Translated from volumes published by Lorenz Jung based on the edition “Gesammelte Werke” dtv.de The Symbols of Transformation (1952) and Aion (1950)

With warm regards, I would like to share another section of Jung’s concept of the Mana-Personality (The past sections: here, here, here and here). In this part, he discusses a sequence of dreams and, in the case of neurotics, a series of fantasies and how these are concealed in our subconscious and brought to light through dreams. Another topic is the complex, which also was a crucial subject for Sigmund Freud. The complex is a natural component of everyone’s inner self that accumulates from childhood to adulthood, which nobody can avoid. We should strive to explore our inner selves to untangle their knots- this contributes to the effort of comprehending the unconscious and bringing it into consciousness.

I firmly believe Dr. Jung holds the key to the recovery and healing process for every individual and, consequently, our entire society. His effort to identify and explain the main problems, which are timeless and universal, is truly commendable and offers valuable lessons for us all.

The title image: Gianluca “Tenia” Gambino: The Voice of Redemption

Individuation
The Mana Personality (P5)

Since it is impossible for me to present the reader with such a series of images, some of which are very long, in detail, I would ask them to be content with the few examples and otherwise to trust my assertion that these are logically constructed, goal-oriented connections. I use the word “goal-oriented” with a certain hesitation, however. This word should be used with caution and with restrictions. In the case of mentally ill people, one can observe a series of dreams and, in the case of neurotics, a series of fantasies that run almost aimlessly within themselves. The young patient whose suicidal fantasy I mentioned above (The mentioned dream about his bride from the last post) is well on the way to producing a series of aimless fantasies if he does not learn to take an active part and consciously intervene. Only in this way can a direction be achieved towards a goal. The unconscious is a purely natural process, on the one hand, without intention but on the other hand, with every potential direction characteristic of every energetic process. But if the conscious mind actively experiences each stage of the process and at least understands it vaguely, the following image begins at the higher level achieved as a result, and this is how direction is created.

The next goal of dealing with the unconscious is to reach a state in which the unconscious contents no longer remain unconscious and no longer express themselves indirectly as anima and animus phenomena, i.e. a state in which the anima (and the animus) become a function of the relationship to the unconscious. As long as they are not this, they are autonomous complexes, that is, disruptive factors that break through the control of consciousness and thus behave like real troublemakers. Because this is such a well-known fact, my term ‘complex’ has also become common in everyday language. The more ‘complex’ someone has, the more obsessed he is, and if one tries to create a picture of the personality that expresses itself through his ‘complexes’, you may come to the conclusion that it must be a hysterical femininity – hence anima! But if he now becomes conscious of his unconscious contents, not as factual contents of his personal unconscious, but as fantasies of the collective unconscious, he gets to the roots of his complexes and thereby triggers his obsession. The anima phenomenon then ceases.

But that certain overpowering force that caused the obsession – what I cannot shake off must be superior to me in some way – should logically disappear with the anima; one should become >complex-free<, psychologically house-trained, so to speak. Nothing should happen that the “I” does not allow, and if the “I” wants something, nothing should be able to interfere. This would secure the “I”, an unassailable position, the steadfastness of a superman or the superiority of a perfect sage. Both figures are ideal images, Napoleon on the one hand and Lao Tzu on the other. Both figures correspond to the ‘extraordinarily effective’ concept, which is the term Lehmann uses in his well-known monograph to explain Mana (Lehmann: Mana, 1922). Therefore, I simply call such a personality a Mana Personality. It corresponds to a dominant of the collective unconscious, an archetype that has developed in the human psyche since time immemorial through appropriate experience. The primitive man does not analyse or explain why another is superior to him. If he is smarter and stronger than him, he has Mana; that is, he has greater power; he can also lose this power, perhaps because someone has stepped over him in his sleep or someone has stepped on his shadow.

To be continued! 🙏💖

Today, I would like to present something different. (There is always a worm inside me looking for variety!). After a long time, I looked into my Amazon Kindle collection and suddenly came across the book “Heart of a Sufi: Fazal Inayat-Khan – A Prism of Reflections”. I wouldn’t say I like to read books on PS or Kindle, so I overlooked this book in those days. Now, I have found it worth sitting and reading.

Fazal Inayat-Khan Fazal (July 20, 1942 – September 26, 1990), also known as Frank Kevlin, was a psychotherapist and poet. I didn’t know him before, and I must thank Ashen Venema, A great, wise friend (https://courseofmirrors.com/); I could get to know this brilliant Sufi. Now, under the motto “long story short,” I picked a part of this book written by Rahima Milburn, whose parents were taught Sufism by Fazal. I hope you will enjoy it.

If I thought I could change the world, I would try, but I am completely convinced, as most of us are, that I cannot. You eventually come to the realisation—and there is much maturity and existential self-possession in this realisation—that we can only change ourselves.
Fazal Inayat-Khan, Lecture, New Experiential Wisdom, 1989

In Roughwood

From “Heart of a Sufi: Fazal Inayat-Khan – A Prism of Reflections (English Edition  by Rahima Milburn (Author, Editor), Ashen Venema (Editor), Zohra Sharp (Editor) )”

I’m in Roughwood for the first time since the memorial last December. The first time, I was really touching the fact that you are dead. Dead? The word somehow doesn’t mesh with the reality. For you still are here. Not just your photos and your memories, but you. Your fragrance, your influence. No, YOU. Not just a semblance, an essence – really YOU. In this chilly sitting room, redolent with decades of incense and music, I find you in your silence, in your patience, and in the glad, unyielding faith you have in us. In me. That afternoon in the very early days, we talked here, and your eyes reached into me. To say follow your heart was infinitely more meaningful now I had located it. Or you had located it for me. I had dropped something, it seems. You stooped, picked it up, dusted it off and called after me, ‘Hey, you might be needing this.’ You blew on it to clean it, reached out your hand to give it, and now, in Roughwood, you do it once again.

Shadows of birds
swoop across the open windows.
In the distance, wood pigeons lament,
mourning throatily in the round.

Down this creaky hallway, you feel as we come in from out-of-doors and head for the kitchen. Here you are … passing in a hurry, going somewhere. The movement of you can be felt – that irresistible combination of childlike excitement and manly confidence pushing us, pulling us ever onwards. Never knowing what lies around the next bend but sure that if we could be true, it would be also. Urging me on … like that day you shooed me out of Roughwood to go sell books. ‘You never know how you might be spreading the message,’ you said. What a manipulator, I thought, not wanting to sell books or anything. And now, in Roughwood, you are doing it again. But now I see that it is true: endlessly down this path lies my challenge – the movement of you in me makes it so.

Overhead, almost in the clouds
in wide whistling circles,
the gliders swing.
Evidence.
One can soar – all is possible!

This morning, in the garden, you passed beneath the twin trees into that mystery foretold when under them long ago we sat and listened. That voice, wise, wily, winding ideas that mazed us turned the world inside out, flung us ready or not to the borders of reason. I can almost see that summer evening when, after a long hospital stay, you had us gather around. I was unbelieving you could actually have been ill but there you were, yellow to prove it. Speaking softly, slowly, you drew us back to the vistas of liberation. The promised land is one of joyful detachment, ongoing renewal and unquestioning love. You led us there – this brave troop beneath the cedars; brave because the one we followed was so alive, so sure, even when yellowed and frail. And now, in Roughwood, you are doing it again, doing it still. If we stop beneath these trees, with little effort, we can know the sublime, the simple, the outrageous, the evident, the effulgent light that is you.

Butterflies busy themselves
in Sitara’s garden, growing
as naturally as rain falls in England,
as unruly as his hair,
as magical as all we are
in whom he now lives.

Dead?
Slowly by slowly, I realise he has never been more alive.

Thank you! 🙏💖🙏

To be honest, I was never impressed by jewellery. I can’t distinguish the worth of one stone from the other, and I never understood why some people are so fascinated by them. After all, a stone is just a stone, right? But these pieces of jewellery are something extraordinary.😉

Khenmet, or Khnumit, was an ancient Egyptian king’s daughter of the Twelfth Dynasty, around 1800 BC. She is mainly known for her unrobbed tomb, which contains a set of outstanding personal adornments.

Princess Khenmet is only known from her burial next to the pyramid of Amenemhat II at Dahshur. On the West side of the pyramid were three underground galleries with each of two tombs. Four of these tombs, including those of Khenmet, Ita, and Itaweret, were found unlooted. The father of Khenmet is uncertain, but since she was buried in the pyramid complex of King Amenemhat II, it seems likely that she was his daughter.

As we delve deeper into these jewels, we realize they are crafted not just from gold for their lustre but also as symbols of destiny, well-being, and everlastingness.

Now, let’s enjoy reading another fascinating discovery of these treasures by Marie Grillot.🙏💖🙏

Two bracelet clasps of Princess Khnumit

Via égyptophile

Princess Khnumit was one of the many daughters of Amenemhat II, ruler of the 12th Dynasty (1932 – 1898 BC). According to some sources, she was also his son’s wife and successor, King Senusret II. She was buried in Dahshur, northwest of the White Pyramid (that of Amenemhat II).

Jacques de Morgan during the discovery of Khnumit’s jewels in February 1905 in Dahchour
drawing published in “L’Illustration” on May 11, 1895

It was the French Egyptologist Jacques que Morgan who discovered her tomb in February 1895.

“The sarcophagus had been put in place at the same time as the tomb had been built. Perhaps even the wooden coffin it contained had also been placed before the death of the personage so that on the day of burial, all that remained was to place the body and the offerings in the tomb.”

Plan of the tomb of Princess Khnoumit published by Jacques de Morgan

The discoverer also specifies that the princely mummy was once painted and covered with a bitumen coating. Its gilded mask was decorated with red, blue, and gold designs, and two eyes mounted in silver.”

Sumptuous jewels accompanied her for eternity: necklaces, bracelets, in gold, inlaid with carnelian, emerald and lapis lazuli… The chamber of offerings concealed a veritable treasure. “Terracotta vases filled with the debris of the offerings covered the paving in the middle of a bed of white dust accumulated by the centuries. To the right, along the wall located between the two doors, was a pile of bones of oxen and geese, the remains of the provisions that had been deposited near the dead. Along the eastern wall and almost in the middle was the closed perfume box; further away, a small square board, the bronze perfume burner and finally, the canopic box, which occupied almost the entire back of the room. All these objects were dust-covered, so I found it difficult to distinguish their details in the darkness. However, after removing the vases, I was astonished to find some gold jewels near the perfume box.”

Among Princess Khnoumit’s jewels were numerous necklaces

The jewels that accompany the princess for her eternity are extraordinary, of such accomplished beauty and art that Jacques de Morgan would say: “I do not believe that, even today, a jeweller can achieve such great perfection, such truth of rendering and such beautiful designs as the obscure worker who, many centuries ago, chiselled in some street of Memphis these singular jewels with which Princess Khnoumit was to adorn herself.”

Khnoumit’s Jewels:
From work by Jacques de Morgan, this plate reproduces the two clasps decorated with the sign “SA.”

Among these jewels are these two bracelet clasps found in the sarcophagus. Although they are not among the most sumptuous or best known, they nevertheless deserve our interest.

They come in the form of a rectangular plate, nearly 4 cm high and just over 2 cm wide, bordered with gold. This “frame” is pierced with holes in which the threads of the rows of pearls are attached. Inside the sign, ‘SA’ stands out in lapis lazuli, decorated in its highest part with a small lion’s head, or panther, in gold.

In “Bijoux et orfèvreries”—Fascicule 2 -, the Egyptologist Émile Vernier provides the following details on the manufacture of the “SA” sign: “It is divided into six pieces by the lioness’s head and by cloisonné links; these links are made of three small strips, the middle one in carnelian and the other two in turquoise.”

The hieroglyph ‘SA’ symbolises protection, “perhaps representing the folded mat used by shepherds to protect themselves from the elements.”

Émile Vernier also tells us about what we cannot see, the reverse side of the clasp: “The reverse side is chiselled, the body of the sign is made like a bundle of seven stems joined together and linked in six places corresponding to the lioness’s head and the five links on the front. These links are divided into three parts, a central one wider than the other two.”

These clasps are now “orphaned” from the rows of gold, carnelian, lapis lazuli, and turquoise beads that made up the bracelet they closed. Therefore, we must rely on our imagination to reconstruct them and imagine them adorning Princess Khnoumit’s arms.

These jewels were deposited at the Cairo Museum, recorded in the Journal of Entries JE 31091, and then in the General Catalogue under the references CG 52044 and CG 52045.

Marie Grillot

Sources:

Jacques de Morgan, Excavations at Dahchour, Adolphe Holzhausen, Vienna, 1894 http://dlib.nyu.edu/awdl/sites/dl-pa.home.nyu.edu.awdl/files/fouillesdahcho01morg/fouillesdahcho01morg.pdf Jacques de Morgan, Letter on the latest discoveries in Egypt, Reports of the meetings of the Academy of Inscriptions and Belles-Lettres, 1894, 38-3 pp. 169-177 http://www.persee.fr/doc/crai_0065-0536_1894_num_38_3_70401?_Prescripts_Search_tabs1=standard& Jacques de Morgan, Letter on his second excavation campaign in Egypt, Reports of the sessions of the Academy of Inscriptions and Belles-Lettres, 1895, 39-2 pp. 169-179 http://www.persee.fr/web/revues/home/prescript/article/crai_0065-0536_1895_num_39_2_70560?_Prescripts_Search_tabs1=standard& Jacques de Morgan, Excavations at Dahshur: 1894-1895, Adolphe Holzhausen, Vienna, 1903 http://digi.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/diglit/morgan1903/0049 Émile Vernier, General Catalogue of Egyptian Antiquities in the Cairo Museum, Jewelry and Goldwork, Issue 3, Number 52640-53171, IFAO, Cairo, 1925 http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k57740426/f96.item.r=52859.texteImage Cyril Aldred, Jewels of the Pharaohs ed Thames & Hudson Ltd. London, 1978
Mohamed Saleh, Hourig Sourouzian, Official Catalogue of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, Verlag Philippe von Zabern, 1997
Francesco Tiradritti, Treasures of Egypt – The Wonders of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, Gründ, 1999

As I sit on my (still not a park bench!) armchair in my working room, I’m still amazed at how these previous times have passed, with renovations and holidays in foreign countries (that is, after all, not in an EU community!)… I’ve reached a certain age where I may not feel physically but still not mentally. I thought, after a difficult post like the one before, I’d gab a bit about my feelings.

A few days before, one of our friends shared about feeling lonely on his/her birthday. I empathized with, even though I believe a birthday is just like any other day. After all, it’s only a number that goes up, which is definitely better than the alternative! However, my birthday became a big deal in our family because it was a milestone age—something you wouldn’t expect by looking at me! Perhaps it’s the child inside me that never lets my true age show and always keeps that inner child alive.

Time it was
And what a time it was
It was . . .
A time of innocence
A time of confidences
Long ago . . . it must be . . .
I have a photograph
Preserve your memories
They’re all that’s left you
Bookends

Moreover, my main reason for writing these words is because a sudden rush of memories reminded me of the time when Al and I kept listening to that Simon & Garfunkel album(Bookends) over and over again. We were young back then and didn’t know how strange it was to be seventy years old. Now I know it (unfortunately, Al didn’t reach that); nevertheless, as I still must continue my work and drive the older adults to their destinations, I don’t feel that old as they do.

“Old Friends” by Simon & Garfunkel

Old friends
Old friends
Sat on their park bench
Like bookends
A newspaper blown through the grass
Falls on the round toes
On the high shoes
Of the old friends

Old friends
Winter companions
The old men
Lost in their overcoats
Waiting for the sunset
The sounds of the city
Sifting through trees
Settle like dust
On the shoulders
Of the old friends

Can you imagine us
Years from today
Sharing a park bench quietly?
How terribly strange
To be seventy

Old friends
Memory brushes the same years
Silently sharing the same fear

🙏💖🖖🤗

Translated from volumes published by Lorenz Jung based on the edition “Gesammelte Werke” dtv.de The Symbols of Transformation (1952) and Aion (1950)

With heartfelt regards to my friends, I present another episode of the Mana-Personality. I mention the past ones here: 1 2 3, as I know it is necessary to read them continually. I had to read the last one myself to know where I was at all! In any case, I think and feel that Dr Jung knows how complicated this issue is and makes an effort to make it easier, and I make an effort to keep translating this jewel from the origin of his own writing, which can be the most trustworthy source.

Dr Jung’s work on this topic (Mana-Personality) stresses the unknown, hidden behind the unconscious, and tries to bring it to the conscious. One of his main points (in most of his works) is pointing back to the collective unconscious and finding the connection in between. That is intensively probing every corner of the human soul, and it is not only fascinating but also important!

Illustration at the top: Alan Mcdonald: A Spoonful of Sugar.

Let’s continue reading:

The starting point for our problem is the state that follows when the unconscious contents that cause the anima and animus phenomenon have been sufficiently brought into consciousness. This can best be thought of in the following way: The unconscious contents are initially things of the personal atmosphere, perhaps in the manner of the fantasy of the male patient mentioned above: (It refers to the dream of one of his patients: he sees his bride running down the road to the river. It is winter, and the river is frozen. She runs out onto the ice, and he follows her. She goes further out, and there the ice has broken; a dark crack opens up, and he is afraid she might fall into it. Indeed, she sinks into the crack, and he watches her sadly).

Later, fantasies of the impersonal unconscious develop, essentially containing collective symbolism, such as my patient’s vision. These fantasies are not wild and motionless, as one might naively think, but they follow certain unconscious guidelines that converge towards a specific goal. One might, therefore, best compare these later series of fantasies to initiation processes because they are the closest analogy to them.
All fairly organized primitive groups and tribes have initiations, often extraordinarily developed, that play an extremely important part in their social and religious life (Primitive Secret Societies, 1908; see Webster.)

Through them, lads will become men and girls into women. The Kavirondos insult those who do not submit to circumcision or excision as ‘animals’. This shows that the initiation rites are the magical means by which man is led from the animal state to the human state. Primitive initiations are evidently mysteries of transformation of the most tremendous spiritual significance. Very often, the initiates are subjected to painful methods of treatment, and at the same time, tribal mysteries are communicated to them: the laws and hierarchy of the tribe on the one hand and cosmogonic and other mythical teachings on the other. The initiations have been preserved among all civilized peoples. In Greece, the ancient Eleusinian mysteries apparently survived until the 7th century. Rome was flooded with mystery religions. One of these is Christianity, which, even in its present form, albeit faded and degenerated, has retained the old initiation ceremonies of baptism, confirmation, and communion. Therefore, no one will be able to deny the enormous historical significance of the initiations.

The modern world has nothing to compare with the historical importance of initiation (compare the testimonies of the ancients with regard to the Eleusinian mysteries!). Freemasonry, the I’Église Gnostique de la France, legendary Rosicrucians, theosophy and so on are weak substitutes for something that would be better marked in red letters on the list of historical losses. The fact is that the entire symbolism of initiation appears in the unconscious with unmistakable clarity. The objection that this is old superstition and completely unscientific is as intelligent as someone who, upon seeing a cholera epidemic, notices that it is merely an infectious disease and, what’s more, unhygienic. The question is not, as I must emphasize again and again, whether the initiation symbols are objective truths or not, but simply whether these unconscious contents are equivalents of the initiation practices or not and whether they have an influence on the human psyche or not. Nor is it a question of whether they are desirable or not. It is enough that they exist and that they work.

To be continued! Thank you for being there.🙏🌹🥰

Of course, I am not Guglielmo Marconi, who, on 13 May 1897, sent the world’s first radio message across open water: “CAN YOU HEAR ME?” However, I’ve been feeling almost wireless lately due to the extensive renovation planned (by my wife!) for this entire week, which was supposed to happen immediately and has turned everything upside down. My only connection was my cell phone, which I could hardly do anything with.

I don’t mind renovations; I just need a heads-up to prepare for them. Although I must admit that my office, where I sit and write, was neglected for thirteen years and was covered in dust! In addition to computer equipment, I have many instruments, such as guitars, amplifiers, effects, music player devices, etc. There was suddenly a tangle of cables, and due to the dust of the past thirteen years, the view of the empty spaces was unpleasant. Nevertheless, it had to be done. Now, I’m so exhausted that I don’t have the energy to continue my regular work. However, I have to share with you that aside from my muscle pain, I also feel a deep emotional pain that I need to work through because I ended up throwing away a significant memory of my brother, Al.

The theme is not only about letting go of old things, but it also highlights Al’s remarkable effort and hard work in collecting cinematic masterpieces. Al has carefully recorded over five hundred video cassettes (VHS, with the capacity of three or four movies, each cassette; Long Play recording), containing many excellent works by great directors like Stanley Kubrick, Alfred Hitchcock, Martin Scorsese, Akira Kurosawa, Steven Spielberg, Billy Wilder, Federico Fellini, Francis Ford Coppola, Orson Welles, Ingmar Bergman, Howard Hawks, Jean-Luc Godard, David Lean, John Huston, John Ford, Fritz Lang, François Truffaut, Charlie Chaplin, James Cameron, Clint Eastwood, Buster Keaton, Miloš Forman, Sergio Leone, Luis Buñuel, Vittorio De Sica, Sam Peckinpah, Ernst Lubitsch, Elia Kazan, Michael Curtiz, Michelangelo Antonioni, Nicholas Ray, Roman Polanski, Sidney Lumet, Frank Capra, William Wyler, Joel Coen, Robert Altman, Oliver Stone, Otto Preminger, Woody Allen, Mel Brooks, Terry Gilliam, Bernardo Bertolucci, George Lucas, Luchino Visconti… are you still there?!

I was working six days a week, and my desire was that when I retired, we could both enjoy sitting and watching all these good movies together. But Al’s earlier departure and the rapid advancement of technique overtook my wish to fulfil this dream. That’s why, with all my pain, I decided to give up his outstanding work and throw away all these videos I have held onto for twenty years. I don’t know if anyone understands how deeply this decision hurt me.

Finally, the only thing that can calm my suffering is this fascinating and profound Tibetan ritual, which helps me understand that everything has no worth! There is a time to build and a Time To Destroy; nothing lasts forever! Heartfelt thanks, everybody.

The illustration at the top is by Tim Cordell.