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I'm going to attempt to wade in although I've not yet finished reading the entire thread. I'm not surprised however with the way it's rambled from Christianity to Hinduism to Buddhism to Native American forms of spirituality and everywhere in between. It would have to because archetypes encompass all cultures.
I'm a bit undecided as to whether or not this discussion is about religion/spirituality or about Jung. To me, spirituality is about our personal relationship with our understanding of Divinity -- however we may define that for ourselves. Religion is when a bunch of people who share similar beliefs and relationship structure come together in a group. In order to define what their group is all about they also need to define what they're not about -- this is where the exclusionary and, occasionally judgemental, aspect comes into play. Jungian psychology, on the other hand is a tool for understanding our relationship with ourselves and the larger world. It's not about religion or spirituality per se, although it certainly does wind in that direction if you follow it long enough.
Jung can and does get very weighty; most people, however can begin to grasp Jungian thought in its more basic aspects. For example--are you an extrovert or an introvert? The Myers-Briggs personality assessment is rooted in Jungian thought. Extroversion and Introversion are opposites. Whichever one you identify with, that means its opposing characteristic sits on the back burner. This in turn, introduces us to the Jungian model of the psyche. We all present a face to the world, a way of being who we believe we are (or should be). An extrovert presents an extroverted face; an introvert, an introverted face. Whatever face we present (our persona), it's opposing component can be found in deeper aspects of our total personality.
Jung defined five main aspects of the psyche: The persona, the ego, the shadow, the anima/animus and the Self. Most of us are quite familiar with the persona and ego; less so with the shadow and anima/animus. According to Jung, the first step in personal/spiritual growth comes about when we begin to embrace our shadow. The shadow contains all parts of ourself that sit on those back burners. Most often, we've stuck those parts there because there's something about them that we can't accept. Anyone here who is working on coming to terms with a loss in their past; trauma in their childhood, etc. -- you are doing shadow work. Pulling up those contents from your depths, seeing them, owning them as parts of yourself.
As many of you know, shadow work can be very painful, very difficult. It often means coming to terms with something that, on the surface, we don't want to see. It might mean acknowledging our vulnerability or our capacity to inflict harm and pain on others. If we don't have the ability or the courage to do this work we will see our shadow in others. Therefore, the mother who is disorganized and lazy might berate her children for being disorganized and lazy; the minister who is a closeted homosexual (and ashamed of it) might spearhead a public campaign designed to punish homosexuals; a terrified nation might become a terrifying one in a distorted attempt to create "peace".
One of Jung's criticisms of Christianity is that, as a religion, it doesn't acknowledge its own shadow. Instead, Christianity splits off from its own dark side (i.e. the Inquistion) and projects its shadow onto an archetype called "The Devil". It then "sees" this demon in others and punishes them for it (i.e. Native Americans). Likewise, Christianity has a long history of rejecting the femininity of "God" except in a purified form that mortal women can seldom aspire to. This had led to the "demonization" of women. I'm not meaning to pick on Christianity here; the same or similar criticisms could be made of all religions. For example, Hinduism acknowledges the dual nature of the Creator, but it actively practices a caste system considered intolerable in the West.
Consider other forms of opposites: male/female; black/white; good/evil. Duality. Whatever aspect we identify with on the surface, the opposing component is hidden within. Depth psychology is all about exploring and uncovering those hidden aspects of ourselves and "bringing them into the light" so to speak. As a result of doing so, we become more conscious, more balanced, more whole.
In keeping with Jungian theory, by the time you get to the Self you are dealing with the God archetype -- a form of consciousness, energy, divinity that is beyond duality. "God" is both everything, balanced in perfect proportion, and beyond everything. To truly encounter "God" at this level of being is a shattering experience to the "human mortal". I recall reading somewhere that when Saul encountered "God" on the road to Damascus, it took him ten years to recover adequately enough that he could begin his ministry.
To give an example from my own experience... try to imagine a timeline that contains everything that has ever happened or ever will happen. Now, condense that line into a ball so that everything that has ever happened or ever will happen is happening in one exact moment that never ends. Our little human mortal minds can wrap itself around that concept. If we didn't have time organized into a past, present or future, we couldn't function. "God" is way beyond that and this is something we must bear in mind in attempting to speak of that force, or energy, or divine intelligence, or however we attempt to contain that within words.
Music of the Hour:
See also:
Archetypes & The Individuation Process
How to Produce an Acute Schizophrenic Break