“the true battle [is] an inner or spiritual one”
Jung proposed several main areas or archetypes in the collective unconscious that relate to Identity. These are Persona, Shadow, Masculine/Feminine (anima/animus), and Self. We offer essays on each in this book plus included related topics in each archetypal area.
Why spend time on archetypes? Jung defined archetypes as universal, primal symbols and images in the collective unconscious which shape conscious behavior. They help us “understand our deeper human nature—our fundamental identity—and how it drives our behavior.”[i]
Jean Houston says that “If we can be in relationship with ourselves, others, and life events in terms of universal archetypal patterns then we will live life with awareness of our limitless potential for healing and for unlimited creativity.”[ii]
Siddhārtha Gautama (Buddha) said that “If one man conquers in battle a thousand times a thousand men … and if another conquers himself, he is the greatest of conquerors.”[iii] This is the classic hero’s journey where an individual encounters and conquerors enormous obstacles, the greatest obstacle being himself.
Insight # 59 comes to us from Rick Fields (1942-1999), a journalist, poet and leading authority on Buddhism’s history and development in the United States.
“The warrior sees the true battle as an inner or spiritual one, in which the fight is with the enemies of self-knowledge or realization.”[iv]
__________
Additional Reading:
- Archetypes, The ABC’s of Simple Reality, Vol 1
__________
[i] Henry, Roy Charles. “Archetypes.” The ABC’s Of Simple Reality, Vol 1. May 2018, p. 28.
[ii] Houston, Jean. A Passion for the Possible. San Francisco: Harper, 1997, p. 126.
[iii] Fields, Rick. The Code of the Warrior. New York: Harper, 1991, p. 95.
[iv] Ibid., p. 3.
