of Psychology, Philosophy, and Humanities.
Dir.: León Azulay
Civil Association I.G.J. No. 748
These are some definitions left to us by the great Swiss psychologist and thinker, Carl G. Jung, whose complete works, consisting of 20 volumes, have already been translated into Spanish:
NEUROSIS
Jung, in "Psychology and Religion," says: "A psychoneurosis should ultimately be considered as the suffering of a soul that has not discovered its meaning. Almost all creativity in the realm of the spirit, as well as every psychic advance of man, arises from the suffering of the soul, and the cause of suffering is spiritual stagnation or psychic sterility."
In Jung's view, the unhappiness of neurosis constitutes the golden opportunity to attain a higher and more meaningful consciousness. It is as if suffering has the purpose of propelling us forward, toward new states of being. Archetypal symbols, then, are energy units that carry meanings capable of renewing our conscious life, and even their conscious use can help liberate the individual from conflicts.
DESTINY
"The psychological norm says that when an internal situation is not made conscious, it happens outside, as fate. That is, when the individual is not aware of his internal contradictions, the world must necessarily represent the conflict." C.G. Jung in "Aion."
Therefore, it seems safe to say that a commitment to personal development and knowledge not only offers the promise of helping the individual become a more integrated, harmonious soul in the future but also that such a step often begins to alleviate much suffering in the present, once the initial confusion and discouragement have been overcome.
MYTHS
"Myth serves as a vitalizing force in every culture, showing man's relationship to a larger and universal reality," Jung states. In other words, myths have always been a great repository of knowledge about the human being that, by describing the archetypal processes through which all human beings pass, serves as a guide for our personal evolution. Mythological Gods in ancient Greece and Rome represent forces of Nature and also psychological states and characters.
Each god represented a force and living principles of the universe that inhabit our psyche (i.e., Archetypes).
EGO CONSCIOUSNESS
In "Psychology and Alchemy," Jung describes the vulnerability of the Ego to the autonomy of the Personal and Collective Unconscious: "Individual consciousness is surrounded by the threatening sea of the unconscious. Only in appearance is it safe and confident, but in reality, it is a fragile thing resting on shaky foundations. Sometimes, a strong emotion is enough to sensibly disturb the balance of consciousness. The well-known phrases express it well: 'He lost his composure. He seemed different.' 'It's maddening.' And situations where it is said: 'I don't know what to do anymore.' All these common phrases demonstrate how easily an emotion moves the consciousness of the ego."
CHANGE BEGINS IN THE INDIVIDUAL
Faced with a crisis, Western extroverted mentality seeks to change others or change society. However, it does not stop to think that to change society, individuals who compose it must change. Jung says about this in the book "The Unconscious": "Only a change in the attitude of the individual initiates a change in the psychology of the nation. The great problems of humanity were never solved by general laws but only by the renewal of the individual's attitude. If there has ever been a time when inner meditation was absolutely necessary and extremely convenient, it is undoubtedly in our current era, pregnant with catastrophes. Now, anyone who meditates inwardly will touch the borders of the Unconscious, which is precisely where what is most needed to know is. The individual's meditation on himself, the conversion of the individual toward his own being, toward his individual and social destiny, is the beginning of the healing of the blindness he suffers from. Interest in the problem of the human soul is a symptom of this instinctive turning inward."