ’s kingdom. This tradition has provided a reference point for Western civilization across the millennia and is still active today. Its archetypal content is emphasized, as well as its psychological roots.

The deepest archetypes are symbolic narratives, like dreams, that reveal the nature of the psyche itself—its origins, for instance, or even its potential ending. The Book of Genesis serves as an example of the former, while this episode explores the latter—the theme of the apocalypse—through various writings in the Jewish tradition, including the Books of Daniel, Ezekiel, Zechariah, Isaiah, and Enoch. This is not simply ancient history, but is highly relevant to our contemporary world, for we live in an Age of the Apocalypse.  

The archetype of the Self is Jung's answer to the crisis of civilization in our age. In a world grappling with the relativism and indeterminacy of post-modernism, where grand narratives have collapsed and meaning seems fluid, with a host of other modern philosophical ailments that breed anxiety and nihilism, the Self offers an inner, inherent source of meaning and direction. It suggests that beyond the shifting sands of external opinions and cultural trends, there is an enduring core, a guiding principle within each individual. It is an antidote to the spiritual rootlessness of our age and a light for those seeking an authentic and meaningful life beyond superficial materialism or ideological extremism.

The earliest archetypal images with an implicit mythological narrative are presented: The Venus of Laussel – the earliest great mother archetype with an age of around 24,000 years; and the Fallen Shaman in the Paleolithic Cave of Lascaux at 16,000 years ago. The former is feminine-coded (nurture, nature, reproduction, love) and the latter is male-coded (gnosis or higher knowledge obtained through the individual quest, sacrifice and transcendence). These two great archetypes, synthesized, are needed now more than ever for our crisis -ridden age.

An account of a healing séance ceremony from a Siberian tribe opens the episode. Evidence of the shamans on the cave walls is given especially for the French caves of Lascaux, Trois Fréres, Gabillou, and Chauvet. The images in the “shaft” at the end of the Lascaux cave are highly enigmatic but a mythological interpretation is hinted at as it is one of the earliest archetypal representations of humanity and underlies many religions, spiritual movements, and also Jungian archetypal psychology.

The Upper Paleolithic, that is the period  dated from around 50-11 thousand years ago, reflects a period of cultural, behavioral and technological change that distinguishes modern humans from earlier homo species. Four examples of the earliest archetypal images, beliefs, and practices are given and for which we have hard evidence taking us back many tens of thousands years deep into the last ice age. These are 1. burial practices; 2. images of the Great Mother; 3. cave paintings, rock-art, figurines, and statues;  4. shamanism. Their relevance to the contemporary world is indicated - a theme of great importance and to be taken up as this mini-series progresses.

This episode explores: The first archetypal images of humanity for which we have evidence. The areas of the world where this evidence is found: South Africa, Indonesia, India, Australia, the Americas, Siberia. We leave the famous cave paintings of France and Spain until next episode. The dates of the cave painting and rock art that have survived and recently been discovered. These stretch back into pre-history for tens of thousands of years. What are the links between these early images and shamanism?  

The ten archetypes underlying the book "Archetypes at Work" have an astrological basis in the ten heavenly bodies (including sun and moon) in our solar system - each with their archetypal nature and their influence upon human character and destiny ... "the planets are around us and in us". Dr Laurence Hillman explains how at birth a unique blueprint forms the basis of human character and this is laid out in the astrological map - the configuration of the planets at this unique point in time. Also explained are planetary conjunctions, oppositions and the like. Further explained are personal and world transits in which planetary configurations at later points in one's life or in the history of civilizations are shown to have deep influence. Aligning oneself to one's true nature is vital. A deeply informative and enriching interview.

Join Alan Mulhern as he interviews Richard Olivier, founder of Olivier Mythodrama and co-author with Laurence Hillman of Archetypes at Work (2019). Exploring how archetypes—rooted in mythology and Shakespearean drama—can revolutionize leadership, organizational culture, and personal growth. Key highlights include: The Power of Shakespearean Drama: Uncover how mythological and archetypal elements in Shakespeare’s plays illuminate leadership dynamics and human potential. Peak Performance and Inner Essence: Learn how embracing archetypes allows acting in to unlock authentic leadership. The Ten Archetypes Framework: Discover a transformative tool for understanding and developing leadership capacities and individual transformation. Identify your dominant archetypes, awaken dormant ones, and address shadow elements that may hinder growth. A Path to Growth and Resilience: Explore how balancing archetypes fosters personal development, strengthens organizations, and offers a lens for navigating the crises of our time. This is a rare opportunity to delve into the intersection of myth, leadership, and psychology, with insights that resonate across industries and individual development alike. Whether you’re a leader, psychotherapist, coach, or simply curious about the stories shaping our lives, this conversation promises to be both profound, unique, and practical.

This is the final episode of this miniseries  on Transhumanism and Artificial Intelligence. Many authors, filmakers and the like point to the great dangers of  Artifical Intelligence - to no avail. Warnings of great danger are no deterrence for the advance of technology. Fascinated by wealth and infatuated with power, we complete the Faustian bargain that was struck at the beginning of Business Civilization – we forfeit our soul for power, wealth and knowledge.

The archetypal roots of Transhumanism are explored. The Book of Genesis presents this in symbolic and mythical form: humans are caught in a dilemma between staying in the garden of unconsciousness or making a bid for freedom from nature and the unconscious though the awakening of self awareness and pursuit of knowledge. In doing this we become aware of death and are destined to attempt to overcome this trauma by seeking the tree of everlasting life – to become as gods. This is the metaphysical background to transhumanism which in its radical form wishes to move at least some humans to a post-biological state that overcomes ageing and death. However the history of utopias – and Transhumanism is definitely one - is that they have a dystopian underside. This can be even be presented metaphysically as a movement from the Luciferian to the Satanic. There is a Faustian pact at the origins of business civilization. The pursuit of Artificial Intelligence and the movement to Transhumanism are its consequences. The myth of Dr Faustus is explored.

We examine  a very recent international report on AI safety. In the face of possibly the most powerful, disruptive, and existentially threatening technological revolution in our history. Regulation is notably absent. We stumble into the unknown.    

This episode considers the speed, extent, and dangers of the AI technological revolution. The dreams of radical transhumanism depend on this transformation. I  use 2 sources, both highly recommended reading: 1.  Megathreats  (2022)  by Nouriel Roubini  especially ch8. 2. The Coming Wave  (2023 ) by Mustafa Suleyman. The episode ends with a warning dream of mine about AI … An expedition of Western soldiers in India stumbled on an unusual tomb. It is like a big room which is guarded by a living demon, whom the soldiers decide to execute perhaps by burning. They walk backwards to the place of execution while the blue demon walks forward in a sinister, elegant kind of dance. A cautious interpretation is offered.

I review the history of the relationship of technology and human consciousness and explore the implications of the division of the brain into a right and left hemisphere.  AI is not only going to take over most  jobs in the economy, it will take over our consciousness and we are surrendering it willingly. At root, having been convinced of the idea we have no soul and that we are simply code, we are wide open for takeover by forces, many malevolent,  we might otherwise be able to withstand.  And if I am asked what is the soul I reply: The essence of this precious life The seed upon the flower, The scent within a perfume The light that is a star; The freedom of the wild west wind The mist on mountain side, The thought before you think it She knows you from inside. The sweetness of the desert breeze You can’t hold in your hand, She’s like the waters of the Nile She comes from other lands.

Transhumanism believes in a transition of Homo sapiens into a trans-human and even post-biological state made possible by accelerating technological progress, for example Artificial General Intelligence.  The recent emergence of Large Language Models (LLMs) not only push the boundaries of AI but may also play their part in the Transhumanist enterprise. In reply to the question what are the dangers of such technologies to human consciousness, Gemini, one of the well known LLMs, gave a very frank and disturbing reply. All is revealed in the episode!

A mini series on Transhumanism Transhumanism divides into moderate Transhumanism which believes in an enhanced human condition, and radical Transhumanism which envisages a profound alteration of our bodies and minds, even to the extent of abandoning our biological inheritance and becoming a designed new species. Both visions envisage accelerating technological change. But humans are not in charge of their technologies, rather technology itself is in the driving seat. While the record so far of a highly improved human condition looks good, for example increased life span, as well as impressive increases in GDP and the standard of living, on closer inspection the contemporary situation looks fraught with difficulty and the world economy could well be at an inflection point. Thus, the moderate Transhumanism project would be stalled, even endangered. However, as further episodes will argue this does not apply to radical Transhumanism which  is set to proceed regardless of economic conditions.

What is the origin of the destructiveness in humans towards the world of nature? We examine firstly the consequences, values and paradigms of Business Civilization such as  removal from nature, hyper-technological rationalism, intense consumerism, over-emphasis on science and calculation, exaggerated individualism and so on. These become more intensified in the contemporary period with huge destructive consequences. It is these traits that need to change in order to modify our destructive impact. Secondly, we explore depth psychology, with reference to ideas of Freud, Jung, Klein and Grof. They all refer to a basic dualism in the unconscious. On the one hand  great creativity, on the other an extraordinary capacity for destruction. Business Civilization needs to be "put on the couch". Unless it integrates its profound negativity it cannot last.

This is the final episode in this miniseries. It covers the following points. 1. A tipping point has been reached in the climate crisis past the 1.5 degree centigrade threshold and the planet is now in a stage of unpredictable runaway effects. 2. Climate defiance is in the ascendant and there is crisis, confusion, and perhaps despair in the Green ranks. The Green agenda will, however, make a come-back as the true damaging costs of fossil fuel dependency hammer home. 3. The climate crisis has to be gone through – quick fixes are not possible. It is useful to view this whole period as a rite of passage. This does not mean humanity will necessarily get through it. We might fail or not get through intact. But what is required is a total paradigm shift in human values and in global political and economic organization. 

The green climate agenda is going backwards. Fifteen examples from across the world are given. Preparing for survival on a degraded planet should be a policy with the status of a national emergency.  Practical policy responses are put forward for rising seas levels.

The climate crisis and the ecological catastrophe are an existential threat to Homo sapiens especially when combined with other crises of the 21st century. This is of immense evolutionary and even metaphysical significance. As our species gained in technological power the exploitation of nature became more extensive and under business civilization this has become a world wide phenomenon. The competitive state of the world economic and political system prevents adequate international cooperation on climate matters. Psychiatry and psychoanalysis have provided diagnostic terms that are useful when describing negative aspects of business civilization such as psychopathic, addictive, manic-depressive, and schizoid. They have also provided insight into climate denial as a defence against anxiety. But the more obvious source of problems is in our values systems, our beliefs about ourselves, nature and even the cosmos. There is in the human psyche a combination of opposites – god-like powers and a demonic destructiveness.

The COP commitments are critically scrutinised.  Even if all its  pledges were kept concerning GHG emissions, the tripling of renewable capacity, and energy efficiency  improvements - and that is a tall order - the world is heading for a 10% increase in emissions by 2030, instead of the 43% reduction required to keep global warming under the 1.5 degree threshold. Following further research post Cop28 I see no reason to change my central warning: prepare for survival on a degraded planet. A new attitude on the global scene is noted - climate defiance. Arguments for climate denial are also examined and dismissed as contrary to the evidence.  The episode ends with a beautiful song The Turning of the Year by Mark Dunn of The Bringers of Change whose music albums can be found on Spotify etc. and as CDs at www.fallingarecords.com This episode is being released a few days early in the breather between Christmas and New Year. The next and probable final episode in this mini-series  will be Feb 1st 2024. Its subject will be the spiritual, mythical, and spiritual dimensions of the climate crisis. A free meditation programme following the Secret of the Golden Flower starts Jan 2  2024. Contact me at [email protected] if you wish to join - up to 2 weeks late start is OK. The Quest Lecture series (as distinct from these podcasts) starts in April 2024. Syllabus on my website www.alanmulhern.com

This episode gives a review of Cop 28 which confirms the view that despite strenuous efforts of the United Nations, the IPCC, and many other institutes and organizations the world is politically and economically unwilling or unable to avoid climate catastrophe in the decades to come.  Mankind’s economic short term interests triumph over reason and common sense. To prepare for a severely degraded world is a task totally other than what we have contemplated so far. 

This is the fourth episode in this miniseries on the ecological catastrophe of our age. The GHG emissions targets are not being reached on time. We need to prepare for survival in a degraded world. There needs to be a spiritual vision to give us insight into the climate and other crises of our age.  

This episode identifies the other elements of the ecological crisis aside from climate: Biodiversity loss Chemical pollution into land, air, rivers, and oceans Particle pollution of the atmosphere Deforestation and land use Freshwater scarcity The phosphorous and nitrogen cycle # The episode continued by identifying Business Civilization as the immediate source of the contemporary ecological disaster. # Next it introduced the Dasgupta Review with its investigation of the contemporary trauma of global biodiversity reduction. # Finally it explored Shelley’s Ode to the West Wind.

There are now some changes to the structure and timing of these podcasts. Firstly, the Spanish language podcasts, which have explored the life and work of Carl Jung, have now ended. For the forseeable future there will only be the English speaking podcasts. Secondly, I am moving the podcast release dates generally to the first of the month - an easier date to remember rather than the mid-month timing. Hence S2 Ep89 will be released on October 1st 2023 etc. The overall theme of the podcasts remains - the quest for vision in an age of crises. The current set of episodes are on the Ecological Catastrophe of our Age. As preparation for the coming episode you could read the highly recommended and freely available internet version of The Economics of Biodiversity: The Dasgupta Review. You could start with the Headline Messages (just a few pages) and then read the Abridged version. The full text is for the highly motivated student - who knows this might include yourself. This current set of episodes is placed within the larger context of our exploration of the multiple crises of our age (dramatically referred to as the Ten Horsemen of the Apocalypse) which, in addition to the ecological, will include the economic, financial, political, social, health, military, technological, clash of ideas and ideologies (including the Culture Wars, Woke etc. ), and spiritual crisis of our age. En route we will encounter extraordinary possibilities emerging in the 21st century - such as transformations of human nature, global totalitarianism. modification, replacement or even extinction of Homo sapiens, and spiritual transformation. As you will readily appreciate this is an ambitious undertaking, will take a number of years, and has to be done at a pace which will allow me to complete this task. So I ask for your patience. I also ask for your support, which you can do in two ways: firstly, by telling others of this podcast series; secondly by studying the content of this freely available podcast series (and its references) as seriously as you can, thirdly by leaving comments on the series. If you can accompany this with a spiritual practice, so much the better. Logic, argument and reason are important, yes, but the vision of spiritual experience is the decisive factor in the type of knowledge or gnosis we seek. As a Jungian analyst I am also very much in favour of combining this with deep self-examination.   I also run periodically (say once a year) a 100 day meditation online programme based on the Secret of the Golden Flower. Also there is a parallel series of lectures and meeting (called the Quest) which takes place once a month online. For more details, including contact information, you may consult my website www.alanmulhern.com  

Este es el episodio final de nuestra serie de podcasts sobre la vida y obra de Carl Jung. Este ha sido un proyecto conjunto entre el Instituto Venezolano de Psicología Analítica (representado por María Leonor de Planchart y Beatrice Rojas) y el Quest (representado por Alan Mulhern). Terminamos, como deberíamos. con las propias visiones y pensamientos de Jung al final de su vida, tal como se cuentan en los capítulos finales de Recuerdos, Sueños, Pensamientos. Estos incluyen: su experiencia cercana a la muerte; su posterior convicción de que la vida en esta tierra era como una caja tridimensional especialmente construida a la que llamamos "realidad"; sus pensamientos sobre la existencia después de la muerte; su conciencia de que esta vida era una proyección de una realidad más profunda; su convicción de que la civilización occidental necesitaba recuperar un ancla mitológica sin la cual estábamos perdidos; sus extraordinarias reinterpretaciones de la sabiduría, las religiones y las mitologías antiguas para reanimar el alma de la humanidad; y su creencia de que un amor profundo es la base del universo. Jung escribió: “Hasta donde podemos discernir, el único propósito de la existencia humana es encender una luz en la oscuridad del mero ser”. Pocas veces ha habido tanta luz en la oscuridad como la de Carl Jung.

Life has always been dependent on and deeply interlinked with climate. The earth passes through great cycles of glacial and warming conditions with enormous consequences for the promotion or restriction and even extinction of life. Hominins, our ancestors, adapted to changing habitats and climatic environments. The genus Homo, of which Homo sapiens is but one species among others, had an even greater capacity to adapt. Nevertheless many of our hominid ancestors succumbed to extreme climate change. Homo sapiens with its higher level brain power, symbolic thought and language, wider social and trading networks, more complex tools and weaponry was the most able to manage the increasingly colder and extreme climatic conditions and consequent changing food supplies - so far. However the extremity of environmental and climatic change continues to our own period and we are reminded of Toynbee’s acute observation that civilization has to continually manage its challenges or face extinction. The same applies to species. Our species, Homo sapiens, is now a global business civilization and despite all its creativity is in great danger. Climate change, often very severe, quite simply has been one of the biggest factors in earth history. It has also been one of the most powerful influences also in human history.

This is the start of a mini-series on the ecological catastrophe of the anthropocene. In the first episode the emphasis is on climate but subsequent ones will explore other components of this crisis, for example the great destruction of  bio-diversity, otherwise known as the sixth extinction event. The current ecological emergency is undeniable. But current policies to deal with it are inadequate. Can the attack upon nature be characterised as evil since it is a prime example of the destruction of life and the good? Can something of the magnitude of Business Civilization,  the first example of a truly global civilization, reform itself to the extent required to avoid catastrophe? Can a global leadership emerge that stops fighting and squabbling? Will a global totalitarianism be required and will this lead to a world dystopia? Can we rise to meet the scale of the challenge we face? Do we realise that what is required is not just some new inventions leaving our standard of living and way of life intact  but rather a vast paradigm shift and a change in our very thinking and way of life? Episodes for the moment will continue to  be released  around the 15th of the month but will change to 1st of the month by the end of the year.

“La descristianización de nuestro mundo, el desarrollo luciferino de la ciencia y la tecnología, y la espantosa destrucción material y moral que dejó la Segunda Guerra Mundial han sido comparados más de una vez con los acontecimientos escatológicos narrados en el Nuevo Testamento. Cristo es este mito viviente de nuestra cultura. Es nuestro héroe cultural que encarna el mito del hombre primordial divino ...La imagen de Cristo es el arquetipo del Self”. Sin embargo, el símbolo del Cristo celestial carece de totalidad en el sentido psicológico moderno, ya que no incluye al luciferino que está separado. El cristianismo era muy consciente de esto, pero lo llamó privatio boni. Significaba la ausencia del bien más que una realidad positiva por derecho propio. Lucifer corresponde al Anticristo, la mitad oscura de la totalidad divina y humana. En el concepto cristiano, el arquetipo de la totalidad se divide irremediablemente en dos mitades irreconciliables que conducen en última instancia a un dualismo metafísico: la separación final del reino de los cielos del mundo de los condenados". Jung: Christ a Symbol of the Self. Aion CW Part 2

Human nature is the integrated but at the same time conflicting combination of six parts of our development: animal inheritance, emotional structure, conscious ego intelligence, the unconscious, higher consciousness, and what Jungians call the Self. These have evolved over millions of years and many of them are a unity of conflicting parts. Despite their conflict there is also a transformational intelligence, the Self, within the psyche of mankind, which is capable of creating harmony within itself, diminishing repression and malevolence. At the same time as the emergence of death awareness the higher self is  simultaneously triggered into existence and this is closely related to love. Our higher self has many attributes such as higher intuition, illumination, revelation, music, art, poetry, and advanced forms of symbolic thought which are revolutionary in evolution. The level and range of our abstract symbolic understanding and expression are extraordinary. The existence of the higher self in humans, we suggest, is a result of the inherent spirit in the cosmos, the anima mundi, an intelligence in nature and evolution. It cannot be really explained by a materialist view of evolution for it has little, if any survival value. It is grace, primal spirit, embodied in matter.  

El Libro Tibetano De Los Muertos describe las experiencias de la conciencia en el intervalo entre la muerte y el renacimiento y se divide en tres bardos: El Chikhai Bardo - "el momento de la muerte" que tiene la experiencia de la "luz clara de la realidad". El Chonyid Bardo - "la experiencia de la realidad" que presenta la experiencia de las ilusiones cósmicas. El Sidpa Bardo o "bardo del renacimiento", que es el resultado del karma y tiene imágenes típicamente de hombres y mujeres copulando que conducen al renacimiento. En el proceso de la muerte hay una posibilidad de liberación, pero muy pronto comienzan las ilusiones que conducen a la reencarnación. Las luminarias se vuelven más débiles y la visión más aterradora. Jung dice: “Las instrucciones son tan detalladas y están tan completamente adaptadas a los cambios aparentes en la condición del hombre muerto que todo lector serio debe preguntarse si estos sabios y viejos lamas no podrían, después de todo, haber vislumbrado la cuarta dimensión y rasgado el velo del mayor de los secretos de la vida.”  

Since mankind began to think morally the question of the origin of evil was a continual problem. We examine  some examples. We begin with the Ancient Egyptians and the Judaic tradition. Special focus is on the myth of Osiris and Seth on the one hand and Cain and Abel on the other.  The contribution of envy and malevolence to conflict and evil is noted.  

Estamos encantados de continuar con los podcasts del Quest. Antes de continuar con la experiencia de Jung con la metafísica tibetana será útil cubrir algunos elementos básicos de la enseñanza budista, ya que el budismo es el fundamento de la espiritualidad tibetana. “Si podemos reconocer las apariencias del bardo dharmata como la energía de sabiduría de nuestra propia mente, no hay diferencia entre el perceptor y lo percibido, y esta es una experiencia de no dualidad. Entrar completamente en esa experiencia es alcanzar la liberación que surge en ese momento en el estado posterior a la muerte cuando la conciencia puede darse cuenta de que sus experiencias no son más que la mente misma.”

This is the first in a  miniseries on the origins of evil.  Creative and destructive forces exist as universal principles and underpin life on earth as well as the consciousness of humanity. The essence of evil in the psyche is the destruction of the good. This is  the "satanic", which is malevolently opposed to the life-giving and creative. A distinction is made to the "luciferian" which is a movement to consciousness and therefore while liberating is also the root of our alienation. Much of what we think of as bad, negative, egoistic  in humans originates in our animal ancestry and has evolved. However when primate  instincts, appetites and sexuality pass through the prism of human consciousness they are easily magnified and distorted.   

The famous painting of the Tibetan wheel of life is in the grip of the Lord of Death. At its centre are two concentric circles: the outer shows the ascending and descending paths with souls in the death and rebirth cycle; the inner shows three animals, a pig, a snake, and a rooster which symbolise forces within human nature that perpetuate this cycle and are responsible for the suffering in life.   The pig represents ignorance, avidya, which is a basic misrepresentation of reality. The snake represents aggression which in the human species reaches a malignancy unprecedented in the rest of nature. The third is the rooster symbol – lust, desire and insatiable greed. These three are surely responsible for much of the darkness in the human species.   The Tibetan Book of the Dead can be used to guide the dying person through the experiences of consciousness after death, but it is also used during life by those who want to prepare for what will come after death. Liberation from the wheel of rebirth is actually possible in the after-death states or bardos.

Este episodio continúa una miniserie sobre las observaciones de Jung sobre textos orientales y explora sus comentarios sobre El Libro tibetano de la Gran Liberación, desconocido para Occidente hasta su primera publicación en 1954. El próximo episodio examinará sus comentarios sobre el Libro tibetano de los muertos. Al igual que otros de sus comentarios, como los del I Ching y El Secreto de la Flor de Oro, aquí Jung pretende construir un puente desde el budismo tibetano a su escuela de Psicología Analítica. Por ejemplo escribe: “… el inconsciente es la mente matriz con la cualidad de la creatividad adjunta, el lugar de nacimiento de todas las formas de pensamiento y similar a la Mente Universal de Oriente. Estas formas de pensamiento o arquetipos son omnipresentes y atemporales ... Por medio de la función trascendente no solo ganamos acceso a la Mente Universal sino que también llegamos a comprender porqué Oriente cree en la posibilidad de la autoliberación.”

This episode continues a miniseries on Jung’s observations on oriental texts exploring his comments on The Tibetan Book of the Great Liberation unknown to the West until its first publication in 1954. The next episode will examine his comments on the Tibetan Book of the Dead. Like other of his commentaries, such as those of the I Ching and the Secret of the Golden Flower, Jung is here aiming at a building a bridge from an unfamiliar Eastern religion, in this case Tibetan Buddhism, to a Western psychology, namely his school of Analytical Psychology. For example he writes: “… the unconscious, for Analytical Psychology, is the matrix mind with the quality of creativity attached to it, the birthplace of all thought forms and akin to the Universal Mind of the Orient. These thought forms or archetypes are omnipresent and timeless ... By means of the transcendent function we not only gain access to the “One Mind” but also come to understand why the East believes in the possibility of self liberation. If, through introspection and the conscious realisation of unconscious compensations, it is possible to transform one’s mental conditions and thus arrive at a solution of people’s complex, one would seem entitled to speak of self liberation”.

No matter what the crises of the collective the individual has the opportunity of realising the inner light that lies in us all. This episode explores the Taoist text The Secret of the Golden Flower which describes in an extraordinary manner how to access this light through the meditation process. The episode ends with a beautiful song The Turning of the Year by Mark Dunn of The Bringers of Change whose music albums can be found on Spotify etc. and as CDs at www.fallingarecords.com The free meditation programme following the Secret of the Golden Flower starts Jan 23rd. The Quest Lecture series (as distinct from these podcasts) starts Jan.28th. There will be no podcast episode in January. The next one will be Feb.15th 2023.      

In this last episode of this miniseries I give Jung’s main argument and its pros and cons. My feelings about the difficulties of the work are as follows: Firstly, relevance. How much can it offer the modern world? Secondly, isolationism -  its removal from the other analytic disciplines. Thirdly, certain inconsistencies which may confuse the reader. Fourthly, contradiction - whether the archetype of the Self is the totality or a specific archetype. Fifthly, the inherent difficulty of the text. Some of its strengths are as follows: 1: Its passion and tremendous personal conviction. 2:  Its roots in childhood experiences (visions, dreams). 3: Jung speaks with many voices, as it were out of the depth of many esoteric traditions. 4: The audacity of the text 5: Jung uses a new voice – that of archetypal psychology combined with mythology  and gnosticism. 6:  Answer to Job reinforces Jung’s impact on the practice of psychotherapy. 7: Answer to Job has a deep theological critique of Christian and Judaic civilizations. 8: Jung insisted on the dangers of an apocalypse in our times. 9: Jung insists on the overarching metaphysical dimension to human existence.

Este es el episodio final de la miniserie sobre la Respuesta  a Job de Carl Jung. Aqui presento un resumen de su argumento  y doy dos ejemplos de la relevancia para el mundo moderno. En primer lugar, su temor de un apocalipsis moderno. Sin embargo, el vio la posibilidad de un proceso de individuación al traer esto a la conciencia. En segundo lugar, la relación de este texto con la práctica actual del análisis junguiano.

The penultimate episode in this miniseries on Jung's Answer to Job asks the following questions of this text: Q. Why is there no "real" history, sociology, or political science in the Answer to Job and indeed in Jung’s work in general? Q. Are there other interpretations of the Answer to Job. Q. How unusual is Jung’s interpretation? Q. Does Jung speak of God in different ways? Q. Does the theory of evolution change all bible studies including the Answer to Job? Q. How can God be the totality and at the same time be a specific component of the unconscious? Q. What impact has Answer to Job had on the practice of Jungian psychotherapy?

Este es el penúltimo episodio de esta miniserie. Examinamos las dificultades y fortalezas del Respuesta a Job. Las dificultades incluyen: Su relevancia; su alejamiento de las demás disciplinas analíticas; ciertas inconsistencias que pueden confundir al lector; una contradicción - si el arquetipo del Self es la totalidad o un arquetipo específico; la dificultad inherente del texto. Algunas de sus fortalezas incluyen: Su pasión y tremenda convicción personal; una profundidad adicional debido a la cantidad de tradiciones esotéricas a las que está vinculada; Jung habla con muchas voces, como si saliera de muchas tradiciones; la audacia del texto; Jung usa una nueva voz - la de la psicología arquetípica; impacto en la práctica de la psicoterapia; una profunda crítica teológica de las civilizaciones cristiana y judaica; advertencia de los peligros de un apocalipsis en nuestros tiempos; inclusión de la dimensión metafísica global de la existencia humana.