A Strange Fire: an exploration of psycho‐spiritual development aided by Jungian analysis and Vedanta. Issue 5 (20th October 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Sagar, David; West, Marcus
• Is Part Of: Journal of analytical psychology. Volume 61:Issue 5(2016:Nov.)
• Page Start: 625
• Page End: 646
• Publication Date: 2016-10-20
• Subjects: active imagination -- complex -- disidentification -- ego‐Self axis -- enlightenment -- individuation -- meditation -- numinous -- spiritual experience -- Vedanta; complexe -- désidentification -- expérience spirituelle -- illumination -- imagination active -- individuation -- l'axe ego‐Soi -- méditation -- numineux -- Vedanta; Aktive Imagination -- Desidentifikation -- Erleuchtung -- Ich‐Selbst‐Achse -- Individuation -- Komplex -- Meditation -- numinos -- spirituelle Erfahrung -- Vedanta; asse Io‐Sè -- complesso -- disidentificazione -- esperienza spirituale -- illuminazione -- immaginazione attiva -- individuazione -- meditazione -- numinoso -- Vedanta; aктивнoe вooбpaжeниe -- Beдaнтa -- ocь эгo‐Caмocть -- дeзидeнтификaция -- дуxoвный oпыт -- индивидуaция -- кoмплeкc -- мeдитaция -- нуминoзный -- пpocвeщeннocть; complejo -- desidentificación -- eje ego‐Self -- experiencia espiritual -- iluminación -- imaginación activa -- individuación -- meditación -- numinoso -- Vedanta; 冥想 -- 去认同 -- 吠檀多 -- 开悟 -- 情结 -- 灵性经验 -- 神圣的 -- 积极想象 -- 自性化 -- 自我‐自性轴; Jungian psychology -- Periodicals; 131.3405
• DOI: 10.1111/1468-5922.12260
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0021-8774

Abstract

Abstract: This paper explores the process of psychological and spiritual development through a series of active imaginations arising from the author's 'psycho‐spiritual quest', a process of transformation in which the individual progressively frees themselves from the ego's identifications and may be afforded a vision of the 'self as consciousness', as described by Vedanta. The author describes how this quest was facilitated by the disciplines of Transcendental Meditation, Jungian analysis and Vedanta, and how these three disciplines can work together to foster psycho‐spiritual development. The paper aims to de‐mystify the actual experiences that can accompany these practices. The records of these active imaginations, tracing some key stages in this process, are then presented, with a commentary by Marcus West, linking them to Jung's concepts of ego and Self and recent understandings of consciousness and ego development. There is a discussion of Jung's conceptualizations of the ego and the Self and his rejection of the Vedantic understanding of the Self as consciousness. These views are then explored and a reconciliation is suggested through the understanding of the process of disidentification where the difference between Jung's view of the Self and that of Vedanta is understood to be due to the extent of disidentification from the contents of consciousness.