LOOKING INSIDE — KNOW THYSELF

It is scary to look inside ourselves. It’s dark in there. We suspicion there are specters of unknown nature waiting to seize us. And, there are, but, that’s not all. Below the trap door, in the depths of our unconscious minds, can be found the most profoundly enlightening experiences. Scary, threatening Shadow images, and Angels yet to emerge.

Dr. Carl Jung said, in paraphrase, “He who looks outside dreams. He who looks inside finds.”

We seek the Truth, whatever it may be. Then we shy from it in fear when we sense it is near.

One cannot know Truth before knowing one’s self. Some say this quest to know self is navel staring self centeredness. It can become so. But the authentic and corageous quest within brings with it not only the greatest challenges for psychic combat, which we are not guaranteed to win, but also treasures of the greatest value imaginable.

If we are to become whole, it is a journey we must take — all of us. Better to voluntarily advance upon this adventure than ignore the challenge and great need, waiting for it to grab us by the neck and force us inside. Not a good start.

Of all people I know, Dr. Jung made the most authentic journey inside, and left for us in his Red Book a marvelous record of that great and hazardous journey. He wrote the Red Book for himself, not to be published. Following his departure from this earth, his estate, due to the great demand for the book, and the renewed interest in Dr. Jung’s discoveries, allowed its publication only a few…