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 […]
The Many Sides of Forgiveness
We are familiar with poet Alexander Pope’s saying, “To err is human; to forgive, divine,” yet there are differing views on the exact role of forgiveness. Forgiveness is achievable; however, it takes time – months and even years. The process of forgiveness comprises six common elements. First, there is an injury or violation with subsequent […]
The Archetypal Father
Archetypes are unconscious universal forms and ideas that take on meaning within a certain culture. The Father is one of the main psychological archetypes. Images of piercing and penetration such as a phallus, knife, spear, arrow and ray all relate to Father. The sun and rain symbolically represent the masculine principle of the fertilizing forces […]
Finding Your Own Path – Individuation
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. These lines from Robert Frost’s poem, ‘The Road Not Taken,’ suggest that there are two roads in life – a personal, individual and less travelled one and a collective, popular one where most […]
Kairos – the time is now
The ancient Greeks had two terms for time – ‘chronos’ and ‘kairos.’ Chronos refers to the human-made, measurable and predicable chronological or sequential time. It is associated with clocks and calendars. Kairos, on the other hand, means the ‘right or opportune moment’ – a moment of undefined time in which something special happens. It is […]
Introverts & Extraverts – Which Way Does Your Energy Flow?
The words introvert and extravert have become part of everyday speech, often confused with ideas like shyness and sociability. However, according to Jung, extraversion and introversion refer to the direction of psychic energy. If a person’s energy usually flows outwards, he or she is an extravert. If the energy normally flows inwards, the person is […]
