Psychologically, the image of a house is a symbol of our self. The condition of the house in a dream (and in our waking reality) indicates the state of our psychic home. We assess: Whose space are we occupying?, What is going on in it?, and What is the condition of it? Are things in […]
Learning from Our Projections
You may often be fascinated by finding images seen in the shapes and textures of clouds. Is that the profile of Gandhi or a rabbit? The well-known Rorschach inkblot psychological test works in this manner. How do you get from that cluster of clouds or blob of ink to a distinct image? When unrecognizable images […]
Working with Our Projections
We are born with all the human traits; greed and generosity, productivity and idleness, and, organization and spontaneity. However, in order to be accepted into our childhood family we learned very early which qualities were valued more than others and which were perhaps, not even allowed. We may have been told, ‘Don’t cry’ or ‘You’re […]
Wrestling with Our Inner Demons & Angels
The biblical story of Jacob wrestling an angel brings to mind the question – Why would someone be wrestling an angel in the first place? We gain an understanding when we realize that Jacob has been a trickster most of his life. In fact, Jacob sounds like the Hebrew words for “heel” and “deceiver.” He […]
What Lurks in Your Shadow?
We are born whole, with all the pairs of human traits such as greed and generosity, productivity and idleness, and with the capacity to feel the range of emotions, from grief to joy. However, in order to be accepted and have our basic childhood needs met we learned very early which qualities were valued and […]
What Lies Beneath Our Costumes?
One of Jung’s most notable ideas is the shadow – those inferior aspects of ourselves that we are not proud of. Shadow material involves unknown aspects of the self which make our egos uncomfortable, defensive and at times embarrassed. If our persona is the face or mask that we show others, then the shadow represents […]
