Member-only story
Carl Jung Said It, but Should He Have?
There’s only one way to find out
Spiritual teachers such as Joseph Campbell liked to say — “Follow your bliss.”
Others, like Carl Jung, said the opposite — “Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life, and you will call it fate.”
One approach uses the light to illuminate itself. The other seeks out darkness.
There is no right or wrong way when it comes to choosing which path to take in life. It’s a very personal thing. However, even Joseph Campbell recognised the need to go through some kind of darkness to complete the Hero’s Journey. So, it’s undeniable how valuable it can be.
Carl Jung just took it to another level.
“The difference between a good life and a bad life is how well you walk through the fire.” — Carl Jung
Walking through the “fire” is what Carl Jung called shadow work. And shadow work is dealing with all of the stuff that follows us around. The kind of stuff that lurks underneath the surface and triggers our deepest wounds — wounds that have often been denied, dismissed, and/or suppressed.
This is something I’m eternally grateful to him for as it’s benefitted my life temendously.
