Psychic
Development
“In
the child, consciousness rises out of the depths of unconscious psychic life,
at first like separate islands, which gradually unite to form a ‘continent,’ a
continuous landmass of consciousness. Progressive mental development means, in
effect, extension of development.”
Carl
Jung
At Jung After Work last night, psychologist, Kathy Avsar, presented the story of Circe, as written by Madeline Miller. You may remember Circe as the witch who turned Odysseus’ men into pigs in the Odyssey by Homer. Miller’s book is the story of Circe herself, banished to an island by an angry God, and how she acquired skills with herbs and transformation. What Circe did was put herbs into a wine brew and when she spoke magic words the person who drank the wine transformed into their true nature—in the case of Odysseus’ men, that meant pigs. The book is about a woman’s evolution over time. It shows how each person she meets adds something to her psychic development. She goes from ingĂ©nue to seductress to mature woman over the course of the story.
The truth of human nature is often demonstrated in myth and story, as we know from our own chronicles. You can see the evolution of humanity’s understanding of both man and God in the Holy Bible, for instance—from creation out of clay to the elevation of Jesus of Nazareth to Messiah, and from the warrior God Yahweh to savior God Christ. What is mostly missing in scripture is anything to do with women; they were still considered property for barter. When the Greeks began to elevate women to power-positions they were usually depicted on a spectrum from innocent to monster—Persephone to Hydra, with sirens in between. The female was valued for grace and beauty or damned for sharp tongue and ugliness, but her chief value lay in her ability to produce a male heir.
Humans are steadily evolving, and we’re trying to get past these stereotypes of women as “fallen” and men as “pigs,” but we struggle even today. Perhaps our collective unconscious is still back there with Odysseus and his men—struggling to get off the Circe’s island. One thing the story of Circe shows is how everyone she meets changes her; adds to her psychic development, her growth into an independent and self-respecting woman. She finally stands up to her father, who sent her to the island in the first place, and forms healthy relationships with men.
That’s what women are
trying to achieve now. It’s an up-hill battle as we’ve seen in recent
high-profile conformation hearings and in the impeachment inquiry. We still
tend to denigrate women who stand up and say something we don’t want to hear,
especially if we are threatened by what that woman might reveal. We have a long
way to go but I am hopeful that we will get there. Young men and women of today
are more equipped to see each other as peers and partners. I am confident that
they will show us the way.
In the Spirit,
Jane
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